San Francisco based music festival returns for 32nd year
Elina Graham
To claim a front row spot at Cymande’s sold out show, fans wove through the undulating crowd of attendees clad in buttery brown suede vests, feathered earrings and intricately patterned dashikis, as they grooved to the nine-piece psychedelic funk band. Punctuated with saxophone riffs and African rhythms that showcased the group’s Caribbean roots, Cymande’s presence on the 2025 Noise Pop Festival bill cemented the Festival’s musical evolution away from its original indie and alternative rock focus.
The 2025 Noise Pop Festival brought over 160 performers to venues across the city, but the standout for attendees Lily Alvarez and Rob Holmes was the long running, London-based group that fuses African rhythms with a melting pot of reggae, jazz, Calypso and soul to create their sound. “People who understand music are here,” said Holmes, hands sweeping across the dimly lit August Hall, the former home of a prohibition-era speakeasy. “[Cymande’s] music has transcended generations. They’re one of the most influential bands that have touched the stage […] in every aspect of music.”
“I think people at this point trust Noise Pop to deliver shows that they know will be good, even if they don’t necessarily know who the artist is,” Noise Pop Industries talent buyer Fred Barnes told the Foghorn. “That, in a way, is the Noise Pop style — it’s not based in any genre, it’s more about a certain quality and authenticity. Having St. Vincent and Earl Sweatshirt as two of the headliners, they’re poles apart in the genres but within the spectrum of Noise Pop Festival it makes sense. [The festival] is an independent spirit; originally, it was much more indie music but now it’s just the [indie] spirit transcends across all genres.”
“The festival started as a single day event and is now eleven days,” said Michelle Swing, CEO of Noise Pop Industries. “We’ve grown partnerships with all these music communities across the Bay Area, we see all these great opportunities to highlight incredible artists from all different genres and backgrounds and I think we just say to ourselves why not? Why limit ourselves to just indie rock? The SF music landscape […] is still very vibrant and colorful and [there is] so much to be discovered.”
Cymande ended their forty year hiatus in 2013, re-forming and releasing new music, including their recent album Renascence. “A lot of their songs are sampled in rap music, a lot of hip hop music […] you start digging and realize a lot of those beats are from their music,” noted Alvarez, referring to the Cymande samples that were used heavily in the ‘90s, from the Fugees to De La Soul. Their song “Bra,” which was introduced on stage by guitarist Patrick Patterson as the song that put the band on the map before their decades-long break, was included in the soundtrack for Spike Lee’s “Crooklyn.” Alvarez expressed deep excitement over the band’s unexpected spot on the Noise Pop lineup. “They actually didn’t come to the U.S. for a long time — I thought we’d have to go to Europe to see them,” she said.
Opening for Cymande was Bathe, a Brooklyn-based duo who warmed the crowd up with soulful R&B tracks including “Spanish Moss,” “Pull Up” and “Capsize,” off their soon to be released album “Inside Voice(s).” “Trying to blend in but also stand out, it’s a paradox,” said Devin Hobdy, lead singer of Bathe. “Knowing we’re opening for Cymande, a funk jazz band, [we tried] to pick stuff that has their groove to it, but [also] showcases who we are and what makes us different.”
The pair, who noted on-stage that they’re best friends, spoke to the Foghorn about their love for music. “I grew up in Hartford, Connecticut and in spaces like that, especially being Black in a mostly white space, more left leaning in a pretty conservative space, you can tend to feel really isolated,” said guitarist and producer Corey Smith-West. “Music was an avenue for me to bond with other people who had similar interests […] a lot of those relationships were the foundation for my life. I feel like these [concert] spaces are important because it takes a bunch of people who might be satellites and turns them into networks.”
He continued, “Being able to be an arbiter for that means a lot to me because I remember going to basement shows and house shows and meeting some of my best friends for life. I feel like the concerts are cool, but it’s the connections that are formed that are awesome.”
