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Jun 06, 2024 By Margot Cooper Gruen Photography by Margot Cooper Gruen Web Exclusive

Under the Radar has coverage for this year’s Kilby Block Party, which happened to be celebrating 25 years of its namesake Kilby Court venue. Kilby Court has been around since 1999, making it Utah’s longest running all-ages venue. Having been there, it is super quaint and matches the nickname of being a “little garage.” This year also marks the fifth time the Kilby Block Party festival took place, occurring at Utah State Fairpark, also in Salt Lake City. KBP had a lineup that one could only dream of. Logistics-wise, maybe it wasn’t so perfect. Here’s the breakdown.

Day 1/Friday

We first caught Unknown Mortal Orchestra who went from serenading, to shredding, and back. Having not seen them live in a decade, it was refreshing to hear the newer music they’ve put out. The crowd was older than average at the festival, thus seemingly more relaxed and into the music. Their time slot was surprisingly early in the day, but they still grooved out on the main Kilby stage. “So Good At Being in Trouble” was just beautiful and demonstrated what a unique sound they have. All the black and white videos on the screen combined with the band’s black and white outfits were slick.

Their set was a total journey between songs and included: “Necessary Evil,” “Layla,” “That Life,” “Hunnybee,” “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone,” and “Multi-Love.” As always, Unknown Mortal Orchestra had a solid performance. Maybe UMO’s early time slot was to try to kick it all off? Not sure, but they got jipped a bit.

Peach Pit was cute. Actually cute. It was slightly lackluster and lacking depth, but we didn’t hate it. Seems like formulaic music that goes on an indie soundtrack for a mediocre movie.

Alvvays kicked off on the Kilby stage. Singer Molly Rankin is quite the frontwoman, with deep lyrics, passion, and personality you can see. The music is dreamy and sweet sadness pop that takes you to a different time. As it started to rain Rankin volunteered, “I want to take personal responsibility for the bad weather.” Even with the slight rain, they kept their throwback sunglasses on. Bassist Abbey Blackwell was tight. Overheard throughout the night, “Alvvays were my favorite.” Under the Radar are fans too.

Kilby Block Party had some neat ideas. One being that there would be water refill stations and attendees were able to bring in canteens/bottles to avoid paying for bottled waters. This idea seemed to work well, we never noticed any problems other than a line. The other feature of the festival was free public transit. In theory, a great idea. But there were no signs to know which way the lines were. It seemed to mostly be locals who used it to get home.

Courtney Barnett, featured in a 2018 Under the Radar cover story, also gave an awesome show. She broaches serious subjects, but she has a light folk tone at times. Really skilled lyrics. It was amazing to watch this left-handed player shred. “Depreston” was performed heartfelt and so brutally honest. Then she dove into “History Eraser,” totally switching it up, but it made total sense and was super cohesive. She also performed “Nameless, Faceless” and “Before You Gotta Go” (which makes her sound like a version of Dylan).

The grand finale of day one was none other than Vampire Weekend, who Under the Radar first interviewed in 2007. Since seeing them live last, they’ve changed a lot, matured. They’re now a seven-piece unit, which makes sense given the size of the venues they currently play. Everyone in the crowd was enraptured by the first night’s headliner. Bassist Chris Baio put on a show, dancing all over the stage. In between songs, singer Ezra Koenig shared that Vampire Weekend played Kilby Court in 2007, that there were 30 people there, and that this dream experience took place before their first album came out. They performed “Classical” and “Capricorn,” off new album Only God Was Above Us. A really heady rendition of their single “Sunflower” showed a shift from pretty indie pop to a jam band flare. It’s a beautiful thing to discover a band has more hits than you even realized before going into their show. A kid named Connor from the crowd even got pulled onstage to try his hand at the very fast piano intro for “Connect,” also off the newest album, and did a great job considering. For the second to last song, Vampire Weekend welcomed Real Housewife of Salt Lake City reality TV show cast member Heather Gay on stage. She spoke to “her people’’ (the audience) and played cornhole with herself onstage, then the band went right back into playing “Campus” into “Oxford Comma.”

Vampire Weekend said they regretted informing the crowd that they couldn’t stay and hang around for the weekend, that they were off to NYC to perform on Saturday Night Live with Maya Rudolph hosting. Koenig said, “Friday night in Salt Lake, Saturday night in New York, it really doesn’t get any better than that.”

