Siren Music Festival


The Siren Music Festival was an annual summertime outdoors concert held in Brooklyn's Coney Island from 2001-2010. It was run by the free arts/politics/current-events newspaper The Village Voice, and was completely free-of-charge. The event drew fans of the indie and experimental rock that comprised the bulk of Sirenfest's performers, as the concert itself was held in high esteem for its high-quality sound and performances and for being free of charge. Self-titled the "premier outdoor indie rock festival," the 2005 event drew upwards of 100,000 fans.
The layout usually involved the Main Stage and the Stillwell Stage, placed two blocks apart, upon which performances could go on simultaneously. Performance times were often staggered to allow the audience to move from one set to the next. The event could be considered a showcase for up-and-coming artists, but there were usually at least a handful of "big names" and seasoned musicians that performed as well. Sirenfest had traditionally always been on a Saturday and usually began in the early afternoon or late morning and continued well into the evening. The event was sponsored by many large corporations and publications who in return sought exposure with giveaways, handouts and literature at the festival. After a 10-year run, the event was discontinued and replaced by the 4knots Music Festival at South Street Seaport.

Line-ups

Bands listed in order of performance.

2001

Date: Saturday, July 21
Main Stage: Enon, Peaches, Rainer Maria, Quasi, Man or Astro-Man?, Superchunk, Guided By Voices, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Puzzles Bar: Sxip Shirey, Jazz Beard Jr., The Tim Heidecker Masterpiece, The Lounge-O-Leers, The Incredible Moses Leroy
Sideshows by the Seashore: Carol Lipnik and Spookarama, The Black Heart Procession

2002

Date: Saturday, July 20
Main Stage: Bob Log III, The Von Bondies, Les Savy Fav, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Shins, The Donnas, Sleater-Kinney
Stillwell Stage: Rye Coalition, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Shannon Wright, Cirque De Siren, Liars, Mooney Suzuki

2003

Date: Saturday, July 19
Main Stage: The Pattern, The Kills, !!!, Sahara Hotnights, Hot Hot Heat, The Datsuns, Modest Mouse
Stillwell Stage: The Witnesses, Oneida, The Dirtbombs, Northern State, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Radio 4, Idlewild

2004

Date: Saturday, July 17
Main Stage: The Ponys, The Fiery Furnaces, Vue, TV on the Radio, Har Mar Superstar, Blonde Redhead, Death Cab for Cutie
Stillwell Stage: Your Enemies Friends, The Thermals, Constantines, The Fever, Electric Six, Mission of Burma,...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

2005

Date: Saturday, July 16
Main Stage: Detachment Kit, Ambulance LTD, The Dears, Q And Not U, Dungen, Brendan Benson, Spoon
Stillwell Stage: Nine Black Alps, Be Your Own Pet, Morningwood, Diamond Nights, Saul Williams, VHS Or Beta, Mates of State

2006

Date: Saturday, July 15
Main Stage: Deadboy and the Elephantmen, The Rogers Sisters, Celebration, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Stills, She Wants Revenge, Scissor Sisters
Stillwell Stage: Priestess, Man Man, Dirty on Purpose, Serena Maneesh, The Cribs, Art Brut, Stars

2007

Date: Saturday, July 21
Main Stage: The Twilight Sad, Dr. Dog, Noisettes, The Black Lips, We Are Scientists, M.I.A., New York Dolls
Stillwell Stage: White Rabbits, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, The Detroit Cobras, Lavender Diamond, Matt & Kim, Voxtrot, Cursive

2008

Date: Saturday, July 19
Main Stage: Dragons of Zynth, Parts & Labor, The Dodos, Times New Viking, Ra Ra Riot, Islands, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Stillwell Stage: These Are Powers, Film School, Annuals, Jaguar Love, Beach House, The Helio Sequence, Broken Social Scene

2009

Date: Saturday, July 18
Main Stage: Tiny Masters of Today, Micachu and the Shapes, Japandroids, Frightened Rabbit, Grand Duchy, The Raveonettes, Built to Spill
Stillwell Stage: The Blue Van, Bear Hands, Thee Oh Sees, Future of the Left, A Place to Bury Strangers, Monotonix, Spank Rock

2010

Date: Saturday, July 17
Main Stage: Dom, Screaming Females, Surfer Blood, The Night Marchers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Matt & Kim
Stillwell Stage: Apache Beat, Wye Oak, Ponytail, Earl Greyhound, Harlem, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Holy Fuck