It is that time of year again…the time when the city lets loose and forgets that winter will ever be a thing again! That’s right! It’s Pitchfork Music Festival time! This year, Pitchfork Music Festival boasts some big names like the energetic Black Pumas, the electrodance of Jamie XX, the hyper unpredictable 100 Gecs and the ultra famous indie darling Alanis Morissette. However, it is the smaller indie bands going on much earlier in the day that you won’t want to miss! Pitchfork has even created a special LGBTQ+ playlist making it a festival that welcomes everyone and has a little something music-wise for all of your diverse learning needs!
Here’s some of the recommendations:
Friday
Rosali plays the blue stage at 2:45pm has the perfect voice and guitar playing quality for some timeless folk songs with a fantastic live quality. This reviewer/photographer saw her with her band earlier this year at Chicago’s Empty Bottle play a fantastic energetic set with her band that brought both her older and new songs from 2024’s Bite Down an emphasized presence and richness!
Yaeji plays the red stage from 5:15-6. Her cute singing voice and upbeat vibes may make you forget about how complex the beats are. Don’t ignore the layered sounds and pay attention to be impressed. Yaeji also has a dynamic stage presence as this live video of “Raingurl” performed at the Sydney Opera House would suggest.
Calm but also creative, Amen Dunes goes on the blue stage from 5:15-6pm and will likely play a lower key dream pop with nice layers of sound and reassuring melodies.
Sudan Archives play the blue stage from 6:30-7:15pm. Brittney Denise Parks provides some warm yet complex beats with her elevated vocals and accomplished violin playing. This is likely to be one of the most remarkable sets of the day!
Saturday
Lifeguard open up the Green stage at 1pm so make sure to arrive early! They are one of Chicago’s most promising young talents and feature accomplished guitar based indie rock that proves energetic and satisfying!
Gentle, loving and honest, Kara Jackson opened up for Angel Olsen earlier this year and provided the audience with a genuine poetic quality. Jackson plays the green stage from 2:30-3:15pm. It might be possible to split up this time and catch a bit of Jackson and Hotline TNT, though there’s going to be some running required!
Dripping in a throwback alternative rock style, Hotline TNT Is perfect for a summer day filled with nostalgia and play the blue stage from 2:45-3:30pm. The Brooklyn based four piece just released their third album Cartwheel in November of last year and are guaranteed to make your summer afternoon even better!
Another Brooklyn based band, Water From Your Eyes play the blue stage right afterwords from 4-4:45pm and feature really unpredictable song adventures that will keep your mind guessing what will happen next! Their sound is engaging and unique and this live video shows they can keep up that dynamic energy live!
Sweeping Promises are one of this reviewer/photographer’s favorite bands to play the festival this weekend and make the blue stage on Saturday extra special. They play from 5:15-6pm and are not to be missed. The stage presence of Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug and playing between them never misses the mark and Mondal’s vocals are the perfect mix of garage rock and punk. This set will be exceptional!
It’s going to be time to make choices when masters De La Soul also start at the red stage. These hip hop legends could easily be headliners and it is a surprise they aren’t. Watch this recent live set on The Late Show to get a sense of their great personalities and how much they are still on top of their game!
Get ready to continue your fun at the blue stage with Bratmobile at 6:30pm! These punk rockers have been playing for 20 years and have an easily accessible fun sound that has likely inspired many other bands since their origin in 1994. This will be a very special appearance!
Sunday
Joana Sternberg opens up the red stage from 1:45-2:30 and possesses the type of genuine honesty that is disarming. If stripped down folk songs conveying a sense of gentleness in their guitar melodies is your thing, look no farther!
Nala Sinephro plays the blue stage from 2:45-3:30pm and has an ambient energy with scattered instrumentation that can be both warm and playful and give the sensation of floating. This will be perfect for a sunny summer afternoon under the shadw of one of those lovely trees or up front experiencing the moment with those you care about most!
Hailu Mergia plays mid day at the blue stage from 4:00-4:45pm. Originally from Ethiopia, he released his first album Tezeta in 1975! After taking a hiatus of over 30 years, 2018 brought this interesting composer with layers of melodic instrumentation back with 2018’s Lala Belu followed up with Yene Mircha from 2020. This will be a delightful treat to witness and dance to!
Jessica Pratt plays the green stage from 4:15-5:10pm so it may be possible to catch at least the later half of her set if you want to stay for the full Mergia set. Pratt has the kind of serenades combining vocals which feel simultaneously timeless and removed from time. In other words, you feel like you’ve heard the melodies somewhere before but can’t place it and the vocals don’t feel too far removed from human consciousness, too. And yet, finding the specific words for time and place seem relatively futile because technically these tracks are modern tracks even if your gut feeling says they have been around for decades.
Perhaps the most exciting performer of the entire music festival, Grandmaster Flash is now celebrating 50 years of history as one of the most influential musicians in the genre. If this live set is any guide, we’ll definitely be able to count on him to bring the energy and make for the most fun and memorable set of perhaps the whole weekend. Grandmaster Flash plays the red stage from 5:15-6pm so bring all your positive vibes for this legend!
NY’s Crumb plays the blue stage from 6:30-7:15pm and boasts some sweet ethereal indie pop with tinges of psychedelica that will have you relishing in every moment! 2024 brought the world the wonder of Amama and it will easily fill your heart with happiness!
View the full schedule with times here
You can still buy tickets here and see the full festival schedule here
