FILTER Magazine held its fourth annual Culture Collide Festival this past weekend. The 3-day event featured over 65 international artists who joined together in the trendy Echo Park neighborhood for this special event. 

GRMLN performing day one of FILTER Magazine's Culture Collide (Aeri Koo/Neon Tommy).

Combining artists from the US with amazing talents worldwide, Culture Collide opened several venues on Sunset Boulevard during this weekend event. Lot 1 Café and The Church were reserved for more intimate settings, while The Echo and Echoplex and TAIX were more spacious for dancing and larger crowds.

Terry Poison from Tel Aviv kicked off the first day at TAIX, appearing on stage with a floral jumpsuit and silver pumps. Lead member Louise Kahn went back and forth from lead vocals to confidently dancing in front of an unfamiliar crowd, ending the night by inviting the audience to meet the band at the bar.

GRMLN (US) and The Great Wilderness (Costa Rica) were the underdogs of the night. Members of both bands were heavily immersed in their performance, remaining mysteriously covered behind their hair so that it was hard to distinguish their facial features. Their passions diffused throughout the room, with GRMLN’s Yoodoo Park on his knees ripping through his bass guitar by the end of the performance.

To mellow things out, Tiny Ruins (New Zealand) performed for the first time in the US on Thursday night. The room became still as singer Hollie Fullbrook was accompanied by only her guitar. Similar to the style of Norah Jones, Fullbrook strummed through her guitar so softly and effortlessly, as if anyone in the room could pick up a guitar and start playing a song.

It’s apparent that she writes her own lyrics by observing her facial expressions. She sings her songs with thought, as if she's reminiscing about a past event that's incredibly deep and meaningful. This is also enforced by the connection she has with her guitar. With no guitar pick, Fullbrook barely uses the tip of her hands to strum, as if her performance is deepened by feeling the strings of her guitar with the ends of her fingertips.

The most popular performer during the festival was Rhye, an indie music duo from Los Angeles. Rhye was the only performance where fans had to wait in line to get inside the venue. Unfortunately, due to over capacity, dozens of fans were rejected entrance and left disappointed.

The Echoplex was packed from front to back by the time The Raveonettes came on stage, who ended the 3-part series of Culture Collide. Those who attended got to experience an impressive array of music genres and artists worldwide outside of the United States. As the entire world gathered in Los Angeles this past weekend, we can’t wait to see what new international talents will reconvene for Culture Collide in 2014.

Read more of NT's show reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Aeri Koo here.