Freakout Festival was back in full force this weekend, featuring over 100 bands at seven venues. For their twelfth go around, the traditionally Ballard-only festival invited the good folks of Fremont along for the ride. From November 7–10, Tractor Tavern, the Sunset, Conor Byrne, Ballard Smoke Shop, Salmon Bay Eagles Club, Nectar Lounge, and High Dive hosted international, national, and local performers. The predominantly psych-rock festival welcomed heavy-hitting touring acts like the Black Angels, Flamin’ Groovies, and Black Lips—as well as hometown heroes Biblioteka, TeZATalks, Shabazz Palaces, and Acid Tongue, just to name a few. The Mad Alchemy Light Show (an analog liquid light show produced by Lance Gordon) worked their magic to provide trip-worthy psychedelic visuals, and you were never too far from a mosh pit. If this sounds like a place where you do mushrooms in faux fur and crowdsurf through a lava lamp… it absolutely is. 

While we sincerely wish we could have attended every set, that was literally impossible. (Trust me, I tried and was very offended by the rules of science.) But we still managed to groove with some wildly far-out bands—and lucky for you, we’re here to freak and tell. Here are some of our favorites from the weekend.

Seaside Tryst / Thursday / Ballard Smoke Shop

Everyone's favorite Ghoulfriend. Brittne Lunniss

Seaside Tryst (which is what the band describes as a gayer way of saying “sex on the beach”) commanded Ballard Smokeshop’s stage Thursday night. Hailing from Olympia, the new wave-indie-twang-goth conglomerate earned their festival spot after winning the Freakout Weekender battle of the bands earlier this year. Best described as the lovechild of Orville Peck and Future Islands’s Samuel T. Herring, frontperson Avery Kanode is the moody queer cowboy of our dreams. Sauntering across stage while clutching his pearls, Kanode flirted with band members and doe-eyed the audience during crowd favorite “Ghoulfriend,” a song about gender-neutral love in the afterlife. Synth player Frankie Champagne periodically left their keys station to dance in front of the audience, Ryan Pangilinan (donning a yellow “No One Is Treading on You, Big Guy” tank) held it down on bass and backing vocals, and Jesse Peoples on drums. The foursome will be playing Ballard again on December 1 at Sunset Tavern–which, for one night, is about to become Seattle’s twangiest, twinkiest new-wave goth club. 

Valgur / Thursday / Salmon Bay (Lower Level)

Hijos del Caos. Brittne Lunniss

Post-punk Oaxacan sibling-duo Valgur was a fever dream I didn’t want to wake up from. Their lyrics are in Spanish, but Valgur communicated a story that didn’t require translation. In what appeared to be a tale of youth, the siblings entered the stage joyfully, interacting playfully with one another. After a mid-set game of pat-a-cake, their youthful naivety began to wane—facial expressions and body language becoming heavy, sad. Elizabeth held a teddy bear and gazed dolefully at the floor prior to taking out a cell phone during their song “Vanidad.” The song begins with an unsettling synth and swells into a videogame-worthy electronic beat. A driving bass rhythm makes you feel rushed, like someone running past you on an airport walkway. Elizabeth turned away from the audience, holding her phone high enough for those in front to see the screen. She began frantically scrolling through Instagram and playing videos of herself. Valgur later explained the song was about hyper-fixating on the internet and caring too deeply about how others perceive you there. Just like their set, Valgur’s latest album, ARMEGGEDON, is a synth-pop commentary on religion, violence, and the downfalls of modernity. 

