Brooklyn was abuzz before, during, and after the stellar show this past Sunday at McCarren Park Pool. Fans turned out in massive numbers to witness sets from Black Lips, Deerhunter, and Tall Firs; however, it was King Khan and his Shrines who ended up stealing the show time and again…

Benjamin from LimeWire Music Blog was there:

I’ve been to a lot of McCarren Pool Parties in the past two years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band who so perfectly embodies the event’s essence more than King Khan and His Shrines. For the uninitiated, this incarnation of King Khan’s traveling rock spectacle (the other, King Khan and the BBQ Show, is a throwback garage rock outfit) is a nine piece soul-freak-out group complete with go-go dancer and enough outrageous stage antics to make even Tim Harrington blush. “I Wanna Be A Girl” was a furious whirl. It’s rare and refreshing to encounter a band who values the performance aspect of their live show just as highly as their song craft. I can safely say, without hyperbole, that King Khan and His Shrines stole the show.

As for headliners Black Lips, I used to think they could only put on a good show in an overcrowded humid basement, but their set at McCarren last night proved me wrong. They may not have the stage antics of King Khan (even though the Lips’ reputation was built on such showmanship), but they were engaging and seemed to be having just about as much fun as the audience. Their energy was sincere and infectious. Songs, like “Buried Alive” and “Not A Problem” were played as though they were about to fall apart at the seams, but in a fun way. And when King Khan (who’d been haunting the stage since his band left) came out to do a BBQ Show song with the Lips, the whole thing devolved into a pillow-stuffing-throwing debacle by the end of their set. It really felt like a party, which is what the McCarren Pool Parties are all about.

Zach Stern / nilShot photography was there on EAR FARM’s behalf and grabbed the pictures you see above and below.

ABOVE: Black Lips @ McCarren Park Pool
MP3: “Cold Hands” by Black Lips

ABOVE: Deerhunter @ McCarren Park Pool
MP3: “Strange Lights” by Deerhunter (snippet)

ABOVE: King Khan and his Shrines @ McCarren Park Pool
MP3: “No Regrets” by King Khan and his Shrines

ABOVE: Tall Firs @ McCarren Park Pool
MP3: “Hairdo” by Tall Firs

*above slideshows created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.