Day 2/Saturday

One of the more fascinating things we noticed about Kilby Block Party is that most people in attendance weren’t from Utah. Whether they were or weren’t local, trucker hats bearing insignias such as “Drink Slut,” lots of flannel, and bright colors were to be seen. Ping pong tables and cornhole boxes were set up in between stages for audience members to utilize. Also, throughout the festival there were skateboarding competitions at a full skatepark located on one of the edges of the grounds.

Day 2 started with Beach Fossils, hailing from NYC, who started with an interesting intro, but then got right into it. Their dream-pop was fun to start the day with. As lead singer Dustin Payseur told the crowd they were going to “slow it down a bit,” he brought out a special guest. Payseur’s daughter Cleo came out on stage for a song and sat with him and his wife as he sang and played, making for a really special family moment. For a second, there was an instrument problem, and they borrowed Current Joys’ bass. Payseur joked, “It wouldn’t be rock and roll if an instrument didn’t break.” Overall it was a great set.

It’s about at this point that some things become wildly apparent. Two of the stages, the Lake and Mountain stages, are practically connected, but not set up to disperse sound properly. While waiting for Yellow Days on Mountain Stage, The Garden sounded absolutely awful and exquisitely loud. Finally that ended, and a woman outfitted in retro flight attendant garb takes the stage, and tells everyone to “shut the fuck up.” Super abrasive but had a whole story to tell the crowd. Another moment of realization occurs when trying to watch this show. The sound quality was almost unbearable, especially considering the sounds/effects that Yellow Days uses. There were more stories, delivered both orally and physically, from the flight attendant throughout the show. Overall, everything was pretty distracting, and without clear sound, it wasn’t hard to leave before it was over.

Hailing from California, TV Girl’s shoegaze pop outfit started with “Pantyhose”—the first track on their first album French Exit (2014). Singer Brad Petering (the only remaining original member of the band) doesn’t look like he would have the voice he does. Petering seemed too cool at times, at one point saying, “we’re such big stars,” but then said, “we’re really just a little indie band.” TV Girl is known for using ’60s samples, making for a unique sound and vibe. The lyrics for “Not Allowed” are brutally honest and observant, not particularly happy, but sung in sing-song voice/samples. The band performed “Blue Hair,” as well as “Taking What’s Not Yours,” which seemed to be more popular. The juxtaposition of sound and meaning added an interesting dimension to the music. At times the music sounds like elevator background notes, other moments sounds of organ, also rap. The noises were eclectic, but the music was cohesive. TV Girl mentioned they have graced Kilby Court three times, calling it a “magical garage”. Another moment of sound being a bummer—the bass was loud and buzzy as hell, and Petering made a comment about needing to stall because of technical difficulties. In general though, the crowd was delighted with the performance and it was a highlight for many.

Next, we approached the Lake/Mountain stages that were adjacent. Cautious Clay was on the Mountain stage. Cautious Clay (Joshua Karpeh) has one of the most handsome, smooth as hell, and soulful voices potentially possible. You’d be hard-pressed to find an instrument he doesn’t play. “Cold War” is just stunning, no matter your taste in music. Cautious Clay jammed on the sax, and unfortunately, it was pretty quiet decibel-wise overall. Later, Karpeh even rocked a flute (which he is classical trained on) during “Call Me.” It’s easy to hear how he has worked with many artists as a songwriter with the various sounds of his different songs.

Then came the pause for lightning. Much of the crowd was moved from stages and barriers. It was interesting that this was not universally enforced or even attempted to be, but the screens were lit up with “Weather Delay” notices telling the audience to seek shelter due to the possible lightning. “This is a show delay Please step away from the barricade,” was on the stage’s back screen. Luckily, it never came and the show carried on.

It might not even be possible to be as amazed and impressed by a performance than the awe that stemmed from watching Santigold. Originally slated for this spot/stage was Wu-Tang Clan, so with about a month’s notice, Santigold replaced their spot. She did not let anyone down, including those who may have had reservations initially. Although, the start was not as smooth as possible, and that was evident by her reaction to the sound. Something was wrong with her in-ears, she even pulled them out repeatedly throughout her set while signaling to the side of the stage, all while carrying on, singing amazingly, and delivering despite some obstacles.

Santigold was accompanied by two dancers, and all three were dressed in white. She kicked off with “Hold the Line,” a Major Lazer beat she was featured on. Santigold has worked with so many artists that making a short list is futile, but here we go. To name a few—Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Karen O, Jay-Z, Lykke Li, and Julian Casablancas. She then went into “L.E.S. Artistes” from her self-titled first album. As much as the songs from early in her career drew in the crowd, her newer songs were also captivating. As fun and danceable as her songs are, it’s really amazing to hear the lyrics live and understand more of the emotion behind them.

