Photos and review by Jenna Hughes
The second annual Little Five Festival kicked off on September 29th, showcasing over 40 local acts in 9 different venues in Atlanta’s Little Five Points. The Star Bar seemed to be the heart of the festival, with stages upstairs, downstairs and an outside stage that was surrounded by the best of Atlanta’s local food trucks and vendors, including Sweet Auburn BBQ and The King of Pops.
The first act that I caught was The Head, an alternative trio playing at The Star Bar. Like many of the artists performing in the festival, the band offered free cd’s, stickers and other merch to get their name out there. I headed downstairs to see Pink Pompeii, an electronic three-piece that also featured string instruments. Then I made my way to the Star Bar’s outside stage, which is where I wound up spending the majority of my time at the festival. Every band that graced that stage impressed, from the alt-country of Stone Rider to the Aimee Mann-esque folk/blues of Anna Kramer and the Lost Cause. The penultimate band to take the stage was Noot D’Noot, a flashy seven piece band that brought down the house with their dance/funk vibe. The crowd seemed to enjoy them more than any other band all day, dancing and singing along during their set.
Perhaps the most interesting act of the day was the Headband Girls, performance artists that took over Criminal Records. They began as several people sitting on the floor playing wooden xylophones and slowly, other members joined in, playing violins and cellos and trumpets at random locations throughout the store. A masked man projected strange photos on the wall and several people began reading books aloud, never breaking their concentration. One by one, the instrumentalists stopped playing until all that was left was the xylophone music, hushing the enthralled crowd until they, too, stopped. Then the artists simply packed up and left, leaving the crowd in dismay.
Little Five Fest certainly showcased the best of Atlanta’s local scene, proving that this city is home to some of the most diverse, fun and dedicated talent in the country.
Full Gallery after the jump…
