Noise Pop 2010, Part 3: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros bring the festival to a rapturous close

February 28, 2010, in San Francisco

By Katherine Hoffert
Published: March 3rd, 2010 | 12:15am

Noise Pop 2010 had its grand finale Sunday night at Bimbo’s 365 Club in North Beach with the full-blown revelry of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. This elegant indoor venue made for a contrastingly more intimate performance than the group’s set at the Bay’s Treasure Island Music Festival last fall — but the crowd was packed just as tight and the folk collective’s energy was just as high.

The Northern Key opened the show with beautifully pensive and intimate songs that were performed with acoustic guitar, violin, and drums. Their sobering folk music was heavy, à la Elliott Smith, but not weighed down — and Andrew Galluccio’s sincere songwriting drew the crowd in close.

Up next, AB & the Sea was just as magnetic as the headliner. This local group owned the stage and played a tight, Shins-inspired set of ‘60s beach pop with bright melodies and brilliantly catchy hooks. Front man Koley O'Brien, a Wisconsin native, belted out some American Idol–worthy vocals and sang of simpler things, like riding bikes to the beach and a “Yellow-Haired Girl” he was ready to make a fool of himself over.

Reminiscing about the last time they were on the Bimbo’s stage (four years ago with Jenny Lewis), the Watson Twins played a solid, soulful rock set that drew greatly from their new album, Talking to You, Talking To Me (Vanguard). The bluesy songs, like “Devil in You,” seemed to work best with this crowd, and the L.A.-by-way-of-Kentucky sisters favored switching off lead vocals over their usual harmonizing. Though they were spot-on and captivating, the twins’ more straightforward and professional performance was overshadowed by the euphoric soul that followed.

With a mythical name, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ set reached near mythical proportions. Opening with “Janglin,” a Woodstock-meets-Magical Mystery Tour freedom song, the band’s set was full throttle from the get-go with an orchestra of upright piano, trumpet, accordion, guitars, bass, drums, and over-sized tambourines that together reinforced the compelling vocals of Jade Castrinos and Alex Ebert. Looking like he just stumbled in from Haight Street, Ebert’s shamanic, born-again demeanor only added to the experience and mirrored his rebirth from Ima Robot front man to the persona of Edward Sharpe, preacher of the gospel of love. Castrinos is the real heart of the band, though, with a voice as big as the oversized dress she was wearing and a smile that radiates.

In the true communal spirit of the show, a guy in the audience raised up his violin (amazingly, the one instrument they didn’t already have in their ensemble) and was hoisted up on the stage to join in the melt-your-heart Carter/Cash–esque duet “Home.” It’s hard not to be won over by this song under normal circumstances, but in this spontaneous moment it felt as though the room was going to burst with sheer joy. As they invited a handful of audience members to sit onstage for the final song, Edward Sharpe and family closed out the festival much like Yoko Ono kicked it off: with the overarching message of peace and love. Embedded in the fibers of San Francisco’s history, it was the perfect sentiment with which to bookend the city’s annual tradition.

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For more photos from Noise Pop 2010, Part 3, visit Venus Zine's Flickr page

Noise Pop 2010, Part 1: Lennon and Ono monopolize the night and Zee Avi is downright "Poppy"

Noise Pop 2010, Part 2: Bradford Cox gets comfortable while Mirah and Thao Nguyen knock the pop out of Noise Pop