For “Disparate Youth” (off of Master of My Make-Believe) the crowd seemed elated. Right after, Santigold invited members of the crowd to come up with her on stage to dance to “Creator” saying, “Who wants to come up and dance with us tonight?” She also said, “No cameras, just dancing” and most, if not all, heeded her. The set ended with “Big Mouth.” When her performance was over, the crowd was buzzing. One person remarked, “Best show yet.” Another stated that Wu-Tang would not have been as good.

To end day two, the audience got the double package of Death Cab For Cutie/The Postal Service. Listening to Transatlanticism and Give Up back to back live is quite the experience. The tour with this lineup is celebrating the 20th anniversary for both albums, causing many people to trip on how time flies. Having seen this show at the Hollywood Bowl towards the end of last year, there were some definite differences. Frontman Ben Gibbard seemed more confident and less stiff than in LA for sure, and it makes sense that this is becoming more routine as the tour has continued.

There are so many different Death Cab For Cutie songs, even from the same album, and it was apparent that many people had memories and feelings evoked. After the DCFC set, Gibbard remarked not to leave, that they would take minutes then have more, He said, “Don’t give up,” which was a cute segue into the small break between sets.

The Postal Service wore all white and had a light show that revved the crowd up. It felt like an ethereal dance party. It’s amazing to think of 20 years since the album was released. The Postal Service member Jenny Lewis (who also fronted band Rilo Kiley and is a successful solo artist) was a huge hit among the audience. Gibbard’s enduring energy was infectious and he hopped all over the stage, even playing drums at different points. Unfortunately, particularly towards the end of the show, the sound was too loud and the vocals were muddied. “We Will Become Silhouettes” was especially hard to handle sound-wise, although the vocals were slightly better. Overall, great show though, and ended with a bang, a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.”

Day 3/Sunday

The backdrop of mountains (some snow-capped) was particularly stunning on Sunday, possibly because it was the best weather of the weekend so far. Many bands had stories of playing Kilby Court in their early days. Goes to show that everyone starts somewhere, as well as the need to support local/small/new music.

Sao Paulo outfit CSS was the first band we caught during Day 3 on the Desert Stage. While waiting for them to come onstage, Vengaboys’ late ’90s dance track “We Like to Party” was playing, a throwback akin to seeing CSS. They are on a farewell reunion tour, calling it— “It’s Been a Number of Years Tour,” (20 years since their formation). The crowd started revving up more and more, dancing before anything even happened on stage. A few songs into the set, CSS played “Music is My Hot Hot Sex” into “Hits Me Like a Rock,” two of their more well-known songs. But there was a distraction, bleeding from another stage’s audio. Lead singer Lovefoxxx was super appreciative to the crowd, saying— “your presence is hitting us like a rock.” For “This Month, Day 10,” she broadcasted to the crowd, “This is a revenge song… So you can channel your revenge fucks right now. Are you ready Kilby?” as she guided the crowd through raising their hands and moving them side to side. Most, if not all, of the crowd was into the set, and participated in the arm yoga. The angsty dance music CSS makes is so catchy, and seeing it live draws in viewers even more. Crowd-surfing wasn’t uncommon throughout this show. Close to the end of the set, CSS rocked out to the banger “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death from Above.” They ended with “Alala.” It’s apparent that for them, this tour isn’t about new music, it’s about a reunion before an end, and a performative show. It came full circle, with CSS dancing off the stage while the sound returned to “We Like to Party.” It’s clear, CSS does like to party and anyone who feels the same would love their show.

Australian band Pond was next in line for us to check out. It’s doubtful you’ll see many frontmen enrapture large crowds like Nick Allbrook does, especially given his ability to perform above and beyond, as well as command attention. The psych-rockers are Tame Impala adjacent, as they are friends, collaborate often, and have movement of members between the two bands. We also saw them within the week after Kilby, and it’s apparent they have a demanding presence, and that Allbrook is quite the character. He dives into the crowd like it is nothing, just another show. During the first song, overheard from an attendee— “is this Mick Jagger?” as he came onstage in a sheer black shirt with gold sparkles. At some point during the show, security was involved with something happening in the crowd, Allbrook remarked “take care of each other” twice.

