The That Good Sh*t team reflects on Camp Flog Gnaw 2024:
Annabelle:
Even though it’s months behind us, I still feel the warmth of Camp Flog Gnaw 2024 in my heart. It was the singular best music festival experience I’ve ever had. Half of that was due to the performances: Seeing my favs like Orion Sun, Laila!, Sampha, & Daniel Caesar play all of my favorite songs was an experience I’ll never forget. But the other 50% of what made the experience so memorable was the energy shared by every attendee. It was so potent that you could feel it in the air. It felt like immense joy, community, and genuine love for music.
The magic in what Tyler has created with this festival lies in how he’s built an audience that lives for great music. Just as Tyler has his wide range of diverse musical influences, this year’s Flog Gnaw attendees were just as excited to see Faye Webster as they were to mosh to Playboi Carti. They were eager to witness historical sets from rising stars like Doechii and Tommy Richman. Camp Flog Gnaw ’24 felt like a hub for discovery, making friends, and living in the moment. There will never be another like it.
Dahmin:
The night before our flight to LA for Camp Flog Gnaw, I set a few simple intentions ahead of the weekend: to stay present, feel the music, cherish time spent with the team, and soak in that west coast sun… It felt so natural to stay true to these throughout the next few days, and the festival honestly ended up being everything I could’ve asked for and more.
Standout sets to me:
Doechii - everything was perfect about it… the Miu Miu set and red stilettos, the attitude and infectious energy, SZA’s surprise appearance, them repeating affirmations together on stage… Ria and I were gagged.
Raye - the most otherworldly vocals I’ve heard in my life, this woman is a once-in-a-generation talent and I was mesmerized by her sultry femininity and melodramatic performance… So lucky to have experienced this set with my homie Alan (who I hadn’t seen in months).
Sampha - Annabelle and I were NOT playing about catching this set, and when we finally got there, it was like a meditative experience. Might’ve shed a tear (or two) hearing that man’s voice live.
Other moments etched permanently in my brain: Going nonverbal with the team scarfing down Monty’s together in the VIP section during Kaytranada’s set, group hugging Ria and Raj during Daniel Caesar, feeling how hype the crowd got when Tyler brought out Sexyy Red for “Sticky”, and of course, moshing to Carti with the whole team to close out the weekend.
All I’m left with is gratitude to be as close to the music as I am today, and to see in real-time the community we get to build together through love of it. Thank you Flog Gnaw, thank you Tyler, thank you LA, thank you to the best team in the world <3
Quincy:
I had never been to Camp Flog Gnaw before the 10 year anniversary, so I don’t feel qualified to compare this year's festival to previous years. However, I will never forget how amazed I was from the moment I first walked up to Dodger Stadium.
The Camp Flog Gnaw 10 year anniversary reminded me of how music festivals should be. It should be a community of fans, enthusiasts, artists, aficionados, and casual enjoyers gathered to immerse themselves into their favorite music. I have noticed that the modern music festival that features a lineup of popular R&B, Hip-Hop, or Alternative acts comes off as a rapid chain of short performances that have dissimilar tone and fail to register with the audience as an overall experience. Camp Flog Gnaw impressed me most in its consistently potent curation of unique, talented, and personable performers that all felt honored to be contributing to the overall experience for their audience. It was impossible for me to pick which stage, which acts, and where I won’t be because I wanted to be omnipresent. I found myself getting sidetracked en route to a different stage because how could I keep my eyes off Raye, walk away from Omar Apollo, or neglect Yves Tumor?? CFG had the best performers on the most atmospheric stages, it was like a Michelin star all-you-can-eat experience featuring the music of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
I was overly impressed by the level of curation, thoughtfulness, effort, care, and execution in this year's Camp Flog Gnaw. This festival had one of the most consistent lineups, was tailored to best serve the attendees, and had so many layers of entertainment that I constantly daydream about those two days of passion, love, and joy we were able to witness, listen to, and interact with. CFG was the ultimate reunion for fans of contemporary music and I am so grateful to enjoy the festival with friends, strangers, colleagues, and the TGS team!
Photos captured by the talented Katalyssst 📸
