Preview: Outside Lands 2021

 

Photos Provided By Outside Lands

 
 

YOUR FAVORITE SAN FRANCISCO FESTIVAL IS FINALLY HERE - so it’s time to get ready to have the best weekend you possibly can. Usually taking place in August, Outside Lands gets spooky and will be taking place on Halloween weekend this year. Some of the big names for this year’s festival include Tame Impala, The Strokes, Lizzo, Tyler The Creator, Vampire Weekend and Zhu. Whether you’ve been going to Outside Lands for years, or this is your first festival, familiarizing yourself with the lineup and festival is always crucial to the best festival experience. We’ve put together a quick run down on what you need to know for this year’s Outside Lands, including our picks for each day. 

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

If there’s one thing you should know before you attend, it’s to bundle up! San Fran will be getting pretty chilly, especially come the evening. There are few worst feelings than being miserably cold at a festival, so make sure to bring your cozy jacket and consider bringing something to change into. 

Download the Outside Lands app and build your schedule for the weekend, taking note of our recs below. By having your schedule easily accessible on your phone you’ll be able to quickly remember what set you have to hop to next. In addition to your schedule, you can view a live map of the festival grounds through the app, so no need to wander aimlessly. 

If needed make sure to get your shuttle pass ahead of time and familiarize yourself with allowed and prohibited bags and items so no surprises arise at security. Our must-haves include: hand sanitizer, gum, chapstick, film camera and a phone charger. In addition to the incredible music lineup, Outside Lands also hosts a plethora of tasty food and drink vendors, and will be partnering with Ease for the third year to bring Grasslands, a curated cannabis experience. 

FRIDAY

12:45 pm Sofia Valdes (Twin Peaks)

Start your day off on the earlier end and check out Latin America artist Sofia Valdes for a smooth start to the day. After releasing her her debut EP Ventura earlier this year, Valdes has been met with incredible success and was named the face of Chanel in Latin America. The 20-year-old is currently on tour with Boy Pablo and isn’t one to be missed.

2:10 pm 070 Shake (Twin Peaks)

070 Shakes has surely popped up on your radar the past few years, and it’s finally your chance to see the hip hop star. After gaining the attention of many with her star-making hook on Kanye West’s “Ghost Town”, 070 Shake has continued to stay on the radar with tracks like “Guilty Conscience” and “Morrow”.. Her new track with GENER8ION, “Neo Surf” brings in uobeat elements of electronica to the R&B elements of 070 Shake fans love.

2:40 pm Remi Wolf (Sutro)

Our latest cover star Remi Wolf is a must see for us this weekend. Fresh off the release of her debut album Juno, Remi has been a staple in the latest music festival circuit. Gaining steady momentum since her first release in 2018, Remi kept a fast pace during quarantine and has quickly become a household name. With a true passion for performing, Remi is sure to leave you entertained and captured by each note.

3:45 pm Yung Bae  (Twin Peaks)

Keep the energy high after Remi Wolf and make your way over to catch Portland native Yung Bae’s funky set. With an upcoming single with Cosmo’s Midnight and HONNE as well as an album on the way, Yung Bae is worth putting on your radar. Upon going viral with track “Bady Boy” featuring Wiz Khalifa, MAX and bbno$, Yung Bae has kept his collaborations strong and has released track “Revolving” with Marc E Bassy (also playing OSL), “Disco Body Parts” featuring AWOLNATION and “Wonder” featuring Channel Tres. Get your groove on and expect a set to remember thanks to Yung Bae’s energetic nature.

4:45 pm Q  (Panhandle)

Get in your feels with the sweet tunes of Q over at the Panhandle stage for a later afternoon slow down. After capturing our hearts with single “Take Me Where Your Heart Is” last year, Q has continued to give the groovy, emotive tracks that just hit like no other. The multi-instrumentalist blends elements of R&B with alt-indie flavors for a song like no other. Q is sure to rise up in the upcoming months, so here’s your chance to see him in an afternoon festival setting.

