From its small beginnings two decades ago, Louisville’s Forecastle has become a big-name festival. Of course, it had to cancel in 2020 & 2021 like everything else, but returns this year, now on Memorial Day Weekend, Friday-Sunday, May 27th-29th:
FRIDAY, MAY 27th
Mast Stage presented by Verizon |
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Jack Harlow, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM In just the last few years, rapper Jack Harlow (QRO photos at a 2021 festival) has come from deep in Kentucky to Saturday Night Live last year, behind his hit debut record, That’s What They All Say. Harlow (QRO photos at a festival) is “First Class”, and comes back to his hometown Forecastle, now to headline, after the release of follow-up Come Home the Kids Miss You – expect a massive crowd! |
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Clairo, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM Boston electro-pop artist Claire Cotrill (QRO photos at a festival) first got notice at just age seventeen with lo-fi single “Pretty Girl”, earning her a record deal, and she’s delivered two critical & commercial successes in 2019’s Immunity (QRO photos in 2019) and last year’s Sling, whose tour (QRO live review in 2022) she brings to Forecastle. |
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Earl Sweatshirt, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM The massive hip-hop collective Odd Future (QRO live review) keeps giving – there’s frontman Tyler, the Creator (playing Sunday at Forecastle himself – see below), R&B star Frank Ocean, and Earl Sweatshirt (QRO photos at a festival), who’s also worked with the likes of Flying Lotus, in Lotus’ Sealab 2021-inspired alter-ego, Captain Murphy. He comes to Forecastle (QRO photos at a festival) behind this year’s Sick!. |
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Also: DUCKWRTH, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Charlotte Sands, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM |
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Boom Stage |
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Still Woozy, 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM Check out the genre-bending psychedelic bedroom-pop of Still Woozy (QRO photos), who comes to Forecastle (QRO photos just prior) behind last year’s debut full-length, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is. |
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COIN, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Nashville indie-pop outfit COIN (QRO live review) comes back to Forecastle (QRO photos) behind this year’s Uncanny Valley. |
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Wale, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM Since his discovery by superstar producer Mark Ronson, things have gone very well for D.C. rapper Wale (QRO photos), with mixtapes, collaborations, and even regular ol’ studio albums. Also: Indigo De Souza, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM |
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Ocean Stage |
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Porter Robinson, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM Porter Robinson (QRO photos) has become one of the country’s most established DJs, from being named MTVu ‘Artist of the Year’ in 2015 to topping the dance/electronic charts with last year’s Nurture, now spinning at Forecastle (QRO photos at a festival). |
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San Holo, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM 2017’s Electronic Music Awards winner for New Artist of the Year, Dutch DJ San Holo first got notice for his remix of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode”. |
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Maxo Kream, 6:45 PM – 7:30 PM Houston comes to Louisville with streets rapper Maxo Kream (QRO photos at a festival). |
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Also: Dombresky x Noizu, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Dr. Fresch, 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM Maddy O’Neal, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM The Homies, 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM |
SATURDAY, MAY 28th
Mast Stage presented by Verizon |
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Tame Impala, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM From Perth (QRO photos at a home) in Western Australia (QRO photos at a hometown festival), comes the psychedelic rock of Tame Impala (QRO live review), touring off of 2011’s Innerspeaker (QRO review), 2012’s Lonerism, 2015’s Currents, and 2020’s The Slow Rush (QRO review), whose critical acclaim has won them fans across the world (QRO photos at a festival), and spots headlining a ton of 2019 festivals (QRO photos headlining a festival), and after their own COVID lockdown Innerspeaker livestream (QRO livestream review), come to headline Forecastle (QRO photos at a festival) on their latest big tour (QRO 2021 live review). |
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Phoebe Bridgers, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM Nobody in music has had as good a COVID pandemic as Phoebe Bridgers (QRO photos from just before everything shut down). Bridgers already had critical acclaim with records like Stranger in the Alps (QRO Top Albums of 2017), and a great team-up with Conor Oberst (QRO photos together) as Better Oblivion Community Center (QRO photos) on their 2019 self-titled record (QRO review), plus her supergroup boygenius with Julien Baker & Lucy Dacus. But 2020’s Punisher (QRO review) launched her into the stratosphere. Basically the favorite record by everyone you have a crush on (except for the hilariously self-depreciating Bridgers herself), songs like “I See You” (QRO review), “I Know the End” (QRO review), and “Savior Complex” (QRO review) all broke your heart – if not in-person, than in videos (like the “Savior” one directed by her near-namesake Phoebe Waller-Bridge) on TV (QRO review of “I Know the End” on TV). We all were desperate to see her live (QRO live review), whether in her trademark skeleton onesie in a livestream (QRO livestream review) or in her pajamas from home. So, maybe you didn’t see her when (QRO photos from 2017), but catch her now as her ‘Reunion Tour’ (QRO live review days before) comes to Forecastle (QRO photos at a 2021 festival). |
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Quinn XCII, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Detroit’s Mikael Temrowski mixes a slew of genres as Quinn XCII (QRO photos at a festival), and returns to Forecastle. |
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Chelsea Cutler, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Chelsea Cutler’s career was just getting started with her debut studio album How to Be Human – at the start of 2020 (QRO photos in March ’20). She played Forecastle in 2019, and now returns, bigger than ever. Also: LÉON, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM |
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Boom Stage |
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6LACK, 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM In 2016, Ricardo Valdez Valentine, a.k.a. Atlanta’s 6LACK, broke out in a big way with single “PRBLMS”, and was named one of Rolling Stone’s ten new artists to watch. In 2018 he followed that up with his second album, East Atlanta Love Letter, and now plays Forecastle (QRO photos at a festival). |
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Princess Nokia, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM Get ready for the in-your-face hip-hop of Princess Nokia, including crowdsurfing and shirt removing (QRO live review, with both), because for her, Everything Sucks and Everything Is Beautiful. |
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Tai Verdes, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM California rapper Tai Verdes went from working at a phone store at the coronavirus outbreak to viral TikTok success. |
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beabadoobee, 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Filipino-British beabadoobee (QRO photos) built up her own following with five self-released EPs, bringing her (QRO photos) to her successful debut full-length, 2020’s Fake It Flowers, and a slew of ‘next big thing’ awards that she’s been living up to (QRO live review). Also: Paris Texas, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM |
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Ocean Stage |
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Lane 8, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM Deep House Denver DJ Daniel Goldstein is Lane 8. |
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100 gecs, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM Be sure to catch the kinetic & crazy hyperpop of duo 100 gecs (QRO live review). |
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TroyBoi, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Mad Decent artist TroyBoi comes to Forecastle. |
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Also: Wax Motif, 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM EVAN GIIA, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Flamingosis, 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM DJ Mel, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM |
SUNDAY, MAY 28th
Mast Stage presented by Verizon |
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Tyler, the Creator, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM Forecastle flirts with awesomeness and danger by booking the infamous Tyler, the Creator (QRO photos at a festival). In addition to fronting the ultra-chaotic Odd Future (QRO live review) collective (which includes Forecastle Friday’s Earl Sweatshirt – see above), he’s released studio albums of his own, such as 2012’s Goblin (QRO review) and 2015’s Wolf (QRO review). He will close out Forecastle (QRO photos at a festival) behind last year’s Call Me If You Get Lost. |
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Black Pumas, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada have quickly launched into the big-time as Black Pumas. Their psychedelic soul brought them a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist, and their 2019 self-titled debut was nominated for Album of the Year. They’ve even played the inauguration activities for President Joe Biden and last year’s Tibet House Benefit (QRO live review), albeit virtually, but since then they’ve been active on the road (QRO 2021 photos), including festivals (QRO photos at a festival), now coming to Forecastle (QRO photos at a ’22 festival). |
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Oliver Tree, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM DJ/rapper Oliver Tree hit it up in 2017 with “When I’m Down”, and has worked with the likes of Whethan on “Freefall” (QRO review). Now he comes to Louisville, behind this year’s sophomore full-length Cowboy Tears. Also: glaive, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM KIRBY, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM |
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Boom Stage |
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RÜFÜS DU SOL, 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM Sydney’s RÜFÜS DU SOL – a group, not a person – come to Forecastle behind 2018’s Solace, which ‘only’ hit #2 in their native Australia, unlike prior Aussie chart-toppers 2016’s Bloom and 2013’s Atlas. |
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Dayglow, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM Sloan Struble brings his Dayglow to Forecastle, behind indie-pop on sophomore full-length Harmony House. |
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FLETCHER, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM Get “Undrunk” with breakthrough pop singer/songwriter FLETCHER (QRO live review), who comes to Forecastle (QRO photos) behind the raw break-up of 2020’s The S(ex) Tapes. |
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KennyHoopla, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM Cleveland rapper KennyHoopla (QRO photos at a festival) asks, How Will I Rest in Peace if I’m Buried by a Highway? |
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Also: Mob Rich, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM |
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Ocean Stage |
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Alison Wonderland, 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM Sydney’s Alex Sholler began as a classically trained cellist, but has since stepped through the looking glass to become world-known DJ Alison Wonderland (QRO photos at a festival), closing out Forecastle’s Ocean Stage. |
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Jai Wolf, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM NYC producer Jai Wolf brings his “Indian Summer” back to Louisville for his second Forecastle. |
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JPEGMAFIA, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM From Flatbush to the Air Force to rap stardom for Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks, a.k.a. JPEGMAFIA (QRO photos). He’s a Veteran (QRO photos), and to him, All My Heroes Are Cornballs. |
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Also: Joel Corry, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM TSHA, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM Blossom, 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM Lucille Croft, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM |