REVIEW: Warm Love Cool Dreams Festival Returns to Chicago’s Salt Shed for a Weekend of Art and Music
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY MAE SAUNDERS ☆
EMPTY BOTTLE’S WARM LOVE COOL DREAMS FESTIVAL returned to Chicago’s iconic Salt Shed venue this past weekend, delivering a blissful weekend of art and music to fans. This was the third iteration of the festival, and my first time there. The festival filled every inch of the Salt Shed with art vendors, food, vintage, records, and even a tattoo studio. Outside of the wide array of things to look at and do, the music, of course, is what brings in the fans. With Courtney Barnett and The Jesus and Mary Chain headlining, this bill featured one of the most diverse lineups I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. From folk to experimental noise rock, there was something for every type of music enjoyer.
I started out the weekend strong in the art vendor area before making my way over to the tattoo studio. The studio was a mobile version of Logan Square’s Decorater’s Tattoo and featured a wide area of different flash styles. It was certainly a busy weekend for the Decorater’s crew, as I did not see a single moment where a booth wasn’t full the entire event. After perusing the art for a while, I found myself in the arcade and back bar. Though empty when I first got there, it slowly began to fill as the hours passed. That trickle-in phenomenon seemed to be a theme of the weekend, as the flow of people slowly discovered the Salt Shed’s layout after doors opened each day.
When I had had my fill of the generous offerings of the Salt Shed, I made my way towards the stage and caught my first act of the weekend YHWH Nailgun. The group gave their all to the small crowd that had accumulated in front of the stage, and delivered a set unlike any I had ever seen. My day continued, with me moving back and forth between the three stages on-site, and discovering more acts and vendors that I had never seen before each time. Finally, The Jesus and Mary Chain ended the night with a thriller of a set to a crowd of ecstatic music lovers.
If I thought day one was busy, day two quickly proved that thought to be wrong. Hoards of people crowded into the venue at festival open, filling an already packed house with even more people than I imagined the Salt Shed could hold. I was glad that I had taken advantage of the vendor offerings the day before, because it became apparent that moving through the venue was going to prove difficult. Day two’s lineup was slightly more consistent, genre-wise, than day one. As a indie rock and folk enjoyer myself, I was excited for the day’s stacked lineup. I began my day with Being Dead, a Texas-based indie folk rock group that is following the twang-wave into the mainstream. Their set was incredible, as was each set I caught after it. Back and forth I moved from stage to stage catching Moin, Nourished by Time, Toro Y Moi, and Whitney before it was time for the star of the day, Courtney Barnett. I absolutely adore Courtney Barnett, and have to admit she was the primary reason for me finding my way into the festival, and I certainly was not disappointed. Fans packed the house to catch a glimpse of the three-piece’s homage to rock-and-roll. There definitely was no better way to end such a great weekend.
I will be keeping my eye out for next year’s lineup drop and you should too! From the vendor curation to the diverse bill, Warm Love Cool Dreams is a music-lover’s paradise.