Carrion Kids / Friday / Sunset Tavern

We're all waiting for the makeup tutorial. Brittne Lunniss

Mexico City’s punk rock hellions Carrion Kids coated Sunset Tavern in blood, sweat, and beers Friday night. The band has become a staple of Freakout Fest, and for good reason. For several Freakouts now, attendees have flocked to Carrion Kids sets for moshing, crowd surfing, and, if you’re lucky, screaming into front-person Micki Navajas’s mic. Decked in red lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and facepaint, he wore a wrestling onesie with a bolo tie hung loosely around his neck. Known for his on-stage shock value, he frequently enters the crowd, contorting his body on the ground and even vomiting on himself. With raging guitar, aggressive foundation, and an avant-garde cast of characters, Carrion Kids is best described as a sensory experience. The group, who says they’re heavily inspired by Devo, is currently on their “Shit Storm West Coast Tour” with Mexico’s wildly eccentric Silverio.

Hate Knife / Friday / Salmon Bay (Lower Level)

Knuk tats to the front. Brittne Lunniss

Seattle trash-punk gremlins Hate Knife ripped through Salmon Bay Low on Friday night. The band is loud, raunchy, and funny. With songs like “I Miss Sex” and “Knuk Tats,” Hate Knife consists of the best kind of punks—ones that never take themselves too seriously. Reminiscent of groups like Static Vision, Hot Tubs Time Machine, and Gustaf, Hate Knife is like that point in a college party where the police arrive and everyone runs out the backdoor. Inappropriate and frenzied, Hate Knife is a newer Seattle band that continues to blaze their own path. The group earned their way to Freakout Fest as was one of the Freakout Weekender battle of the bands participants. You can look forward to new music on other random yet heavily relatable topics in the new year. Catch them on December 7 at Lucky Dime if you, too, enjoy sex and knuck tats. 

TeZATalks / Saturday / Salmon Bay (Upper Level)

She's the monster under your bed. Brittne Lunniss

Hardcore popstar TeZATalks ate the entirety of Salmon Bay Saturday night. Leaving zero crumbs, TeZA performed music from her newly released album, Black Girl American Horror Story. A blend of alternative, rap, and electronic, TeZA (Tasia Thomas) has become a pioneer of the Seattle nu-wave scene. In fishnet tights and a singular yellow contact lens, TeZA performed creepy-catchy hits like “ELVIRA,” in which she sings, “I’m the monster underneath your bed / I’m the reason why your parents told you to be scared.” The genre-bending Seattleite, similar to Tokyo Project and Boon, took a moment mid-set to exclaim, “Change the state of this country or we’re all gonna fucking die,” before a mosh pit broke out during her rowdy anthem “BREAKSHIT.” A Sonic Guild grant recipient, the politically charged TeZA uses her music to incite rage, protest, and a sense of community. One thing is for certain: don’t sleep on TeZA Talks—she may just crawl out from under your mattress and bite you.

The Black Angels / Saturday / Salmon Bay (Upper Level)

Under the lights of the Mad Alchemy Light Show. Brittne Lunniss

Under a sea of liquid light, Austin’s the Black Angels headlined Salmon Bay High on Saturday night. The psych-rock legends, influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, played a 21-song set, featuring hits across their discography. Fan favorites like “Entrance Song” and “Young Men Dead” sent crowd members into a hypnotic, head-banging sway. With trance-inducing tempos and fuzzy reverb, It’s easy to lose yourself in the retro groove of The Angels. While their musicality alone is worth the listen, it’s the Black Angels’s lyrics that speak rock ‘n’ roll. Focusing on themes of environmental destruction, social action, and political divide, the Black Angels felt extra relevant this Freakout season, with lyrics like, “Empires falling, it’s history on repeat. Our nations pleading from street to bloody street.” The Black Angels provide a mighty reminder of the political, cultural, and social impact of music. Fueled by resistance and counterculture, the Black Angels transported us to the heartbeat of psych rock.

With one of their largest lineups yet, it’s clear that Freakout Fest isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. More than ever, this year showcased the impact of alternative music movements. Bands used their place on stage to draw attention to the current fuckery of global destruction derived from broken political systems. Festival-goers often turned to each other during sets, nodding their heads in agreement at lyrics that may have previously drifted out the door. The weekend served as a stunning reminder of the social impact (and responsibility) of music to speak to the masses. Long live Freakout, and long live rock ‘n’ roll.