Just Like Heaven 2022 Preview

While it’s still weird to think of the aughts as the ‘good old days’, it’s not when it comes to music, as there was an alternative revival everywhere from...
Just Like Heaven
Just Like Heaven

While it’s still weird to think of the aughts as the ‘good old days’, it’s not when it comes to music, as there was an alternative revival everywhere from the Lower East Side to Sweden. Tapping into that is Just Like Heaven, the festival throwing down and throwing back on Saturday, May 21st, Brookside at The Rose Bowl.


Orion Stage

 

Interpol, 9:35 PM – 10:50 PM

When the Lower East Side music scene broke out at the beginning of this century/millennium, one of the biggest breakouts was neo-New Wave outfit Interpol (QRO live review) with Turn On the Bright Lights and Antics. Unfortunately, 2007 major label debut Our Love To Admire (QRO review) was a serious disappointment, leading to a hiatus (where singer/guitarist Paul Banks did his own solo thing as Julian Plenti – QRO European tour review). But 2010’s return to Matador Records Interpol (QRO review) was a return to form, and so was their live show (QRO photos at a festival), even on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival).

Of course, the following year saw another hiatus (with Paul Banks going solo again, this time under his own name – QRO album review), but the band returned once more (QRO photos at a festival), with 2015’s El Pintor (QRO review), and 2018’s strong Marauder (QRO review) and live show (QRO live review of Marauder release party). They (QRO photos in NYC) come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) in the run-up (QRO live review the weekend prior) to the July release of their highly anticipated The Other Side of Make-Believe.

Interpol
   

Modest Mouse, 8:20 PM – 9:20 PM

Washington State’s Modest Mouse (QRO photos) broke through to mainstream success in 2004 with Good News For People Who Like Bad News, and followed that up by adding Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr for 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (QRO review) – unfortunately, Marr left to join the even younger Cribs (also playing Heaven – see below) and then solo. But they’re still big and great outdoors (QRO photos at a festival), and in 2015 finally put out their first new record since Sank, Strangers To Ourselves (QRO review). They will come to Just Like Heaven (QRO 2021 live review) behind last year’s great The Golden Casket (QRO review) and single “We Are Between” (QRO review).

Modest Mouse
   

The Shins, 7:10 PM – 8:10 PM

The Shins (QRO photos) are back! The Shins are back! The band (QRO live review) that caused Zach Braff (and the world) to fall in love with Natalie Portman in Garden State had one of the most-anticipated & best-received records of 2007 in Wincing the Night Away (QRO review). Then the band (QRO photos) left label Sub Pop, and soon started losing members around main man James Mercer, who eventually put The Shins on hold to work with Danger Mouse as the middling Broken Bells (QRO album review).

But Mercer & whoever makes up the rest of The Shins (QRO photos at a festival) came back, reclaiming their indie crown with 2012’s great Port of Morrow (QRO review), and again played big stages (and big shows, like Austin City LimitsQRO live review on Austin City Limits) and big festivals (QRO photos at a festival). Mercer took time off for another, better, Broken Bells record (QRO review), but returned in 2017 for another great Shins record, Heartworms (QRO review) and are perfect to play this alt-rock festival (QRO photos at a festival) celebrating the 20th anniversary of Oh, Inverted World.

The Shins
   

Bloc Party, 6:10 PM – 7:00 PM

Known for their ubiquitous single, “Banquet”, Bloc Party (QRO photos at a festival) is one of the few gems to come out of the post-punk revival in the early 2000’s. The four-piece band (QRO photos) has become a household name within the U.K. region, and gaining fans in America (QRO photos) and elsewhere (QRO photos at a festival). They (QRO photos at a festival) come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) behind their just-out Alpha Games (QRO review).

