Two Exciting Festivals This Month

Two festivals will be held in the Brookside at The Rose Bowl this month. Just Like Heaven (May 13) and Cruel World Fest (May 20). This year will be Just Like Heaven’s third event. Their first showcase was in 2019. The festival (run by Coachella promoters) Goldenvoice puts together an annual lineup of “era-defining indie artists from the 2000’s”, said on the festival’s site. 

The lineup will consist of Cults, The Sounds, STRFKR, Azealia Banks, Peaches, The Bravery, The Walkmen, M83, Empire of The Sun, MGMT, and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s. (This is only a portion of the lineup.) 

This will be The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s first Time headlining the festival. In 2019 they opened for Phoenix, who headlined. MGMT will be playing all of their debut studio album ‘Oracular Spectacular’ this year. That means you could hear their hit songs Kids, Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, and more like The Youth and Weekend Wars. This will be an enjoyable and nostalgic set. Speaking of Nostalgia, you’ll be able to catch The Walkmen. You might know them for their hit song The Rat, released in 2004 off their album Bows + Arrows. The indie rock/ post-punk revival legends are currently on a farewell tour. A fantastic performance is awaiting but also a very bittersweet goodbye.

Set times have been released for Just Like Heaven. The show starts at noon sharp on both the “stardust” and “Orion stage.” Eli Glad will open the front along with Cults and The Faint on the Orion stage. During these two sets, The Sounds and STRFKR will be playing back-to-back. After Them, Metronomy will begin theirs, and so will Azealia Banks on the Orion stage. Next, Ladytron on Stardust and Fever Ray on the Orion. At 5:15 pm, The Walkmen will begin that bittersweet set of theirs. Future Islands and Empire of The Sun will be playing after. Hot Chip and Caribou on the Orion stage. Now this is where it gets tricky. MGMT will begin their set at 8:35 pm on the Stardust, while M83 will start at 8:55 pm on the Orion. A sacrifice will have to be made here by many. My girlfriend and I will miss M83’s set for MGMT. We are pretty bummed, but at least we won’t miss any of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, which will make it up.

On May 20, Cruel World will provide exciting performances from your parents’ probably favorite artists. (set times have yet to be announced) Last year the festival was headlined by Morrissey. This year Siouxsie Sioux will be closing the show! Following a performance by Iggy Pop and Billy Idol. Human League and Echo & The Bunnymen will play with more 80s favorites like Gary Numan, Modern English, and Gang of Four. At the moment, Siouxsie is on a comeback tour. She’s back on the stage after ten years, just like The Walkmen. The dark queen will surely not disappoint the post-punk-hungry crowd. You can catch synth-ridden throwback hits from Human League or even darker, edgier ones from The Bunnymen and Gang of Four, like The Killing Moon, Nocturnal Me, Damaged Goods, and more. Will you participate in these two days of music from two iconic eras? Probably half the people in our school wish they were living in.