M3F Fest enchanted Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Arizona for its 2025 edition with smashing experimental performances across four stages alongside emotive art. For two days, M3Fers traversed through the stages for a diverse yet lustrous rainbow of a lineup in the name of charity. Experiencing art in the form of a culinary delight or a handmade find from the vendor village, this local community-inspiring event reconnected Arizona’s love for its own culture.
M3F Fun (for Everyone)
Courtesy of M3F Festival // Kyle Dehn (@kyledehn)
For two days, M3F Fest was a mini mecca of Phoenix’s best food trucks and local vendors in one place. Coffee, authentic street tacos, and a big “thank you for standing in the rain” from every performer was the only way to defeat the cold and wet sky on night 1.
On your way to climb aboard and take a seat on Walter the Bus for a prime view of the Daydream Stage, you could purchase a custom M3F patched denim jacket. This year’s lineup inspired some families to enjoy it all together. Children of all ages were seen enjoying neck rides from their parents during LP Giobbi or their parent’s favorite headliner. A baby in a stroller wore ear muffs during Girl Talk in the back of the crowd–talk about family-fun night.
A Boulder-Sized Disco Ball at LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk wasn’t playing at our house, but LCD Soundsystem was performing in the heart of Central Phoenix. A boulder-sized disco ball was placed on stage just for this set as it's a symbol for the group’s influences and admiration for disco music. The disco ball finally illuminated onto the wide crowd at The Vista Stage during “Oh, Baby”.
The “blenda machine”, LCD Soundsystem's personal machine that mashes two songs together broke and yet they still sang an interlude before “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”. The last song of night 1 was the legendary track we can all relate to “Dance Yourself Clean”.
Girl Talk(ing) With Justice: The Best of EDM Performances
Courtesy of M3F Festival // Kyle Dehn (@kyledehn)
Have you ever waited years to see your favorite artist? And, when you did, it felt like a symphony of the aligned stars. At the Daydream Stage on night 2, Beach Weather performed but forgot to retrieve their LED inflatable palm trees on stage for Girl Talk for what felt like a Club MTV Dance Party.
The master disc jockey specializing in hedonist-good mashups, Girl Talk welcomed 80-100 people on stage dancing with the palm trees and cloud inflatables leftover streaking the stage and crowd with toilet paper from a toilet-streaking toy gun. With a sex blow-up doll in the air, flashing white lights, and everyone looks like they’re having the time of their life on and off stage during this remix-focused performance.
A continuum of club-hit mashups continued like Smashing Pumpkins’ “Today” and a trap beat or New Order’s “Blue Monday” x Charli xcx’s “Guess”. Toilet paper and a whole other separate party on stage isn’t something you see everyday.
Before Justice’s set, there was a flash warning which wasn’t expected, but who doesn't love both a visual and audio experience? Justice featured “Phantom pt. II” and layered “The Party” with “Neverender” and “DVNO”. With tracks from the Hyperdrama album, different uses of shadow, visuals of stars, and a LED cross paired to create a cerebral experience.
The crowd began to sing “We Are Your Friends” and “D.A.N.C.E” in its remixed form but what a heartwarming sound it was to hear others enjoy their favorite songs. “The End” was the final track and what a perfect way to end a performance some waited a decade to experience.
Shoegazing at Slow Pulp and Alvvays
Courtesy of M3F Festival // Kyle Dehn (@kyledehn)
Can we get a side of shoegaze indie with our EDM, please? It’s not everyday music festivals curate a lineup with shoegaze indie, jazz, and electronic dance music. On night 1 at The Daydream Stage, Slow Pulp sang “Steel Birds”, “High”, and “Yard” and asked the crowd to sing along with her in spite of the dreary weather.
After, Alvvays introduced their performance with “After The Earthquake” with visuals of the ocean and a long black road in a forest. From standing and playing guitar to sitting down with the synthesizer during “Very Online Guy”, the crowd watched intently. “Archie, Marry Me” caused a friend duo wearing white shoes to dance in the rain and wet terrain as if their shoes weren’t white. I think it was safe to say they were the biggest Alvvays fans at The Vista Stage.
An Instrument, Turntable, and Artist Walk to Steele Indian School Park: Genrebending Acts
Courtesy of M3F Festival // Kyle Dehn (@kyledehn)
Musical artistic ability has no boundaries, especially for artists BADBADNOTGOOD and Hippie Sabotage. At The Cosmic Stage on night 1, the Hippie Sabotage duo took turns playing guitar while the other mixed behind the turntables. The crowd sang along to “Devil Eyes” while at The Daydream Stage, BADBADNOTGOOD known for fusing jazz and other experimental musical influences performed “White Light”.
The group ended their performance with a loving message: “We need love. We need to dance. We need community and connections. We’re BABBADNOTGOOD–we’re here to bring honesty, love, and good energy in this crazy world.” If that doesn’t warm your heart and make you believe in the power of music and dance, I don’t know what will.
Can’t get enough of supporting this nonprofit music and arts festival? Visit the official M3F Fest website to stay updated on giving your continued support for next year!
