Across the Narrows: Staten Island

Separated by a narrow strip of water, the outer reaches of the Big Apple were conjoined by a super sonic bridge as indie and mainstream rock's brightest lights convened for this inaugural music festival. Held simultaneously at Keyspan Park in Coney Island and at Richmond County Ballpark in Staten Island, the Killers, Jet, Oasis, Beck, the Pixies and a whole lot more, turned the heat up even further on two sun-drenched days. Blender was there to see it all go down.

DAY ONE:

Name: The Ordinary Boys
Coming from near the seaside town of Brighton, England, these young mod-rockers must have felt at home with the ubiquitous ocean breeze of Staten Island. Playing tracks from their first album Over the Counter Culture and recent release Brassbound, frontman Preston and Co. knocked out a flurry of fast-paced retro-rock numbers. Taking their name from a Morrissey song, TOB wear their influences proudly on their Fred Perry shirt sleeves, and this was evident in the Smiths' stylings of "The List Goes On," while they channeled the Clash on "Life Will Be the Death of Me" and ska-meisters the Specials on set closer "Boys Will Be Boys." All in all, a tight show which proved that the Ordinary Boys are anything but.
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Name: Tegan & Sara
There may only be two of them, but these identical Canadian twins made a huge sound with their lush pop rock, while also eliciting laughs with their witty onstage banter. When someone in the crowd shouted, "Take it off," Tegan quickly retorted, "Sara doesn't take it off." Their latest album, So Jealous, dominated the set list, highlighted by "Walking With A Ghost" and the acoustic power pop jam, "Where Does the Good Go?" Other cuts from their current long player included "Speak Slow," which seen the girls rocking out to punchy, heavier riffs, and the dark and brooding "We Didn't Do It." Sophomore album, If It Was You, got some play with the heavy drums and punkish refrains of "Time Running," before the Quin sisters closed out with the Gwen Stefani-like power pop of "You Wouldn't Like Me." And also with a cheeky comment from Tegan: "Don't forget to pick up a t-shirt…or pick up Sara!"
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Name: Interpol
Despite having only two albums under their belt, the New York Lords of Darkness have established a cult following thanks to an abundance of expertly-crafted and dramatic songs. Which play just as good live as on your iPod. Singer Paul Banks was in excellent voice and carried songs from recent album, Antics, and from their debut ,Turn On the Bright Lights, to every corner of the stadium. The sharp-suited foursome powered through cuts such as "Next Exit," "Say Hello to the Angels," "C'mere," "Public Pervert" and really hit their stride with the booming "Not Even Jail," the fist-pumping "Evil" and the electrifying "PDA." And aside from a couple of "thank you"s from Banks, there was no real interaction with the audience. But isn't aloof the new cool, anyway?
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Name: New York Dolls
After encouragement from Morrissey, this legendary underground punk group reunited last year, with surviving original members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain at the helm. Although they are currently working on their first album since 1974's Too Much Too Soon, the brash rockers played mostly from their back catalog, including a cover of Erma Franklin's "Piece Of My Heart," a cover of Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" and back catalog staples "Bad Girl" and "Vietnamese Baby." Most of the peeps in the crowd probably weren't too familiar with their material but the Dolls' exuberant stage presence kept everyone buoyed. Majestic new song "We're All in Love" showed that the New Yorkers can still make good music, while the blitzkrieg punk-pop of "Trash" and "Personality Crisis" proved that the sunglass-sporting Johansen can still get his rocks off.
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Name: The Killers
You would never have guessed that the Vegas four-piece were on the road for the last 18 months, as they looked (and sounded) just as sharp as their flashy, aluminum-draped stage. Singer Brandon Flowers was in a very relaxed mode: hands in pockets, chatty, and excelling in his lounge-singer-cum-new-wave-rocker act. The majority of their debut album, Hot Fuss, was belted out, with the standout tracks "Somebody Told Me," "Mr. Brightside" and "Smile Like You Mean It" receiving the most feedback. A couple of B-sides were squeezed in at various intervals: the zippy "Under the Gun" and the soaring "Indie Rock & Roll." For the encore, they went from the soothing "Everything Will Be Alright" to a lively cover of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream," while the anthemic "All These Things That I've Done" inspired a mass singalong that was the perfect end to a perfect set.
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DAY TWO:

