Set to take place this weekend September 16-18th WLUW is ready to take on Riot Fest once again. Headliners such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nine Inch Nails, My Chemical Romance, and Sleater-Kinny will be rocking the stage all weekend long. Whether you’re looking for some pop-punk acts, OG riot grrls, or up and coming artists, Riot Fest has got it covered.
Check out some of our staff’s favorite Riot Fest 2022 artist’s below.
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Friday:
Cloud Nothings
Embarking on the 10 year anniversary of Cloud Nothings popular album Attack on Memory, the band is set to take the stage this Friday. The midwestern band’s latest album The Shadow I Remember was produced at Electrical Audio, an independent recording studio right here in Chicago. Like their earlier work, this 2021 album features quick songs with jingly guitars sprinkled in. The song I’m Not Part of Me embraces all of these qualities with a catchy chorus. Clearly the long-standing band is still making great music!
The Wonder Years
If you need your pop punk fix, look no further because The Wonder Years are hitting the stage on Friday! Since their debut album The Upsides (2010), the Philly group has released seven full length albums filled with energy and catharsis. While frontman Dan Campbell brings introspective, vulnerable lyrics to the table throughout their entire discography, we hope the group will play some older songs so we can sing along to the songs of our youth.
Saturday:
Cumgirl8
Going to Riot Fest? Then you better not miss this punk band! Cumgirl8 embraces the Brooklyn punk scene while blending music with sex positivity and fashion. Made up of Chase Noell, Lida Fox, and Veronika Vilim, their music mixes genres of 70s punk, like the B-52s, and dance/electronica. Cumgirl8’s latest single “Dumb Bi*ch” is reminiscent of Merrill Nisker from Peaches dance puck tracks. Silly lyrics like “two eggs, two waffles, two eggs, turkey bacon, two french toast, fried rice tofu, fried rice teriyaki, donut, 20 pieces of chocolate” from their 2020 song “Waffles”, is backed with heavy bass and synths. Surely this act knows how to captivate an audience.
Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunny Day Real Estate is one of the most Riot Fest-centric headliners we could ask for. Although the classic emo group hasn’t released music in over two decades, Sunny Day Real Estate isn’t retiring yet. The group just played their first live show in over 12 years last weekend ahead of Riot Fest and their upcoming tour. They’re debut album “Diary” (1994) was formative in the second wave of emo and our fingers are crossed we’ll hear hits like “In Circles” and “Seven.” The group is set to take the stage on Saturday and will surely be a closing act to see.
Sunday:
Sleater-Kinney
It wouldn’t be Riot Fest without some classic Riot Grrl artist. Sleater-Kinney needs no introduction as their music has risen out from the underground and gained 90s icon status. Recent projects from Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein include their 2021 album Path of Wellness and a feature on Chicago artist, Kaina, latest album. Sleater Kinney has largely impacted the indie scene we all know and love. Therefore, it’s easy to say WLUW is grateful to be blessed by their presence at Riot Fest this year!
Alice Glass
After surviving extremely abusive treatment from her ex-bandmate in Crystal Castles, singer and dj Alice Glass broke away and made a career of her own. Under her own name, Glass has released a steady flow of eerie electronic dance music since 2015. Seven years later, she has officially released her first full-length album. The 13 song record embraces the hyper-pop landscape that Glass came to know and love. This weekend, she’s bringing that energy to Riot Fest’s final day.