By this time next week, we’ll all be talking about Jack White’s incendiary guitar playing and waxing nostalgic about ’90s flashbacks from Green Day and Weezer while still sharing reels of John Stamos with the Beach Boys.
But beyond Riot Fest’s primetime acts, there are some standout day talents vying for watershed moments too. From a Ronald McDonald-Black Sabbath mashup to Bono’s prodigal son and some of Chicago’s finest, here are the bands you’ll want to get to Douglass Park early to see (or check out on Spotify or Apple Music if big fests aren’t your thing).
La Rosa Noir
The latest addition to the Riot Fest lineup, La Rosa Noir is one of the hand-selected community bands pulled from the fest’s own backyard in North Lawndale and Little Village. Packing an eclectic mix of post-punk, surf rock, rockabilly, horns and Latin music, the DIY quartet invokes Siouxsie Sioux and The Cramps on “Pax” and “Chicano Stomp,” and a bit of Mazzy Star on “Lavender Warm.” Pregame with their debut album “Arellano” before the weekend. (Friday @ 12 pm, Roots Stage)
Mac Sabbath
It’s been nearly two months since Ozzy Osbourne left us, and as the tributes continue to pour in, none compare to this character act where Ronald McDonald meets Black Sabbath. On reworked songs like “Frying Pan” (“Iron Man”) and “Pair-A-Buns” (“Paranoid”), Ronald Osborne, Slayer MacCheeze, Grimalice and the Cat Burglar take on the fast food machine while staying reverent to the heavy metal songbook Ozzy helped create. His reaction to seeing them perform says it all. (Friday @ 1:05 pm, Weird World Stage)
Julia Wolf
Even before Drake boosted the L.A.-based alt-pop talent into the stratosphere with a guest placement on “Dog House,” Julia Wolf was one to watch. Her moody ballad “In My Room” has 1.4 million views on YouTube. A tender-hearted cover of Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” with mgk isn’t too shabby either. But beyond male co-star co-signs, Wolf’s original work stands on its own accord with confessional lyricism, wide-ranging production and an angel voice with a very strong grip. (Friday @ 1:40 pm, Riot Stage)
Violent Vira
She looks like Lydia Deetz, sounds like Hayley Williams and has been taking TikTok by storm, all before a proper album has even been released. Riding the same pop-metal wave as Poppy, Violent Vira is also about to crest after appearances at Sick New World in 2024 and Riot Fest this year. The stage is where the Mexican-American artist truly comes alive, possessed with the ghosts of childhood “religious trauma” that fuels much of her work. The latest, “Burn Me Like A Bible,” should have a warning for stigmata. (Saturday @ 12:30 pm, Radical Stage)
James
The shockwaves of Oasis-mania have barely subsided, but there’s another long-time-coming Brit invasion to write home about – fellow Manchester rockers James. Saturday’s appearance is a stop on the Britpop band’s first tour in 15 years, and they’re reintroducing themselves with a full play of their landmark album “Laid.” While the title track remains the ultimate relationship cautionary tale, the band’s smart wordsmithing has carried them through their latest, “Yummy.” Expect some new deep cuts, too. (Saturday @ 4:10 pm, Riot Stage)
The Effigies
As Riot Fest turns 20, it comes with a four-red star salute to Chicago’s punk rock history. In addition to a main set from Pegboy and an anniversary afterfest show from Naked Raygun, The Effigies also get their due. All three acts added to the lore of the explosive ‘80s scene, but The Effigies are regarded as the ones to step out first. Forty years later, they will play their 1984 debut “For Ever Grounded” in full and maybe add in some cuts from 2024’s “Burned,” their last with late frontman John Kezdy. (Sunday @ 12 pm, Riot Stage)
Dehd
The latest wave of Chicago rockers have reached a pinnacle moment in recent years with many of our own accumulating national exposure and tastemaker label deals. At the head of the class is Dehd, the DIY trio formed in 2015 and signed to Fat Possum. For a decade they’ve been winning hearts, even with their affirmations of “Bad Love.” There’s a real wanderlust spirit to Dehd’s music that is driven by reverb-drenched effects and unique vocal play, putting them somewhere in the Venn diagram of surf rock, garage rock and dream pop. (Sunday @ 4:50 pm, Radical Stage)
Lambrini Girls
If you’re not mercilessly jumping around and throwing fists in the air at Lambrini Girls, you may want to check your pulse. The UK punk rock duo is a brass knuckle punch of fireball energy, big charisma, and take no prisoners tongue-lashing on breakneck songs like “Bad Apples,” “No Homo” and “Big Dick Energy,” just some of their middle finger diatribes against lad culture and transphobia. If you’re seeing Idles later in the day, make this your warmup or you’ll regret it later. (Sunday @ 3:05 pm, Riot Stage)
Inhaler
Elijah Hewson has done a great job of carrying on the family business. The son of Bono, he fronts the chart-topping Dublin band with some of the same familiar charm and heart and an inherited talent for buoyant songwriting. But Inhaler is no nepo baby knockoff. The indie rock band – also including Robert Keating, Ryan McMahon and Josh Jenkinson – stand strong on its own stadium-ready rock anthems like “Your House” and “These Are the Days” that feel like part of our modern-day soundtrack. (Sunday @ 7:15 pm, Rise Stage)