Pitchfork Music Festival 2024: Black Pumas, Jamie xx, Alanis Morrissette, and more
by Sofia Haan and Amaya Peña
July 22, 2024
Even from blocks away, it was impossible to miss Pitchfork Music Festival’s presence in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. Music pumped from Union Park from July 19-21, showcasing both up-and-coming and stalwart names in R&B, electronic, indie, and alternative music.
The 2024 festival came at a major inflection point for Pitchfork. Condé Nast Chief Content Officer Anna Wintour announced in January that the online news hub would be folded into fellow Condé Nast publication GQ. The merger resulted in significant layoffs within Pitchfork, including Editor-in-Chief Puja Patel. Despite this internal turmoil, Condé Nast promised that Pitchfork Music Festival would go on as planned.
Chicago music festivals had also hit a turning point. In June, officials announced that rock festival Riot Fest—which began the same year as Pitchfork Music Festival in 2005—would move from the West Side’s Douglass Park to SeatGeek Stadium in the western suburb of Bridgeview. Perhaps due to Pitchfork’s placement in a more gentrified, transitory, and commercialized neighborhood, it and other Union Park-based music events appear to be staying put.
True to their promise, Pitchfork Music Festival happened, and upheld its status as one of the most celebrated U.S. festivals. Each day kicked off with a slate of Chicago-based artists, including punk outfit Lifeguard, rap duo Angry Blackmen, poetic singer/songwriter Kara Jackson, and dream/R&B singer AKENYA. As the July sun baked the park grass, thousands of trendily dressed millennials and older Gen Zs roamed from stage to stage, basking in the opportunity to catch a glimpse of their favorite artists in the heart of the city.
Friday, July 19
Tkay Maidza
One of Friday’s first major acts was Australian/Zimbabwean rapper Tkay Maidza. The mid-afternoon sun beat down the Red Stage as she strutted out in a black leather star-cutout dress to enthusiastically greet the crowd. With her DJ spinning behind her, Maidza flitted effortlessly between house-infused trap, Afrobeats, and indie bedroom pop tracks, often alternating between rapping and full vocals within a single song.
“It’s an honor to be here,” she commented halfway through her set, after telling of her 40-hour journey from Australia to the U.S. “There are a lot of bands that I look up to that Pitchfork supports and it’s cool to be a part of that family.” She followed up this moment of reflection and gratitude by inviting the crowd to sing along for an R&B-inspired cover of the Pixies’ hit “Where is My Mind,” turning the stripped-down, guitar-focused ’90s classic into a swirling existential fantasy.
Maidza closed her 30-minute set by asking the crowd if they were ready for some “hot girl s**t” before delivering the infectious “Ring-a-Ling” and “High Beams,” both songs expressing her dedication to her craft and her unwavering drive for success and recognition within the music industry. “A lot of my career is about being delusional and going for the best anyways,” she told the cheering crowd. “So go be delusional during this festival!”
Sudan Archives
Walking out on stage plucking at the strings of her violin, Sudan Archives began her set so casually that the earsplitting bass of hyperpop heroes 100 gecs on the nearby Green Stage almost drowned her out. However, Sudan Archives—the stage name for singer, songwriter, and violinist Brittney Denise Parks— drew the crowd closer for what was one of the most joyful sets of the evening. Performing solo with just her violin strapped under her chin, a loop pedal, and a performance pad, Parks commanded the stage with infectious energy and genuine talent as she wove together high-flying vocals and violin with thrumming drum and bass beats.
Parks cycled between playing her violin, mixing beats, and singing on her own, often moving from one to the next multiple times in the span of a single song. She also relied heavily on audience participation and engagement to buoy her performance. “When I say ‘I’m not,’ or ‘he’s not,’ or ‘they’re not,’ you say ‘average,’” Parks instructed her audience before launching into the sultry track “NBPQ (Topless).” For their part, audience members did exactly as they were told, singing with the artist as they danced. In between songs, she repeatedly thanked her audience and her host, saying cheekily “Thank you for the good rating, Pitchfork!” (2022’s Natural Brown Prom Queen earned a 9.0 and Best New Music.)Toward the end of her set, Parks teased some new, electronic-inspired music from an as-yet-untitled future project.
