News
Siren Fest Strikes Again
Amy Dupcak :: Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 10:15 am
If a jam-packed boardwalk and amassment of hipster-y folk are not your thing, then you probably shouldn’t make the trek to Coney Island on July 17th. But if you can handle the heat and have a craving for FREE(!!) live music, then get your butt on the train and head to the Village Voice’s Siren Fest for it’s 10th anniversary.
The line-up has just been expanded and confirmed: Matt & Kim (who also played in ‘07); Ted Leo and the Pharmacists; The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; Holy Fuck; Night Marchers; Surfer Blood; Harlem; Cymbals Eat Guitars; Earl Greyhound; Ponytail; Screaming Females; Wye Oak; DOM; & Apache Beat. After the festival ends at 9, you can sink your toes into the sand or head to the 3rd annual ‘Siren After Party’ at Music Hall of Williamsburg to see We Are Scientists, Lightspeed Champion and more (but you’ll have to pay for that!).
I’ve been to a few Siren Festivals myself, but not in a couple of years. I fondly remember peeing in a porta-potty and using some scrap of paper from my bag as a tissue, losing my friends, running into people I hadn’t seen in years, eating boardwalk corn-on-the-cob, and watching Mission of Burma, Scissor Sisters, She Wants Revenge, And You Will Know Us by The Trail of Dead, VHS or Beta, Stars, etc. Allow me to provide some tips to maximize your enjoyment of this particular festival, and avoid potential catastrophe!
1. Charge your cell phone!
2. Bring your own water, earplugs, and some Advil. Even if you don’t need the Advil, someone else probably will. Case in point: during a crowded Q-train ride after the Fest, a girl near me had twisted her ankle on the boardwalk and it was swelling to massive proportions…I offered her my Advil and she treated me like Mother Theresa.
3. Try not to jump back and forth between the two stages too much…it can get pretty brutal attempting to maneuver through the crowds! Plan what bands you’d like to see in advance and come up with a game-plan.
4. Wear the most comfortable shoes you own, even if they’re ugly. Trust me.
5. Choose friends who won’t whine and who don’t fan themselves with their shirts or wear sun-visors.
6. And finally, watch The Warriors if you haven’t, so you can further appreciate your historic surroundings. Have fun!
