Phantogram brings festival expertise to Fountain Square

Fountain Square Music Festival is the latest multi-act event to hire Phantogram to perform.

The electronic pop duo has played A-list gatherings Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella plus many more festivals, making vocalist-keyboard player Sarah Barthel an authority on the topic.

Barthel said she continues to enjoy playing festivals, partly because every one is different.

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She sees consistency, however, in the crowds.

“The audience seems like they’re just out there to have a lot of fun,” Barthel said. “They feel free and they’re loving it and they’re in the moment. I feel like they’re less on their phones because they don’t have service.”

Phone service probably will be accessible Saturday when Barthel and Phantogram band mate Josh Carter headline the Nucleus Stage at Fountain Square Music Festival.

Unlike some festivals presented in remote areas, Fountain Square Music Festival happens in the middle of a neighborhood. And FSMF isn't designed for a massive audience that competes for the attention of a cellular network’s antenna.

Several hundred attendees are expected to gather on Virginia Avenue in front of the Nucleus, where festival organizers have lined the street with high-tech lights that "paint" the buildings on each side.

Barthel said she's eager to see those visuals complement Phantogram's stage design.

"Our light show is pretty evolved," she said. "All of the art involved with Phantogram — if it’s visual, audio, even the merch — everything is connected. We pay very close attention to our live production.”

The duo's Fountain Square Music Festival appearance on Oct. 7 coincides with the one-year anniversary of the release of Phantogram album "Three."

"We’ve been basically on tour this entire year," Barthel said. "That’s considered a success for the record, I think. It’s been a busy one."

The album yielded hit single "You Don't Get Me High Anymore," which reached No. 6 on Billboard magazine's alternative songs chart and No. 19 on the rock songs chart. 

In June 2016, the band released the single "You Don't Get Me High Anymore".
Republic Records.

Barthel said Phantogram has been on course for a mainstream breakthrough since releasing debut album "Eyelid Movies" in 2010. Follow-up albums "Voices" (2014) and "Three" were released on major-label Republic Records.

"I think we’ve gained some good traction along the way with the years we’ve been playing and getting the attention of indie radio and college radio," Barthel said. "One of the good things about being on a major label is their connection to radio."

Fountain Square Music Festival

Saturday highlights: Phantogram, 8:20 p.m. at the Nucleus Stage; Bishop Briggs, 7 p.m. at the Nucleus Stage; the Cool Kids, 5 p.m. at the Nucleus Stage; Richard Edwards, 11:20 p.m. at the Hi-Fi; and Amy O, 7:40 p.m. at White Rabbit Cabaret.

Tickets: $59.

Info: Visit FountainSquareMusicFest.org or send email to info@fountainsquaremusicfest.org.

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.