Noise Pop, San Francisco’s annual indie music festival, is in full swing this week with a busy schedule chock full of bands ranging from headliners such as The Flaming Lips to locals like The Cuts.

Now in its 13th year, Noise Pop arrives like Christmas to those who crave intimate venues that house some of the indie scene’s most promising bands. Noise Pop founders Kevin Arnold and Jordan Kurland must be proud knowing that the festival has garnered attention from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom who declared March 27 through April 2 “Noise Pop Week.”

The festival is already underway and on Wednesday night, The Cuts, Colonel Knowledge & the Lickity-Splits, and A-Fir Ju Well performed at Thee Parkside at a Noise Pop showcase. Thee Parkside is a modest venue that feels more like someone’s house than a bar.

Past the main floor is a patio with tables and chairs where friends and musicians mingle and smoke cigarettes with one another. As people walked by sipping cocktails it was confirmed that a cool San Francisco mood had settled in.

“Our tour started in San Diego and we went to Los Angeles, but San Francisco has been the most welcoming and relaxed city we’ve been to in California,” said Mercer West, drummer for Col. Knowledge & the Lickity-Splits.

The show started late and A-Fir Ju Well from Atlanta, GA. took the stage with their Southern garage-rock sound that filled the room, capturing the audience’s attention as people turned away from the television and focused on the band. A-Fir Ju Well stole the show with their blues influence and impeccable, driving rhythm.

More people flooded the room as Col. Knowledge & the Lickity-Splits came around for their performance. They were another band hailing from Georgia they were billed together by coincidence warned Col. Knowledge’s vocalist Tim Schreiber.

“We’re different in the sense that we’ve been influenced by late 50s, garage, soul, and psychedelic music. Raw music has inspired us to play a lot,” said Schreiber.

With the glow of red Christmas lights strung above them they played their songs which did have the 50s vibe they promised. Schreiber even managed a few falsettos during his band’s energetic performance that was poppy enough to get a few people in the audience dancing.

The last band to perform Wednesday evening was The Cuts, from Oakland. They released their third album in February on Birdman Records and have a genuine rock and roll sound. However if you ask the band to describe their sound they will tell you, “Our sound is like the softest pillow and the sharpest knife all at once.”

While the band had a handful of dedicated fans in the audience the crowd seemed to thin out during their set. The Cuts lead singer, Andy Jordan, made a comment about people leaving during their set and the overall affect on the band was that their energy seemed to wane. However, there were faithful people who remained to take in the band’s 70s-esque rock sound.

“We came out here to support Noise Pop. The Cuts are a band that were meant to be seen live in order for people to understand their music,” said Melissa Rand, 26, from San Francisco.

The Cuts were fresh from the South by Southwest tour that takes place in Austin, Texas and they managed to display certain vigor during their short set, but the band did not dare compare the two cities.

“(South by Southwest) is a completely immersive experience. Noise Pop is not. We don't represent anything but our own fantasy of who we are,” said Ben Brown of The Cuts regarding Noise Pop.

Say what you will about Noise Pop because it is still a prominent experience for anyone who has an appreciation for music, even if they are not completely immersed.