Staff Editor on December 21st, 2021

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Bigger crowds descended on the Viva! Pomona music festival Sunday at the Glass House, where organizers were faced with a bigger juggling act than on Saturday’s Day 1.

Four artists — Cola Boyy, Spill Tab, Mo Dotti and Michi — bowed out for COVID-19 reasons. But local hero Scarypoolparty (Pomona native Alejandro Aranda) was a late add to the lineup, soldiering through a chilly acoustic set to close the music on the outdoor stage.

With Eyedress, Magdalena Bay and Cowgirl Clue ripping through crowd-pleasing sets, here are some observations on Day 2:

The chill in the air

The bands playing outdoors had to deal with temperatures dipping into the 50s, and then the 40s, as the night progressed. The comments started with the first band, Wayword, which hit the Diamond Plaza at 4:15 p.m. “Does anyone have a hand warmer? Is that still a thing? I’m cold,” Albert Lopez said. It provoked a classic “Mom” retort: “You came here with a jacket and you were warm. Then you took it off. Maybe that’s why you’re cold.” … Fast-forward to Scarypoolparty, who closed out the Radical stage as temps hung in the mid-40s. He came on stage with a knitted cap that had a happy face on the front of it. He played his set in tight quarters with his body hugging his guitar and his lips nearly kissing the microphone. He played his guitar strings in rapid fashion throughout the chilling temperatures. How was he able to do that without his fingers turning stiff? Who knows, but he chuckled at one point, “It’s cold. I’m freezing.”

Follow the youth

The not-yet-drinking-age crowd migrated from Wayword to Not from England at the Diamond Plaza stage and then over to the Radical stage to catch Archer Oh and Slater. The Diamond Plaza stage definitely had The Smell vibes. A casual glance through social media accounts indicated that Not from England, Whaja Dew and Kuromi had all recently played the venue. Wayward and Not from England shared the same guitarist, who has to be seen to be believed. Rank him as the highlight musician of the day. Whaja Dew had the pitched vocals that fit in perfectly with their punk sound. Kuromi shared their love of hair bangs and crocheting of hand gloves — Kuromi should meet with Wayword.

Archer Oh had the Radical Stage revved up with their relentless energy. Two fans jumped on stage and took over the microphone for a moment. A security guard jumped up on stage and had a hard struggle trying to get the two fans off the stage. They were lucky the security guard was chill about it, because he didn’t appear to kick them out of the festival. Slater brought a large Minion cartoon character to fling it out into the audience. Of course, one time it came flying back at him, knocking him off balance for a moment.

Eclectic mix

Junior Mesa played a little Christmas tune to start off his set before yelling out, “Merry Christmas, motherf*ckers.” How no guitar strings broke during the set was a Festivus miracle. … Sonoda gave a meditative set; a small rug was in place where she stood, with shoes off to the side. … Vex Ruffin jumped on stage with his electronic tracks. He danced around the stage with his boxing moves. … Rio Romeo sang about their Seinfeld life.

The Glass House stage

Shouts of “Amira” could be heard from the audience throughout Amira Elfeky’s pop set. … Grave Flowers Bongo Band had the ’60s rock nailed down, from the multiple guitars to the facial hair. … Ruby sang a song about her dog, Chicky. Two colorfully dressed friends got to hang out in the photo pit. At times, they seemed to be having way more fun in their own anime world than their friend’s set. … Pachyman, who also happens to be in the punk band Prettiest Eyes, showed a totally different side of his talent, as he gave the audience some dance vibes. … Cowgirl Clue twirled around that stage to futuristic pop dance tunes. How dizzy must she have gotten? She got the packed floor in a dancing mood. … Magdalena Bay delighted the audience with their pop tunes. In case you were wondering their names, the duo had them on their T-shirts: Matt and Mica. They used the full stage and at times appeared like they were chasing after each other with great enthusiasm. There was no drop in energy throughout their wonderful stage show. … Eyedress brought quite the entourage with him onstage. His entourage included photographers / videographers and at least one Go Pro was handed out to a member of the audience. Wearing sunglasses and taking a casual puff of weed, his set helped bring a thrilling festival to an end at the stroke of midnight.

Oh, and rabbit ears

Rabbit ears were the “in” thing on this night, with both Magdalena Bay and Kuromi sporting them.

Photos and recap by Notes From Vivace