Over the course of six days, punks, e-girls and club kids gathered in five venues across the Mexican capital for Pitchfork's first festival in Latin America. Volcanic ash and scorching temperatures enveloped the metropolis, but that didn't stop fans from getting their fill of post-rock, avant rap and Detroit techno. Here are some of the best performances we recorded:
Rubio – Thursday March 7th, Foro Indie Rocks!
Songwriter and producer Rubio ordered the Indie Rocks! Spectral Flexibility Scene: One minute, her voice trembled in a horror movie whisper. the next, she screamed like a banshee, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Her talent as a multi-instrumentalist flashed as she bounced between drum machines, electric guitars and samplers, blasting the audience with frenetic garage breaks, dream-pop fuzz and dirty dembow riddims. But the most notable part of her set was a moment of quiet intensity. During “La Especie,” a song from Rubio's 2020 album, Mango Negro, the healthy man gave her a lighted sage stick, maracas and feathers. he walked across the stage and rhythmically shook the packed items, allowing the fragrant smoke to waft through the air. The cleansing energy she brought to the room came as much from the spicy herb as from her own hypnotic stage presence.
Yeule – Friday March 8, Frontón Bucareli
Yeule arrived for their performance in theatrical fashion, emerging with cartoon eyebrows and Betty Boop hair. The 26-year-old noise pop musician's set had all the sadness and emotional doom that defined his triumphant 2023 album. Soft scars. They switched between three guitars, emitting waves of eroded reverb, gently finger-picking and even using a cello bow to draw distorted drones. The sheer excess of Yeule's songs can be euphoric as well as heartbreaking, and the crowd isn't shy about singing and jumping. Halfway through the set, Yeule demanded that everyone in the room scream “IF FUKING LOVE MUSIC!”—an instruction they dutifully followed.
