Songkick New York was lucky enough to get hooked up with some passes to the No Fun Fest this past weekend, fresh off a move from its old home in Brooklyn to the Knitting Factory. For those who don’t know (no judgments!) it is the seminal noise festival that happens over three days every year in New York City. It’s generally recognized around the world as the preeminent go-to event by most of the noise community — although, given the nature of said community, the very existence of those words in print will probably send them all scattering, searching for the next unknown thing.

For the uninitiated, it is an elusive scene, as difficult to enjoy as it is to define. But if approached with an open mind and guarded ears (thank god I remembered ear plugs!) you will not be disappointed. The festival aims for a survey of the genre with everything ranging from white noise, to long scratchy sequences of found audio samples, to more “traditional” (dare we use the term) arrangements of drums and bass with other instruments layered on top (”other instruments” in this case often being shaken chains, broken violins, or sustained screams). The vibe ranged from quiet meditation, to violent fist-pumping in a storming mosh pit brocean.

Partaking in three full days of this sonic bombardment may seem like a daunting task — even for the die-hards — but we attended Friday night and enjoyed a pretty choice sampling: Thurston Moore’s distorted droning with Nancy Garcia interweaving modern dance between brief engagements with every other instrument lying about; event founder and organizer Carlos Giffoni knob-twiddling screeching feedback loops with Burning Star Core violinist C. Spencer Yeh; and the legendary Tony Conrad with MV Carbon.

Overall it was a pretty amazing introduction to a vast and diverse culture … and a great night out!

Check out the flickr pics — some of our favorites here, here, here, here, here and here. A full line-up and contact info is available on their website.

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