“Jesus loves you… No he doesn’t!” Cue fuzz distortion as Nathan Williams orchestrates the rowdiness with “Paranoid” off Wavves’ latest album “Afraid of Heights”. It was all killer no filler with Wavves, rarely stopping to chat or even tune, preferring an ambush of their punk catalog, including, “Post Acid”, “Sail to the Sun”, and, “Idiot”. Bodies were being shoved and pulled in every direction, and it wasn’t rare to dodge a half empty Budweiser can flying at your face. Nathan and the gang have been at this routine for a while now, and they were all business, providing what was mostly the last opportunity at pure head banging for the weekend. The crowd surfing fails were epic, and after the last power chord on “No Hope Kids” was strummed, a pink haired chick with her mouth covered in blood walks past me, all smiles, and full of hope. Soundtrack: “Kids” the 90’s skateboarding and AIDS family classic.

Lindsay Troy (Guitar and Vocals) and Julie Edwards (Drums) make up the White Stripes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs composite that is Deap Vally. What they lack in band members, they make up for with sass and strut, as Lindsay lavishly unleashed blues drenched distortion as Julie head banged so hard, you feared her forehead would knock over her tom toms. “This song is dedicated to all the naughty things you’re going to do this weekend,” Lindsay declared before belting out “Bad For My Body” in her heart shaped sunglasses and tight jean shorts. Yes, the Jack White and Karen O comparisons are unavoidable, but you can’t help but feel the fun Deap Vally‘s having on stage and admire the sexiness their rock and roll embodies on full display. Even the boys couldn’t help but rock in approval to their anthems of girl power such as “Lies” and “Gonna Make My Own Money”, except for when Lindsay confused an inflatable Stanley Cup Trophy for another sports league emblem. “NHL… That’s football, right?” An unintentional slight at the hometown hockey champion Blackhawks, but it was the only moment the jersey clad bros in attendance were unimpressed. 

Speaking of hometown heroes, Chicago natives Smith Westerns represented the Windy City to the fullest, adding their dreamy glam rock to the summer breeze while reminiscing on past illegal Lollapalooza experiences. “We used to come out here in high school just like you guys, sneaking in, smoking weed, drinking underage, the usual,” lead singer Cullen Omori blithely confessed. They’ve come a long way from their lo-fi debut in 2009, and their five-man ensemble justified their presence on the big stage, providing a textural recall from bands like Deerhunter, T-Rex, to even Sunday’s Lollapalooza headliner The Cure. They mostly played tracks off their latest album “Soft Will” including “Varsity” and “Idol”, which Cullen bluntly described as a tune about, “Meeting people you admire and they actually suck ass.” Their brisk guitars and keyboard served as a wonderful companion to the slight drizzle that introduced their set and their overall strides and development as a group reminded that this is a band to continue to watch out for.      

A lot has changed for Local Natives since they last appeared at Lollapalooza in 2011. They were in the midst of recording their latest release Hummingbird, a record of personal strife and expanded their fan base. At their second Lollapalooza after a slew of big festivals this summer, it’s inspiring to hear Kelcey Ayer open the set with, “You and I”, wailing the chorus to the approval and participation of thousands of fans, reciting every verse. Streams of toilet paper comet over the crowd during “Hummingbird” staples such as, “Breakers”, “Ceilings”, and “Black Balloons”. They casually pull off a Talking Heads cover of “Warning Sign”, showcasing their psychedelic afro-pop tendencies over drummer Matt Frazier’s tribal pounding frenzy. Guitarist Taylor Rice strums in intensity on “Colombia”, progressively building up an emotional volcano until finally releasing the final chords, leaving everyone in a momentary silence that is quickly snapped out of. As they close out the show with the foot stomping “Sun Hands”, their hour of jubilee is a heartening reminder of how far they’ve come as a band, leaving only intense anticipation of where they’ll go next.

These lads from Lambeth, London have been labeled the next big thing across the pond, so it only should be a matter of time until Palma Violets strike a similar match with us Yankees. They certainly did their best kicking off day three for the sun dried tomato faced crowd, starting off with a rambunctiously hasty rendition of the summer classic, “California Sun”. If their demeanor came across as apathetic, that wasn’t their intention. Palma Violets’ nonchalant vibes were fueled with plenty of energy and charisma; it’s just that they play a little loose, as if they were jamming out in their mom’s basement by themselves, clueless to the thousands of first time listeners at Lollapalooza. They cranked out the garage punk riffs infused with Oasis sing-a-long choruses from their debut album “180”, such as, “Step Up For The Cool Cats”, “We Found Love”, and “Rattlesnake Highway”, as drummer William Doyle slammed his kit a-la Animal from the Muppets. I also predict it won’t be long till we start hearing their made for festivals single “Best of Friends” in beer commercials, such a feel good song that begs to be blared while slamming down pints at the pub with your mates. I’m deciding to play a new game today and relate every band I see with a movie soundtrack their sound would fit right in with. I’m gonna go with “Trainspotting” for Palma Violets, with Ewan McGregor evading UK authorities to a song like, “Tom the Drum”.