Despite low attendance, Melvins, Deafheaven, Deerhoof and more bands give 100 percent at Indigo Music Festival

Deafheaven at Indigo Music Festival

Indigo Music Festival took its inaugural spin at the Observatory in Santa Ana this past Saturday. Initially announced as a two-day festival with a badass lineup that featured acts such as The Melvins, Rocket From The Crypts, Blonde Redhead and The Black Angels, the festival quickly slimmed down to just one day which did not include the aforementioned Rocket From The Crypt and The Black Angels, along with many other acts. Most music festivals as the Observatory usually sell out before show date, take for example Burgerama and Beach Goth. Whoever did the booking on Indigo Music Festival probably should have taken into account that the second purposed day (Sunday) fell on Super Bowl Sunday, which is practically an American holiday. In any case, the show went on this past Saturday, and although the numbers were frighteningly low, the bands that played put on some incredible performances. Deerhoof were on absolute fire, owning the stage with pure energy. Deafheaven did not let the light crowd bring them down, nor did The Melvins, they took to the stage as though they were playing in front of 10,000 people. Smaller acts such as The Vivids and LA Which did not let the empty vibes bring them down.

It’s such a shame that Indigo Music Festival wasn’t a success because the initial two-day lineup was awesome. Perhaps next year it will be scheduled during an appropriate weekend (not Super Bowl), and perhaps promoted heavier with press releases, blog integration and social media with at least a three-month lead. We had previously reported the festival announcement on Dec. 29th. One month is hardly enough time to promote a two-day music festival.

Check out our photos below of Indigo Music Festival featuring The Vivids, LA Witch, The Warlocks, The Entrance Band, Mike Watt, Moving Units, Deerhoof, Blonde Redhead, Deafheaven, and The Melvins.

Photography: Lindsay Wiles

The Melvins