Live: Plisskën Festival - Winter 2019 (Athens, December 7, 2019)

Snapped Ankles, live @ Plisskën Festival 2019

The Winter 2019 edition of Plisskën Festival was slimmed down in comparison to previous years, taking place in two different venues on a single night. As was also the case in recent editions of the festival, the focus has shifted almost entirely to dance and electronic music, with little on offer for rock fans, which explains why we've skipped a couple of editions since the Winter 2017 event.

However, the participation of Snapped Ankles this year, convinced me to pay a visit to Piraeus 117 Academy early in the afternoon, as the eccentric London-based quartet is responsible for one of the most enjoyable records of 2019, the magnificent "Stunning Luxury".

Dressed in their shamanistic costumes, looking like creatures inhabiting an enchanted forest, Snapped Ankles sprang into action on stage, unleashing their infectious, kraut rock-influenced, post-punk sounds and spreading their joyous, mad energy to the few faithful who came early to the festival to see them.

Their 50-minute set comprised of songs from both of their albums, played at maximum velocity, with the beat augmented by DIY percussive instruments, while at some point their singer ended up performing in the crowd, expanding the party to the whole of the venue.

The performance by Snapped Ankles, as expected, was the highlight of the festival for us, while earlier we also enjoyed the 40-minute set by Australian singer and songwriter Carla Dal Forno, who opened the night with an atmospheric performance, somewhere between Cocteau Twins, trip-hop and the soundtrack to David Lynch's cult TV series "Twin Peaks".

Carla Dal Forno, who recently released her second album "Look Up Sharp", dresses her folk melodies with dark, electronic sounds and trip-hop beats, a gentle construction which was recreated on-stage by her bass and a table full of electronic equipment handled by her band-mate.

Carla Dal Forno, live @ Plisskën Festival 2019

The festival's main stage was headlined by electronic music wizard Floating Points, while promising rapper Bishop Nehru and Quantic, William Holland's music project which combines electronic, jazz, soul and latin sounds completed the line-up at Piraeus 117 Academy. For those who enjoy clubbing, there was more on offer on Plisskën's Aquarium stage to dance the  night away, but as we were among the few early birds of the festival, we had to call it a night much earlier and leave just as the big white balloons started floating around towards the end of Quantic's performance.

Bishop Nehru, live @ Plisskën Festival 2019

Quantic, live @ Plisskën Festival 2019

Check out below Snapped Ankles performing "I Want My Minutes Back" and Carla Del Forno in "Blue Morning" from their sets at Winter Plisskën Festival 2019.

Snapped Ankles - I Want My Minutes Back (live @ Winter Plisskën Festival 2019)

Carla Dal Forno - Blue Morning (live @Winter Plisskën Festival 2019)

Live: Plisskën Festival 2017 (Athens, December 1-2, 2017)

Liars, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

The 2017 winter edition of Plisskën Festival followed the same concept as last year with gigs taking place across four stages in three different locations along Pireaus street and the emphasis on electronic and dance music. Rock acts, with the glowing exception of Liars and the dance-rock of Holy Fuck, were left out of the picture and guitar pop was barely there with Mac Demarco and Tops on the main stage on Saturday. To be honest, this year's edition left me with mixed feelings regarding the music on offer and sorely missing the festival's last summer edition with bands like Savages, Metz or Waxahatchee gracing its line up.

To focus on the positive, Liars return to Athens after several years was, for us at least, by far the most exciting prospect on the festival's line up and Angus Andrew with his reconfigured band did not disappoint, giving one hell of a performance with material from almost all of their releases so far. 

Andrew came on stage dressed in a wedding gown, a striking image in the spirit of the cover of "TFCF", the band's latest album, and soon after a tension building "Drum Gets a Glimpse", he unleashed a powerful, all-out rock assault which combined new songs like "Coins In My Caged Fist" or "Cred Woes" with many favorites from the band's remarkable back catalogue including "Mr You're On Fire Mr",  "It Fit When I Was a Kid", "Scissor", "The Overachievers" and "Mess on a Mission" to name a few. Liars are one of the best bands that came out of the early '00s indie rock explosion and with performances like this they prove that they still remain a vital rock force today. Undoubtedly, the top performance of Plisskën 2017!

Before Liars, on the second day of the festival (December 2) we also saw Tops from Montreal, opening proceedings on the main stage with their mellow indie pop, likable enough but without the killer tune that would make them standout, and Jessy Lanza who combines hard hitting electronic beats with sweet, soulful vocals and pop melodies that could lead to greater commercial success for her in the near future.

Tops, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

Jessy Lanza, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

The headliner on Saturday was Mac DeMarco whose performance, especially after the explosive Liars show that preceded it, seemed very weak to my ears, although most of the crowd seemed to be having a good time. I guess his "jizz jazz" style is not for me and the karaoke-style covers of Red Hot Chilly Peppers and 50 Cent that closed his set did not help much to change my mind.

Mac DeMarco, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

On the first day of the festival we attended on the main stage the beat heavy, experimental electronic performances of Demdike Stare and Andy Stott, both of which would have benefited from a late night spot, but nonetheless managed to engage and move the feet of the relatively few people who turned up early enough to see them.

