Many people have been hailing the 2023 Riot Fest lineup as one of the annual event’s best yet — and there’s good cause for the praise.
As one of the largest remaining indie-produced events in the country, Riot Fest and its organizers don’t play by the usual rules, producing a solid smorgasbord of sounds for the weekend that you’d be hard-pressed to find together in a lineup elsewhere.
They’ve of course got the big guns with rock vets Foo Fighters (at 8 p.m. Friday), a double Ben Gibbard platter with Death Cab For Cutie (at 6:50 p.m. Saturday) and The Postal Service (at 9 p.m. Saturday), and a finale from the always-enigmatic The Cure (at 7:40 p.m. Sunday) who, 45 years in, are receiving some of the best praise of their career.
They’ve also got the full album plays. In addition to Death Cab and The Postal Service doing a front-to-back performance of their seminal records, other highlights include The Breeders playing “Last Splash” in full (at 5:50 p.m. Friday), and Quicksand delivering all of “Slip” (at 4:45 p.m. Friday).
Riot also has their pulse on some of the scene’s best emerging artists, who are definitely worth checking out on their journeys to possible future headliner status — and beyond.
Fea
As if an endorsement by Iggy Pop in Rolling Stone wasn’t rad enough, this fierce Chicana punk band from San Antonio (birthed in the wake of Girl In A Coma) has had support from Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Babes In Toyland’s Lori Barbero and the legend Alice Bag in the studio, helping to refine their riot grrl-meets-post-punk-meets-Latin pop sound on bilingual songs like “Feminazi” and “Ya Se.” Oh, and they’re signed to Joan Jett’s label Blackheart Records. Could there be a better band to kick off Riot Fest 2023? We think not. (noon Friday @ Rebel Stage)
Olivia Jean
The mod-fueled garage rocker fits well into the legacy of Detroit’s finest with slick guitar licks and an approachable sound that might have you pogoing in Douglass Park. After splitting from the lo-fi goth coven The Black Belles, Jean went solo in 2014, launching with the bullseye debut “Bathtub Love Killings” inspired by an 1800s serial killer. On her latest effort, 2023’s “Raving Ghost” (Third Man Records), she gets an assist from new husband and long-time collaborator Jack White. But it’s Jean who truly stands out on the record — and not just for her unmissable Priscilla-meets-Elvira presence. (12:50 p.m. Friday @ Riot Stage)
Pinkshift
Eight years after No Doubt absolutely crushed Riot Fest, a next gen equivalent is poised to be one of the 2023 highlights. Frontperson Ashrita Kumar has that Gwen je ne sais quoi with an injection of Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Rounded out by Paul Vallejo on guitar and Myron Houngbedji on drums, the rambunctious trio’s grunge-emo-pop-punk-rock brand on songs like “Burn The Witch” is the early Friday jolt needed to set the tone for the weekend. (12:50 p.m. Friday @ Rise Stage)
Enola Gay
The Belfast noise rockers may be in their infancy, but even though they haven’t released a ton of music yet, what they have shared with the masses already carries the wallop of a greatest hits album. Gritty fuzz face slips like “Scrappers,” “Leeches” and “The Birth Of A Nation” are protest songs at their finest, born out of the downward spiral of the 2020s. Musically, you could place the riotous quartet in with the likes of post-punk revivalists IDLES though they also find flings with hip-hop a la Rage Against The Machine on “Salt.” (12:45 p.m. Saturday @ Roots Stage)
Eshu Tune
Behind this emerging act is none other than Chicago-bred comedian Hannibal Buress. As a funny man, he’s appeared everywhere from Adult Swim to Comedy Central. But his transition into rapper alter ego Eshu Tune is still on the up-and-up after a big reveal in 2022 (including a launch party at Chicago’s own Chop Shop last November). This will be Eshu Tune’s Riot Fest debut, and with tracks like the cheeky rhyme slaying of “I Lift Weights,” it’s likely a set we’ll still be talking about years from now (Saturday, 6 p.m. @ Rebel Stage)
Fade ‘Em All
Their name might sound like a Metallica mashup but the only similarity in this four-piece is the ability to provoke some of the greatest mosh pits; several videos from their sets have found internet fame in the past years, so fair warning if you’re going to get up on the rail for this set. Getting up close and personal may be worth the bruises for the dynamo experimentalists that merge hip-hop, punk, a bit of techno, and chunky bass riffs into one overflowing melting pot that moves the genre forward. (12:15 p.m. Sunday @ Rise Stage)
Through N Through
In August, Riot Fest organizers announced three new bands added to the weekend’s lineup, chosen as part of the event’s community bands initiative that invited local acts from Lawndale, Pilsen and Little Village to submit their music for a chance to play on one of the fest stages. Hardcore group Through N Through fits well into the ethos of the event, giving a real lashing on Sunday but there’s also emcee 1300cadoe and indie duo Future Nobodies playing Saturday. Riot Fest organizers have also put together a playlist of a number of the community bands submissions, available on the official website. (12:40 p.m. Sunday @ Rebel Stage)
Empire State Bastard
A collaboration between Scottish anthemic rockers Biffy Clyro and reigning trash metal gods Slayer might sound like a “pigs flying” situation, but then again 2023 has given us far more surprises. Now comes this brand-new outfit teaming up BC singer Simon Neil and touring guitarist Mike Vennart with Slayer/Testament drumming beast Dave Lombardo and bassist Naomi Macleod of Bitch Falcon for a brutally delicious music feast that runs circles around a track of influences. Where “Harvest” is blistering trash, “Moi?” takes a gothy Deftones spin, and “The Looming” brings in a stoner rock backbone. (1:15 p.m. Sunday @ Rise Stage)
