Riot Fest Has Announced Its First-Wave Lineup and It’s Amazing

Chicago’s Riot Fest will return to the city’s Douglas Park on Sept. 14-16 with a lineup full of artists you might have expected and a few surprises. Heavily punk- and rock-dominated, Riot Fest also includes artists outside of its core sound every year. The festival has just released its first-wave lineup, and artists like Pussy Riot, Alkaline Trio and Moose Blood are in sync with the styles the festival has aligned itself with throughout the years. Artists topping the bill along with Alkaline Trio include Incubus, Father John Misty and the iconic Blondie.

Father John Misty hits on the indie-rock vibe Riot Fest also brings in, and there are a few similar stand-outs. Indie-pop artist Bleachers is one of the first artists appearing on the poster and Flor shows up on the lineup as one of the less predictable inclusions. Atmosphere, a hip-hop duo from Minneapolis, adds another dash of diversity to the bill.

With artists from all over the U.S. and abroad coming to play, hometown boys Twin Peaks are on the lineup as well, giving the Chicago music scene some love. The Districts, who toured with Twin Peaks earlier this year, grace the poster alongside The Frights and Calpurnia, whose debut EP was produced by Cadien Lake James of Twin Peaks and whose vocalist, Finn Wolfhard, is known for his role as Mike Wheeler on Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Watch the festival’s teaser video below and see if you can guess the artists they were hinting at before checking out all the artists that have been announced thus far further down.