Getting older isn’t fun in some regards, especially when you’re around those who seem to get younger every year. For many of us who have covered FPSF more than five times, the lineups are usually filled with some names we know and some we have no idea about. While this year was filled with plenty of names I wasn’t familiar with, the festival itself was far better than what we experienced last year. This year I was more than thrilled to catch no less than about half of the acts, but factors like Lil Uzi Vert cancelling and the weather conditions meant that I wouldn’t get to experience more than the sets that opened each day. But, that’s okay, too, as the festival itself has grown by leaps and bounds and in a more positive way. Overall, given the hand the organizers were dealt with the weather, I felt like this year was a great warm up for a festival that could easily be on the right path to something larger in years to come — as long as it happens on a drier weekend.

Bishop Briggs. Photo: Jacob Nicholie

The best way to break down the two days is to break things down in categories, so let’s begin with the lineup. I’m 41, on the way to 42, and while I heard some rumblings about displeasure with the lineup, it was actually on scale for what you’d want if you were in your early twenties. I’m not the demographic for this festival, but my age group never was from the start. If you were in your forties when the 2013 festival rolled around, there’s a ninety percent chance that you had no clue how big of a deal it was to have Bassnectar, The Postal Service, and TV On The Radio on the lineup. Also, with the exception of 2013, the lineups for FPSF have never ever really been this mind blowing thing, even when this publication had involvement in it. Lorde is one of the most respected and talented newer artists going, and I think it’s tone deaf not to accept that she is an amazing headliner for a festival of this size. The same could be said about Tove Lo, Solange, Cage The Elephant, Lil Uzi Vert, Charli XCX and Aminé. The fact is that I was ready to catch the headliners, and I’m honestly a little sad that I missed them.

What I did see were locals, and that’s pretty much it minus a set from killer set from Trill Sammy. The locals I caught on day one were -Us., Rose Ette, and Khruangbin.  -Us. was definitely there to put on a show and he did just that with a groove heavy set that made those who caught him get down like they were catching someone who had stopped in town on tour. Rose Ette brought their pop infused indie rock to a nice sized crowd that had no problem singing along with them, like ardent and hardened fans. While Khruangbin is a band that I’ve never found myself gravitating towards, their blend of funk jams were a noteworthy part of my first day. The set from Trill Sammy wasn’t what I was expecting, though his energy and involvement with the crowd proved that he knew a strong festival set would earn him plenty of fans.  

Crowds at FPSF. Photo: Jacob Nicholie

On day two I got there early to catch the tail end of Miears, who played her synth heavy jams to a nice crowd that braved the muddy entrance to the Mercury stage just to see her. Miears has always been a crowd pleaser from her days in BLSHS to this new part of her career as a solo act, and her songs hit with precision that made me even want to get down as I watched from outside of the mud pit. I also caught a small glimpse of the Bang Bangz set that had been cut short, though the performance seemed to resonate with those who were in attendance. The Wheel Workers seemed to really relish the larger aspects of the Neptune stage, as they dropped new tracks and played like they were seasoned veterans of the festival circuit. After they performed, I caught dance bangers Night Drive as they made the best of the muddy landscape around Mercury and dropped a groove heavy set for everyone around the festival grounds. Then, as we regrouped catching a bit of The Bad Suns and Stick Figure, we made our way back to the media tents to see what was up with the weather. 

When you cover festivals, you know the signs to look out for, as well as what apps will keep you up to date. As many of us in media realized quickly, something big and bad was headed towards Eleanor Tinsley Park, and it wasn’t going to just pass over quickly either. My weather app was saying to keep an eye out as was the ominous cloud that was getting closer and closer to the festival grounds. What would eventually happen, as on the day before, was that the festival grounds would get evacuated. I left, but it was because of the fact that there’s nowhere really near the park to go if this happens. While I wanted to catch the bigger acts of the day like Aminé, Charli XCX, Solange, and Lorde, the not-knowing makes the trek back to your car hard to navigate, so I just went home. What anyone who reads this should know is that the weather isn’t something festival groups can control, and I promise that they have no interest in evacuating a festival unless it’s in the best interests of those attending as far as safety goes. While last year we were treated a bit like cattle, this year the organizers from Pegstar and C3 were much more calm and collected and were pretty chill about letting us pack up and head off of the grounds.

Cage The Elephant. Photo: Jacob Nicholie

As far as how things have grown for the better, I felt that things ran a lot smoother, from the media side of things to the overall feel of each day. The set times stayed on schedule minus the weather, the organization of the layout made a lot more sense, and the way they treated media and attendees felt like they had everything figured out and ready with solutions if problems arose. One of the best ideas I saw were the lockers. If you were in media, you were offered up a locker with a phone charger inside for your use, and if you were an attendee, you were offered one for $35. I honestly felt like this was one of the best ideas I’ve seen in all the years I’ve gone to festivals, and a feature I’d love to see more festivals employ. Another great feature was the food from The Pass & Provisions and the Houston Eats side of things, that offered up festival ready food and some hometown pride at the same time.

