Five Acts to Watch Out of Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza opens its gates to the public tomorrow.  The music festival, located in Grant Park in downtown Chicago, is a national attraction and has been a guiding agent for many bands on the road to fame and glory.  Some of the many bands that have stopped at Lollapalooza before even hitting the radio include Kings of Leon, Jon McLaughlin, and Cage the Elephant.  Needless to say, Lolla can do a lot for a music career.

Every year, a few bands explode out of Lollapalooza and suddenly appear on our car radios.  A year ago, for example, fans heard the musical stylings of fresh new artists like G-Eazy, Glass Animals, and Twenty One Pilots and wondered where they’d been all their lives; since they graced the Lollapalooza stages, they’ve all had songs hit the radio and top charts.

Which bands will erupt out of this year’s Lollapalooza?  Who are the must-see bands that we’re sure to hear on the radio in a few months and we can brag to our friends, “I saw them before they were cool?”  Here are five artists to watch out for out of Lollapalooza:

1.  Local Natives
Local natives of Los Angeles, this young band of high school friends formed in 2008 and has been growing steadily ever since.  Their brand is marked by dreamy melodies and every instrumentalist pitches in for their harmonic vocals.  The band is already making strategic moves as they approach their time on the Lollapalooza stage; they’re putting the finishing touches on their latest album, “Sunlit Youth,” which is set to release in just a few months. Perfect timing; just when Lollapalooza fans get nostalgic for their days in the sun, they’ll remember Local Natives and buy their latest album.
Local Natives performs at on the Bud Light stage of Lollapalooza Sunday, July 31st, from 4:45 to 5:45.

2.  The Arcs
While The Arcs are new on the scene, their style certainly isn’t.  Formed by Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and instrumentalist Leon Michaels, The Arcs was formed in 2015. Dan confessed to the press, “I just wanted to do my thing and get extra weird;” and that is exactly what The Arcs has done.  While you can definitely hear some of the classic Black Keys sound in The Arcs’ music, they have a fresh new flair that comes off sometimes folksy, sometimes more tech rock.  Their summer tour has had them bouncing all around the United States, including Asheville, North Carolina, and they’re already selling tickets to their west coast tour.
Check out The Arcs on the Lakeshore Stage Thursday, July 28th, from 7:30 to 8:30.

3.  Cashmere Cat
Rising quickly in popularity, Cashmere Cat is an abstract electronic music producer fresh out of Norway (he’s also gone under the alias Final at worldwide DJ championships).  His collaborative style and smooth, mellow remixes make for great lounge music.  Though he’s still gaining popularity and recognition for his remixes, his work with Jeremih, Ariana Grande, and Lana Del Rey has helped and Lollapalooza is sure to speed up his momentum.
Cashmere Cat will be on the Pepsi Stage Thursday, July 28th, from 7:45 to 8:30.

4.  Flosstradamus
If you prefer electronic music intended more for a club than for a lounge, it won’t take you long to fall in love with Flosstradamus.  Known for their heavy beats, this DJ duo of Curt Cameruci, aka Autobot, and Josh Young, aka J2K, doesn’t like to label themselves as electronic artists; instead, they dabble across house, R&B, electronica, and techno to produce their own ingenious genre.  These trap DJs have been famous in Chicago for years, and they’re about to become famous worldwide.
Flosstradamus will be performing in their hometown of Chicago at Lollapalooza Thursday, July 28th, on Perry’s stage from 8:30 to 9:45.

5.  Frightened Rabbit
Founded back in 2004 in Glasgow, Scotland, brothers Scott and Grant Hutchison and their friend Billy Kennedy started the project for fun, self-producing their first album before being picked up by Universal.  The group thought their big break might come at the South by Southwest music festival in 2007 but, while it certainly boosted their sales and recognition in the U.S., it didn’t quite launch them into the forefront of pop rock genre.  After years of waiting for another great opportunity, perhaps Lollapalooza is just what they need.
Frightened Rabbit will perform on the Lakeshore Stage on Friday July 29th from 5:00 to 6:00.

Carmen R. Lawrence is a freelance writer currently located in Chicago, IL.  Though she writes about topics as varied as craft beer, theatre, and video games, writing about music is a passion and a pleasure.  Follow her on Twitter at @carmenrlawrence or find her on Facebook at carmen.lawrence1