Demdike Stare, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

Andy Stott, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

The day on the main stage closed with the unlikely pairing of Holy Fuck and Mulatu Astatke who headlined. We didn't get to see the latter, but we did enjoy the upbeat performance of Holy Fuck, the second one in Athens for the Canadian electrorockers after this one from the great Synch Festival of 2008 (the good old days!). Their sound has not changed very much over the years, but they certainly remain a fun act to watch live.

Holy Fuck, live @ Plisskën Festival 2017

Check out below a video playlist with selected highlights from the winter 2017 edition of Plisskën Festival, featuring Liars, Holy Fuck, Jessy Lanza and Tops:

Liars, Holy Fuck, Jessy Lanza, Tops live @  Plisskën Festival 2017 (Piraeus 117 Academy, Athens)

Live: Plisskën Festival 2016 (Athens, December 2-3, 2016) - Day 2 highlights

Sights and sounds from the second day of the Winter 2016 edition of Plisskën Festival:

La Femme, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Saturday, December 3rd

Forest Swords, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Even more electronic beats with quite a variety of moods and bpm on the festival’s main stage, ranging from the up-tempo party bangers of The Vatican Shadow to the dark, experimental sounds of Death In Vegas. Our favorite electronic performance of the day came from Forest Swords, a journey into atmospheric, dub-influenced sounds created by Matthew Barnes with the help of a bass player.

Forest Swords, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Death In Vegas, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

However the unexpected protagonists of the festival’s second day were La Femme, the French electropop punks, who played for the first time in Athens and won the audience over with their energetic, fun performance.

La Femme, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

La Femme introduced us to their recently released second album "Mystere", without omitting some of the highlights from their 2013 debut "Psycho Tropical Berlin".

Their sound mixes new wave, synth pop, yé-yé, psychedelic and surf-rock elements, with the synthesizer being their instrument of choice (no less than four were present on stage). They performed their songs with punk rock urgency, sometimes bringing to mind the energy of Plastic Bertrand’s classic pop-punk hit "Ça Plane Pour Moi". The melodic nature of La Femme's music remained intact despite the frenzy of their performance and their contagious fun created a party atmosphere in the venue, earning them quite a lot of new fans in the process.

Check out below La Femme performing "Si Un Jour" and "Sur La Planche 2013" , Forest Swords in "Miarches" and Death In Vegas in "Blood Yawning" from their sets on the main stage of Plisskën Festival 2016:

La Femme - Si Un Jour / Sur La Planche 2013 (live @ Winter Plissken Festival 2016, Athens)

Forest Swords - Miarches (live @ Winter Plissken Festival 2016, Athens)

Death in Vegas - Blood Yawning (live @ Winter Plissken Festival 2016, Athens)

Click here for our coverage of the first day of the festival.

Live: Plisskën Festival 2016 (Athens, December 2-3, 2016) - Day 1 highlights

The Winter 2016 edition of Plisskën Festival offered us two nights of eclectic sounds across four stages, with a line up consisting mostly of artists coming from the left-field of electronic music, mixing it up with a few representatives from the rock and hip hop world. On the open-air Republic stage (a peculiar choice for a winter festival) local artists braved the night chill to present their latest music creations, while two more stages, Aquarium and Tunnel, hosted DJ sets and live electronic and dance music.

Tuxedomoon, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Cool Music Central was at Piraeus 117 Academy, the club hosting the main stage of the festival, on Friday and Saturday and brings you sights and sounds from our favorite performances. Here's what we saw on the first day of Plisskën 2016:

Friday, December 2nd

Tuxedomoon, the legendary experimental rock band that formed in San Francisco in the late '70s, headlined the first day of the festival and gave one of the best performances we saw on the main stage of Plisskën.

In the first half of their 90-minute set the band presented their 1980 debut album "Half-Mute" in full. The adventurous sound of Tuxedomoon's early work has stood the test of time well and 36 years later their mix of electronic music, jazz and post-punk retains its cutting-edge feel. Next to the songs from "Half-Mute" we also got to listen to a few other classics from the same era including "East" and "Jinx" from their sophomore LP "Desire" (here’s another stellar album that we’d love to see performed live in full), and a few obscure jems like "This Beast", the B-side from their 1983 EP "Short Stories".

Early in the afternoon Psychic Ills was the opening act on Plisskën’s main stage. The psychedelic rock sound of the New York band did not fit in too well with the rest of the first day’s line up and perhaps this was the reason that they didn’t attract a bigger crowd. However the band on its second visit to Athens (check out here our impressions from their live debut) gave a solid hour-long performance, presenting songs mostly from its latest album "Inner Journey Out", plus a few choice cuts from the recent past.

 

Psychic Ills, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

In between Psychic Ills and Tuxedomoon the festival’s main stage was filled with electronic and hip hop beats provided by (in order of appearance) The Four Owls, Zomby and Prefuse 73. A brief visit to the Republic stage gave us also the opportunity to enjoy the idiosyncratic baroque pop of Nalyssa Green and her band.

