Ten Acts I’m Dying to See Perform at Lollapalooza (And You Should Be, Too)!

Festival season has begun, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Coachella just wrapped up its second weekend in the middle of the desert in California, and I can think of at least five more festivals that are coming up pretty quickly. Although the only two festivals I have attended range from Lollapalooza (2013 and 2014) and Boston Calling (2014), I consider myself to be somewhat of a pro at the whole festival thing. With my PR degree I will earn by 2017, I hope to someday make it in the music industry, my ultimate dream is to plan a festival myself.

One of my favorite things about music festivals include getting ready for the weekend. I am currently gearing up for Lollapalooza 2015 (although I am only attending Friday and Sunday this year, it still takes a whole lot of planning)! Planning starts in about January of the new year, which entails saving up money to buy a pass, predicting the lineup, and finding a group of friends to attend with. The lineup dropped around the third week of March this year, and three day passes sold out BEFORE the lineup was even officially announced, so you  can see how stressful this situation is!

While putting together my Spotify playlist to listen to basically from now to festival weekend, I realized how much fun it would be to put together a post on who I am most excited to see, and why YOU should go see them, too!

(In no particular order):

1. BØRNS

For fans of: Royal Teeth, Charli XCX
Favorite song: “Seeing Stars”

BØRNS is the most wonderful electro pop artist I have heard in a long time. Despite only having a 4 track EP released for purchase, he is gaining quite the buzz around the internet (even Taylor Swift Instagrammed about him a few months ago). We will definitely see more of him this fall: he just announced that he will be joining Bleachers and Charli XCX on tour.

2. First Aid Kit

For fans of: Mumford & Sons, HAIM
Favorite song: “My Silver Lining”

First Aid Kit is a duo comprised of two sisters hailing from Sweden. I discovered them around two years ago when their song “Emmylou” was free on iTunes, and I’ve been DYING to see them live ever since. They are truly masters of the folk genre, and their cover of Jack White’s “Love Interruption” is absolutely amazing. Check it out here.

3. George Ezra

For fans of: Ed Sheeran, Jake Bugg
Favorite song: “Barcelona”

I am OBSESSED with this kid. George Ezra is a twenty year old British singer with a voice of a 50 year old man. If you haven’t heard his stuff yet (and I’m sure you’ve heard “Budapest” at least once on the radio), I suggest you go ahead and listen to his music. He just appeared on SNL a few weeks ago, and has been getting buzz ever since he opened up for Sam Smith on his North American tour. He’s easily going to have one of the biggest crowds this year at Lollapalooza.

4. Moon Taxi

For fans of: Bad Suns, Young Rising Sons
Favorite song: “Morocco”

Moon Taxi has an interesting name. Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Moon Taxi is an up and coming feel good, indie/alternative rock band, who have actually been through the crazy schedule that is festival touring. They will be returning to Lollapalooza this year, performing on Sunday. I can already picture myself swaying to their tunes as the sun goes down.

5. Halsey

For fans of: Marina & The Diamonds, Daughter
Favorite song: “Ghost”

Halsey (named Ashley), is honestly one of the most talented artists to appear at Lolla this year (in my humble opinion). Halsey was a mere onlooker at last year’s Lollapalooza, and now she gets to perform. I compare her to Daughter in regards to strong songwriting, but is a lot more upbeat and certainly more electronic. I’m super excited to see her and her blue hair onstage this year.

6. Twenty One Pilots

For fans of: New Politics, The Neighbourhood
Favorite song: “Tear in My Heart”

If you haven’t heard of Twenty One Pilots, you must be living under a rock. One of the biggest acts to be playing Lollapalooza this year, the duo returns after a massive 2013 performance at the Grove Stage. I’ve seen Twenty One Pilots once, and they put on one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. With only two people onstage during their sets, they have unprecedented stage presence and charisma, and a crap load of backflips. They have a great relationship with their fans, and never fail to get a crowd involved in their performance.

7. The Wombats

For fans of: The 1975, Catfish & The Bottlemen
Favorite song: “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”

The Wombats are probably the only band I will tolerate a mosh pit for. This British band has been around for over ten years and are finally making waves in the United States. Their newest album “Glitterbug” was just released in America last week, and I’ve been jamming to it ever since! Although I am quite certain the band will be performing early in the day Sunday, they’re definitely going to get the crowd excited!

8. James Bay

For fans of: Hozier, Vance Joy
Favorite song: “Craving”

If I HAD to choose just one artist I am most excited to see, it’s probably James Bay. James Bay is quickly gaining momentum and will be in the states shortly for a tour. His debut album, “The Chaos and the Calm,” was released a month ago today, and needless to say, I’m super impressed. If you like the singer songwriter type and dig British men (don’t we all), you’ll fall in love with him.

9. Ryn Weaver

For fans of: Lana Del Rey, Tove Lo
Favorite song: “Promises”

So originally, I was only going to talk about the artists I get to see, since I am only going to the festival on Friday and Sunday. However, I just had to share my excitement for Ryn Weaver. So if you’re going Saturday, PLEASE check her out! My friend showed me her song “Octahate,” (which was recently featured on an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians), a few weeks ago and I cannot stop listening to it! She only has an EP available online, but I know her debut album will be released soon. I’m PRAYING she does a Lollapalooza after show this year so I can go see her. CHECK HER OUT!

10. Marina & The Diamonds

For fans of: Ellie Goulding, Florence & The Machine
Favorite song: “Hypocrates”

I’ve had the opportunity to see Marina live two times: Once when she was opening up for Coldplay in 2012, and once in 2013 at her headlining tour. If you enjoy a female singer who has a strong voice (vocally and lyrically) and exudes confidence, you’ll absolutely fall in love with Marina. She has so much poise and truly captures the audience’s attention for her entire performance. Each one of her songs tells a story, and you really do get a feel for who she is and how she perceives the world. She’ll definitely attract a large audience this year.

That’s the end of my first post! If you took time out of your day to read my ramblings, I truly, from the bottom of my heart, appreciate it. I had so much fun writing my first real post and I can’t wait to write more! If you have ANY suggestions on what to write, want me to recommend other songs/artists, I am definitely available to do so!

Check out my Lollapalooza 2015 Spotify playlist here.

Kristin