10 Things To Look Out For At FYF Fest 2015

Laura June Kirsch for FYF Fest

Summer might be winding down but that doesn’t really apply to FYF FEST. The soirée is turning 12 years old this weekend (August 22nd-23rd) and doing so during the “sweet spot of California’s summer festival season”. It’s just with this year’s edition, they’re going all out. The festival itself is giving the L.A. Sports Arena & Exposition Park another go and presenting an extensive lineup that feels more like a DIY mixtape than a Spotify chart. The approach isn’t revolutionary, but it works – especially with a bill that includes Morrissey and a bundle of evocative beatmakers (Flume, Chet Faker, Toro y Moi). There’s a lot more to love so here’s a few things to look out for if you’re headed to University Park.


Kanye West - FYF Fest

KANYE WEST’s HEADLINING SET
Frank has bowed out and Kanye has stepped in – need we say more?


Purity Ring

THE LAWN STAGE
FYF is set to feature a multitude of stages this year and despite The Trees’ infamous history, The Lawn Stage is the clear winner for 2015 as it’s set to feature Purity Ring, Bloc Party, FKA Twigs, Solange, and D’Angelo. And by the way, there’s also Mac DeMarco, The Drums, Mikal Cronin, Tennis, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Kevin Morby, and Laura Marling.


FKA Twigs - Pitchfork 2014

FKA TWIGS’ FYF CLOSER
The folks at FYF Fest know how to make a schedule and it shows as FKA Twigs‘ 11:30 p.m. showing on Sunday is bound to be the highlight of the weekend. There’s her new M3LL155X EP, her old(er) works (remember “Ache” and “Hide”?), and the inevitable chance that her actual performance will reshuffle pop’s power rankings. Lana and RiRi are still relevant but it’s Twigs’ time now.


HEALTH

THE LARGE DOSE OF ALT ROCK
For what it’s worth, the curators at FYF are still keen on dislodging your face from your skull. They’ve put forward a pretty strong effort in creating an electronic-meets-soul lineup, but it’s hard to ignore the likes of HEALTH, Death Grips, Thee Oh Sees, Savages, METZ, Title Fight, Joyce Manor, and Dinosaur Jr. Why? Well, crowd-surfing is a beautiful thing when it’s done on the West Coast.


Afters Ice Cream

THE NEW FOOD VENDOR LINEUP
If anyone’s “charged up”, it’s definitely Nic Adler. The festival’s food curator has blessed FYF Fest with a whole new list of vendors, including Afters Ice Cream, Phorage, Canters Deli, Doomie’s, Garden Grill, Okonomi Dog, Status Kuo, Zona Rosa, and Big Daddy’s Poke Shack. In other words, treat yourself.


FYF Cocktails

BRETT HELMS’ COCKTAIL MENU
Wine and spirits guru Brett Helms is overseeing this year’s FYF Cocktail program and there is a lot to like as it’s set to feature spicy margaritas, Oaxacan old fashioneds, cucumber vodka cocktails, and other Caribbean-inspired drinks. Artisanal wines will also be on deck next to a large focus on rosé, with selects from the Loire Valley in France, Cataluña in Spain, and California’s Sonoma Coast.


dw-recordstore-041609-p3

THE FYF RECORDS SETUP
Aside from their usual pop-ups, the fest has launched FYF Records – a new venture that aims to share 7″ releases from artists that are based in Los Angeles. To start, the project will be releasing a limited edition vinyl from Junk, who will also be previewing their festival set with an FYF Records release show at Non Plus Ultra (August 21st). For more info on the band’s “Like A Cop” 7″, visit FYFRecords.com.


Rich Fury for FYF Fest

THE FYF FEST APP (AND MORE!)
Festival tools are usually corny, but FYF Fest’s official app is worth the 40mb DL. It’s currently out now on both iTunes and Google Play, and it has everything you need including info about schedules, maps, local shows, merch, and even artist meet-and-greets which will be taking place at the Origami Tent.

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