Manchester, Tennessee – The fourteenth Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival continued without a hitch on its second day. The patrons camping on the massive 700-acre farm enjoyed a rare morning of late sleep, as the Tennessee summer sky was flooded with welcome clouds and breezy conditions. Usually the Bonnaroo sun is so hot by the time 8 AM rolls around that everybody is forced to wake up at that time, but today was different: the milky skies and freeing zephyrs had happy Bonnaroovians rolling out of bed in late morning with hazy delight, ready to take on the next chapter of Bonnaroo life.  Once again, senior writer Sarah Hess and San Francisco-based writer/longtime Bonnaroovian Corey Bell were scouring the grounds to trumpet the joys of experiencing the best new bands Bonnaroo ’15 has to offer.

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The Districts

Philadelphia youngsters The Districts have already impressed audiences and critics alike with the release of sophomore LP, A Flourish and a Spoil released earlier this year (follow-up to their quietly released 2012 debut Telephone), and so it was no surprise to see them tear up the opening slot at the Other Tent on the second day of Bonnaroo 2015.  The band formed in 2009—while the members were all still in high school—and in the grand tradition of showcasing young talent as an early set (e.g., Smith Westerns, opening set at This Tent, Sunday, Bonnaroo 2011), The Districts did not disappoint.  Seeing as the foursome—made up of Rob Grote, Connor Jacobus, Braden Lawrence and Pat Cassidy—have recently enjoyed significant commercial success, the Other Tent was packed—especially for such an early show.  Those who made the early journey out of the campgrounds to catch The Districts were treated to a highly energetic set (as well as a breathtaking performance by some very agile gymnasts performing acrobatics on the side) that was heavily reliant on their recent LP release.  Highlights included “Chlorine,” “Peaches,” and “Hounds,” though the crowd seemed to be most impressed with the band’s earlier tracks – “Funeral Beds” (featuring a colorful harmonica performance), “Long Distance,” and the tender, emotive early EP track “Rocking Chair.”  They closed with A Flourish and a Spoil opener “4^th and Roebling,” which holds a special place in my heart due to the lyrical allusion to a place I once called home, doing it justice with unpredictable rhythm and the wild hostility of the words being sung.  – CB

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Royal Blood

Our favorite U.K. duo absolutely killed it over at the Which Stage. Royal Blood packed the wide lawn, despite the scorching heat. Pharoahe Monch’s “Simons says (Get the fuck up)” began to play, bringing the crowd to their feet. Suddenly the heat didn’t seem to matter because one of the finest rock bands around was delivering a sonic orgasm with “Come On Over.” Afterward, Mike Kerr joked with the audience, asking, “Is everyone feeling adequately sweaty?” Cheers and laughs answered the bassist. Before crushing it with “Little Monster,” Kerr expressed his awe for the sight before him: “I cannot quite get my head around how many people have come to see us today. If you could see what I see now!” It’s not at all surprising. Once you’ve seen Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher in action, you’re hooked. They slay every time. During “Out of the Black” – the last song of the evening – Thatcher tossed his drum seat and fiercely drummed the rest of the set standing over his kit. Fans ate it up. – SH

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra

New Zealand’s Ruban Nielsen – a.k.a. the brainchild behind Unknown Mortal Orchestra – is constantly reinventing his sound, and we are happy to report that his latest metamorphosis translates well to the stage.  UMO just released their third studio LP Multi-Love just a handful of weeks ago, and already their live performance of the new material is astounding.  Their mid-afternoon Friday set at the Other Tent lasted only about an hour, yet during that time Nielsen and his band of talented (and visibly jubilant) traveling musicians covered two-thirds of the new release, a handful of tracks from their excellent sophomore LP II (“So Good at Being in Trouble,” “From the Sun,” “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)”) and even a few tracks from their 2011 self-titled debut — “How Can U Luv Me,” and the ever-pleasing opening song “Ffunny Ffriends” (yes, the misspelling is intentional) — all of which boasted the more luminous funky flavor that UMO has taken on with Multi-Love.  UMO kicked things off with the second track from Multi-Love – “Like Acid Rain” – which effectively set the highly electric tone for the rest of the set – and continued with “The World is Crowded,” “Stage or Screen,” and the title/opening track “Multi-Love.”  The set concluded with their latest single “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone,” a ballsy and brash dance number satirizing the modern digital age.  I was thrilled to see someone fairly new to the music scene allowing themselves to evolve so effortlessly, in such a short period of time.  Nielsen and his band continue to impress.  – CB

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Mini Mansions

I recently saw Mini Mansions open for Tame Impala in Chicago, but I loved their performance so much that I knew I had to see them again. They won me over with “Freakout!” and “Any Emotions.” I wasn’t alone. Over at the Who Stage, I chatted with a handful of fans that were just as psyched to see the LA glam rockers. I even spied Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant watching the trio, along with his wife. Perhaps the men gained a new fan? – SH

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Run The Jewels

The sun may have been setting on Manchester, but inside This Tent the temps were still climbing as more and more hot, half-naked bodies packed inside to see Run The Jewels. The minute El-P walked out on stage, he felt it and declared, “I sense I made a grave mistake wearing this much clothing.” Sweat poured down the faces El-P and Killer Mike as they spit out the lyrics to songs like “All Due Respect,” “Lie, Cheat, Steal,” and “A Christmas F*cking Miracle,” which El-P dedicated to his dear friend Pumpkinhead. Killer Mike was still wearing a sling, thanks to his broken arm incident at SXSW, but he was in great spirits since he was home, in the South, where grits are a plenty and Waffle Houses are open all night long. Fans were also feeling it. I never thought I’d see people crowd surfing at a RTJ show, but leave it to Bonnaroo to make that happen. People surfed along, smiling and rapping along word for word. – SH

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 ODESZA

Friday closed out with a late night set by Seattle electronic duo ODESZA, who conquered This Tent with a 1 AM show.  The two college buddies-turned-band mates dominated the front and center of the entire performance, blasting complex, hypnotic cornucopias of sound taking cues from everything from electro to early ambient electronica, almost always paired with some sort of distorted vocal track that was just jarring enough to keep things constantly stimulating.  At times it was just the two guys behind the name – Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight – twisting knobs and operating seemingly intricate electronic machinery, and during other tracks they were joined by other musicians (a small brass outfit appeared out of the mist at one point).  They seamlessly blended tracks from their two albums – 2012’s Summer’s Gone and last year’s In Return – into one long track.  Admittedly I am new to their material, but I did recognize a few standouts, including “How Did I Get Here” and set closer “Say My Name,” a fitting end to the run of shows at This Tent for this Friday. – CB

Bonnaroo is still going strong, and there are plenty more new bands we’re reporting on for you. Stay tuned for more coverage!

Photos and text by Sarah Hess (SH) and Corey Bell (CB)