After three years, Seattle’s long-standing annual summer festival has made its glorious return to Capitol Hill – eight stages, 80+ artists, and countless places to get absolutely shitfaced before watching hyperpop princess Charli XCX lovingly call out, “This one is for all the little gay boys!” over the fluttering intro of her iconic track, “Boys.”
I came to Capitol Hill Block Party first for the music, and second because I was given the high honor of a media bracelet – which, for me, is pretty fucking exciting. So I packed up my most stylish outfits (the pièce de résistance being a baby pink cowboy hat that I borrowed from a design major friend), an ungodly sized jar of Vitamin C gummies, and my dirtiest (but most trusted) pair of Docs and headed south.
But as soon as I traipsed through the 12th & Pike entrance with my white wristband adorning the yellow GA-three-day fabric bracelet, I realized there was one huge problem that would impede my ability to properly write about this event.
I’m 20.
“Wait, isn’t Capitol Hill Block Party all-ages?” Well, it is — kind of. Out of the eight stages scattered throughout the six-block festival campus, only three were actually all-ages: Cafe Racer, Vera, and the main stage. The remaining stages were blocked behind 21+ checkpoints and unfortunately, as I discovered from a very kind security guard outside the Neumos showroom, the media bracelet won’t cut it. So as I wait out the final month until all access really becomes all access, I was very limited in my performance options. (Editor’s note: I was notified ahead of time that several stages would be 21+, but I misunderstood the nature of this and assumed they would be outdoors where I could hear the music from afar, which they were not).
Ultimately, however, this roadblock didn’t matter all too much. Between the three all-ages stages, I was still able to catch some incredible sets (though I also caught major FOMO as I sadly had to loiter outside during nearly all of the local PNW acts). Kicking off Friday afternoon was Seattle pop princess Archie, who went all out for her main stage debut. Flanked by dancers clad in all-black and led by choreographer Lex Ramirez, the pop songstress – adorned in a neon patchwork onesie and a sky-high curly blonde wig – tore through tracks about romance and being a bad bitch as dedicated fans and interested festivalgoers alike milled about in the sunshine. Every minute of Archie’s set was visually spectacular, from stunning projections courtesy of GiiiRLBAND productions to Ramirez’s creative choreography – at one point, Archie climbed atop a human motorcycle composed of her backup dancers, their flowing limbs simulating wheels and handlebars. Though the set was fairly short, Archie’s powerful pop vocals and show-stopping visual elements rivaled that of her main stage peers — indie-rock quartet Beach Bunny, Alabama rapper (and TikTok icon) Flo Milli, and even Charli XCX herself — impressively proving that the Seattle native sure does know how to work a stage.
Saturday’s highlight would be found not on the main stage, but rather the Vera stage, situated right on 11th Avenue. Tacoma natives Enumclaw, returning home from a short string of east coast performances with Toro y Moi, dominated their hour-long set with tracks new and old, including one cover of “Supersonic” outfitted with true Enumclaw flair. Though lead vocalist Aramis Johnson usually commands all attention with his indie-rockstar melodies and thrashing guitar, bassist (and brother of Aramis) Eli Edwards was the real star of Saturday’s set. Taking center stage to jump around and scream hype-up encouragement into the mic, Edwards led the crowd into a pushing-and-shoving mosh pit during the second half of the quartet’s performance, even putting down his bass at one point to jump the barricade and join in. Enumclaw’s energy works cohesively – Johnson and guitarist Nathan Cornell alternated between stepping forward onto the monitors, giving each member his respective time in the spotlight. Yet despite the rock quartet bringing everything to the stage, the crowd was sort of dead. I looked behind me several times throughout the set from my front-row spot on the barricade only to be met with a substantial amount of people who were standing very awfully still. Whether we can chalk this up to low-energy attendees or Enumclaw’s somewhat underground status remains a mystery – it just makes us who were there all the luckier for getting to witness them.
By far the busiest day of the festival was Sunday, which saw household names like Diplo, Remi Wolf, and 100 gecs grace the main stage. It was also the day that I finally made it to the remaining all-ages stage I hadn’t yet hit: Cafe Racer.
Both the main stage and the Vera stage were set up outside to accommodate large crowds, so after stepping into Cafe Racer’s dark interior, I kind of forgot I was at a festival. It felt more like any regular local show — patrons milled about the bar next to a DIY merch booth with handwritten pricing. The casual environment was entirely fitting for the trio adorning the stage — the self-proclaimed “all-girl boy band” Lemon Boy, with a set list penciled onto a napkin hanging out the front pocket of guitarist Yasiman Ahsani’s blue coveralls. Dressed in matching, color-coded outfits (a recurring theme for Lemon Boy performances), the trio ripped through a mixed set of covers and original tracks, including a sticky-sweet version of “Cherry Bomb,” where lead vocalist Nicole Giusti hit each “hello, Mom,” with a teasing girly-squeak, their eyes fixed to the ceiling in an innocent pout — perfectly encapsulating the group’s riot-grrrl-mixed-with-alt-rock style. Even without the bright lights and backdrops of the bigger outdoor stages, Lemon Boy dominated their set, a reminder to all of us that sometimes, DIY does it best.
As the weekend came to a close, I came to the conclusion that although Capitol Hill Block Party isn’t the most all-ages event, it is still absolutely worth attending — those under 21 were still able to see all the main headliners and anticipated touring acts, and have access to food trucks and sponsored booths. But for those dead-set on experiencing Block Party in all its full intended glory, it might be better just to wait.