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Frantic City festival will bring indie-rock to Atlantic City this fall

Car Seat Headrest, Snail Mail and Yo La Tengo are on the bill near the Boardwalk

Yo La Tengo will play the Frantic City festival in Atlantic City in September.
Yo La Tengo will play the Frantic City festival in Atlantic City in September.Read moreCourtesy of the Artist

A new music festival is coming to Atlantic City, bringing an impressive array of indie rock acts to an outdoor venue on the Jersey Shore resort’s “Orange Loop” entertainment district in September.

The Frantic City festival will feature Car Seat Headrest, Yo La Tengo, Snail Mail, Superchunk, Shannon & the Clams, Murder City Devils, Rocket From The Crypt and more when it’s staged at the Orange Loop Amphitheater on the outdoor grounds next to the Bourré bar & restaurant near the Boardwalk on New York Avenue.

Frantic City will be Saturday Sept. 24th, starting at noon, at the venue just down the street from the new indie rock venue, Anchor Rock Club, which is not affiliated with the fest. Frantic City is being presented by OLA in conjunction with Asbury Park music shop Holdfast Records and Todd Abramson, the North Jersey music promoter who formerly booked Maxwell’s in Hoboken and now does so at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City.

The festival’s all-day slate of bands will be hosted by comedian-actor-musician Fred Armisen and also includes Swedish garage-rockabilly band The Raveonettes, New Jersey punk Titus Andronicus, Philly trio Control Top, Berkeley,Calif. rockers Samiam and Detroit post-punks Protomartyr.

The festival’s existence is another positive sign of cultural life outside the casinos for Atlantic City, beyond the upcoming first full summer in business at the Anchor, where the schedule is filling up with John Waters on April 23, Slaughter Beach, Dog on June 4 and Sun Ra Arkestra on June 25.

“As someone who worked in venues in Asbury Park, N.J. I saw a lot of comparisons and it really made me want to be a part of the revitalization of Atlantic City,” co-promoter Joie Holdfast said in a statement. “The opportunity to work with and learn from Todd, and use our collective skills to build something meaningful, both musically and culturally in Atlantic City, seemed like a perfect fit.”

Frantic City will be staged at 120 S. New York Ave on September 24. Tickets are $80 for general admission and $125 for VIPs and go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. at FranticCityNJ.com