This year’s fest featured haka, rad rock songs about sex, and mesmerizing avant-garde experimentation.

by Brittne Lunniss

Belltown Bloom is the passion project of sisters Valerie and Veronica Topacio, and the annual music festival has blossomed quite a bit over the years. You might recognize their names—you’ve likely seen them play across Seattle or even heard them on KEXP in their band La Fonda, a feel-good, femme-fronted, indie rock dream team. What started as a hyperlocal fest in 2019, Belltown Bloom has recently drawn in big-name acts including L7, Pussy Riot, Alvvays, and Crumb to name a few, but while the festival has grown in size and support, the Topacio sisters have maintained its DIY spirit. They’re the ones painting cardboard cutouts of planets, attaching sweet little clouds to stages, or adorning walls with twinkling lights all while booking a festival that takes over all three of the Crocodile’s stages. Festival-goers can bop between Here-After, Madame Lou’s, and the Croc’s mainstage throughout the two-day fest and catch some bands who may be playing their first show and others who are playing their 1,000th! Belltown Bloom specially curates each bill to support womxn artists, as well as those in the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, and this year, the Topacio sisters focused in on electronic, techno, and avant-garde acts. It feels near impossible to narrow down my favorites from last weekend, but alas, here are five performances I can’t stop thinking about:

La Fonda performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Gustaf

Gustaf performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Brooklyn’s post-punk Gustaf took to Madame Lou’s stage on night one. Frontwoman Lydia Gammill (self-described as a “human art screamer”) commanded the audience with a loud, abrasive, refreshingly punk performance. Intentionally disheveled, Gammill leaned into the faces of attendees with contorted facial expressions and intimidating eye contact. Reminiscent of Amyl and the Sniffers and Viagra Boys, Gustaf provided the most punk set of the weekend. From the moment Gammill grabbed the mic, she turned into an unfuckwithable character you simply couldn’t shy away from. Looking like the lovechild of Edward Scissorhands and Draco Malfoy, I felt mesmerized by (and maybe a little scared of?) Gammill’s stage persona. The room filled for Gustaf’s highly anticipated set and I quickly understood why. One of their most popular songs, “Best Behavior,” had the crowd forcefully swaying and violently bopping their heads. While I didn’t get the moshpit I was hoping for, it didn’t matter—we were all too busy being hypnotized by whatever uncontainable move Gammill made next. 

Gustaf performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Gustaf performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Shelby Natasha

Shelby Natasha performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Shelby Natasha opened up the Here-After stage Saturday night with a wistfully beautiful set. Playing guzheng (a traditional Chinese instrument), Shelby incorporated tradition and modernity into tender moments of heartache. With the softness of Laufey and the cultural innovation of Arushi Jain, she flowed from one song to the next. If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t have been able to tell when one ended and another began. The audience held back applause until the end of the set so as to not interrupt the delicate 30-minute experience. Under sea-colored lighting and intergalactic cutouts, Natasha’s ethereal voice was complemented by a cellist who played under the simple moniker “Clark.” The Here-After took on a “listening room” atmosphere and felt made for Natasha as attendees melted into the movie-theater-style seating and drifted into her uniquely lo-fi world.

Shelby Natasha and “Clark” performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Rat Queen

Rat Queen performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

During night two, Seattle’s own experimental punk outfit Rat Queen opened their set with dirt, grunge, and a song that was, according to vocalist Jeff Tapia, about “getting drunk and fucking.” (Don’t tempt us with a good time, Jeff!) Every member put their whole rat-queen-ussy into the show filled with songs about sex, drugs, and mental illness, drawing bites from riot grrrl, post-punk, and whatever the hell the way.  Tapia flirted with bandmates while flipping their hair and gazing wide-eyed into the crowd. Protesting the restriction and commodification of women’s bodies, they brazenly projected “reproductive rights are human rights” before delving into sex-positive, body-positive songs like “Scene/seen.” Rat Queen was goddamn royalty at Madame Lou’s. 

Rat Queen performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Theia

Theia performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Em-Haley Walker, known as Theia onstage, trekked all the way from New Zealand for their Madame Lou’s set. An alternative-pop artist, Theia didn’t shy away from political anthems calling out social injustices in her home country. Backed by dance-pop beats, Theia chanted “I’m not your princess” while dashing across stage flaunting long blonde braids and a manicure designed to slice. With aggressive facial expressions and a guttural cry to the gods, Theia performed a traditional New Zealand haka in the middle of her set. Theia, a member of the Māori heritage, brought the audience to their knees (quite literally) at the end of the night. The crowd sat on the floor of Madame Lou’s for an intimate version of her song “Creep.” Having seen the crowd jumping and punching the air several minutes prior, it was clear that Walker commanded their every move. Theia was the perfect set to close the Madame Lou’s stage—gifting us unmatched energy, compelling culture, and the bravery to be your fucking self. 

Theia performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Theia performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

TOKiMONSTA

TOKiMONSTA performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Hailing from Los Angeles, TOKiMONSTA (also known as Jennifer Lee), headlined the Crocodile’s mainstage Sunday night. Lee, a first-generation Korean American, is a captain in the EDM scene. Lee’s funk, rap, and R&B-inspired beats drew the largest crowd of the weekend and turned the Croc into Seattle’s hottest club for her 30-minute set. TOKiMONTA’s recent music has been particularly cathartic for the performer. Having been diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, Lee underwent two brain surgeries in 2016 which briefly left her unable to comprehend language. After two months, OKiMONSTA pushed herself to write again. Lee says the experience has made her music progressively more introspective and “precious.” Indeed, because she implements sounds of water and wildlife into her songs, closing your eyes during a TOKiMONSTA set transfers you to a whole new universe of twangy cosmic synth. It was clear the crowd was cheering for her music, but also for her resilience and the art she has fought so hard to create.

TOKiMONSTA performing at Belltown Bloom 2024. BRITTNE LUNNISSThe Stranger