The truth is that with the weather as the one exception, it looks like this festival could grow into what we as Houstonians have always wanted to see it become. In fact, after having to cancel the remainder of the festival, it makes sense that this festival cannot proceed to occur on the current timeline that it’s currently held. The dates will have to be changed to avoid problems due to inclement weather as it did this year, and in many years past, if it is to move forward and grow. However, on the scale of how festivals go, FPSF could become something bigger than it’s been if they keep things on track like they were this year. With a more streamlined setup and larger names on the festival, the days of FPSF being a smaller festival could be coming to an end. And while I still feel like there’s a less rainy time of the summer to have this festival take place, the changes involved are just those of a festival on the up-and-up, while the rest of us have to be ready for change and all that comes with it.

The 2024 installment of FPSF was set to bring Charli XCX to perform after her acclaimed album Sucker, but due to scheduling conflicts, it was pushed back. However, the time is finally here. Only a few months after the release of her mixtape, Number 1 Angel, the British musician is set to put on an electrifying performance that shouldn’t be missed. Along with her friends Lorde and Tove Lo, she’s here to show Houston what artists from around the world can do. Prior to her set at FPSF on Sunday, Charli XCX spoke to Free Press Houston about her time in town, collaborating with Sophie, and her upcoming material.

Free Press Houston: So you were going to play FPSF two years ago, but I remember that there was some last-minute scheduling issues. Is this going to be your first time in Houston? I see that you’re also going to be back here later this year with Halsey.

Charli XCX: No, I’ve actually played Houston before on my own tour. It was really fun! I actually think my band and I decided to make it goth night and we all dressed up in black, and that was really fun as well. We’ve had some good times in Houston, and we’re excited to go back.

FPH: You have some history with the headliner, Lorde. How is the girl band talk is going?

Charli XCX: Oh, right, yeah! I mean, we haven’t really put it together in a serious way, but it would be really fun to do! I’ll make sure to follow up on the status of that with Carly [Rae Jepsen] and Lorde.

FPH: One of your collaborators, Sophie, actually played our festival, Day for Night, back in December. With Sophie notably being such a mysterious person, how were the two of you introduced?

Charli XCX: I reached out to Sophie. But basically, my ex-boyfriend introduced me to Sophie’s music, and I was like, “Woah, this is really cool! I really want to work with this person.” So I was doing a writing camp in Sweden with a lot of the people I usually work with, and I just randomly got Sophie’s email and was like, “You should come to this writing camp, it would be really amazing,” not thinking I would get a response. But I did. Sophie showed up to the camp! It was so fun, and we spent — this was the beginning of 2024 — three days in a room together. That’s where we made the Vroom Vroom EP. That’s where we became friends. We worked a lot together in the studio in Los Angeles for my record, along with Stargate and others. I decided to move to LA, and ever since we’ve been good friends. We started to do more shows together. His love for pop music and art is really inspiring.

FPH: Watching the videos of the songs that include Sophie always have comments that say something along the lines of “I could tell this is a Sophie song from a mile away,” or so on. Whenever you two collaborate do you give Sophie pretty much free range with the end result?

Charli XCX: Yeah, I mean, I really love that stuff, the classic Sophie drops. There’s other sides to Sophie, which are very pop music oriented. I guess a lot of people don’t associate the two. But with any collaborator, there are always debates on what the right idea is, and that’s exactly how I worked with Sophie. But most things that want to happen, happen when we work together.

FPH: I hear that punk music played an important role in your musical upbringings, but I’ve read that so have people like Quentin Tarantino and Donna Summer. Were you always pretty open to listening to everything? Did you go through any long stages of listening to one band in particular?

Charli XCX: Oh, yeah. Big time. I went through stages where I would listen to one album on repeat, for sure. And I mean, I even went through stages where I listened to one song on repeat. I went through a ton of phases: an emo one, metal, though that one didn’t work out.

FPH: Is there any group that inspired you more so than others on the Number 1 Angel mixtape?

Charli XCX: No, I don’t think so. Now that I make my own music I don’t really listen to others, because I find it distracting. I only really listen to myself. I would try and copy things if I listened to others, and I don’t want to do that, so I like to shut off music. And because I make music all the time, I don’t really listen to a lot of the other. It’s just too much of a distraction.

FPH: So your upcoming album has had huge success with songs like the one that Lil Yachty is featured on. Are there any other collaborations that you can talk about that will be included?

