18 acts we can’t wait to see at Coachella 2024

Coachella

Vanessa Franko August Brown Mikael Wood Nate Jackson April 10, 2024

With Coachella 2024 almost upon us, massive crowds are preparing themselves (and their selfie sticks) to catch headliners Tyler

,

the Creator,

Doja Cat and

Lana Del Rey

and

special guests No Doubt

and Doja Cat

at the polo fields

this year

. But as always this isn’t just about the biggest names on the poster, it’s also about the cult favorites, rare performances and artists on the brink that continue to make

this these

next two weekends in the desert something to brag about. Among the many artists on the bill during Weekends 1 and 2, here are

a

18 names we’re excited to see.

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Sabrina Carpenter

Come early for the Taylor Swift cameo-hunting, as shes rumored to be attending this year and (if true) would likely support her recent Eras tour opener. But stay to hear tracks from Carpenters LP Emails I Cant

Sent Send

, which was packed with thoughtful, expertly-sung pop in the spirit of former Coachella headliner Ariana Grande, but with a charm and relatability all her own. Stay even longer to catch a Barry Keoghan cameo. August Brown

Chappell Roan

She killed it as the opening act on the first leg of Olivia Rodrigos Guts world tour, where you could practically see her blowing 12-year-old minds with the raunchy and theatrical alt-pop jams from her 2023 debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which she made with Rodrigos go-to producer, Daniel Nigro. Now, Roan is moving on to what she calls the next chapter of her career with her brand-new single, the vaguely Eurythmics-ish Good Luck, Babe! Mikael Wood

Meet Chappell Roan, L.A.’s queer pop superstar in the making

Blur

Theres a definite KROQ-in-the-’90s

nineties

vibe happening at Coachella this year and one of the best ways to time travel via alt rock is yelling Woo-hoo! with Damon Albarn and Blur as they play Song 2. But what has given Blur the staying power beyond the 90s hits like Parklife, Girls & Boys, Coffee & TV, Theres No Other Way and a dozen others is that the band consistently puts out really good music. Blurs most recent release, The Ballad of Darren, was one of the best rock albums of 2023. Vanessa Franko

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Aquabats

Anyone looking for a mixture of punk-meets-ska-meets-Saturday-morning-cartoons has one thing to say about the Aquabats return to the polo fields: Super Rad! Any chance to see a band that reminds you not to take life or an ultra-hip music festival too seriously is worth carving out some time for. Even casual onlookers have to stop and watch the wacky band of spandex-wearing superheroes fight crime and giant inflatable monsters on stage between acts that are said to be

thethis years

next big thing. As MC Bat Commander and company celebrate 30 years of playing shows, making TV shows and building an empire, its a reminder that cool bands often have a shelf life

but

fun, weirdo bands can last forever. Nate Jackson

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Bizarrap

The Argentine DJ-producers now 59-song-deep collaboration series has become the hottest tour stop in Latin music. Hes booked stars like Peso Pluma and Rauw Alejandro, but his catalogs crown jewel will forever be #53, where a newly-single Shakira mercilessly strafed her ex over a sinister cub beat and entered the all-time diss track pantheon. It cracked the Billboard

T

op 10 singles chart, and made its producer a global star hes got

one

hell of a contacts list

s

of guests he might bring out for this set. AB

The evolution of Young Miko

Tems

Me & U was a high

–

watermark for Afrobeats, one of the best songs of 2023 and a regal announcement of the Nigerian singers own pop potential after she stole the show on Wizkids Essence. She kept up the pace with the lithe, riveting Not An Angel, and her forthcoming debut album will be a major event in global pop. Catch her up close while you still can in Indio. AB

Bicep

The Northern Irish club music duo have long been underground favorites who thought like arena stars, packing their after-hours material with memorable sonic signatures and lacing their big-tent singles with care and complexity. Now theyve built a dazzling AV stage show to match, and in the spirt of label mates Odesza and Bonobo, this could be the set that kicks them into a new tier of dance musics arena acts. AB

Victoria Mont

After establishing herself behind the scenes as a songwriter for the likes of Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony and Blackpink, Mont broke out big on her own last year with Jaguar II, a crafty, witty retro-soul record that led to her being named best new artist at Februarys Grammy Awards. Come for the slinky On My Own, about being so deep in my bag, like a grandma with a peppermint; stay for Im the One, in which she taunts an ex now unable to enjoy the sight of her riding horseback towards you, slow motion on a beach

, titties bouncing and everything

. MW

After a career writing hits for others, Victoria Mont is ready to take control

Justice

Theres a universal truth that whenever Justice plays Coachella, an epic D.A.N.C.E. party will follow. The French duos first live show was at the fest in 2007, with a performance that may be second only to Daft Punks iconic set for the biggest electronic moments of the fest. This is the electro house duos fifth time at Coachella and it will mark the debut of a new live show for album Hyperdrama, due out April 26. Tame Impalas Kevin Parker has the potential for a guest spot since hes on the new single One Night/All Night. VF

