As dependable as the fog, the late summer music festival Outside Lands is scheduled to return to San Francisco to celebrate its 15th anniversary — and with it, the sounds of both well-known and up-and-coming artists.
Sprawled across the western end of Golden Gate Park, the outdoor event set for Friday-Sunday, Aug. 11-13, offers music lovers the chance to see many of the hottest acts, spanning genres from R&B and hip-hop to indie rock and dream pop.
Uniting many of this year’s performers is the spirit of liberation and levity that colors their latest releases. It might be post-pandemic feels or an inexplicable collective release, but many of the musicians seem to be turning a corner, letting go and letting loose.
Outside Lands boasts more than 70 bands over three days, which is sure to keep festivalgoers’ heads on a swivel. With bands playing simultaneously in different locations throughout the park and commute times between stages taking as long as 30 minutes, planning and persistence may determine who you’ll end up seeing.
While there’s something to be said for every act on the bill, here are the standout sets you shouldn’t miss this year.(Set times are subject to change.)
Janelle Monáe
Outside Lands 2023:11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Aug. 11-13. General admission starts at $299; VIP starts at $2,899. Golden Gate Park. S.F.www.sfoutsidelands.com
Take one look at the cover ofJanelle Monáe’s latest album, “The Age of Pleasure,” and you’ll pick up on the carefree chapter the pop star’s career has entered. Underwater and sporting nothing but bikini bottoms and a beaming expression, Monáe swims through a row of pool-bound legs like an aquatic “Soul Train” dancer.
With their latest effort, Monáe, who identifies as nonbinary, is lighter, more exuberant and quite simply on their “Champagne S—.” Songs like “Float” and “Water Slide” announce they “done changed” and “feel phenomenal.” Afrobeat sounds and self-loving proclamations about feeling “haute” (enunciated with throaty chutzpah) are the stuff summers are made of, and make a case for floating as the clear alternative to dancing.
“The Age of Pleasure” is Monáe’s first album in five years — their last electrifying Outside Lands performance took placein 2018— a hiatus they spentstarring in movieslike “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Now that they’re back with an effervescent vengeance, who wouldn’t want to join the pleasure party?
6:55-7:55 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11. Lands End Stage.
Soccer Mommy
Before she turned 20, singer-songwriterSophie Allisonwas aBandcamphit with her indie rock project Soccer Mommy. The Nashville artist has harnessed a grunge-pop sound with a distinctive voice that’s equal parts sweet and disenchanted. Soccer Mommy has a sound reminiscent of the 1990s, and cranks out lovelorn, cinematic singles like “Circle the Drain” and “Your Dog” that could fit into an angsty romance movie.
In addition to cementing herself as a modern indie rock darling, the artist has embraced the past with a fuzzy cover of Sheryl Crow’s upbeat 2002 hit “Soak Up the Sun” and a melancholic rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s lusty 1984 single “I’m on Fire.”
Soccer Mommy is also scheduled to play the Independent the night before her Outside Lands appearances.
10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12. The Independent,628 Divisadero St., S.F.theindependentsf.com•12:40-1:10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13. The Music Den by Toyota.•7:30-8:15 p.m. Sunday. Panhandle Stage.
Poolside
“一年绕太阳”的游泳池边,the Los Angeles-based group led by Jeffrey Paradise with soft-focus grooves like “California Sunset” and vibey covers like尼尔年轻’s “Harvest Moon.” Paradise, who got his start throwing San Francisco parties in the early 2000s, have come a long way. In the spring, the band announced it had signed a record deal after a decade (and three albums) of independent music production.
“It’s time to let Poolside grow beyond the confines of what I can control,” wrote Paradise in an Instagram post announcing Poolside’s future with Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records.
By design, the nu-disco music of Poolside is what you cue up at pool parties. Paradise started the project in 2011 out of a Los Angeles pool house and leaned into its laid-back origins by performing at pool parties around Southern California. Seeing the outfit perform live and fleshed out with a seven-piece band in Golden Gate Park, performing gentle jams like “Can’t Stop Your Lovin',” should be nothing less than magical.
DJ set. 6-6:30 p.m. Saturday. The Music Den by Toyota.•3:40-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Lands End Stage.
Yaya Bey
Sultry, swaggery singer Yaya Bey is in her liberation era. The Brooklyn-based R&B artist’s last two albums, 2022’s “Remember Your North Star” and its 2023 companion, “Exodus the North Star,” shine a light on grief and heartache, allowing the darkness to lift. In the former album, Bey lamented that “nobody knows my troubles,” while with the follow-up EP she asserts with easy confidence that she’s “a meal.” Both records embody an easygoing reggae spirit and display the artist’s vulnerability and strength.
