New York punk/funk scenesters: The Rapture, Panda Bear and local indie acts: Best Coast, Local Natives, and Dead Man’s Bones (complete with a children’s choir) were among the top shining stars of the 35 strong lineup at this year’s FYF festival.

Defying hour-long waits for booze and toilets (even the Cha Cha Lounge’s VIP section was jam-packed), a crowd of around 10,000 braved the dust, heat and chaos on Saturday at the Los Angeles State Historic Park, to dance, sing, bond and parade an assortment of fashion statements.A few highlights greeted the eager sea of mustaches, oversized hats, vintage boots, lots of lace, denim cutoffs, and how could we leave out the hipster fox tail trend (wtf?).

Panda Bear (Noah Lennox of Animal Collective) completely reinterpreted his usual song structure and onstage dynamic, embracing all things abrasive and discordant over the band’s trademark fluttering melancholia of “Merriweather Post Pavilion.”

Also pulling a rabbit out of their hat were the ever-so-eccentric Dead Man’s Bones, who brought a fully-costumed kids choir (who called themselves the ”Warm Glass of Milk” of the Silverlake Children’s Choir) on stage as a creative addition to their eagerly anticipated set. Ryan Gosling (whose voice proved to be exceptional live) charmed a huge enthusiastic crowd, some seeming a little miffed by the choir.

The Rapture always has the ability to get the legions on their feet, and this wasn’t an exception on Saturday. Despite New York’s finest having been laying low in a live context for several months working on new material in their Brooklyn studio, The Rapture was in full affect as they closed FYF with the likes of “Get Myself Into It,” “Killing,” and “Sister Saviour.”  Frontman Luke Jenner’s vocals were off the charts as he belted out the cowbell-ridden ”House of Jealous Lovers” to a wildly excited crowd.

The Rapture concluded their hour-long set with a long overdue new song (their last album release being “No Sex for Ben” in 2008) entitled ‘Sail Away,’ presenting the bands new sound which moves on from their punk rock proclivities and moves into the new wave world. There’s no album release date as of yet, but we will keep you posted!