Pitchfork Music Festival is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in Chicago’s Union Park over the weekend of July 17-19th. Since 2006, Pitchfork Fest has been a midsummer haven for indie music fans from near and far. Over the years, the festival has remained great, largely due to how little it has changed. Artists take to the simply named Red, Green, and Blue stages that are all located a hop, skip, and a jump away from each other. Most importantly, the expertly-curated lineup runs the gamut from punk to electronic to hip-hop artists, all of whom are top-notch.
Pitchfork has become known for booking quality headliners to end each night of the festivities. Friday night will close with the sounds of seminal Chicago rockers Wilco. Any time Wilco plays in Chicago, it is special, and both the band and their crowd are known to let loose a little more for festival shows. Saturday night will conclude with the recently reunited riot grrrl pioneers Sleater-Kinney, who have played very few festival dates since getting back together. Shutting down the festival will be ascending hometown hero Chance the Rapper. Chance will also be present throughout the weekend in the form of beer with his Goose Island collaboration No Collar Lager being released at the festival.
In a year where many festivals have been criticized for a lack of a female presence, Pitchfork has compiled a bill packed with quality women. In addition to snagging one of the most important female acts of all time in Sleater-Kinney, each day is packed with girl power. Friday features Scottish electro poppers CHVRCHES on the Red Stage, led by the diminutive but powerful Lauren Mayberry. Saturday’s Blue Stage lineup includes the garage punk angst of Bully and the dream pop of Mr. Twin Sister. Sunday’s leading ladies include the melancholic anthems of Waxahatchee and Australian wordsmith Courtney Barnett.
In addition to Chance the Rapper, the entire weekend will be heavy on hip-hop performers. ILOVEMAKKONEN will have the festival going up on Friday night with his R&B infused tracks. Saturday’s Blue Stage lineup has Vince Staples performing before local favorite Vic Mensa closes. Warming up the hip-hop heads on Sunday will be two powerhouse duos in Freddie Gibbs & Madlib and Run the Jewels.
With larger events in Chicago dedicating stages or entire lineups to DJs, it might be easy to make the mistake of overlooking Pitchfork’s electronic lineup. Multiple artists will be on hand with various forms of beat heavy material. Both Panda Bear and Jamie XX will step away from their full-time bands to deliver material from their much lauded solo albums. Dan Snaith and his band Caribou are sure to entrance the crowd with their dense melodies. PC Music crew leader A.G. Cook and affiliate SOPHIE will please some and aggravate others with their over the top pop. Perhaps most excitingly, Norwegian space disco king Todd Terje will make a rare North American appearance on Sunday.
In addition to great music, Pitchfork also gives fanatics the chance to knock out some shopping. Hosted by the American Poster Institute and Speedball, Flatstock gathers premier show poster artists to sell their wares. Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) will conduct a record fair featuring collectible vinyl sold by labels, record stores, and private sellers. Bookworms in attendance need to be sure to stop by Book Fort, an interactive book fair with several independent publishers, presses, and literary organizations.
For more information on Pitchfork Music Festival visit their official website.