Alvvays cajoles big main stage FYF Fest crowd

Photo courtesy of FYF Fest

Nova Scotian lo-fi indie rockers Alvvays were unable to perform at Outside Lands in San Francisco a few weeks ago due to visa problems. Thankfully, those problems were cleared up before their FYF Fest performance Saturday on the main stage as they played to a massive crowd early on the festival’s first day.

Frontwoman Molly Rankin was wearing an Oakland A’s jersey tee, though she warned the crowd that she doesn’t know anything about baseball and not to give her a hard time about wearing the wrong team.

Their 2014 self-titled album is glorious and they played through all the favorites, including “Archie, Marry Me,” which served as a massive singalong with the hipster kids that came in droves. I was surprised looking around at how many people knew the words to more of their songs, given the fact they haven’t really played LA that many times in the past.

Keyboardist Kerri MacLellan provided depth to Rankin’s vocals on backup, and they changed tempo nicely from upbeat dance-y songs to their slower, more emotionally charged tracks. You could tell they were really enjoying themselves on stage and that energy translated into a crowd that was already pretty deep at 4 pm.

“Party Police” was an unabashed favorite of many before the band played new track “New Haircut,” finally concluding their set with “Adult Diversion.” The band definitely helped their profile on the west coast with their riveting set and can expect quality support from LA crowds in the future.

Words: Mark E. Ortega

Photography: Wes Marsala

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