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

February 23-25, 2010, in San Francisco

By Katherine Hoffert
Published: February 27th, 2010 | 12:00pm

For those that didn’t get a chance to see the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band and Deerhoof at the Fox Theater on the opening night of San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival — Wednesday’s show at the Independent served as a sort of epilogue and featured many of the same musicians in new configurations and a more relaxed atmosphere.

Sean Lennon, donning his signature black-rimmed glasses and oversized band coat, and Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier opened the show as Consortium Musicum. Together, they performed one brief, loud, and continuous improvisational noise experiment that left the eager audience unsure when to applaud.

Up next was If By Yes, featuring Petra Haden, Yuka Honda (a Plastic Ono and former member of Cibo Matto), and members of Cornelius (who also performed with Ono). An international band by definition — Lennon even acknowledged what a treat it was to have them all together in the same room — If By Yes felt as focused as a full-time project. At the forefront of their commanding jazz/rock sound was Haden. Typically known for violin session work, Haden’s expressive vocals, which sometimes took the form of primal incantations, and emotive body language were all she needed to lead this sonic journey to its avant-rock end.

For the final performance of the evening, a gracious Lennon returned to the stage accompanied by his supermodel girlfriend, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and the backing of Cornelius to introduce the Ghost of a Saber Toothed Tiger. Lennon’s love of Brian Wilson shone through in the exquisite harmonies and arrangements of GOASTT’s ‘60s psychedelia–infused indie pop, and it was at once apparent in Muhl’s breathy vocals and graceful musicianship that her beauty is more than skin-deep. Realizing, “Baby, we don’t have a set list!” Lennon and Muhl winged it and played through a variety of songs including “Rainbows in Gasoline” (one of the few they actually have recorded), “India,” and “Song for James,” while letting their undeniable chemistry come through in their playful stage banter. Lennon and Muhl alone returned for an acoustic encore and performed the gorgeously dreamy “The World Was Made for Men” as Yoko Ono watched on from the balcony. Finding beauty in a crumbling world and clearly love in this life, their performance was absolutely transcendent.

Thursday at the Rickshaw Stop, an equally captivating Zee Avi enamored the crowd with her classic voice, remarkable beauty, and jabbing sense of humor. Opening with “Poppy,” the song that started it all and lead to her discovery on YouTube, Avi played through favorites like “Bitter Heart” and “Honey Bee,” with an upright bassist and drummer in tow and her adoring fans singing along to every word. Invoking the spirit of Billie Holiday, Avi’s presence is powerful and she possesses the ability to bridge the gap between age and culture with music that transcends genre, geography, and time. Onstage, she was highly personable and easygoing. She poked fun at her small stature by referring to her ukulele as a guitar, demystified myths regarding her home of Malaysia (“Yes, we do have microwaves”), and even filmed the audience with her friend’s camera. There was an outpouring of gratitude from both sides of the stage, and Avi returned the love with a a treat of covers including a bluesy “Slow Hands” by Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Date With the Night” on ukulele, her classic cover of Morrissey’s “First of the Gang to Die,” and Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks.” After this performance, it’s safe to say no fan was left unsatisfied and no boyfriend unconverted.

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For more photos of Noise Pop, Part 1, visit Venus Zine's Flickr page