California’s largest and most famous music festival announced its 2023 lineup on Tuesday, with artists and groups from around the world set to perform at the desert event this April.
With headliners like K-pop sensation BLACKPINK and Puerto Rican pop star Bad Bunny, San Francisco has the most diverse line-up in years, but something is noticeably lacking — San Francisco.
SF got the snub for the lack of local bands playing the festival, but the wider Bay Area and its neighborhoods are represented by four acts with rising stars. From Palo Alto bedroom pop singers to Antioquia emerging rap collectives, here are four of his music acts that represent Northern California.
Lemiwolf
On her YouTube channel, Remi Wolf describes herself as “a crazy Bay Area bitch” who grew up in Palo Alto and attended Palo Alto High School. She appeared as a contestant on ‘American Idol’ during her senior year in 2014.
Wolf’s music fits into the genre of bedroom pop with elements of funk and soul. Her hits like “Sexy Villain” and “Disco Man” are perfect for lounging in the park or getting her feet up on a stroll around town.
AG Club
Hip-hop group AG Club hails from Antioquia, and its members are quick to point out their differences from the Bay Area’s well-known urban hip-hop artists.
“No other part of the Gulf is as vibrant as Oakland or San Francisco,” Jodie Fontaine, one of the group’s rappers and writers, said in a 2020 interview with Flaunt.”… We weren’t at the center of all the activity and became exposed to a variety of inspirations outside our local sense. I wasn’t a Bay Area kid.”
This difference means that their music is not tied to the sounds of a particular region, and can be heard on songs like “Memphis” and “Columbia”.
frown
The image presented by Santa Cruz punk group Scowl isn’t usually what comes to mind when you think of the hardcore genre. In fact, a lot of it has to do with flowers. But the band is still making a name for itself in the punk scene, crafting what DSCVRD calls “the most rhythmically intense, vocally intense music to leap out of the Bay Area chasm.”
The band’s performance at Coachella is particularly timely at a time when the Bay Area punk scene seems to be making a full-blown comeback.
destroy boys
Another Northern California punk group in the line-up is Sacramento garage punk band The Destroy Boys. Hits like the group’s hits “Muzzle” and “I threw a glass in my friend’s eye and now he’s on probation” are sure to whack your body at Coachella. In the true spirit of Northern California Resistance, many of the group’s songs tackle LGBTQ experiences and issues such as police brutality and patriarchal ideologies.