Jai Paul
Evening crowds gathered expectantly at the Red Stage, waiting for the elusive Jai Paul’s first live performance in Chicago. The English-Indian artist released a handful of demos in the early 2010s that made him the darling of both underground and mainstream pop music. Paul’s debut album was eventually leaked to Bandcamp in 2013. After the album—including unfinished, demo, and instrumental tracks—officially hit streaming platforms under the title Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones), Paul vanished. He reemerged in 2023 to make his live performance debut at Coachella, and has since performed at a handful of festivals.
During Friday’s show, Paul seemed slightly nervous. Beginning with the 2019 single “He,” Paul clutched the microphone stand and remained planted at center stage. At times, his backing band and the prerecorded track overpowered signature airy vocals, giving a shaky first impression.
As the performance wore on, Paul’s confidence grew. Eventually he was dancing across the stage and pointing to fans in the audience with a wide grin. The set featured updated, more-complete versions of the songs initially shared in Bait Ones, adding a new, often genre-switching spin to some songs now more than a decade old. The finished tracks featured the careful production of an artist with ample time to tinker with his work.
He wrapped his set with “Str8 Outta Mumbai,” eliciting cheers and dancing from the crowd as soon as the song began. With a quiet “thank you very much for this” during the outro, Paul hurried off the stage and was once again gone.
Black Pumas
Friday saw many families enter the gates, likely to see headliners Black Pumas. After a meteoric rise following the release of their eponymous first album, Black Pumas announced a hiatus in 2022 to recover from years of touring. Now, back on the road with a series of festivals and a slate of tour dates across the U.S. in the fall, the band maintained their reputation as a high-quality, high-energy live act. Lead singer Eric Burton, sporting a Canadian tuxedo and brightly bleached locs, practically said as much as soon as the show began by leaping into the crowd during “Fire.” He found his way back into the crowd at least two more times by the end of their 90-minute set.
With silky smooth vocal delivery, Burton carried himself like a preacher, conducting his backing band like a choir and the audience like a congregation. He infused each song with spirit and soul, quickly becoming drenched in sweat. Behind him, Pumas cofounder Adrian Quesada teased funk-laden riffs from his guitar while the band added bright punches of bongos and subtle flares of bass. Backup vocalists Angela Miller and Lauren Cervantes were the gentler, more reserved foils to Burton’s larger-than-life vocals and added their own small bits of choreography.
Black Pumas initially gained mainstream notoriety for their flowing neo-soul/funk sound. Now, with a setlist pulling heavily from 2023’s Chronicles of a Diamond, the band presented a grittier, more blues-rock-inspired dimension. Burton cut a James Brown-esque figure at times, punctuating his lyrics with screams on “More than a Love Song” and holding out impossibly long high notes during “Rock and Roll.” Elsewhere, Burton sang with a slightly distorted filter on his microphone. Although it matched the band’s new rougher edge and overall retro feel, the sound came across as garbled. The crowd dissipated as the performance wore on, but those who did stay to the end were treated to a stirring rendition of the band’s massive hit “Colors” as the closing number of the night.
Saturday, July 20
Hotline TNT
Attendees arriving at Union Park on Saturday afternoon had two distinct choices to kick off their day. The melodic, pensive poet-laurerate-turned-singer-songwriter Kara Jackson played on the Green Stage, and thunderous rockers Hotline TNT were on the Blue Stage. Fortunately for the latter, the sheer volume of their music was a decider for many. The New York City-based four-piece kept a furious pace throughout their half-hour set. At times, they sank to their knees to pound out searing chords on their guitars. It was a sunny afternoon setting, but the gritty, DIY nature of the band’s set felt more akin to an underground house show. Between tracks, lead guitarist and frontman Will Anderson held a sustained single chord until the next song began as if sewing them all into one massive, deafening tapestry. Anderson’s vocals were often muddied or lost entirely to fans not standing directly in front of the stage, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Any listeners not moshing at the barricade casually took drags off cigarettes as they nodded to the beat.
