It’s that time of year again. Boston Calling is here, and we’ve got the daily artist-by-artist rundowns to help you determine which sets to stake out, which new acts to catch, and when you’ll be safe to hit up the food trucks without missing a beat.
Dirty Bangs: 1:05, Red Stage
Genre: Rock
Recommended If You Like: The War on Drugs
As finalists of this year’s Rock ‘n Roll Rumble, local rockers Dirty Bangs have established themselves around the city for their ability to pull off a tight set. They’ll open Sunday with the kind of jangly, shoegazey rock that feels as suited to the sunlight as it does to their usual dim-lit digs.
Essential Track: I’m In Love with the Summertime
Bully: 1:40, JetBlue Stage
Genre: Garage Rock
Recommended If You Like: Diet Cig, Chastity Belt
Bully originally hails from Nashville, but it’s easy to imagine the band’s grungy sound fitting in at an Allston house show. The foursome builds the sort of sonic volatility that’s typically matched with angsty lyrics, but frontwoman and audio engineer Alicia Bognanno takes a more confessional approach to songwriting. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and their spot on the bill marks a step in the right direction for the festival representation of a stereotypically testosterone-ruled genre.
Essential Track: Trying
FIDLAR: 2:25 PM, Red Stage
Genre: Skate Punk
Recommended If you Like: Beastie Boys, Wavves
There’s something great about watching a band of debaucherous rockers tear through a crazy set in the shadow of City Hall, and if anyone can deliver that this weekend, it’s FIDLAR. Known for simple, shouty choruses revolving around cheap beer, weed, and beyond, their party-punk anthems seem destined to back high school rager montages in teen movies for years to come. There’s a good chance that this will be the weekend’s rowdiest set, and that the front-and-center crowd could explode into a Warped Tour-reminiscent mosh pit– but if that’s not your thing, you’ll be as much in the spirit if you’re off to the side with a beer (or two) in hand.
Essential Track: 40oz. on Repeat
Daughter: 3:10, JetBlue Stage
Genre: Folk
Recommended If You Like: The xx, Birdy
Daughter’s electronic-tinged folk is already stripped-down and sensitive–think sparse acoustic arrangements and vulnerable lyrics dredged from the very darkest corners of the soul–but following FIDLAR’s set, the effect will be especially abrupt. The UK trio currently has just one studio album to their name, but they’ve spent the summer recording, so we can hope that they’ll debut some new material on the plaza.
Essential Track: Youth
Twin Shadow: 4:05, Red Stage
Genre: Synthpop
Recommended If You Like: Future Islands, Fitz and the Tantrums
Singer-producer Twin Shadow brings a dose of ’80s revival to the afternoon. Defined by soaring hooks and polished synths, his sound has a broad appeal that’s led him to contribute to soundtracks of both Grand Theft Auto and a John Green tearjerker movie. It’s the ultimate “you can dance if you want to” set; whether you’re looking to chill out or you’re getting psyched up for the headliners, his music somehow just fits.
Essential Track: Old Love/New Love
MisterWives: 5:00, JetBlue Stage
Genre: Indie Pop
Recommended If You Like: Of Monsters and Men, American Authors
The afternoon’s upbeat streak continues with playful popsters MisterWives, a New York City sextet that initially formed when lead singer Mandy Lee couldn’t find an 80’s pop cover band to play her birthday party and instead decided to start one herself. Though their sound has leapt a few decades since those days, that sense of whimsy still resonates through their danceable tracks. They haven’t lost any love for playing covers, either: in the past they’ve tackled everything from Hall and Oates to Drake, and it seems likely that they could treat us to their own spin on something this Sunday.
Essential Track: Reflections
Nate Ruess: 6:05, Red Stage
Genre: Pop
Recommended If You Like: Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons, Fun.
Regardless of whether he’s performing in The Format, Fun., or as a solo artist, Nate Ruess by any other name is still Nate Ruess. His distinctive voice, Freddy Mercury-channeling theatricality, and orchestral pop songwriting spray a giant “NATE WAS HERE” graffiti tag across every project that he comes in contact with, and it seems to be working out for him considering the length of his career in such a moving-target genre. This weekend marks his return to Boston Calling after headlining the festival’s first-ever night with the rest of of Fun., and though he’ll be performing solo, this is sure to be a very (a-hem) fun set.
Essential Track: Nothing Without Love
Ben Howard: 7:10, JetBlue Stage
Genre: Indie Folk
Recommended If You Like: Angus & Julia Stone, Damien Rice
English singer-songwriter Ben Howard keeps the weekend’s twilight mood-setting streak locked down. He’s known best for his soulful storytelling and acoustic-plucking style, but he’ll likely draw a few numbers from his electric-tinged latest release as well.
Essential Listen: Only Love
Hozier: 8:15, Red Stage
Genre: Blues Rock
Recommended If You Like: George Ezra, The Black Keys
Around this time last year, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier rocketed to international fame on the tails of his YouTube-viral single “Take Me To Church”, and it was the kind of rise that’s enough to make any industry-weary music fan a little suspicious. True, he’s a major-label success story, but that shouldn’t be held against him: he’s got the chops to back it up. He only has the one album to work off of this weekend, but the entire catalogue is right on par with “Take Me To Church”’s approach, blending poetic lyricism and gospel backing vocals with a little bit of blues, folk, and rock. Take heart: he’s one of those instances where the music industry has turned a huge talent into a huge deal.
Essential Track: Jackie and Wilson
Alabama Shakes
Genre: Roots Rock
Recommended If You Like: Cold War Kids, Heartless Bastards
Alabama Shakes wraps up the festival by effectively throwing the kitchen sink at us, incorporating elements of soul, punk, R&B, and Southern flavor through a blues-rocky filter. They’re another group that’s seemingly risen out of the blue (in this case, the Alabama bar scene) to massive success, largely attributed to the talents of charismatic frontwoman Brittany Howard. Known for channeling greats like The Rolling Stones and Janis Joplin, they’ll round out the weekend by leaving no musical stone unturned.
Essential Track: Hold On