Hopscotch Music Festival has announced its return to Raleigh from September 5-7 via Brooklyn Vegan, with St. Vincent, Waxahatchee, and Faye Webster featured as this year’s headliners.
Founded in 2010 at Independent Weekly, a Raleigh-local alternative weekly newspaper, former headliners of the genre-diverse festival have included Pavement, Animal Collective, and Run The Jewels.
In a testament to 2024’s rising affinity for all things country, the lush and alt-tinged Waxahatchee will take the headlining stage Thursday, fronted by lo-fi folk legend Katie Crutchfield – who recently debuted cover of Drive-By Truckers “Outfit” on the road. No stranger to the festival circuit, and with six critically acclaimed albums under her belt, Crutchfield and Waxahatchee promise to kick things off strong for the festival.
Friday sees Waxahatchee passing the headline baton to one of their own contemporaries, indie folk singer-songwriter Faye Webster. Her most recent album, Underdressed At The Symphony, was inspired by the artist’s own last-minute compulsion to lose herself in the anonymity of attending her native Atlanta’s Symphony Orchestra performances – no doubt her whimsical and vulnerable stage presence will provide the same solace to Hopscotch’s crowds.
Rounding out this year’s headlining slots is St. Vincent, whose recent album All Born Screaming showcases the veteran rocker at her most primal, the first project fully produced by Annie Clark herself. Despite being the eldest headliner, her music is both genre and generation spanning – her recent collaboration with WILLOW being just one example of the mass appeal she brings to the lineup. If her previous appearances at festivals like Coachella, Primavera, and Bonnaroo are any indication, Hopscotch attendees are in for a treat with Saturday’s closing set.
Additionally, the lineup features the brooding, experimental alternative hip hop of JPEGMAFIA following last year’s co-headlining stint with Danny Brown, leading fans to speculate if new music is on the way. Canadian jazz ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD – who count Ghostface Killah, Little Dragon, and Turnstile as collaborators – will also be performing, keeping good on the festival’s promise to provide consistently eclectic, genre-agnostic offerings.
Other standouts include a reunion from jangle pop vets The dB’s (who last toured in 2012), Gen Z darling Snail Mail, Tim Heidecker of Tim & Eric fame, Los Angeles funk outfit Chicano Batman, and the first North Carolina appearance in 15 years from post-hardcore vets The Jesus Lizard.
In addition to the main lineup, a slew of club shows throughout Raleigh accompany the main stages, and tickets to the festival can be purchased here.
Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer
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