Prefuse 73, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Zomby, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

The Four Owls, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Nalyssa Green, live @ Plisskën Festival 2016

Check out below Tuxedomoon performing "East" and "Jinx", one of our all-time favorite tracks, and Psychic Ills playing "Mixed Up Mind", one of the highlights of their latest album:

Tuxedomoon - East/Jinx (live @ Winter Plissken Festival 2016)

Psychic Ills - Mixed up Mind (live @ Winter Plissken Festival 2016)

Click here for our impressions from the second day of the festival.

It's Plisskën time again!

All has been quiet on the Athens live music front since the summer, but thankfully things are going to get loud again! We are less than a month away from the 2nd Winter edition of Plisskën Festival, one of the best live music events you can find in the Greek capital.

Last summer we enjoyed the 5th and most ambitious edition of the festival so far, featuring the likes of Savages, Waxahatchee, Sleaford Mods, ..And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Mudhoney, Thee Oh Sees (just to mention some of my favorites performances -  check them all out here and here).

This year, on December 2nd and 3rd, we are expecting to see over 40 international and local artists representing a broad spectrum of genres and styles, who will play on 4 stages in 3 different locations all dotted next to each-other, creating a street festival atmosphere.

Some of the names that stand out include Death In Vegas, Tuxedomoon who will be performing their classic debut "Half-Mute" in full, Prefuse 73, Zomby, La Femme and Psychic Ills. Check out the complete line-up below and visit plisskenfestival.gr for more details:

And here are videos for few of the songs we are hoping to enjoy live in less than four weeks:

Death In Vegas - Hands Around My Throat

Tuxedomoon - What Use? (live @ Les Ateliers Claus, Brussels, May 12th, 2016)

Psychic Ills - I Don't Mind (Feat. Hope Sandoval)

Live: Plisskën Festival 2015 (Athens, June 5-6, 2015) - Day 2

In the second part of our coverage of Plisskën Festival 2015 you'll find our impressions, photos and videos from the performances we've enjoyed the most at Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Center on June 6.

Waxahatchee, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

Our Saturday started very early in the afternoon with Waxahatchee playing an excellent set in front of just a handful of festival-goers who had the good sense to be on site in time for Katie Crutchfield's band live debut in Athens, coming just a couple of months after releasing one of the best albums of this year, the wonderful "Ivy Tripp". 

The highlights of Waxahatchee's performance included also tracks from their previous, equally great, "Cerulean Blue" album and despite a few sound hiccups, the strength of the material elevated their set among our favorites of the festival, certainly deserving of a much better place in the line-up.

Sleaford Mods, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

The other great set of Plisskën's second day came several hours later, around midnight, when idiosyncratic punk-hop Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods took over the second stage of the festival for a mind-boggling, totally awesome performance, full of entertaining, anger-fueled tirades against everything and everyone who gets Jason Williamson's goat.

The songs from last year's excellent "Divide and Exit" formed the backbone of their set list, including "Tied Up in Nottz", "Middle Men" and "Tweet Tweet Tweet",  but we also got a first taste from forthcoming album "Key Markets" which is expected in July. Looking forward to it.

Mikal Cronin, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

The last performance we attended at Plisskën Festival in the small hours of Sunday came from Mikal Cronin and his band and was also among the best ones of the festival. Cronin has a knack for creating memorable, psychedelic garage-pop melodies and his three solo records so far have provided us with plenty of great songs, a lot of which were present in his set, including "Made My Mind Up", "Say", "Shout It Out" and "See It My Way".

Earlier in the day, we got to see a super-charged set by San Francisco's Thee Oh Sees, powered by a thundering duo of drummers.

Thee Oh Sees, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

 

John Dwyer's band has just released its new album "Mutilator Defeated At Last", the latest link in an admirably strong chain of powerful, psychedelic garage rock releases and looked fired-up on the main stage of the festival.

Ariel Pink, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

The same, sadly, cannot be said about Ariel Pink's short set which came a little later on the main stage and didn't satisfy the majority of his fans who were certainly expecting much more from the eccentric, experimental musician who recently released the adventurous, acclaimed "pom pom" LP.

Steve Gunn, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

An early afternoon performance that left us a good impression came from singer-songwriter Steve Gunn and his band. Although we are not very familiar with his work, his melodic set convinced us that we should take a closer look to his extensive discography.

Perfume Genius, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

The second day of the festival included also appearances by Perfume Genius (as Waxahatchee, also too early in the day to attract a larger audience, but quite a stir nonetheless), rapper Pharoahe Monch, noise-makers Liturgy, eccentric noise-popers Pow, local garage heroes Acid Baby Jesus and Mogwai who were the headliners of the main stage but lost us to Sleaford Mods.

Pharoahe Monch, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

Check out below some of the live action on the stages of Plisskën Festival 2015 on June 6th and click here for the highlights of June 5th.

Waxahatchee - Lips and Limbs, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

Sleaford Mods - McFlurry, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

Mikal Cronin - Say, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

Thee Oh Sees - Encrypted Bounce (A Queer Sound), live @ Plisskën Festival 2015

Steve Gunn - Milly's Garden, live @ Plisskën Festival 2015