Bloc Party
   

Franz Ferdinand, 5:10 PM – 6:00 PM

Playing Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (QRO review). The Scottish band broke out of their native Glasgow in 2005 with Franz Ferdinand and killer single “Take Me Out”, and even if their studio output since then hasn’t matched up, they’re still a great band live (QRO live review), and come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) after 2013’s Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (QRO review), 2015’s team-up (QRO photos) with art-rock new wave greats Sparks, FFS, 2018’s Always Ascending (QRO review), and this year’s greatest Hits To the Head, with great material all their own (QRO recent live review).

Franz Ferdinand
   

The Hives, 4:10 PM – 5:00 PM

‘The’ garage-rock explosion a decade-plus ago gave a lot of ‘The’ bands, including The White Stripes, The Kills, The Vines, and the most energetic of the bunch – The Hives (QRO spotlight on)! The Swedish outfit (QRO interview) have the kind of explosive & fun live (QRO live review) that Jack White only wish he could pull off, with maximum call-and-response & frenetic activity (QRO photos) all around the world (QRO photos in Europe), plus top hats & tails (QRO photos). The Hives (QRO interview) come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) after last year’s ‘The World’s First World Wide Web Tour’ (QRO livestream review), ready to rock.

The Hives
   

Wolf Parade, 3:05 PM – 4:00 PM

Sometimes overlooked in the original ‘Canadian Invasion’, Montreal’s Wolf Parade (QRO live review) delivered a strong debut in 2005 with Apologies To Queen Mary, and kept that up with 2008’s At Mount Zoomer (QRO review) and 2010’s Expo 86 (QRO review). One reason the attention wasn’t as high was because it’s been diffused into not only the Parade (QRO live review), but also the acclaimed side-projects of singer/keyboardist Spencer Krug (Moonface, Sunset Rubdown – QRO live review) and singer/guitarist Dan Boeckner (Operators, Divine Fits – QRO album review). There’s also that the band disappeared after touring Expo (QRO live review of performance shortly before break) – but thankfully they returned in style in 2016 (QRO recent live review), including at festivals (QRO photos at a recent festival), and in 2017 released the awaited Cry Cry Cry (QRO review). But for Just Like Heaven, they’re playing Apologies in full!

Wolf Parade
   

Peaches, 2:00 PM – 2:55 PM

‘Sexually explicit’ doesn’t begin to cover the gender-bending extravagance of Peaches (QRO photos), from albums like The Teaches of Peaches, Fatherfucker, Impeach My Bush, I Feel Cream, and 2015’s Rub, to her backing band, The Herms (short for hermaphrodites); her stage show – including attire – is even more extreme (QRO live review). She comes to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) to perform The Teaches in full!

Peaches
   

The Raveonettes, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM

Danish rock-star duo Sune Rose Wagner & Sharin Foo (QRO photos at a festival) first got notice for making all of their music in the key of B-flat minor (2002’s Whip It On) then b-flat major (2003’s Chain Gang of Love), before widening their sound (and band) for 2005’s Pretty In Black (including guest appearance by Ronnie Spector). However, they (QRO live review) returned & revived their minimalism with albums like Lust Lust Lust (QRO review), Raven in the Grave (QRO review), and Observator (QRO review), some haunting garage throwbacks (QRO photos).

The Raveonettes
   

The Cribs, 12:35 PM – 1:10 PM

Come play the expectations game with The Cribs (QRO live review)! Brothers Gary, Ryan, and Ross Jarman got notice in their native U.K. early on with songs like “Hey Scenesters!”, but it was their team-up with Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth on 2007’s Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever (QRO review) that got them attention stateside – even if it wasn’t a great album. Then they recruited none other than Johnny Marr (QRO live review with Marr) of The Smiths – stealing from his gig in Modest Mouse (also playing Heaven – see above) – for 2009’s Ignore the Ignorant (QRO review), which was a better record, but still not up to the quality of their latest legendary collaborator. 2011 saw the band – now back just to the brothers Jarman – improve once again with In the Belly of the Brazen Bull (QRO review) and 2015’s For All My Sisters (QRO review). In 2017 they surprised Britain (QRO live review in U.K.) with the rushed 24-7 Rock Star Shit (QRO review), and now come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival).

