Courtesy of New Noise
New Noise Festival returns for its seventh year in Santa Barbara this weekend and stands to deliver another fantastic showing of artists. Past years have featured bands like last year’s headliner and indie rap superstars Run the Jewels, as well as multi-talented drummer and music producer Andrew W.K. and YouTube violin sensation Lindsey Stirling. This year, over a dozen different acts will perform throughout the weekend with bands from all across the indie music spectrum, both locally and nationally renowned.
Oct. 22 should be the highlight of the festival as STRFKR and Unknown Mortal Orchestra headline the first day of the New Noise Block Party part of the festival. Both groups are often described as psychedelic, so they should really complement each other and make for a great night of chill vibes and interesting sounds. While these groups might not have the same fervor and excitement as other past headliners, their sound really matches the relaxing beach town vibe of Santa Barbara, and the direction the festival is going is very promising.
While STRFKR and Unknown Mortal Orchestra might be the most attention grabbing, plenty of other bands will be playing throughout the weekend as well and promise to bring another dynamic to the festival. One standout is Ho99o9 (pronounced Horror) which performs on Saturday night at Velvet Jones as part of the festival. The punk-rock flavored experimental New Jersey rap group remains well-known in the underground hardcore rap scene for their explosive, high-energy shows. The group, which has been compared to Death Grips, headlines the more hip-hop inspired part of the festival along with their opening act Ashe Blanco, a female California-based MC.
If Saturday doesn’t appeal to you, don’t fret. The festival goes from Friday to Sunday and features plenty of other sounds and styles to enjoy. Much of the rest of the concert has a strong indie rock vibe with up-and-coming bands like the White Hot Sixties, who perform on Friday alongside more experienced bands like the ska group Mad Caddies, which headline Sunday’s performances.
Santa Barbara’s very own New Noise Festival promises to deliver an exciting slate of bands for all music fans with its seventh annual iteration. In addition to hosting the festival in Santa Barbara, New Noise also works with local nonprofits to actively support music and the arts as well as the environment to help enrich our community. Buy a ticket at newnoisesb.com and check out the New Noise SB Facebook page for more information. Hope to see you there!