Charli XCX: No, not yet. And to be honest, I haven’t even – I made a lot of the album during the middle of last year. I don’t think I’ll release it until, probably, next year. I kind of put it on pause for now, because I write so quickly that if I keep working on it now, I’ll write five albums instead of one, and that would be confusing to me. So when I know when my release date is I’ll write the rest of the album and think about that stuff. But I love collaborating with people, so hopefully they’ll be more features.

FPH: Finally, you play the main stage on Sunday. What can everyone planning on seeing you expect to witness at a Charli XCX set?

Charli XCX: A really big party with lots of badass girls and screaming, in a fun way. Not in a being murdered kind of way.

Charli XCX will perform from 3:00 to 3:50 pm on the Saturn Stage at FPSF, taking place June 3-4 at Houston’s Eleanor Tinsley Park. The festival runs from 11 am to 11 pm on Saturday and Sunday with tickets starting at $148.

If you’re planning to start an indie rock band with pop sensibilities, it’s definitely a road that’s cluttered with bands that have plenty of steam behind them, so you had better stand out. Standing out, however, has never really been a problem for Houston’s Rose Ette. Forming a bit over three years ago, the band that initially felt like a side project has gained more than enough traction since this time last year. Even after lineup changes and having to bow out of a festival due to remarks made by the festival’s owner, Rose Ette has done things their own way while expanding on what feels like a growing fan base with each and every show they play. Free Press Houston spoke to the band about what they’ve been up lately, as well as what they have planned for FPSF and beyond.

Free Press Houston:  The band has two releases, the latter being a cassette single or “cassingle.” Are you the only current band in Houston with a cassette single that you know of?

Rose Ette: The cassingle was a fun way to release something new while we work on new material. We’re definitely not on the only band in town releasing tape singles. MiddleChild and Newport American Dream both released cassingles before we dropped ours, and likely plenty of others.

FPH: You recorded with John Allen Stephens formerly of New York City Queens for the single. Can you describe what it was like working with him and did he have any new ideas for the songs while they were being recorded?

Rose Ette: Working with John was great and he had a lot of ideas about how to realize the tone we had in mind for the songs. Being familiar with our home demos, he knew our songs and understood the direction we wanted to go as a band. Essentially, he helped us achieve a sound Matt from BunnyGrunt described as “a basement-punk Lush,” a description we can definitely get behind.

FPH:  The band contains members of other acts and former acts that all have touring experience. Are there any plans to tour anytime soon?

Rose Ette: We’ll probably hit road once we have a full length release out. We’ve been playing shows in Austin and Galveston this year, but we’re primarily focusing on writing new material and hashing out new ideas. Collectively, we do have a lot of tour experience and we have some plans for next year, but nothing we can disclose just yet.

FPH: You’ve been on a multitude of shows in both large and small venues, while gaining a strong following. Is there a venue that you don’t see the band performing in?

Rose Ette: We’re pretty much down to play most venues, but if their policies or politics conflict with those of our band members, that’s where we draw the line. The safety of our fans is much more important than any show, big or small.

FPH:  The band seems to really know your audience, with merch items like scarves and enamel pins, as well as cassette releases.  Are there ever times when a fan approaches you that you’re surprised by?

Rose Ette: We have a wide range of fans and are super grateful for all of them. It’s humbling that we’ve gained such a fan base in our home town.

It’s true the items we at our merch table aren’t typical band merch, but it’s great our weird ideas have gone over so well. We’re always trying to think outside of the box since there’s a lot more bands can do than t-shirts and CDs.

FPH: This will be the first festival for the band, though you’ve all played on other festivals in other projects. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for your FPSF set, or will you just go out and play your usual set?

Rose Ette: We always have plenty of tricks up our sleeves and we’ll definitely have something special for FPSF, but you’ll have to catch our set.

There’s no doubt that the band has plenty of tricks up their sleeves when they engage the attendees of FPSF like everyone who catches them perform. You can hear Rose Ette here, buy merch from them here, and follow them here. The four piece will bring their pop infused indie rock to all in attendance at this year’s FPSf when the festival makes its return to Eleanor Tinsley Park. While Rose Ette is set to perform at 12:10 pm on the Saturn stage on Saturday June 3, the festival is set to take place June 3 and 4. With performances from Lorde, The Shins, Solange and more, the all ages festival has doors at 11 am each day and tickets between $148 and $999.

In music today there are multiple versions of genres, that the phrase sub-genre doesn’t really apply. With electro pop, or shoegaze, or even singer songwriter genres, you can think of artists almost immediately. With an artist like Kay Weathers, there’s pretty no way to put your finger on what sound she could be categorized with. Mixing elements of electro pop, indie rock, and pop; her sets are usually a mix of one woman performing by herself with multiple layered tracks while she sings and plays guitar. On her debut EP, last year’s Songs For Lucy, she pushed the bounds of multiple genres while offering up one of the prettiest releases of the year. Now with a set at this year’s FPSF, the solo artist will delight all who catch her perform. Free Press Houston sat down with her to get her take on her sound as well as see what she has up her sleeves for the festival.