Sparkling Afrobeat songs like “Pour Up” highlight Bey’s Caribbean roots. The poetic musician is the daughter of New York hip-hop artist Grand Daddy I.U., for whom she helped craft hooks in her youth,according to Rolling Stone.
12:55-1:25 p.m. Friday.The Music Den by Toyota.•3-3:40 p.m. Friday. Panhandle Stage.
Father John Misty
前舰队狐狸鼓手的父亲约翰·米斯迪长大后e a preeminent voice of the 2010s with his friendly, folksy style that exudes both emotion and satire. The musician, whose real name is Joshua Michael Tillman, released his fifth album, “Chloë and the Next 20th Century,” last year, and this year appeared on fellow Outside Lands performer Lana Del Rey’s new track “Let the Light In.” But his 2012 single “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” still hits, and its refrain, “Jesus Christ, girl,” seems the perfect line to belt out along with the festival crowd.
5-6 p.m. Saturday.Lands End Stage.
Megan Thee Stallion
Since the pandemic began, the prospect of living out one’s “hot girl summer” has felt out of reach. But in 2023, it feels like the moment has finally arrived. Grammy-winning rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion, whose 2019 song “Hot Girl Summer” trademarked the concept, is here to help the Outside Lands crowd embrace that state of mind.
The Texas native has been said to be in healing mode since enduring online vitriol and surviving a gunshot wound in 2020. But who says the artist can’t heal while she does what she does best? If 2021’sBottle Rock performancewas any indication, the resilient entrepreneur (Megan Thee Stallion has her own Popeye’s hot sauce) and TikTok sound generator is sure to bring the heat in San Francisco. With a festival lineup that tends to skew indie pop, seeing the anime-loving rapper perform her bombastic verses is an opportunity to turn it up and be as saucy as you want to be.
6:20-7:20 p.m. Sunday. Lands End Stage.
Kendrick Lamar
Pulitzer Prize-winning rapperKendrick Lamarhas had a busy 12 months. The Compton (Los Angeles County) native, who for the last decade has been signed to Dr. Dre’s record label Aftermath, won best rap album for his eighth studio album, “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers,” at this year’s Grammy Awards. That came after he took his storytelling to the stage in a theatrical tour that kicked off last June.
This year, Lamar is continuing his 99-dateBig Steppers Tour, bringing his urgent lyrics and brash beats to Golden Gate Park. Whether his latest fatherhood-focused record is your jam, or the brainy bangers on 2017’s “Damn,” or his thematic “Black Panther” soundtrack, Lamar’s show is sure to fill both the heady and party quotient.
8:40-9:55 p.m. Friday. Lands End Stage.
La Doña
What does San Francisco sound like?La Doña’s version sounds like propulsive cumbia rhythms, ranchera-style trumpets skipping over contemporary beats and sass that exudes through each lyric, a mix of English and Spanish. The occasional joyfulgritoworks its way into her more traditional mariachi numbers. La Doña’s visual output is just as inspired. Think tassels, winged eyeliner and lowrider cars.
The singer’s Latin drumbeats are so catchy they caught the attention of former President Barack Obama, who included “Penas Con Pan” in his annual summer playlist this year. The multi-instrumentalist, who is “desdeSan Francisco” (Bernal Heights to be exact), as she exclaims in her song “Cuando Se Van,” told the Chronicle that making the former president’s list was an “honor and surprise.” La Doña is set to bring her femmeton sound, a genre she coined to describe her brand of feminist reggaeton, to the stage on Outside Lands’ opening afternoon.
12:10-12:55 p.m. Friday. Lands End Stage.
The 1975
Given frontman Matt Healy’s antagonistic reputation and controversial relationship withTaylor Swift, it’s tempting to give English pop band the 1975 nothing more than an eye roll. But poppy, desirous singles like “Somebody Else” give the band its own legs to stand on. Most 1975 songs shimmer as they lead up to a crescendo that lights up the part of your brain that’s irresistible to boy bands. Some of the Brits’ songs even ooze the same quality that made pop band Francis and the Lights so pleasingly soulful.
The 1975’s Outside Lands set will be its third in a slew of North American tour dates that run through the rest of the year.
8:20-9:35 p.m. Sunday. Twin Peaks Stage.
Cuco
With his mop of tousled hair, wispy mustache and soft stare,Cucorose to fame in 2016 with tender bedroom pop that centered around love and longing. But the young Chicano musician’s languid melodies feature Spanglish lyrics about dissociation and riding with the homies in his CR-V (toting groceries with “no game”) just as much as he croons about wanting to hang out with his girl after the sun sets.
