Advertising itself as an “alternative” music festival, Foburg promised concert goers a unique showcase of local Louisiana alternative bands, as well as national touring artists on their way to the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
And boy did it deliver.
The majority of performances took place in New Orleans bars lining Frenchmen Street, as well as a few venues off Frenchmen like Hi-Ho Lounge and One Eyed Jacks.
As enjoyable as pitching a tent and camping out at a more traditional outdoor festival is, barhopping from show to show at Foburg was a unique and exciting change of pace.
And barhopping was definitely the theme of the weekend.
Multiple bands played at the same time in different bars — those trying to see as many performances as possible ran from one end of Frenchmen to the other.
The only downside to the festival location was the strain on my wallet after spending three days in nine different bars from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
By far, the most well-attended performance was Das Racist on Saturday night at the Maison.
The building houses two stages on the first floor and one upstairs, so the audience area is relatively small. The crowd squeezed so closely together that by the end of the show we had all been groped in every place imaginable by people just struggling to move.
Our determination to ignore the growing smell of one another’s late-night-bar body odor paid off when Das Racist finally took the stage.
Not known for its serious attitude, Das Racist delivered a show that was explosive, chaotic and brilliant simultaneously.
As amazing as Das Racist was, however, the best performance of the weekend was without a doubt by Lafayette-based indie rockers Brass Bed.
As a Lafayette native I was familiar with the band and its music, but it had been several years since I had the opportunity to see the them perform live.
What I witnessed at Foburg completely blew my mind.
The quality of the music and the band’s use of electronic sound effects was impressive, but the raw energy and emotion of their live performance was what floored me. I found lead guitarist Jonny Campos comparable to guitar legend Jack White several times during the show.
Headlining acts GIVERS and Ra Ra Riot received high praise for their performances, but I chose to attend two recommended performances by unfamiliar bands — Modern Skirts and Vox and the Hound.
Hailing from Athens, Ga., Modern Skirts combined indie, pop and country influences into one incredible show. The performance featured songs from recently released album “Gramahawk,” which the band recorded in New Orleans. Several members switched instruments multiple times, and at no point was I less than blown away.
Vox and the Hound is a homegrown New Orleans indie band that played its first show last year at Foburg, so it was only fitting that it returned this year to rock the house yet again.
Foburg was a fantastic experience — I hope to continue to attend it in the future.
 
 
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Contact Andrew Price at [email protected]