The pool parties at the Williamsburg Waterfront kicked off today with Mission of Burma, Fucked Up, Ponytail and Jemina Pearl (of Be Your Own Pet). While the new location isn't as big as McCarren, it still seemed to be a good fit for the shows. There was a semi-long line to get in, but it went pretty quickly (although I can't say it'll be the same for the Grizzly Bear / Beach House show). The beer lines weren't so bad. The only annoying thing is that you can't bring beer near the stage, so you have to finish it in the "beer area." The backdrop to the stage is the city's skyline, which was beautiful and added to the experience.

The gates opened at 2 pm, and Jemina Pearl went on at 3 pm. Being a fan of Be Your Own Pet, I thought I'd really like her music. Not so much. The performance was good (despite tuning issues one of the guitarists had), but she and the music reminded me of Ashlee Simpson's music pre-nose job.

Ponytail went on at 4 pm and was great. The group is a cross between The Go! Team's cheerful demeanor and everlasting energy, and Deerhoof''s bizarre yet charming outbursts of random words. Even if you don't like the music, it's hard to not love the lead singer, Molly, who has a constant smile on her face and bounces around the stage throughout the performance. I don't even have her level of energy after two cups of coffee.

I missed Fucked Up because I had to take a DuMont Burger break, but I heard they were really good.

Mission of Burma closed out the show at 6 pm. While I liked the music, I wasn't into the lead singer's voice. However, I will say I'm not familiar with their earlier music, so I can't compare their music then and now.

For the full line-up of Waterfront shows, see the July 2 posting.