Chicago – The sun rose again and stayed out for Lollapalooza’s final day of the 25th Anniversary celebration, much to the happiness of everyone in attendance. Once again, the festivals six main stages (not counting Kidzapalooza and the EDM nightmare that is Perry’s) featured much to be seen (with plenty of conflicts for the festival connoisseur)—including a headlining set by returning indie dance rock sensation LCD Soundsystem—but once again, we featured on some of the artists in the finer print of the lineup to bring you coverage of the best and brightest up and coming acts at the festival’s 2016 edition.

 

Låpsley

English balladeer Låpsley was the first to grace the Samsung Stage on Lollapalooza’s final afternoon, braving the Chicago sun to deliver a set of dulcet vocals and minimal electronica to soothe the pains of Sunday hangovers. Most of her selections were slower, more tender numbers that appear on her excellent debut LP Long Way Home released earlier this year (“Cliff,” “Seven Months,” “Love Is Blind,” “Station”), all of which feature her signature brand of low-key electronic production and vocal distortion that almost perfectly emulates the sweet sounds of fellow UK singer-songwriter James Blake. Her set was broken up by the disco-painted sounds of “Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)” and an excellent cover of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work,” originally recorded for International Women’s Day. Låpsley intermittently spoke directly to the audience with perfect humorous eloquence (though somewhat less comical than her banter at her 4/20 San Francisco show), and she basically didn’t even bother introducing her final song, hit single “Hurt Me,” though the opening tones were introduction enough, as the first notes had the audience immediately swaying, a tidal motion that did not quit until the song faded away into the breezy sunshine.

 

CLASSIXX

LA electronic duo CLASSIXX was the first group to perform on the Petrillo Bandshell on Sunday afternoon, hitting the early-risers with a dynamic hour-long set highlighting material from the band’s two full-length LPs. In recent years the two remix masters have delved into their own material, which, like Disclosure the evening before, has been heavily reliant on vocal collaborators. Many of their tracks that have featured artists were played live with the vocal tracks playing over their live performance of the arrangements (“Safe Inside,” “In These Fine Times,” “Whatever I Want”), though a few of their collaborators made appearances at the festival, including How To Dress Well for “Just Let Go,” Holy Ghost!’s Alex Frankel for “I Feel Numb,” and LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang for set-closer “All You’re Waiting For.” CLASSIXX eased in with the opening track off recent LP Faraway Reach, “Grecian Summer,” before blasting into earlier tracks “I’ll Get You” and “Rhythm Santa Clara.” The atmosphere of the set was as bright and sunny as the weather, urging the colorful attendees to move and sweat as if the party from the night before had never ended. Perhaps the most intriguing element of the band’s Sunday set was the live vibraphonist situated just behind the two key members, skillfully banging away on the arranged metal tubes, giving the whole set an ethereal feeling while still managing to be tirelessly buoyant and bubbly.

 

DREAMERS

Mid-afternoon, over at the BMI Stage, the members of indie pop band DREAMERS were giving fans a taste of their soon-to-be released debut LP This Album Does Not Exist (due out August 26 via Fairfax Recordings). Members Nick Wold (vocals/guitar), Nelson (bass/vocals), and Jacob Wick (drums) formed the band in Brooklyn, but the trio has since moved to Los Angeles, where they recorded the album. DREAMERS just so happened to be taking over the Best New Bands Twitter account on Sunday, so I was especially excited to see these guys perform. I wasn’t alone. The green was filled with enthusiastic fans, who sang along to songs like “Sweet Disaster” and “Cry Out for Me.” You would never have guessed the band had a late night opening for Third Eye Blind the night before, after witnessing DREAMERS’ fierce afternoon performance. Given the love the trio received and the talent bouncing off the stage, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing and hearing quite a bit more of DREAMERS! (SH)

 

MUNA

Los Angeles newcomer MUNA has only released a few songs since the band’s inception in the form of one four-track EP entitled The Loudspeaker, so there was much speculation as to what the all-female trio would be performing during the band’s forty-minute set on the Pepsi Stage. The trio did not disappoint, as lead singer Katie Gavin invoked memories of early Gwen Stefani—both in fashion and in stage presence, as exhibited through her flowing, anemone-like dance moves—and the magnetic charisma of lead guitarist Josette Maskin and spoken gratitude of “adorable” multi-instrumentalist Naomi McPherson coaxed the crowd to step out of the sheltering shade into the sun-parched central area directly in front of the stage. The self-proclaimed “dark pop girl band” breezed through all four tracks of The Loudspeaker—kicking things off with final track “Promise” and ending with the title track “The Loudspeaker”—and some new tracks as well, including “Ur So Perfect” and “I Know A Place,” a song about creating a ‘safe space for creative expression’ (which also included some anti-Trump politick, a common motif of the weekend). The set was divided by a stellar cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen,” in which the band perfectly emulated the famous singer’s aesthetic, both in the instrumentation and in Gavin’s excellent vocals and tambourine playing. The only thing missing was the flowing black gown, but with a performance that vibrant, it wasn’t necessary in the least.

 

Local Natives

Los Angeles five-piece Local Natives is far from being either local or native to Chicago, yet this being the band’s third Lollapalooza, Local Natives felt right at home on the Bud Light Stage late Sunday afternoon. The band’s set (and upcoming tour) revolves around the upcoming release of Local Native’s third LP Sunlit Youth, and the band offered a selection of songs taken from the new album, starting with the vastly gorgeous “Past Lives.” Throughout the set Local Natives previewed a few other new tracks, including album opener “Villainy,” plucky “Coins,” and the anthem-like sounds of “Fountain of Youth,” which was preceded by a plea from the band to wake up to the tumultuous nature of our time and the power we—especially contemporary youth—have to turn the tables toward our favor. Taylor Rice’s voice broke with urgency during the song’s chorus of ‘we can do whatever we want,’ and his guitar was adorned with the words MAKE AMERICA AFRAID AGAIN, with a dominant red X striking through the word ‘AFRAID.’ Some old favorites were tossed into the mix as well, evoking enthusiastic sing-alongs with songs like “Wide Eyes,” “Breakers,” “Who Knows Who Cares,” and the powerfully heartfelt tribute to co-frontman Kelcey Ayer’s grandmother “Airplanes.” Closing things down with “Sun Hands” had festivalgoers in a trance during the turbulent, shouted bridge, echoing across Grant Park and out to the sailboats coasting along the waves of Lake Michigan.

 

Mothers

Quirky quartet Mothers was one of the last bands to hit the BMI Stage this weekend, and all four members definitely left a lasting impression. The four-piece helmed by singer Kristine Leschper hails from Athens, Georgia—hometown of well-known weirdoes Of Montreal—flung into a set of folk-tinged experimental rock, and from the opening sounds of “Copper Mines” to the final notes of closer “No Crying In Baseball” (an obvious nod to the famous line from the 1992 film A League of Their Own), the members poured their collective souls into wonky time-signatures and ever-evolving structures that kept even the most experienced listeners on their toes. Mothers’ nine-track LP When You Walk A Long Distance and You Are Tired translated very well to the stage, and for the fans aiming to escape the fervent mainstream atmosphere of the festival, the band’s set was a welcome getaway from the more common sounds of the weekend.

 

We had a blast covering Lollapalooza’s silver jubilee this weekend. Check out our coverage from the previous days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), and stay tuned to Best New Bands for more festival coverage as the season continues!

Reviews by Corey Bell, except where noted. Photos by Sarah Hess (SH) for Best New Bands