5:10 pm Khruangbin (Lands End)

There is truly no band like Khruangbin, and their performances are nothing short of a spiritual experience. The Houston Trio manages to bring in elements of funk, surf rock and more with a flow that transports you back to the 1970s. Khruangbin has kept a busy Fall and after Outside Lnda will be hitting their biggest tour yet, including two sold-out nights at Red Rocks, three sold-out nights at LA's Greek Theatre, and two headlining shows at New York City's Radio City Music Hall in early 2022. Their groovy tunes will be the perfect soundtrack for a sunset at Outside Lands and will create a solid foundation for the energy of the weekend to come.


NOTABLE MENTIONS:

6:30 pm Glass Animals (Lands End), 6:40 pm SG Lewis (Sutro). 7:40 pm JPEGMAFIA (Panhandle), 8 pm KAYTRANADA (Sutro), 8:25 pm Tyler, The Creator (Twin Peaks) , 8:25 pm The Strokes (Lands End) 

Friday evening has a jam packed lineup, so you’ll likely find yourself hopping around and catching a handful of tracks at eat set you find yourself at. Hit up Glass Animals and SG Lewis for some feel good dancing before heading over to witness the powerful energy of JPEGMAFIA. Get ready to move and vibe to KAYTRANANDA before making the everso difficult decision of how to split your time before Tyler, The Creator and The Strokes.

SATURDAY

12:40 pm Post Animal (Sutro)

Start your Saturday with some good energy thanks to the Chicago psychedelic rock band Post Animal. Bringing in lush guitars and trippy synths, the instrumentals of Post Animal alone transport you to a dreamy soundscape. Each member contributes smooth and enchanting vocals to keep you wrapped in each note. The Chicago Tribune described their sound as "if Tame Impala listened to a lot of Black Sabbath and were signed to Elephant 6” and we couldn’t describe it better ourselves.

2:15 pm Dijon (Twin Peaks)

We’ve been longtime fans of Dijon and are excited to see him for a sweet afternoon set. Fresh off the release of his new single “Rodeo Clown” , Dijon will be playing some of his soulful tracks fans know and love as well as new music from his upcoming album, out Nov. 5. Keeping a gentle twang to his tracks, Dijon finds a way to hit your soul in the most special way possible. The LA-based artist’s is sure to bring the perfect balance of R&B and soul to your Saturday.

3:10 pm Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (Sutro) 

You don’t need to be a die hard fan to recognize more than a handful of Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness tracks like “Cecilia And The Satellite”, “Fire Escape” and “Synesthesia”. His expansive discography has continued to give us soundtracks to different phases of our life. His most recent release, and only release of this year, “New Year Song” brings an emotive flow while keeping the strong instrumental listeners adore.

3:45 Rico Nasty (Twin Peaks)

We can only expect nothing but the craziest of energy from rap star Rico Nasty, so you better not miss out on this one. A staple in this Fall’s festival circuit and in the middle of a tour with Playboi Carti, Rico Nasty is a name that’s stayed on our radar since track “Smack A Bitch” took us by storm in 2018. Collaborating with artist like Doja Cat, Token, Denzel Curry and more, Rico always brings an edge like no other to her work.

4:35 Marc E. Bassy (Panhandle)

With soulful vocals enough to send shivers down your spine, San Francisco native Marc E. Bassy’s set will leave you feeling emotional and rejuvenated. Tracks like “You & Me”, “Morning” and collaborations like G-Eazy’s “Some Kind Of Drug” will keep the pace of his set strong while dabbling into new tracks from his 2021 album Little Men.

6:10 Bakar (Panhandle)

Kicking off his first US performance since before the pandemic, Bakar quickly rised the top of our favorites the past two years. Breaking out with track “Hell N Back” back in 2019, Bakar has stayed on our radar and brings an incredible energy with his latest single “The Mission”. Collaborating with artists like Dominic Fike, BENEE and Kenny Beats, Bakar’s smooth flow has gained fans across all genres. His upcoming debut album explores identity politics at its core after his experience of growing up as a first generation Black British man. 2022 is sure to be a big year for Bakar, so catch his set on his way up to bigger things.

