For the second year in a row, Sweden almost stole Sasquatch! In 2011, it was due to the outrageously talented Robyn and her stellar dance moves, but this year, it was all thanks to Little Dragon. Summoning a fairly large crowd to the Bigfoot, the group repaid attendees with what was probably the best performance of the weekend. Particularly in that it was perfectly dancey for the end of the night – a rarity this year, as far too many bands chose to play slower, more sleepy-time music to close out the day. Little Dragon delivered solid, electro-synth beats, instead, and it got the crowd dancing like they never had before.
Lead singer Yukimi Nagano was cute as ever as she did her own dance, all over the stage, playing whichever instrument she had at her hands. She showed incredible talent in whatever she was doing, be it banging a cowbell (yes, that requires talent), smashing the drums or unleashing her sexily smoky vocals. Her and her band, all friends since high school, have gone more futuristic with their latest album, Ritual Union, and their set catered mostly to it. “Little Man” was fantastic, speckled with robotic beats, handclaps and a rhythm that made your body do things you didn’t think it could. Also causing an uproar was the funky “Nightlight,” opening with hollow drum beats then shaking into a synth-driven number with video game sound effects to match.
Little Dragon was such a hit that they were all we could hear about following the show, especially as the crowd shifted to the less dynamic Bon Iver set awaiting them. Which they definitely deserved. Can’t wait to see if Sweden can rise victorious again next year.