Also:

Them Jeans, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

The Cribs
   
   

Stardust Stage

 

M.I.A., 8:35 PM – 9:35 PM

Hip-hop has a host of controversial personalities, and when those artists cross into other genres, they often bring the controversy with them. Taking the controversial mic a decade-plus ago was M.I.A. (full name: Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam – QRO photos), from her ultra-pregnant appearance on The Grammys to maybe endorsing the terrorist Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka to a feud with The New York Times after a less-than-flattering feature piece/interview to giving the finger to the camera while performing at the 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

In 2011 she came out with /\/\/\Y/\, her follow-up to 2007 smash-hit Arular, and it proved as divisive as Maya herself (that’s how the title is pronounced), but hasn’t had the same love-her-or-hate-her profile with 2013’s Matangi and 2016’s AIM. She had some problems at festivals (QRO photos at a festival), but has turned it around (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) to become a strong deliverer (QRO photos at a festival), still a sight to behold.

M.I.A.
   

Chromeo, 7:10 PM – 8:05 PM

There are combos and then there are combos: Montreal’s Chromeo (QRO live review) are the electro-funk duo of Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) has been best friends since childhood (QRO live review), billing themselves as, “The only successful Arab/Jewish collaboration since the beginning of time” (but what is their stance on Québécois independence?…). And their electronica works outdoors (QRO photos outdoors), day or night (QRO live review), even at a festival (QRO photos at a festival). They come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) with their great show (QRO live review), off of 2019’s Head Over Heels (QRO review) and 2020’s absolutely awesome Quarantine Casanova (QRO review), because they wanna be your “Clorox Wipe” (QRO review).

Chromeo
   

Santigold, 5:50 PM – 6:35 PM

Formerly known as Santogold (changed due to threat of lawsuit from an infomercial jeweler Santo Gold – QRO live review), Philadelphia’s Santi White (QRO photos) toured with everyone from Coldplay to Kanye West – but coming to Life Is Beautiful (QRO photos at a festival) a star in her own right (QRO photos at a festival), behind 2018’s I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions and stellar live show (QRO photos at a festival), even at festivals (QRO photos at a festival).

Santigold
   

Cut Copy, 4:35 PM – 5:20 PM

The international electro-dance scene has seriously touched Down Under, and one of the biggest acts coming out of Australia these days is Melbourne’s Cut Copy (QRO live review). Breaking through in 2007 with the acclaimed In Ghost Colours (QRO review), Cut Copy (QRO photos outdoors) followed that up in 2011 with Zonoscope (QRO review). While some think it was a step down, no one can argue that their live show is anything less than electric (QRO live review). They come to Just Like Heaven (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2020’s Freeze, Melt.

Cut Copy
   

Kele Okereke, 3:30 PM – 4:10 PM

In addition to playing Saturday fronting Bloc Party (see above), on Sunday singer Kele Okereke (QRO photos) plays solo, behind last year’s The Waves Pt. 1, his fifth solo album, which started in 2010’s The Boxer (QRO review).

Kele
   

!!!, 2:35 PM – 3:15 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 the just-out Let It Be Blue (QRO review). And singer Nic Offer (QRO interview) still knows how to shake it (QRO live review).

!!!
   

Islands, 1:30 PM – 2:10 PM

Montreal’s Islands (QRO photos at a festival) fly south for warmer climes as winter comes. The tropical sounds of such records as Arm’s Way (QRO review), Should I Remain Here At Sea? (QRO review), and Taste (QRO review), will only play better when the band’s in the sunshine (QRO photos at a festival).

Islands
   

Geographer, 12:30 PM – 1:05 PM

“Soulful music from outer space” comes to Just Like Heaven in the form of San Francisco’s Geographer (QRO photos in Los Angeles).

Also:

Cosmic Kids, 12:00 PM – 12:25 PM

Geographer

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