Photos: Tarfest 2014, with Hunter Hunted, the Moth & the Flame, DWNTWN, Tapioca and the Flea, the Dead Ships and more

Kevin Bronson on September 21st, 2014

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It was an afternoon of magic on the Miracle Mile on Saturday as Tarfest staged its biggest celebration of music and arts yet on a pristine afternoon. Amid crowds of couples, kids and canines, and while visual artists dazzled from the perimeter of La Brea Tar Pits Park, indie-pop ensemble Hunter Hunted capped a day of music with a harmonies-soaked set that stoked anticipation for the band’s full-length album in 2015. So, too, did the Moth & the Flame, recently signed to Elektra Records, whose sophisticated, arena-sized sound was showcased on songs from their “&” EP as well as new tunes like “Young and Unafraid” (which we’re predicting will be a stone-cold rock radio hit). Singer Jamie Leffler and DWNTWN dispensed a set of sweet, dreamy indie-pop from their two EPs, which followed an explosive and aerobic 40 minutes by Tapioca and the Flea that ended with frontman Samuel Jacob-Lopez flat on the stage, shirtless and drenched in sweat. (Suffice to say Tapioca’s single “Take It Slow” doesn’t do that at all.) And garage-rock trio the Dead Ships kicked things off by announcing they have a new EP on the way by year’s end and playing gritty, soulful songs off it and their full-length “Electric Ahab.”

Photos by Michelle Shiers

Below, more scenes from Tarfest: