“Why buy a house when you can listen to house music?” Portola Music Festival 2022
written by Elizabeth Tang and Chevonne Ha
photographed by Elizabeth Tang
Goldenvoice’s inaugural Portola Music Festival kicked off the weekend of Sept. 24 and 25 at San Francisco’s Pier 80, welcoming the biggest pop and electronic music names to the Bay during the two-day event. Backdropped by an industrial shipping yard, warehouses, and skyscraper cranes, the 21+ festival featured four stages of iconic talent, both new and old, fittingly situated alongside a plethora of disco balls and rolling blue artificial turf. 90s rave style was exercised at its core throughout the weekend, hosting a few of the most notable faces of the big beat genre such as the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, as well as those dominating the contemporary producer scene like Flume and Kaytranada. The EDM scene at Portola seemed to deviate from the current mainstream rave culture, with most crowd-goers notably ditching the neon, kandi-laced rave gear and instead opting for more eclectic tastes across a variety of different genres and trends. In an interview with Billboard, the event’s chief organizer, Danny Bell, aimed to have the festival take on more of an “adult” feel than other electronic music festivals, thus appealing to the older audience in attendance. With two days of sunny skies and foggy nights, Pier 80 transformed into a laser show of booming music, with noise complaints across the bay from Alameda, a few viral videos of crowds hopping barricades, and miles of dancing people with aching backs for nights to come.
festival attendees on Day 1
Day 1 headliner, Flume, took the main stage with full charge, mixing live on stage with a keyboard at each side and surprising his audience with guest singers–including fellow Portola performer Caroline Polachek. Flume, noted as the gateway for many young people’s introduction to electronic music, paid respect to his fans from the beginning, playing hits from his 2012 debut album “Flume” and ending the night with his 2014 remix of Lorde’s “Tennis Court.” Dressed in a red racing suit and opening his set with the heavy bass of a car revving its engine, Flume lit the pier with an energy that lingered far beyond the finish line.
Another notable performance of Day 1 was from Arca, an experimental electronic artist who incorporates elements of reggaeton and avant-pop into her music. She captivated her audience with an elaborate setup of a large chainsaw-like instrument that played an explosive electronic boom when revved up. A see-through screen splatted with red paint acted as a visual and artistic experience during her performance. The whole Ship Tent boomed with energy as her lively and fearless charisma intoxicated the crowd and had everyone up and dancing.
Despite headlining the biggest electronic musicians and DJs in the music scene, Portola also had support from more vocally-driven artists such as Caroline Polachek, Yves Tumor, and first-time touring Pink Pantheress.
Caroline Polachek displayed unmatched levels of ease and comfortability on stage, strutting confidently across the stage when singing “Hit Me Where It Hurts” and tracking across the floor when belting the viral hit “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings.” Polachek’s artistry created an uplifting atmosphere that soothed the entire Ship Tent.
Turning the soothing ambiance on its head came Yves Tumor on Day 2 of the festival, enveloping the same tent in a fog so thick the crowd could barely make out their figure behind the clouds. Tumor shook the crowd alive with “Gospel For A New Century,” yelling out into the space so fiercely it had the entire audience jumping at their feet. Tumor occasionally would jump off the stage and climb onto the barricades, leaving the security guards scrambling to support them from behind as they fell over and screamed into the sky.
DJ & record producer Peggy Gou’s set on Day 2
The main pier stage also saw some love from the seven-piece neo-funk and soul band Jungle. Their funky tunes that meshed the world of live instruments and electronic pieces harmoniously was a refreshing change from the more heavy EDM performances of Portola’s lineup. Their songs created the perfect groove for people to leisurely dance to as the sun set down on the pier.
Interdisciplinary artists who famously bridge the gap between electronic and vocals equally backed up Portola. The most anticipated artist was Charli XCX, but also brilliantly followed up by Channel Tres, Toro y Moi, and Shygirl.
chillwave singer-songwriter Toro y Moi on Day 2
Charli XCX was nothing less than what viral videos and TikToks of hers have entailed, bringing an incredible spark of energy to a nearly full warehouse of audience members that Saturday. Opening with the over 9 million streamed hit “Lightning,” Charli XCX delivered with her performance and alacrity.
On Sunday, glittery sequins and rhinestones shrouded Channel Tres as he oozed confidence and sensuality in the same warehouse. Accompanied by backup dancers adorning similar wear, Channel Tres performed hits like “Sexy Black Timberlake” and “Controller” that constantly had crowds erupting in excitement.
While Portola featured several big-name artists who unsurprisingly lit the scene, performances by French sextet L’Imperatrice and Korean singer, DJ, and producer Yaeji were personal standout performances from the weekend. Each artist came full steam with Sunday sets that left audiences singing along and dancing to an incomparable degree. L’Imperatrice’s musical talent and jam breaks in between singing created a groove unlike any other, enlivening the crowd with carefree vibes and swaying to songs like “Off to the Side” and “Peur des Filles.”
portraits of L'imperatrice by trailer and photos of the band’s performance on Day 2
Rather than mixing live on stage as seen in past performances, Yaeji took the stage solo, except for two backup dancers, and showcased her vocal abilities. Yaeji displayed herself as an artist at its core, demonstrating a genuine love for music and performance, especially with crowd favorites like “WAKING UP DOWN” and “Raingurl.”
Yaeji on Day 2