“Sweep Me Off My Feet” is a perfect example of a trippy power ballad and was performed exceedingly well. This led into “Neon River.” It’s almost part Pink Floyd, part Led Zeppelin, some Jimi parts, dosed with acid. “Paint Me Silver,” heard later in the set, was groovy as well. It’s not uncommon for Allbrook to make sexy gestures or even hint at something sexual, and it makes all the girls turn away and blush. He’s so charismatic, and the show as a whole was rad. Pond’s extensive catalogue doesn’t hurt either. The downside of this performance was the mosh pit with a bunch of kids who had no idea what one is supposed to look like.

Veteran NYC-based dark alt-rockers Interpol were the last band before the grand finale, and did a killer job with an outstanding performance. Daniel Kessler (guitar, piano, supporting vocals) came out dancing with lots of lunges and little hops, and rendered the distinguishable riff to “C’mere” off the album Antics. Lead singer Paul Banks seemed to be in great spirits and his voice sounded just loud enough and clear, which was a small miracle for this festival. Festival-goers said things such as “why wasn’t the sound this good for all the other acts?” Touring bassist Brad Truax did a solid job of playing Carlos D’s recognizable bass lines, with a steady presence onstage. Because of learning a lot of bass from Interpol lines, having someone who (admittedly) has really learned the parts is a big deal. Interpol then dove into “Say Hello to the Angels” (Turn On the Bright Lights), then into “Narc” (also from Antics).

There are a couple things worth mentioning before getting to the final set of the Kilby Block Party 2024 festival. The sound needs to get figured out, but could possibly be chalked up to growing pains, this (again) being the fifth year the festival has taken place. The communication between security and amongst other staff could also be improved. There were many attendees big into festivals, people who make the treks and devote time and (more and more) money to going to clusters of shows. Juxtaposing this was the amount of very young concert-goers, many of whom didn’t seem to be old enough to know much of the music.

The anticipation for NYC’s LCD Soundsystem was palpable. The pre-show music must have been hand-selected. From The Cure’s “Close to Me,” to a sample of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” that led into The Clash’s “Straight to Hell.” All sorts of songs that teased the audience with certain noises and beats that sounded familiar. All the while, the packed main Kilby stage had beach balls bouncing over the top of the crowd. LCD Soundsystem started the finale off with “Get Innocuous!,” a slow build that left unsuspecting viewers slightly confused, but served as a warm-up for everyone familiar with their catalog as it got more and more intense. It was such a cool way to get people ramped up, and showed definite division between audience members who only knew certain songs or like the idea of LCD Soundsystem, and those who were really, really into it. Then they went into “I Can Change,” exuding the dance vibe from founder James Murphy’s pores. It was so neat to hear them live because although the variance in the music is perhaps not as extensive, the cadence and sometimes notes of Murphy’s vocals isn’t exactly what’s recorded and his inflections emphasize the parts he wants to. “You Wanted a Hit” followed, then “Tribulations.” On “Tribulations” in particular, the visuals on the stage’s screens made it feel like we were taking off in some electronic foreign place while listening to commentary on society that holds true and, arguably, will be relevant for a long time to come.

“Yr City’s A Sucker” was another amazing song because it was played in many different ways, and yet it all tied together. Another person in the crowd happened to be seeing LCD Soundsystem for the second time and concurred this show was better than his first. This performance truly was a step beyond what many people had seen, even if they hadn’t seen many shows. LCD Soundsystem were big teasers, they kept hinting at various songs between the setlist, driving an eagerness to see what was coming up. Between each track, the band would groove, and we never really knew exactly what song was on next. They teased various sections, beats, notes, etc. of different songs then dove in. All of it was completely fabulous. “Someone Great,” another classic, was really special to see on this night. The music is so beautiful, yet the lyrics are so bittersweet, about losing someone, with enough vagueness that the story could mean all sorts of versions. What made all these outstanding performances so crazy is the fact that later on, Murphy was onstage huffing on an oxygen tank, mentioning the altitude in Utah. Regarding air/oxygen he jokingly said, “You’re out of it! Either get more air or lower the city.” He wasn’t the only artist who mentioned the elevation and troubles that came with it.

We ended the night with a spiritual experience, LCD Soundsystem bumping “All My Friends,” which was especially pertinent. The song sounds reminiscent at times, but mostly questions the places we sometimes find ourselves in. Another great example of Murphy’s ability to commentate on universal situations, thoughts, ideas that aren’t rosy really, but have a background of amazing dance sounds. LCD Soundsystem truly outdid themselves with this performance.

www.kilbyblockparty.com

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