With Spring nearing, many music festivals across the nation are unveiling their lineups for exhausting weekends of immeasurable fun. The first weekend of February did not disappoint, with three days of local music during San Jose’s own Rockage 3.0.

The third annual instalment of Rockage, put on by Grand Fanali Presents, celebrated video game culture in the form of vintage consoles and arcade games, free to play by any people attending, video game panels, and tournaments. Besides this, there were many memorable musical acts, either local or incorporating video-game music into their own sets.

First to perform this weekend was Curious Quail, a band from San Jose whose unique brand of indie pop is nearly indescribable. With fantastic bass, heavy guitars, and standout vocals, it is difficult to place the most memorable part of their set. Though, perhaps, what is most impressive about this incredible live band’s always-energetic performance, is their utilisation of violin, an instrument seldom used, and even more rarely used well.

Another fantastic act that played on the first day was Slime Girls. Closing the show, they somehow worked past the exhaustion of eight hours of live music and video games before them to put on a very lively performance. Slime Girls have a sound like no other. Their music merges the best parts of anime music, indie rock, and Nintendo-core, making for a dynamic and entertaining live show. It is hard to imagine anybody becoming bored while watching Slime Girls. The most notable part of their set was probably their cover of Pork and Beans by Weezer.

 Equally great bands played on day two, including San Jose’s own Picture Atlantic. An always-interesting live performance with heavy bass and noteworthy vocals, the live set offered up some fresh surprises with new songs, which are rumoured to be on the next album. The most memorable of the set was a track tentatively titled Arabian Disco, which has a much heavier, much more raw sound than anything the band has released before.

One of the only bands of this weekend whose music featured little to no video game influence was The Albert Square. Very loud, distorted guitar and crashy drums, with sentimental lyrics, this three-piece is reminiscent of Father John Misty, but more punk and less self-pitying. The Albert Square did not disappoint, with a set just as lively as ever.

Arguably, one of the best bands playing the whole weekend was Bit Brigade. This band took video game music to a new level. Both Saturday and Sunday evening, they did a live run-through of video games, the original Legend of Zelda, and Mega Man 2, respectively. As somebody sat in the middle of the stage, facing the audience playing either of these games while the game was projected behind them, Bit Brigade supplied all of the original music for the video games live, in the exact sequence it would be heard as if it were just being played by somebody with a console and the sound on, but live. It was as if the crowd was watching an interactive silent movie, with a full pit orchestra playing in a theatre. Bit Brigade put on a very impressive set, a show, which transcended live music could only be considered as performance art.

As time progresses, each Rockage becomes even better than the last. Even though attendees from Rockage 3.0 are still reeling in exhaustion, after this trememndous weekend, we are all looking forward to the next one.