The next-to-last band of a festival weekend can go one of two ways: mellow to play into the fatigue, or frenzied to keep fighting it. When Seattle’s The Dip hit the Marina Stage with the snappy backbeat and guitar / horn section tradeoffs of an instrumental intro, it was clear which direction they were choosing.
Back when they played NON-COMM in May, we dubbed The Dip the “greatest party band of 2022, because they sound like five different parties” happening at once — to check in on a few of those, today we heard a little bit of gnarly grimy funk on “Vacation”; we heard slow and sultry bluesy wails of “State Line”; we also danced at a swinging jazzy ball on the bright bop “Atlas,” which suave frontperson Tom Eddy explained was “a song about the end of the world.”
“You guys feel good out there?” Eddy asked on “Crickets,” and with this band on stage, there was no other way to answer but in the affirmative. With a showcase spot and almost an hour to fill, The Dip was able to stretch out as compared to their NON-COMM set: “Advertising” boasted a speedy and scintillating up-down-up-down horn melody, while “Sleep On It” wore its burning Sam Cooke influence on its sleeve. A cover of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” was such a true reinvention — Ozzy as done by The Memphis Horns, if you will — I almost wish Eddy hadn’t told us what it was and let us figure it out.
The Dip had the crowd on its feet and dancing and on its toes in that it didn’t know what to expect next, which was the perfect energy for this late hour at XPNFest. Check out photos and their setlist below; they play Monday, September 19th at Harrisburg’s Midtown Art Center and Wednesday, September 21st at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, both with D.C.’s amazing Oh He Dead. Details on those concerts can be found at their website.