Free Press Houston:  Your music is essentially electro pop with guitar and loops.  What genre would you call your music exactly?

Kay Weathers: This is a tough question. I have no idea. I can list tons of bands that have influenced me, but I can’t tell you what I sound like. I’d like to think it’s psych/shoegaze pop? Seriously, I’m stumped.

FPH:  You write, perform, and create all of your music by yourself.  Was that always the plan to do it solo or was it just easier than getting a band together?

Weathers: I actually only write the guitar parts and lyrics. I definitely help choose what other sounds are in each song, but I have to give Josh Applebee credit for the finished products. I didn’t really have a plan on having a band or not. I’ve worked with multiple very talented people in the past, but playing solo is definitely right for me. It is easier in terms of getting everyone together for shows or practice.

FPH:  The debut, Songs For Lucy, was made here in Houston, between staying in Louisiana in a back and forth weekend thing.  Was there ever a time when you questioned why you were travelling so much to make a record when you could’ve worked with a studio in Louisiana instead?

Weathers: No way. Josh is incredible. He’s extremely talented and has a heart of gold. I enjoy working with him very much. As for the drive, I don’t mind it. I have a lot of friends in Houston and love that I can see them as often as I can.

FPH:  I know that the title of the album refers to your cat, Lucy.  Can you explain where that came from and why you chose that as the title?

Weathers: Lucy is my audience. Whenever I write or practice, she jumps on a pa speaker and goes to sleep. I think all my songs are for her.

FPH:  I know you’ve started work on a follow up release, is there a release date for that yet and have you been playing the songs out live at all?

Weathers: I think I’ll keep this one a secret for now.

FPH:  Your live shows are always deep and filled with varying lights and projections while you play guitar over looped tracks.  For the larger stages of FPSF, have you got anything planned to mix things up for your set?

Weathers: I do have some ideas. You’ll have to be there to find out!

You can find out what Kay Weathers will do at this year’s FPSF when she performs on the Saturn stage at 11:10 am on Saturday June 3. The two day festival that features performances from Lorde, The Shins, Solange, Cage The Elephant and many more will make its return to Eleanor Tinsley Park on June 3 and 4. The all ages event with gates opening at 11 am has tickets between $148 and $999.

In Houston, there are more than enough bands that grind hard enough to take their music to greater heights and larger audiences. There are many models that acts seem to follow, but for the longest time, it’s felt like there were some that really were in it for the long haul. Houston’s Deep Cuts has been grinding hard since their inception, while growing as artists and performers in front of everyone’s eyes. While their original sound was closer to that of bands like Vampire Weekend and The Strokes, it didn’t take long for the band to steer far away from that sound into a more focused direction. Showcasing their growth with the Love Grows EP, their more recent offerings, including singles “While The House Fills Up,” and “Take Me Back,” really take listeners on a new musical journey while the band’s sound continues to mature. Now, with a new album on the horizon, the band plans to unveil their new musical direction to those in attendance at FPSF. Free Press Houston was more than happy to bend the band’s ears on what they have in store for Houston when they return to the festival’s stages, as well as to highlight their latest video for the track “Take Me Back,” shot live in studio.

Free Press Houston: For those who don’t know much about the band, you’ve been together for how long now? How did Deep Cuts become a band?

Deep Cuts: Chase and I started Deep Cuts several years ago, though in 2024 we went through something of a metamorphosis, sound-wise, into what we’d consider the current “Deep Cuts” unit. Chase and I are lifelong friends, started playing music together as teens, and Deep Cuts began as our first serious avenue for songwriting together.

FPH:  You guys started out with a more indie rock meets samba kind of sound, and now you’ve moved more into a smooth chillwave meets indie rock sound. What made you change direction?

Deep Cuts: I think our sound has grown with our listening tastes and also just our personalities as we’ve gotten older and — arguably — wiser. We still use some Latin music idioms, especially in our percussion, but we’ve made a conscious effort to move away from being a rock band.

FPH:  Now that you guys are set to release new music with this revamped sound, and you’ve added new elements including a saxophone, does it feel like a new band?

Deep Cuts: Definitely. Horns, electronic percussion, and a much heavier implementation of keys are all hallmarks of the new — and, for us at least, much improved — Deep Cuts sound. I think this shines through in the songwriting, too, not just our sonic palette.

FPH:  There was a time there when it seemed like Deep Cuts was performing every weekend, which isn’t the case nowadays. At the time I thought it wasn’t the best thing I’d ever seen a band do, but it seemed to really cement you guys as one of the more dominant bands in Houston. Did playing so much ever cause problems or did it actually help you out?

