Forecastle Review By Megan Gullett
Loud music, sparkly outfits, cans of liquid death; all of my senses were stimulated as I
ran through the massive crowd, holding tightly onto my friend’s hand as we rushed to get to the
crowd in time for the COIN set to start. The first show at the first music festival I’ve ever
attended was unforgettable, and the performances only got better as the weekend went on.
Forecastle Festival is an annual three-day long music, art, and activism festival held in
Louisville, Kentucky. This past May, I attended the festival for the first time, and I’m here to tell
you my top five performances of the weekend.
- Clairo
Coming in at number five on my list of Forecastle performances is Clairo. If you aren’t already
familiar with Clairo’s music, I would describe it as lofi indie soft-rock. Her tone in her
songwriting is definitely emotional and very chill, which totally matches her sound. Clairo’s
style may not be your typical idea of a great performance for a big music festival, but as it started
to softly rain soon after her set began, I couldn’t have imagined a better atmosphere to listen to
her music live. There was a sense of togetherness in the crowd as we all sang along the
heartbreakingly relatable words of her songs as we danced together in the rain. Clairo’s
performance was a full experience that I won’t soon forget, and that earns her the number five
spot on my Forecastle Festival rankings.
Favorite song performed: Amoeba
- Jack Harlow
Our Louisville king came back to his hometown to headline the first night of Forecastle Festival,
and the energy was electric. When you’re from Louisville, you listen to Jack Harlow even if you
don’t listen to rap music. As his fame has skyrocketed in the past year and he went from being
“that SoundCloud rapper that went to Atherton” to a household name around the country and the
world, Jack has never forgotten to bring the love back to his hometown, and that love is
reciprocated during his set. Everyone in the enormous crowd was screaming the words along to
his songs old and new, many of which shout out iconic Louisville and Kentucky places. The
feelings of pride and excitement in the crowd were infectious, and I can’t imagine a more fun
environment to have seen Jack Harlow perform for the first time. I left that performance on cloud
nine, and that earns Jack the number four spot.
Favorite song performed: 21C/Delta
- COIN
As I mentioned in my first paragraph, COIN was my first performance of Forecastle Festival,
and there was not a better set to kick off my weekend. COIN, an alternative pop-rock band,
wasn’t on everyone’s “must-see” list for the festival weekend, but anyone who was there would
tell you how lively this performance was. There was such a connection between the four band
members on the stage and the crowd, and everyone was dancing, jumping around, and having a
blast for their whole set. The vibes were great, the music was upbeat and electrifying, and if you
weren’t familiar with COIN’s music before experiencing their set at Forecastle, you added it to
your playlist afterwards. I overheard many people talking to their friends about how much fun
they had in the crowd and how they were shocked they hadn’t heard more COIN songs before as we walked away from the stage as the set ended. I think COIN definitely deserves more recognition, as well as the number three spot on my rankings. Favorite song performed: You Are The Traffic
- Tyler, The Creator
This high ranking hardly requires an explanation, as Tyler really requires no introduction. A five
time grammy winner, music and fashion icon, and the favorite artist of literally half of my
friends, Tyler the Creator was able to exceed my expectations despite how high they already
were. As the most highly anticipated headliner and the final performance of the weekend, the
crowd was ready to give every ounce of energy they had left from the exhausting weekend, and
Tyler delivered a performance that allowed us to do just that. Every single time a new song
would start, screams were heard from all around the entire crowd. Performing songs from his
newer albums and even giving us a few throwbacks from as far back as the “Goblin” era, Tyler
gave Forecastle exactly what they wanted and more. He was feeding off the energy of the crowd,
and we were feeding right back off of him as he danced and strutted across the stage in typical
Tyler style. He asked the left side of the crowd to make noise, then the right side, and even told
us to boo him, and of course we didn’t do it loud enough because he’s Tyler. I’ve never felt
energy like that at a concert before, and there was no better performance to have ended the
festival weekend on, earning him the number two spot.
Favorite song performed: NEW MAGIC WAND
- Tame Impala
The Tame Impala set was one of the most unique things I’ve ever experienced, and I mean it
when I say I experienced that set. Beginning with an eerie introduction video, the anticipation
grew exponentially in the crowd as all of the sudden the lights started and we heard the music
begin to play. Tame Impala is a psychedelic indie-rock solo artist, and he knows how to put on a
show like no other artist I’ve ever seen. Between the trippy lights show, the bass so loud the
ground shook below your feet, and the electro-rock music, I think the best way I can describe
this performance is “out of this world.” Everyone in the crowd felt like they were floating as we
sang along and danced around to Tame’s music. This performance exceeded my expectations so
much that I would say it was the best concert I’ve ever attended, and I maybe knew five songs
total before the performance. This was the set that defined the weekend, and that’s why I’m
giving Tame Impala the number one ranking for the Forecastle weekend.
Favorite song performed: Feels Like We Only Go Backwards