Eight Must-See Acts at Pitchfork Fest

Posted: 18th July, 2024 by The Editor

It’s that time of year again! Music fans flock to the City of Big Shoulders to take in some of the best musicians perform at Pitchfork Music Festival. As a veteran of both Pitchfork and the Chicago Music Scene, I am thrilled to be covering the upcoming festival for The Alternative. This year is the first festival since the merging of Pitchfork into GQ Magazine, and I am so interested to see if the character of the festival has shifted, and if so how. I’m excited about every band that is slated to perform, but here are a few I am especially eager to see.

• Jai Paul: The wildly talented British electronic musician has previously graced the stages of Coachella and has been sampled by the likes of Drake and Beyonce. To me, he has a near-mythic status after his album leaked and he dropped off the public stage. But he’s back, baby, and playing Friday night at Pitchfork! I am very curious to see what kind of live performance he brings to the table, and to see how he navigates the next chapter of his career.

• Hailu Mergia: Ethiopian jazz may be my favorite subgenre of music, and Hailu Mergia, besides being a pioneer of Ethiopian jazz on the world stage, has released some of the most beautiful keyboard music ever made by mankind! I was thrilled to see that he is performing at this year’s Pitchfork because his records Wede Harer Guzo and Tazeta are on my heavy rotation, core staples of music that makes me feel joyous and optimistic.

• Angry Blackmen: To be honest I had not heard of this group before seeing them on the lineup, and their first record just came out earlier this year, but their sound is bewitching, I tell you! I feel blessed to be getting in on the ground floor of this new group, so to speak, and am very excited to feel their energy live and in person.

• feeble little horse: I loved the feeble little horse 2021 debut Hayday, full of lo-fi rock bangers with sharp-edged humor. Their 2023 record girl with fish was equally satisfying and goofy. I think they are adorable and I have been wanting to see them perform live for years!

• Wednesday: Although I have seen them twice in Chicago already, Wednesday frontwoman Karly Hartzman always brings the juice. Their 2023 record Rat Saw God was named one of the best albums of the year by illustrious publications such as this one, and some of the songs still give me goosebumps one year out. I cannot wait to see Karly scream to “Bull Believer.” Love those guys!

• Nala Sinephro: I am so excited that dreamy jazzy genius Nala Sinephro is getting her moment on the big stage! She released her debut on Warp records in 2021, and has since become one of the hottest talents in her field. I was really elated to see her on the Pitchfork lineup, and can’t wait to hear the dulcet tones of her jazz harp.

• Sweeping Promises: For years I have loved the Sweeping Promises brand of saucy bass-forward post-punk. Excited to see what kind of vibe they bring to a Pitchfork performance!

• Carly Rae Jepsen: In my sophomore year of college, I had the chance to see CRJ perform for free as part of the fall Walk In Lay Down show at WashU. However, due to a series of unfortunate events that could have befallen anyone and certainly were not a product of my specific attitudes and decisions on that day, I was CRUELLY ROBBED of the chance to see her perform on Brookings Quad, instead spending the night weeping softly in my dorm room. Thus, her Pitchfork performance takes on additional significance to me, as it represents a psychic realignment and a righting of the wrongs that have plagued me since I was a teenager. Let’s get that cosmic retribution, girls!