Across Festival sets, both attendees and artists spread messages of love and positivity. “Don’t take friendship for granted. If you’re here with your people, hug them, tell them you love them, when you’re thinking about someone, give them a call. This life s—, it’s short and quick, so don’t take this s— for granted,” said Navy Blue, Earl Sweatshirt’s opening act, as he introduced “La Noche,” a song about inner peace and forgiveness.
Hailey Cross, who attended Earl Sweatshirt’s show on Tuesday with friend Johanna Legault, said, “Art is one of the rare things that brings people together in an almost always positive way, people can connect over that one thing across whatever sort of social boundaries. It just brings people together in a way that’s like net positive, you don’t get that from a lot of other things, so I think it’s pretty important to keep that alive.”
Legault, a San Francisco State University student and DJ, added, “Especially with artists like Earl and Navy, they have pretty serious topics in their songs but as people, [they] are very light and entertaining […] seeing them in concert is super fun, [they] make a good experience out of how life can be, so it’s a good balance. That’s why art is so cool and I love going to [Earl Sweatshirts’] concerts for that reason, he’s so funny while he’s talking about serious stuff.”
Earl Sweatshirt, accompanied by rappers Navy Blue and Zelooperz, was another notable deviation from the festival’s original indie rock focus. Having already made a name for himself as a rapper at age sixteen, he was invited by Tyler, the Creator to join the LA-based collective Odd Future. With an offbeat sound that blends alternative rap and hip hop, brash lyrics and a punk fueled live presence — complete with stage dives and a thrashing mosh pit — the group has solidified their reputation in the rap sphere. Like his fellow Odd Future collaborators Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt went on to achieve notoriety outside of the group.
Tuesday’s setlist included a veritable range of his discography, such as “Vin Skully,” “All I Need,” “Shattered Dreams” and “Grief.” Earl maintained the night’s mellow atmosphere, conversing with the audience about the movie “Nosferatu” and even stopping midsong and to laugh with the crowd when forgetting a lyric on “Fire in the Hole.” “SF, you are a dream.” he said, giving two thumbs up as he left the stage.
Forming human connections while highlighting the local artistic landscape remains the core value of the festival, even as the celebration continues growing bigger. “[On] a lot of the bills we have have three to four local openers and that’s the best way we can think of to support so many local artists and make sure they have a platform throughout the festival […it’s a unique opportunity to try and feature as much of the Bay Area as we possibly can, rather than having the same opener who are going on tour with artists,” said Swing.
Barnes added that Noise Pop Festival aims to retain artists and continue supporting them throughout their career, “The great thing is, we’ve had the experience many times of artists playing with us being lowest on the bill and building up to being the headline, doing that whole trajectory which is incredibly satisfying to witness.” Previous Noise Pop Festival performers who have gained mainstream success include The White Stripes, Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie. The festival also aims to uplift San Francisco’s independent event spaces. “We work across all venues in the city but we try [to] pay special attention to the city’s independent venues because we love them the most, and they need help in the current climate, the way the industry is,” said Barnes.
Finn Robertson, who drove from Santa Rosa with friends to attend Earl Sweatshirt’s show noted the power big festivals have to support local creators. “Streaming services for Spotify pay like s–, it’s hard to make it as an up and coming artist basically everywhere you are, but since SF is such a hot point of culture, I think what festivals are doing with uplifting smaller acts, [is] wonderful. If you have bigger headliners, that will attract an audience to come see the smaller shows and support acts and that’s how people get noticed and recognized.”
Even as the overhead lights flickered back on, fans still lingered by the stage, hoping for a surprise encore, and 63-year-old Cymande superfan Patrida Cummings reflected on the impact concerts have on her. “I really think [live music] is so important, especially in today’s environment. I think it provides an opportunity for us to get away from all the madness that’s going on in the world. I love the fact that artists are able to reach individuals in that way, I just think it’s beautiful.”
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
