With the inevitable shenanigans that occur during preparation, it can be difficult to get to a music festival in a timely manner. As a result, its fairly common for festival-goers to miss out on acts that play early in the day. While headliners rarely disappoint, there’s something incredible about discovering an artist for the very first time during a live performance–a mutually beneficial exchange between artist and fan. The first few hours of a lineup provide ample opportunity to do so without compromise often producing some of the most energetic shows of an event.
Outside Lands is coming up on Friday, and we’ve decided to do our best to compel all our ninjas to make it to Golden Gate Park early this weekend by highlighting 10 acts worth seeing before 3PM. In creating the list, we found that there is certainly no shortage of artists, both established and up & coming, that we’re excited for during the first few hours of each day. If you can’t make it in early, don’t sweat, because at least a few of these bands will be headlining festivals themselves soon enough. Check out the playlist below and we hope to see some of you at OSL this weekend!
Day 1 (08/08):
Night Terrors of 1927 (Noon, Panhandle Stage)
Sounds like: Brooding, dark pop bringing together powerful emotions on either end of the spectrum.
Aer (12:45PM, Twin Peaks Stage)
Sounds like: A sunny blend of hip-hop, alternative rock and a splash of Sublime.
Run the Jewels (2:15, Lands End Stage)
Sounds like: Hardcore hip-hop with counter-cultural commentary.
Day 2 (08/09):
Trails and Ways (12:40, Twin Peaks)
Sounds like: Multilingual, multi-faceted post-rock.
The Districts (1:25, Panhandle)
Sounds like: Folk-leaning rock full of carefully layered melodies.
The Kooks (1:40, Lands End)
Sounds like: Indie rock with incredible guitar work from seasoned veterans.
Jagwar Ma (2:05, Twin Peaks)
Sounds like: The biggest dance party at Outside Lands.
Day 3 (08/10):
The Bots (Noon, Panhandle)
Sounds like: Jack White and The Black Keys fused with Ramones-era punk influences. At 21 and 17, these brothers are likely the youngest performers at the festival.
Made in Heights (12:40, Twin Peaks)
Sounds like: Ethereal, experimental production from Sabzi (of Blue Scholars) and stunning female vocals to match.
Lucius (2:30, Sutro)
Sounds like: Girls rule.
