Octfest took over Knockdown Center – 10/19
Pitchfork’s third-annual Octfest descended on NYC’s Knockdown Center for a day of loud music and craft beers on Saturday.
With a lineup headed by nervy indie rockers Parquet Courts and post-rock heavyweights Mogwai – bolstered by the likes of Iceage, Duster, Empath and Control Top – Octfest was not a hard sell for a music fan with a certain left-of-the-dial disposition. Indeed, there wasn’t really a miss anywhere on the 10-band bill, which spanned punk rock upstarts to indie darlings across its 8-hour program. For beer fans, whose crossover with the indie rock contingent is…high, the mini-festival’s craft brewery factor only sweetened the deal. In partnership with Pitchfork’s beer-themed sort-of sister site October, every ticket included six samples from the myriad of manufacturers on site (in addition to full size pours, of course).
After a few years of being intrigued by these Octfest lineups, I made the trek this time and came away with one of the more pleasantly low-key festival experiences of my 2019. Owing in part to the relatively small scale, everything felt so manageable, with performances wisely spaced out and a layout across Knockdown Center’s warehouse and courtyard space that never felt overcrowded. The more volume-centric bands (and they booked some heavy hitters here between Mogwai, Metz and Empath) sounded appropriately massive on the big indoor stage, ceding the tighter outdoor space to acts like Priests and Duster that benefitted from a more intimate setting. Sure, the supply of food (and, more disconcertingly, beer) did run low by the end of the night, but otherwise I can’t picture a much better approach to a single day fest.
And a handful of excellent sets didn’t hurt. For my money, adventurous Danish punks Iceage won the day, but a booming Mogwai performance, Empath’s blazing shoegaze-psychedelia and a slightly gonzo Parquet Courts (complete with a “One Man No City” jam that pushed the 10-minute mark) were standouts too.
Check out some scenes from the crowd from throughout the day below.