Name: Kasabian
"What a fuckin' beautiful day, eh?" exclaimed singer Tom Meighan as the English group proceeded to blast out their menacing brand of electro-psychedelic rock. Playing from their self-titled debut album, the swaggering Brits had the crowd nodding and bopping throughout their whole set. The whirring electronica and heavy dub of "Cutt Off" was only bettered by the heavy beat-laden rock of the uptempo "Test Transmission," where Meighan swapped vocal duties with lead guitarist Sergio Pizzorno. Meighan was the consummate frontman: posturing, gesturing to the crowd and bouncing around the stage, especially on new song "Stuntman" and hit single "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)." A sea of hands clapping along to the stomping bass of last song "Club Foot" signalled that Kasabian were indeed having a fucking beautiful day.
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Name: The Lemonheads
After a nine-year hiatus, the band reformed this past summer, and although they played a cohesive set, there didn't seem to be much chemistry between the members. Or chemistry with the fans. Singer Evan Dando industriously ploughed through cuts from their extensive back catalog including "The Great Big No," "Into Your Arms" and "Favorite T." Their melodic Americana was the perfect soundrack for this sunny Fall day, especially on the upbeat "Big Gay Heart" and "It's A Shame About Ray." But Dando never uttered a single word to the crowd, instead opting to race through their set, wrapping up with the punkish "Bit Part" and the heavy riffs of "Rudderless" before sheepishly walking off the stage.
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Name: Doves
"Sorry if you've got your fingers stuck in your ears," apologized self-deprecating singer/bassist Jimi Goodwin. But he must have been seeing things, since the Manchester, England three-piece were the surprise hit of the day, wooing the crowd with their upbeat brit pop. Recent single "Black and White Town" (from their lastest album Some Cities) set a sprightly tone, which was cemented by the hook-tastic "Snowden" and the sweeping ballad "Caught by the River." With the wind blowing in his hair, Goodwin felt like Whitesnake's rock-god singer: "I feel like David Coverdale up here." Thankfully there were no Whitesnake cover versions—only more infectious rock like "Last Broadcast" and the danceable "There Goes the Fear."
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Name: Jet
Starting off with a five-minute-plus jam, the Aussie rockers smoothly segued into their dirty rock catalog of "Cold Hard Bitch," "Rollover D.J." and "Get What You Need"—all from their debut album Get Born. The mellow "Come Around Again" and sombre "Look What You've Done" brought proceedings to a comfortable lull, which was extended with a mini-acoustic set by brothers Chris and Nic Cester, in which they debuted new song "Eleanor"—a harmonic Beatles-esque ballad—and crooned through the harmonica-driven "Move On." The smash hit "Are You Gonna By My Girl" reignited the crowd, and apparently also the band, who finished their set in true rock style: wrecking the stage and smashing their drums and guitars.
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Name: Oasis
Only Liam Gallagher could have the audacity to walk up to the edge of the stage at the start of the set and stare out at the crowd for several minutes…with a tambourine hanging from his mouth. Thankfully he soon got around to singing. Critically-acclaimed new album Don't Believe The Truth featured heavily in their set with the hit singles "Lyla" and "The Importance of Being Idle," along with the rousing "Mucky Fingers" and the blustering "The Meaning of Soul" all getting stage time. But it was the classic hit list of "Morning Glory," "Wonderwall," "Don't Look Back in Anger," "Champagne Supernova," "Live Forever" and "Rock 'n' Roll Star" that really sent the fans "mad for it." More hits could have been churned out, but the fans didn't complain when the last song was a stirring cover of the Who's "My Generation."
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