Deep Cuts: As of late we’ve scaled back on playing live to focus on writing and recording new music. I think the glut of shows in our past really sharpened our chops, taught us about what does and doesn’t work live, but it also consumed big slices of the band’s energy and time. At a certain point we decided we had to finish a record before getting back into the old constancy of shows.

FPH:  I know you’ve been working on a new album, do you have an album title and a release date set for it yet?

Deep Cuts: A few musings for title so far but nothing certain, and no firm release date either. Hopefully sooner than later. The album’s first single “Take Me Back” dropped late last year, and follow-up single “Friends” debuts soon.

FPH:  You’ve become known for hilarious videos, fun and inventive live shows, and guys who at least, appear to be having fun.  Is there ever a time where being in the band feels like work?

Deep Cuts: Keeping the band moving forward requires work and sacrifice, but never feels like drudgery. I think all of us would rather be pursuing this than succumbing to office gigs. To quote Tom Sizemore’s character from the 1995 masterpiece “Heat”: Well, ya know, for us the action is the juice.

FPH:  You guys have played FPSF before, correct?  With the new lineup and the new songs, do you have anything crazy planned for your set at the festival this year?

Deep Cuts: Hmmm, perhaps just some nice summer outfits. I hear rompers for men are back in.

While the band shops for sweet Summertime duds, you can get down to the groove heavy video for “Take Me Back” above.  Deep Cuts will be appearing at this year’s FPSF on the Neptune stage at 11:30 am on Saturday June 3.  The two day festival will make its return to Eleanor Tinsley Park on June 3 and 4, and will feature performances from Hurray For The Riff Raff, Solange, Lorde, and many more.  Tickets for the all ages festival range between $148 and $999, and are available here.

A couple of years ago while record shopping I stumbled across a double vinyl record from a band called The Wheel Workers, and the fact that it was ever released was one factor that intrigued me. To date, I don’t know any other unsigned or local bands that would release a double album, nor do I know of any who’d have it pressed to colored vinyl either. However, that was just the beginning of getting to know a band that works harder than many signed bands you might be familiar with. While they’ve been hard at work on their latest release, their last EP, Citizens from 2024, was one of the most masterful releases to drop that year, alongside multiple videos and a cover that looked like it was done by famed artist Shepard Fairey. While Fairey wasn’t responsible for that artwork, the band would go on to release the singles “Silly Boy” and “White Lies” last year, and now they’re ready to showcase their energy heavy live show for those attending this year’s FPSF. Free Press Houston was more than thrilled to catch up with them before their appearance at the festival in early June.

Free Press Houston:  You guys have been a band since 2024, does it feel like it’s been seven years already, and if you could, would you change anything you’ve done in that time as a band?

Steven Higginbotham:  There’s always little things, like shows that weren’t that great or money you could have spent more efficiently, but overall I think we’ve done okay.

Craig Wilkins:  We’ve gone through so many lineup changes, it almost feels like more than 7 years. And I’ve known Steven since I was a little kid so damn, how long have we been doing this?

FPH:  You guys aren’t political in the Rage Against the Machine way, but your lyrics are typically more political than most bands today. Do you ever think it’s bad to be political as a musician?

Higginbotham:  Yes, definitely. I know we’ve turned off some people. I get that many people just want music to be a fun escape, but I’ve always been drawn to songwriters that aren’t afraid to get into deeper issues. I teach history, economics, and politics, so my mind is often in that space. Social movements always have a soundtrack of some kind. I guess I see us as part of the movement to challenge the nationalism and bigotry represented in people like Donald Trump.

That said, I know conservatives that like our music, and if they can just enjoy us on a musical level, that’s fine, too.

Wilkins:  Bad if you care about playing to the lowest common denominator and trying to please everyone. Fuck that.

FPH:  You guys work pretty hard in that you’ve now released two full length albums, a double album, and lately a couple of singles alongside videos for a bunch of your tracks. Has there ever been a moment where you doubted all of the hard work you’ve put into being a band?

Higginbotham:  Sure. I have doubts all the time. But I’ve always been driven to create music and do what I can to get it out there. Every time I finish an album, I can’t wait to start the next one. I’m driven mostly by the feeling that I haven’t really written the best record I can yet.  

Wilkins:  I leave the worrying to Steven. This is nothing but fun to me.

FPH:  When I hear your music, it reminds me of REM mixed with hints of the Flaming Lips and Pearl Jam. What do you guys think The Wheel Workers sound like?

Higginbotham:  I think that’s pretty accurate. It’s always hard to answer that question because you’re in too deep to be objective. So I’ll trust your description. But I do think we’re evolving and our sound a few albums from now may be quite different.

Wilkins:  Yeah our stuff is kinda getting all over the place. This next album, I think more than ever, is really going to highlight that. We don’t have just one mood or sound space that we’re comfortable in.