An artist of the internet, Cuco was just 17 when a YouTube video in which he played along with a clip of the 1959 steel guitar classic “Sleep Walk” went viral. Since then, a dedicated fan base has watched him blossom from shy guy to a more self-realized — yet just as sentimental — artist with an experimental sensibility.
4:05-4:55 p.m. Friday. Lands End Stage.
Alvvays
From Broken Social Scene to Metric, our neighbors to the north have produced some solid indie rock bands, and Toronto export Alvvays might be one of the best in recent memory.
The quintet’s sugary stylings have been a decadent favorite of the noise-pop genre since it released its debut self-titled record in 2014. Its current effort, 2022’s “Blue Rev,” sees the band going for a bigger sound that showcases lead singer Molly Rankin’s stirring vocals in a range of emotional states and layers. The record is a less saccharine, more substantial effort capable of communicating everything from regret and wistfulness to jubilation and deliverance.
3:40-4:30 p.m. Saturday. Lands End Stage.
Raveena
Listening to the alluring music ofRaveenais to escape to a sumptuous sonic landscape where Mother Earth is, well, mother. With poetic verses on par with Rupi Kaur, the singer knows how to make softness sound like a superpower.
The New York-raised singer incorporates her South Asian culture in some of her songs as well as her videos, remixing traditional Indian sounds with New Agey references and explorations of the gender queer experience. (The artist used her video for “Temptation” to come out as bisexual,according to NPR.)
Hearing her syrupy vocal quality and ultrafeminine style, you might not realize it when Raveena’s lyrics throw shade, like when she sings, “Baby don’t touch me, you don’t know how.” But that stealthy sass is just another reason to fall in love with her.
2:45-3:45 p.m. Friday. Lands End Stage.
Interpol
Whether the early aughts genre indie sleaze is on its way out again or still having a moment, Interpol, whose sound hit its peak around that time, is here to stay. (Stream the recent music documentary “Meet Me in the Bathroom” to learn about the cultural movement in which the New York rock band came up.)
在过去的26年,银行的平坦,distincti保罗ve vocal quality coupled with Daniel Kessler’s catchy guitar riffs have created an indelible harmony and a loyal fan base. The two members write most of the band’s material, and 2022’s “The Other Side of Make Believe,” its seventh record, sees them exploring its softer side. But Interpol knows the power of nostalgia; for its Outside Lands set, the band will play 2002’s critically acclaimed album “Turn on the Bright Lights” in its entirety.
8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10. $75. The Independent, 628 Divisadero St., S.F.theindependentsf.com•8-9:10 p.m. Friday. Sutro Stage.
Trixie Mattel
Adding a little glamour to the standard festival mix is drag queen Trixie Mattel, who’s set to perform her signature combination of comedy and acoustic pop.
The Wisconsin native’s career took off in 2018 when she won “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season three with her high-camp style and stripped-down folk performances. After her reign, she showed off her charisma and improvisational prowess in the YouTube series “UNHhhh” as one half of a comic duo with fellow “Drag Race” alum Katya.
Trixie Mattel also teamed up with alt-country singer Orville Peck to release the 2021 single “Jackson,” a rendition of Johnny Cash and June Carter’s 1967 hit, which would be fun to see live on the festival stage. Unfortunately, Peck, who was originally announced on the Outside Lands bill, won’t be making it to Golden Gate Park. The masked “outlaw cowboy” canceled his summer tour dates due to mental and physical health struggles.
Still, the contrast of Trixie Mattel’s bold, irreverent humor and understated folk tunes create a beguiling kind of variety show you won’t want to miss.
DJ set. 10 p.m. Saturday. $50. Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave., S.F. • 7:50-8:35 p.m. Saturday. Panhandle Stage.
No Vacation
No Vacation melds warm, hazy instrumentation with singer Sabrina Mai’s cool, disaffected vocals for an irresistible dream-pop sound. Now based in Brooklyn, the indie pop outfit originally formed in San Francisco in 2015 before it temporarily broke up after only a year together. Since reforming in 2017, it’s cranked out a steady stream of surf rock singles ever since.
Listen to “Waltzing Back” to get a sense of the band’s moodier yet still pop-laden sound.
7:30 Thursday. $21.25, must be age 21 or older. California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, S.F.•Noon-12:45 p.m. Saturday. Lands End Stage. • 4:20-5 p.m. Saturday. The Music Den by Toyota.
Correction:A previous version of this story misidentified the record label of Poolside, which now has only one member. The band helmed by Jeffrey Paradise is signed to Counter Records.
Reach Vanessa Labi:Vanessa.Labi@sfchronicle.com