8:35 pm ZHU (Twin Peaks)

Close your night out with the festival energy you’ve been craving with Bay area’s very own ZHU. The Grammy-nominated EDM artist is guaranteed to have the crowd releasing all the erngy they’ve been dying to have after the past year inside. Most of his third album, DREAMLAND 2021, came together at home during quarantine and ZHU is ready to finally play these tracks for large crowds. No stranger to collaborations, ZHU has tracks with Tinashe, Bob Moses, Kito and Jeremih. ZHU’s set will encapsulate what we love most about music festivals - good music, good energy and a hell of a good time.


NOTABLE MENTIONS

5:50 pm Angel Olsen (Sutro), 6:30 pm Vampire Weekend (Lands End), 8:25 pm Lizzo (Lands End), 8:30 pm Lord Huron (Sutro)

SUNDAY 

12 pm Neal Francis (Pan Handle)

Ease into your last day of Outside Land with an enchanting set by Neal Francis. Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist gives us a preview into his upcoming album with his new single “Prometheus”, and it’s sure to get you grooving. His upcoming second LP, In Plain Sight, was mixed by GRAMMY Award winner Dave Fridmann and continues to showcase his electric feel. His set will give you the smooth analog rock feel we all love while keeping the energy high thanks to range of instrumental elements.


12:40 pm Claud (Sutro)

Featured in our 14th Issue earlier this year, we’re thrilled to see Claud on the festival circuit this year. After releasing their album Super Monster this year, Claud has finally gotten the opportunity to play these tracks live. Collaborting with artists like Melanie Faye, Shelly and Nick Hakim on the project, Claud showcases their ability to describe emotions in an elegant way while allowing the listener in to relate on a whole different level. Get in your coming-of-age feels with Claud on Sunday and keep an eye out for what’s next for them.


1:25 pm Neil Frances (Pan Handle)

Head back to the Pan Handle stage to keep the feel good energy up with Neil Frances. The LA-based duo is bringing the best of indie electronic to the festival and will be performing with a full band for this performance. Fresh off the announcement of their debut album next year, There Is No Neil Frances, Neil Frances creates a soundscape of hazy 70’s vibes with some fun disco energy. The duo has come a long way from their formation in 2016 and continues to put out music that’s fun, fresh and exactly what you need as an afternoon pick me up.

2:55 pm Evann McIntosh (Panhandle)

Featured in our latest issue of our magazine, Evann McIntosh brings their Kansas charm to the bay area. The 17 year old singer/songwriter has showcased their creativity this year with tracks and videos like “What Dreams Are Made Of” and “COCO PEBBLES”. Their endearing vocals keep you holding onto each note while reflecting on the thoughtful lyrics. This is just the beginning of McIntosh’s career, and they sure are worth putting on your radar.

3:10 pm Goth Babe (Sutro)

We think it’s safe to say everyone has had at least one phase this past year where they couldn’t stop listening to Goth Babe. Originally from Tennesse but now based in Washington state, Goth Babe creates upbeat indie pop that will have you swaying and doing a little two step.

3:40 pm Yves Tumor and Its Band (Twin Peaks)

It is difficult to put into words the creativity that Yves Tumor contains and radiates, but catching their set on Outside Lands might give you some insight. Playing with the boundaries of contemporary music, Yves Tumor brings a new meaning to having a “full sound”. Their latest release, The Asympotiical World EP, gives us further insight into the evolving sound of Yves Tumor, and hearing these tracks live will surely get you hooked.

4:25 pm Scarypoolparty (Panhandle)

As the afternoon starts to wind down, head over to Panhandle yet again for the sweet tunes of Scarypoolparty. Performing tracks from his new 21-track album, The Act Of Forgiveness, Scarypoolparty’s heartfelt tunes will put you in your feels. The album showcases the dynamic nature of Scarypoolparty while highlighting his production ability. In addition to his raw vocals, the album features twelve songs with orchestral arrangements from Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning composer Rob Mathes for an extra special soundscape. Check out Scarypoolparty’s set and be prepared to leave the set mesmerized and with a new favorite artist.


NOTABLE MENTIONS:

2:10 pm Carolina Polachek, 5:10 pm Troyboi, 5:40 pm Boy Pablo, 6 pm Rufus Du Sol, 8pm Tame Impala

 
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