FPH:  You guys have been working pretty hard on a new album, do you have a name for it and a releases date yet?

Higginbotham:  Yes! This album has taken longer than I’d hoped, but we’re basically done with the audio now. It’s going to be called Post-Truth. We don’t have a release date yet. We’re still working on artwork and other stuff that goes into releasing a record, but it’s coming soon.

Wilkins:  Filling your ears with warm sticky music this year, I’m hoping.

FPH:  Your live shows often have visuals and you play with an intense energy that seems like you conjure up something nutty to perform. For those attending the festival who’ve never caught a set from you, what do you have in store for them?

Higginbotham:  Performing live gives you a sense of freedom and expression that is really cathartic. For those shows where everything comes together, it’s one of the best feelings ever. At FPSF, we’re going to put together a set that features our strongest high-energy live songs, and maybe one or two from our next album that haven’t been performed live yet.  

Wilkins:  If melodic rants set to spacey guitars and walls of synthesizers are your thing, come check us out.

The Wheel Workers are easily one of the strongest live acts performing in Houston today. You can catch them at this year’s FPSF when the festival makes its triumphant return to Eleanor Tinsley Park on June 3 and 4. The Wheel Workers will perform at 11:30 am on the Neptune stage. The festival, featuring live performances from Solange, Charli XCX, The Shins and many more is all ages with tickets between $148 and $999.

The world of electronica is pretty stacked nowadays, making the route to getting noticed more and more about what you do on stage, it seems. For Houston’s Camera Cult, they pretty much just throw a party every time they perform and the room just gets down to their danceable jams. With two solid singles on vinyl under their belt and more on the way, the three-piece includes live instrumentation and is much like a mix of Disclosure meets ABBA. This year they’ve been added to the lineup of FPSF, and the festival is much better for it. Free Press Houston was more than happy to find out more about the trio’s past, present, and future.

Free Press Houston:  You guys have been together for about two and a half years, are you all from Houston?

Camera Cult: Yeah, David and I [Ricky] were born and raised here. Our current live drummer, Isaac, is actually from Minnesota, but he’s been here forever now.

FPH:  Your music sounds like dreamy synth pop from the ’80s made with modern instrumentation. Was that the goal when you started or just kind of what happened?

Camera Cult: When we first started that’s what we were going for. After awhile we just stopped focusing on trying to sound ’80s and started writing however we were inspired at the moment. It’s all mostly pop though.

FPH:  You have two singles out that sound like dance party bangers. Do you have any plans for a full length album anytime soon or are you going to stick to singles for now?

Camera Cult: No full length in the foreseeable future yet. We plan to release more singles this year. We don’t wanna give away everything we have all at once.

FPH:  Your live shows seem to almost always turn into a party where everyone in attendance, including the band, is getting down to your music. Are you guys big fans of the dance genre or does your music just take over and get you moving?

Camera Cult: I think the main goal when we made this band was to make music that gets people moving. We were inspired by all kinds of dance music. Disco, synth pop, rap/hip hop, old music, new music, and whatever we felt was fun. I think that translates to our music cause we don’t really have any slow songs.

FPH:  You seem to really be having a great time when you play, does it ever feel like a job or is it always about fun?

Camera Cult: Definitely always about fun. I mean, we hate having to load all of our gear from our rehearsal room, to the van, to stage, and back again, but it’s always worth it when we get to play for people who enjoy our music and support what we do.

FPH:  This is your first festival, correct? Do you have anything special planned for your set at FPSF?

Camera Cult: Yeah this our first big festival. We’re gonna play some new material for sure. We’ve also been working on keeping our set flowing the whole time without any pauses between songs. Whether we have a big crowd or not, we’re gonna perform like there’s no tomorrow, setting the standard for future Camera Cult shows.

There’s absolutely no reason for you to miss these guys when they light up the stage at FPSF this year. With unbelievably catchy songs and a fun live show, they should kick the festival off better than most. You can catch Camera Cult for their set at FPSF on Saturday June 3 at 11:10 am at the Mercury Stage. The all ages festival that runs June 3 and 4, will have gates open at 11 am, and will make its return to Eleanor Tinsley Park. Tickets run between $148 and $999 depending on how fancy you want to make your experience, with a headlining set from Lorde alongside performances from Solange, The Shins, Tove Lo, Charli XCX, and many more.

