80/35 Festival 2022 Preview

Where I-80 meets I-35 in Des Moines, Western Gateway Park once again hosts the great 80/35 Music Festival, Friday & Saturday, July 8th & 9th, back after missing the...
80/35
80/35

Where I-80 meets I-35 in Des Moines, Western Gateway Park once again hosts the great 80/35 Music Festival, Friday & Saturday, July 8th & 9th, back after missing the last two years to COVID:


FRIDAY, JULY 8th

Hy-Vee Main Stage

 

Father John Misty, 9:15 PM

While a member of folk outfit Fleet Foxes, guitarist Joshua Tillman found time to do his own solo stuff (QRO album review), but in 2012 he moved to solo full-time as Father John Misty (QRO photos) with Fear Fun, and he comes to 80/35 (QRO photos at a festival) behind this year’s Chloe and the Next 20th Century. As Aziz Ansari said in Master of None, “That’s a hot ticket!”

Father John Misty
   

Japanese Breakfast, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM

The solo project of Michelle Zauner (QRO photos at a festival), Japanese Breakfast (QRO photos outdoors) already brought Soft Sounds from Another Planet (QRO review) in 2017, and last year wowed the world with Jubilee (QRO review) and Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, including a wonderful return to touring (QRO 2021 photos) with her beautiful show, gong included (QRO photos at a ’22 festival). And she’s coming to 80/35 after playing the season finale of Saturday Night Live!

Japanese Breakfast
   

Guided by Voices, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM

Among the influential alternative music acts of the nineties was Dayton, Ohio’s Guided By Voices (QRO photos at a festival). Centered on the ultra-prolific Robert Pollard (QRO solo album review), GBV drew on nearly every rock sound, as well as being one of the pioneers of today’s lo-fi and neo-garage sounds. In 2010 Pollard revived the retired GBV moniker and reunited with the original, 1993-1996 ‘classic’ line-up for label Matador Records’ 21st anniversary bash in Las Vegas – and kept it going, not just on the road (QRO photos at an Iowa festival), but of course with many, many releases – 2012 saw Let’s Go Eat the Factory (QRO review), Class Clown Spots a UFO (QRO review), and The Bears for Lunch (QRO review); the next year ‘only’ English Little League (QRO review), and Motivational Jumpsuit and Cool Planet in 2014, with which he once again broke up the band – only to revive it once again, with a largely new line-up, and yet more records, as they come to 80/35 (QRO photos at a ’22 festival).

Guided By Voices
   
   

Kum & Go Stage

 

!!!, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM

Sacramento dance-punk act !!! (QRO photos) – pronounced “chk chk chk” – were seriously blowing people away a decade-and-a-half ago (QRO live review) with Myth Takes (QRO review), then seemingly disappeared, only to come back (QRO live review) in 2010 with the somewhat derivative Strange Weather, Isn’t It (QRO review). But the now-New York outfit (QRO live review in New York) came back in force with 2013’s great TH!!!ER (QRO review), and the band (QRO spotlight on) still knows how to liven it up live & outdoors (QRO live review outdoors), even at festivals (QRO photos at a festival), or even overseas (QRO photos at a European festival). 2015 saw the strong As If (QRO review), then 2017’s Shake the Shudder (QRO review), 2020’s Certified Heavy Kats EP (QRO review), and this year’s Let It Be Blue (QRO review). And singer Nic Offer (QRO interview) still knows how to shake it (QRO live review), as he’s been doing all year (QRO photos at a ’22 festivalQRO ’22 live review).

!!!
   

Also:

Pachyman, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM

Meet Me @ The Altar, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM

Outsider, Outsider, 5:15 PM – 5:45 PM

Meet Me @ the Altar
   
   

Bravo Stage

 

Maddie Poppe, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM

Trevor Sensor, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM

Pictoria Vark, 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Juliano Dock, 5:45 PM – 6:15 PM

Stars Hollow, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Trevor Sensor
   
   

Emerging Artist Stage

 

The Crust Band, 8:15 PM – 9:00 PM

28 Days Later, 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM

DMMC Summer Camp, 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

The Crust Band

SATURDAY, JULY 9th

Hy-Vee Main Stage

 

Charli XCX, 9:15 PM

Charlotte Aitchison, under the moniker Charli XCX (QRO photos at a festival), is one of Britain’s most elusive dark pop songstresses (QRO photos at a festival). Already after opening slots on big-name tours as well as festivals (QRO photos at a festival), not to mention co-writing the breakthrough song for Icona Pop, “I Love It”, she started to solidify her career as a pop songwriter to be reckoned with (QRO photos), with 2013 seeing her release her debut full-length, True Romance, and playing her own headlining gigs (QRO photos). In 2015 she achieved her own breakthrough single, “Break the Rules”, on sophomore full-length Sucker, along with 2019’s Charli, 2020’s made-in-six-COVID-weeks How I’m Feeling Now, and this year’s hit Crash, now coming to 80/35 (QRO photos at a festival).

Charli XCX
   

Future Islands, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM

Baltimore’s Future Islands (QRO photos at a festival) play a highly acclaimed, darker form of synth-pop (QRO photos at a festival) as they come to Austin City Limits Festival (QRO photos at a festival) as they come back to the road (QRO 2021 photosQRO 2022 photos) behind 2020’s As Long as You Are.

Future Islands
   

Jamila Woods, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM

Chicago’s own Jamila Woods brings her black feminist self-love perspective to Des Moines (QRO photos at a Midwestern festival).

Jamila Woods
   

The Envy Corps, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM

Ames’ own Envy Corps (QRO photos at 80/35 ’14) return to 80/35 (QRO photos at 80/35 ’11QRO photos at 80/35 ’19).

Also:

Miloe, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

B.Well, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

The Envy Corps
   
   

Kum & Go Stage

 

MonoNeon, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM

Dywayne Thomas Jr. first became known as one of the last people to work with the legendary Prince, but the bassist is making his own name as MonoNeon.

MonoNeon
   

BLACKSTARKIDS, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM

From over in Kansas City, BLACKSTARKIDS (QRO photos at a festival) blend hip, pop, indie & more like nineties nostalgia remade for a new generation (QRO photos at a festival).

BLACKSTARKIDS
   

Also:

Haiku Hands, 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM

Geese, 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM

Evann McIntosh, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

PSEUDO, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

James Tutson, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

Greg Wheeler, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

Naethan Apollo, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM

Haiku Hands
   
   

Bravo Stage

 

Vended, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Diplomats of Solid Sound, 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM

Mike Vallely and the Complete Disaster, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM

Avey Grouws Band, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM

Widow7, 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Alyx Rush, 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM

Anthony Worden, 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Dose, 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM

Colo Chanel, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM

NOLA Jazz Band, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM

Diplomats of Solid Sound
   
   

Emerging Artist Stage

 

Plumero, 8:15 PM – 9:00 PM

Kelsie James, 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM

Girls Rock! Des Moines, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

Wait, What?, 2:50 PM

Quinn Trilk, 2:30 PM

Dirty Blonde, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Plumero

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