We went, we saw, we conquered! Thanks for having us Hopscotch; we had such a blast!
// DAY 1
We got into town & started with Ought from our hotel balcony, which sounded amazing. We’ve been listening to their latest release, Sun Coming Down, more than we’d like to admit. After getting a bit more settled (meaning pants on & 2 hotel room cocktails-in), we went down for Godspeed! You Black Emperor. It couldn’t have been more fitting that it rained on us the whole time during this performance, yet no one moved. So epic!
Then we headed over to CAM Raleigh, where we ended up spending the rest of the evening. We got warmed up with some dance-worthy atmospheric beats with local producer, Eyes Low.
Lizzo followed, which was definitely one of our top three Hopscotch highlights this year. Her strong presence is undeniable, not to mention her f*ckin girl squad & commitment to no pants dancing! So much energy, so much female empowerment, & so much love! Never a dull moment with this engaging performance.
We wrapped up the night with Cashmere Cat, fully equipped with cat-like tendencies at the turntables 😻 This Norwegian producer is definitely one to look out for, hence collaborations with Ariana Grande & Kanye West. Crowd was going nuts for this guy!
// DAY 2
We again started from our perfectly placed hotel balcony in good company with TV On The Radio. Wolf Like Me never fails to bring on the feel good fuzzies of our early adulthood.
Then off again to CAM for Nots. Good hair all around! We came for the righteous vocals, reminiscent of Kathleen Hanna, & stayed for the dystopian synth feelings.
Then we rushed over to Kings Barcade to ensure our spots for LE1F, & luckily caught some of LA’s Nocando‘s set. Touching on dark topics, he is not your typical top 40 rap. Bravo.
LE1F was hands down our favorite performance, as expected. Um… that hat! SOUL CRUSHING dance moves! Such command! Interacting with his audience solely through his performance, his presence was so intoxicating that we were on a high all night. Can we do it again?!
Then we went downstairs to Neptune’s & kept the feeling alive with Jubilee. Could’ve danced forever to this babe’s beats. Beyonce FTW!
// DAY 3
We mustered up the strength to get our butts out of bed & to some day shows. We headed to Pour House Music Hall to catch their Friend Island Day Party, featuring Leverage Models & Flock of Dimes. Leverage Models started the day off right & put on an incredible show undeterred by how early it was. They brought the 80’s in sparkling multi-layered rhythms & vocals. Flock of Dimes followed – we could listen to Jenn Wasner’s angelic voice all day… Now that she’s a NC resident, we hope we can see her more often! 😍
Then we headed over to The Hive for the always satisfying Naked Gods. Recently slimmed down to a four piece, they still managed to turn that day show awkwardness into foot stomping bliss. Still don’t understand why these guys aren’t famous!
Then over to Slim’s for our favorite Charlotte punks, Patois Counselors. We are pretty sure they are going to blow up. Bo White’s stage presence atop guitar, bass, supreme drumming & double-synth excellence? Seriously, check them out!
Then we headed to King’s Barcade for Boone, NC-based (would have guessed anywhere in Europe) producer, Drippy Inputs. Our faces did indeed feel like they were melting off.
Back to Slims for Sheer Mag. Whether you stayed at Slims all day or you waited in line for an hour, chances are you weren’t sorry when you saw these guys. Still in awe that we caught this band despite being widely praised & placed at the smallest venue, front row no less! They crushed us, they melted us, will we ever be the same? Believe the hype!
Then back over to good ol’ CAM for GoldLink. Ah! This show had it all: the amazing DJ prefacing the show with super danceable tunes, smooth lyrics, & incredible moves by Goldlink… We keep thinking of when our friend, Harry, looked to us & declared that we were his woes after making in it time for this unforgettable show.
So much gold to share with you from this set, but we’ll leave just this one very special moment right here:
Until next year, Hopscotch! We love you!