The one thing I look forward to every year is covering the annual Free Press Summer Fest. In fact, the festival itself was one of the deciding factors when applying to write for Free Press Houston three years ago.  No matter what was happening at music festivals around the country, Houston had its own music festival in FPSF and the beauty of it was that it felt like it was ours. By that I don’t mean that it belonged to those of us who work for Free Press Houston, but it felt like it was made for us by two guys from Houston who love the city.  A passion for music curated a small festival into a large scale festival, and even up until last year, the festival still felt like something that was “a Houston thing.” That has changed. Gone is the feeling that this festival was made for Houston by Houstonians; now it feels a music festival hosted by people who don’t listen to music.  It’s a little heartbreaking that the experiences we had in 2024, 2024, and so on will be just a memory of a festival that’s now just a shadow of its former self.

Before delving into the few highlights from each day of the festival, let’s look at the particulars. For starters, my media pass experience as far as being accepted to cover the festival, receiving my passes, and the way the media was typically handled was all top notch.  It should be noted that I received free passes as a part of the media from the festival organizers, and everything including updates to schedules went great.  

Crowds at FPSF. Photo: Mark Armes

The weather, the fact that the festival had to move locations and the fact that Father John Misty cancelled can’t be blamed on anyone involved with the festival.  I know plenty of people who work on this festival and it’s a pretty thankless job that requires tons of work hours.  If they could control the weather or that an artist does or does not show, they certainly would.  The same employees can’t control budget cuts to favorite attractions, and that shouldn’t be put on them either.  These weather things happen here on the Gulf Coast and as someone who has covered plenty of festivals, there’s nearly always one artist who cancels for whatever reason.

Those two points being made, however, are the only lenience I feel okay with giving.  Music — whether it’s at an outdoor festival, an indoor basketball stadium or a small club — is meant to be a wonderful experience.  You might think that I’ve seen too much music, or that I’ve become numb to what I experience; but I can say that I went to three more shows around town after the festival and all of them were more enjoyable than what I experienced at the festival.  Gone is the ability to move freely if you’re media, where this year we were relegated to the media lounge or designated areas, and in all honesty, that’s potentially understandable as well.  However, being treated like a child by staff who insist on rules that don’t help anyone, and staff that talk down to you because they have to enforce these unimportant rules, all of this is uncalled for.  Pretty much everyone I spoke to in the media had a story to tell about how they were treated like children by some form of festival staff, and I had my experiences, too.  I don’t want a festival without rules, nor do I want to have free reign, but it would be cool if the festival felt like the spirit of a music festival and not an internment camp where my presence at the festival is simply to make ‘merchandise’ for someone later through coverage.  Speaking of festival merchandise, the best designs I saw were from years past when a local artists created the designs.  Now it looks like some buyers from Urban Outfitters decided what the shirts would look like.  While that’s not really important, it should be noted that your ability to buy them was plastered across every screen following nearly every set instead of notifying audiences of who would perform next.  It was the little things that were missing.  The little personal touches and moments of tongue in cheek humor that were removed.  It almost felt like the festival higher ups were ready to plaster Big Brother-type messages like “YOU WILL HAVE FUN,” or “WE DEMAND THAT YOU ENJOY YOURSELF” across the screens as an order rather than an organic reflex.  A bonus for drinkers was the ability to grab a drink without incidence due to short lines, but that mostly had to do with the fact that the average age of festival goers was closer to under 18 than 21 and up.  For the first time in the history of this festival, it appeared that there were more underage attendees than those that are of-age.  At most festivals I’ve attended, I have to go around huge lines where alcohol is being served, but I didn’t see a single line at the bars that extended more than about seven people.  

There were other changes, including the fact that there was a dearth of art placed around the festival grounds, and when art was present, it often had a corporate logo in the corner. This might sound insane, but it’s totally true.  Over by the Budweiser burger truck, there were what appeared to be some form of art that said “FPSF,” as well as a Budweiser logo in the top right corner.  Houston artist Patrick Renner created the swirling colorful displays at the front gates of the festival, but unless a local artist painted the art piece that some wine company had displayed, it was the only truly local art at the festival.  One of the elements to this festival has always been that there has been a focus on local art, but again, things have changed.  They might have had it in the Fancy Pants tents, but unlike previous years, media wasn’t allowed inside so I can’t tell you if that was the case or not.  The corporate vibe to the look and feel of the festival almost made me wonder why I didn’t see art installations that said something like “Art Presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.”

