Full Moon Festival feat. EMEFE, Young and Sick, Chela, The Knocks, The Ashton Shuffle and Delorean
Governor’s Island Beach Club
8/8/14
Matte Project is a New York-based production house focused on the conception, production and promotion of unique and finely curated music experiences. Locally, the group is best known for the Full Moon Festival on Governor’s Island’s Beach Club, a carefully curated music event inspired by Thailand’s renowned Full Moon parties. And in fact, throughout the festival’s four year existence, its promoters have attempted to walk the careful tightrope between a massive summer festival and a regularly occurring club party. With two stages and some outstanding food selections from vendors across the city, the festival is big enough to wander back and forth to catch a number of acts and DJS, separate from your friends a bit, dance and chat with a friendly stranger or two and head back with your friends. But with a max capacity of about 5,000, it’s intimate enough to feel a close connection with the artists performing on stage and with your fellow festival goers. I’ve been to a number of festivals of a variety of sizes, and i can’t say that I’ve experienced anything like the Full Moon Festival before.
I should also add that the festival’s promoters have made deliberate attempts to not pander or appeal to the most common denominator but towards the adventurous sort of concertgoer, who will likely catch both acts she may be familiar with as well as those she might not have heard of before the festival. (Disclosure: as for me, I knew of one band on this year’s lineup – EMEFE, a Brooklyn-based Afrobeat act, which consists of a member of Superhuman Happiness; while I had heard of The Knocks but i hadn’t heard any of their stuff. The rest of the acts, I was going in blind, and on a certain level that’s actually thrilling for me.)
With any festival there are always a number of personal highlights and with the Full Moon Festival, they include:
- The ferry ride back and forth to historic Governor’s Island and back to Lower Manhattan. The view from the Governor’s Island Ferry is actually impressive – as it’s the same view from the Staten Island Ferry.
- Local act, EMEFE opening up the festival with a great set of percussive, Afrobeat and Afropop inspired funk. I had last seen them some time ago, and their compositions had become much more nuanced and complex, while managing to be accessible.
- I was impressed by Panama Wedding’s set at the smaller and even more intimate Neon Gold Stage, as that band’s sound reminded me a bit of In Ghost Colours-era Cut Copy.
- The Knocks set of silky smooth 80s style synth funk on the same Neon Gold Stage. And at one point, they had about 100 festival goers on stage, losing their minds.
- The Ashton Shuffle and Delorean’s sets on the larger main stage – in particular the special guest during Delorean’s set, who contributed some old school house music.
Check out some photos from the proceedings below
Lovely Governor’s Island from the Governor’s Island Ferry.
Lower Manhattan from Governor’s Island.
EMEFE
Brooklyn Star’s Fried Chicken Waffle Cone, which was by far one of the best things I’ve ever had in my entire life. it was like looking into the eyes of God and after a few bites, i weeped with happiness.
One of the members of The Knocks hanging out by the Neon Gold Stage.
Panama Wedding
This man was one of a few who had come in costume.
Young and Sick
Some of my fellow festival goers having a shitload of fun.
Chela
These lovely sisters wanted me to take a picture of them with a blood red moon in rising in the distance but unfortunately, you don’t see it here. Still, these two women are absolutely lovely.
The Knocks
I had a nice conversation with this woman while on our way to the main stage. And she happily posed for this particular photo.
Interestingly, the guy with the FIENDS t shirt was also an NYU alumni and he also knew someone who lived in Lefrak City, so it was kind of a weird “it’s a small world” moment.
I saw this woman walking out from the Green Room, and although the suit looks absolutely fantastic, it also seemed uncomfortable and hot.
For these photos and many more, please check out the Flickr set here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yankee32879/sets/72157646628202109/