Rene Rapp

Can the algorithm even survive two high-intensity subcultures lesbian TikTok and musical theater thrust under one Coachella tent with the famously brash Rapp at the helm? Whatever happens in there, Snow Angel still rips. AB

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Sublime

Life is too short so love the one you got. Chances are that if youre at Coachella youre adhering to one of the ten

e

ts of Long Beach’s patron saints of reggae rock. In the 90s their blend of reggae with hip-hop and punk rock swagger created a unique lane amid

st

the alt-FM airwaves. Though their styles been imitated ad nauseum to the point of spawning its own Cali Reggae subculture, none of the offshoots come close to the true passion that inspired

the late

Brad Nowell, Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson to create a soulful, sun-soaked stoner sound all their own. With

the late

Nowells son Jakob now taking up the mantle of Sublime (without Rome), the ability to recapture some of

that

the bands original magic finally feels within reach.

NJ It took Bradley Nowell’s son years to embrace Sublime. Now he’ll lead the band at Coachella

Victoria Mont

After establishing herself behind the scenes as a songwriter for the likes of Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony and Blackpink, Mont broke out big on her own last year with Jaguar II, a crafty, witty retro-soul record that led to her being named best new artist at Februarys Grammy Awards. Come for the slinky On My Own, about being so deep in my bag, like a grandma with a peppermint; stay for Im the One, in which she taunts an ex now unable to enjoy the sight of her riding horseback towards you, slow motion on a beach, titties bouncing and everything.MW

Khruangbin

When people complain that Coachella isnt about the music anymore, point them to Khruangbin. Blurring the lines between psychedelic rock, funk, soul and surf rock

,

the Texas trios mostly instrumental jams are best described as sonic comfort. The Coachella appearance comes on the heels of the release of new album A La Sala, but their previous two EPs, Texas Sun and Texas Moon featured Leon Bridges, who is playing Coachellas country sister event Stagecoach at the end of the month, so heres hoping he drops by. VF

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Kevin Abstract

The former Brockhampton frontman has long been a regular presence at Goldenvoices festivals, including Coachella, where the hip-hop boy band played two of its final gigs (at least until the inevitable reunion) in 2022. Abstract arrives in the desert this year behind last falls Blanket, a moody, guitar-oriented solo disc with heavy echoes of 90s-era alternative rock.MW

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Brittany Howard

Roots-rock fans know her from her roof-raising stint leading Alabama Shakes. But on her own Howard is much harder to classify: Her acclaimed sophomore solo LP, What Now, which came out in February, pulls from funk, soul, jazz, psychedelia and even classic house music as Howard uses her powerful voice to ponder the forces of conflict and liberation. Big Prince energy, in other words. MW

How Brittany Howard got married, went solo and learned to love herself

LImpratrice

No matter who is playing against LImpratrice on Friday at Coachella, I recommend ditching them in favor of the French sextet with the snazzy stagewear. After seeing hundreds of Coachella sets over the years, LImpratrice in 2022 is among the best. Get ready to groove to some French disco with a dash of yacht rock. The dance party was unmatched with songs like Peur des filles and Voodoo? but since the group just announced a new album, Pulsar, out in June, heres hoping well get a new song or two mixed into the set. VF

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Deftones

Are Deftones a complete mismatch with the typical hype beast Coachella vibes? Yes. Does that make their set in Indio even more fun to watch? Def-initely. The tortured wails of Chino Moreno combine with the bands chest-rattling wall of dissonance is destined to harsh the buzz of those who were just looking for a place to nap in between sets unless youre a really heavy sleeper. Adding to the KROQ nostalgia machine working overtime at the fest this year, Deftones one-of-a-kind aggression connects with sad and

pissed off

angry people of any age, whether youre a newly-initiated Zoomer or an OG Coachella head

.

NJ

Militarie Gun

Even as Coachella has skewed to booking the biggest pop stars in the world in recent years, the nods to Goldenvoices roots as a punk promoter are always on the lineup with a face-melting punk set or two. Following in the footsteps of Japandroids, Fidlar and Turnstile from previous Coachellas, I predict Militarie Gun is the one to watch this year. Plus, you probably already know the L.A. bands song Do It Faster from that Taco Bell commercial. VF

Lana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat to headline Coachella 2024

Taking Back Sunday

Look, theres a point during every Coachella weekend where the whole thing gets a little overwhelming. This would be a good time to seek out the Taking Back Sunday set which is fittingly on Sunday. Let all of the feelings flow through you with a cathartic scream-along led by the elder emos in attendance to the bands classics such as MakeDamnSure and Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team). There should be some decent mosh pit action for this set, too. VF

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