Refused. Photo: Daniel Jackson

Aside from the fact that there were still a few locals booked for the festival again, the lineup this year left a lot to be desired.  It made me think that someone booked the festival off of numbers rather than by experience or performance level.  In years past, FPSF had surprise performances from acts that were getting a buzz, but this year they had acts that were good for ticket sales when they played on their regular tours.  While that’s not abnormal, the ticket sales the bands could garner was about the only appealing factor to them.  There were a handful of acts worth catching, which is who I planned to focus on.  Due to getting to the festival grounds later than I originally planned, I missed the day’s locals and Chicano Batman.  I started off with Built To Spill, who honestly looked like they could care less as to whether they were performing or not.  However, they always kind of look that way and the three songs I watched were on par with how they typically sound.  I then trekked across the festival grounds to catch one of the few acts I was actually excited to see, Thee Oh Sees.  These guys didn’t disappoint by any means as they tore through their set with ferocity and energy like they were playing for their lives.  I followed that with a set from Zola Jesus, who was captivating, but not as strong as when I saw her at Fitzgerald’s last year.  Another act I had looked forward to catching, Refused, blew me away with their high energy set.  Mic stand in the air, their singer throwing the mic at all heights and dancing to every track, their set was one of the three best I saw all day.  After hiding in the media tent to avoid the rain, I stopped off to watch a few rather boring songs from Zeds Dead before venturing over to watch a pretty amazing set by Tiger Army.  While Tiger Army isn’t as popular as Zeds Dead, at least they didn’t drop a bunch of other people’s songs during their performance.  The psychobilly band has definitely grown up, but they also weren’t tame by any means, which was refreshing.  After waiting for White Denim to come onstage until I was too bored to wait any longer, I went back across the festival grounds in hopes to catch an electrifying set from Matt & Kim.  These two were a huge highlight when they played FPSF in 2024, however this time was pretty mediocre and thus I only made through a couple songs.  Even with another stand-out appearance from Kim, the whole performance felt put on, or at least like they were attempting to relive a moment that’s locked in time and while they were still energetic.  In the media tent, I decided that I didn’t want to punish myself with a set from Modest Mouse, as their last album was just too bad to listen to in person, and I honestly didn’t care about Collegrove enough to catch them perform.  I made the decision that to see Jamie XX  as my last set of the first day.  Jamie XX felt like the best act to end a day that was filled with disappointment and I was right in thinking so.  He started strong, got things turnt up, and ended just as strong too.  He ripped through jams from his tracks while making me wonder why he wasn’t the closer for the day.  His set was another of my favorites of day one and he’s an act I’d encourage you catch if he returns to Houston anytime soon.

Leon Bridges. Photo: Cambria Harkey

On day two, I had planned to get there early to catch BØRNS and Trampled By Turtles, but the traffic to get to the parking lots was more congested than it was on Saturday, so the first act I ended up seeing was Houston’s Trae Tha Truth.  Trae has always been a strong performer, and since there was no “Welcome To Houston” on the lineup this year, his set would have to feed my crave for H-Town hip hop.  As always, he was on point from start to finish while he dropped a mix of old and new songs like miniature flames.  Due to rain repeatedly coming and going, I found myself catching a glimpse of Mac DeMarco, who I still can’t seem to find the energy to care about.  I did however catch a set from one of the few acts that I was really excited to see on day two, Dallas’ Leon Bridges.  Bridges might be as close to artists like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, and while he soulfully and gracefully performed tracks from last year’s Coming Home. His set was one of the better sets I’ve seen at any music festival and it really felt like an FPSF of yore due to his inclusion in the lineup.  I skipped a couple of acts so I could watch punk rockers Against Me! and they played the set as if it was their last one ever.  Highly energetic and full of fan favorites, their set was one of the few the highlights of the day for me. Though I had planned to catch sets from 3Lau, Violent Femmes, Young The Giant, and deadmau5, the festival grounds were evacuated due to weather concerns.  The same thing happened in 2024 and we were allowed to stay in the media tents, but this year was different. We were very briskly told to leave and sit to wait for word on when we could come back.  After going through the day’s rain, but not getting really wet, I then had to venture to my car in the pouring rain alongside many others, where I then decided to end my FPSF 2024 experience on the grounds of NRG Park.  Yes, I had an extra shirt, a small towel, and an extra pair of socks and shoes in my trunk, but in reality, I felt I had seen enough and didn’t even feel up to making the effort to watch the last four acts I had planned to see.  

To be fair, the evacuation isn’t the fault of anyone tied to the festival and it’s a safety measure that’s good to have in place.  Even though I’d later hear about attendees returning to the grounds after being sequestered to the NRG Convention Center, once I got home and showered, the only memories I had of FPSF 2024 were bad ones.  The attention to detail that every year prior had been regarded for, from lineup to overall experience, were now replaced by a feeling of emotions crafted by people who don’t care about music.  The elements that made this festival fun, alongside what made it individualistic and something that Houstonians could be proud of, have since been obliterated and replaced with things that someone in their fifties thinks music lovers want. The beauty of being a music journalist is that it’s never felt like a job to me.  The downfall of covering Free Press Summer Festival this year is that for the first time, it did feel like a job.  The lineup and overall experience were so plain and unimpressive that you could have had this festival in any other city and no one would have noticed.  Hopefully in 2024, FPSF will feel a little closer to a festival made for Houston by people who care about the city instead of what it felt like this year: a festival made by someone else who’s calculated that this is what Houston would want.