Wednesday
“It’s kind of suspicious you’re not at Water From Your Eyes,” Wednesday lead singer Karly Hartzman joked in between songs. Judging by the size of the crowd huddled at the Green Stage, it was clear the North Carolina-based act was a can’t-miss set for any rock-inclined fans. In typical Wednesday fashion, each song felt like a steady build and eventual cathartic release told through Hartzman’s deeply personal lyrics and screaming vocal stylings. The setlist primarily pulled from the band’s standout 2023 album Rat Saw God and 2021’s Twin Plagues, but attendees were also treated to two unreleased and untitled songs. (Hartzman made no mention of when fans could expect a new album.) However, the highlight of the performance wasn’t a fan favorite track, but rather an unexpected cover of the Drive-by Truckers’ “Women Without Whiskey.” Hartzman and guitarist Jake Lenderman—who is set to begin a solo tour under the moniker MJ Lenderman in September—harmonized gently through the country song, showcasing an unexpected side of the usually brash and driving band.
De La Soul
De La Soul’s set could be summed up in a single word: Party. “Party people, how we feeling tonight?” rapper Kelvin “Posdnuous” Mercer asked, again and again. Posdnuous and his fellow rappers Vincent “Maseo” Mason and Pharoahe Monch, a longtime friend of the group, called on the crowd to bounce in time with the music, put their hands in the air, and participate in calls and responses. No one was exempt from following the group’s directive to have a good time. “Camera people, you usually catch me on my good side and I thank you for that,” Posdnuous said, “but I need you to put the camera down to put your hands up. Security, too.” The set featured Monch’s hit “Simon Says” and several tracks with another friend Talib Kweli as a guest vocalist, including De La classic “Me Myself and I” and Kweli’s “Get By.”
While the performance was first and foremost a party, De La Soul members took a moment to dedicate their performance to former member David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, who passed away from congestive heart failure in 2023. “We’re celebrating 40 years of friendship and fellowship,” Maseo declared from behind the DJ booth. “We’re celebrating the life of my friend Dave.”
Jessie Ware
For Jessie Ware’s set, attendees were transported to the world of The Pearl, a fictional disco club full of enough glitz and glamor to rival a Vegas show. Emerging from the back of the stage in a sparkling pink-and-gold winged jumpsuit and flanked by two male dancers in matching mesh black tops, Ware grinned at the exuberant audience as she introduced herself as the club’s host: “Mother of Pearl.”
The hour-long performance was a testament to the English neo-soul songstress’s magnetism. Ware threw seductive glances to the audience as she and her dancers—and, at times, her two backing vocalists—shimmied, posed, and hip-thrusted through every song. She ran between the barricades to shake hands and share a microphone for an impassioned cover of Cher’s “Believe.” During an extended club remix of “Running” / “Hot N Heavy” / “What’s Your Pleasure?”, she even prowled the stage swinging a whip as a microphone stand. For any other performer, this level of over-the-top theatrics could have produced a forced performance, but Ware’s sly acknowledgment of the campy nature of her work and full commitment was euphoric.
Ware’s vocal performance was just as stunning as any of her on-stage antics. Her voice was strong and radiant, at times soaring on extravagant vocal runs, and commanding as she belted choruses. The setlist focused more on her recent disco-funk hits and less on her earlier, power ballad hits.
“The Pearl Club is closing, so it’s time to free yourself!” Ware told the cheering crowd at the end of her set before launching into her 2022 hit “Free Yourself.” Audience members, even those hoping to leave early to snag a good vantage point for Carly Rae Jepsen, sang, danced, and cheered at the Green Stage until Ware had taken her final bows.
Carly Rae Jepsen
If Jessie Ware was Saturday’s disco diva, then Carly Rae Jepsen was its pop princess. Performing in a shimmery silver dress in front of spinning disco ball visuals, Jepsen delivered sweet, bubblegum-pop music in its sweetest, and most fun, form. It was a set full of unencumbered, unbothered, uncomplicated joy. She sang with a wide smile on her face for her 70-minute set as she explored themes of love in its many forms: lustful love on “Want You In My Room,” euphoric love on “Psychedelic Switch,” and longing for love on “Run Away with Me.” Some songs’ lyrics explored more intimate or weightier experiences with lovers past or personal struggles in relationships, but Jepsen remained genuine and exuberant.
Jepsen moved casually across the stand, occasionally adding small hip swings to the beat or raising her arms as her voice swelled to the chorus. Her two backup vocalists’ voices were often lost under the instrumentals, but the audience singing the lyrics back to her provided any missing harmonies on recent pop hits such as “Cut to the Feeling” and “Talking to Yourself.”
“Okay, I forget the words to this song sometimes, so you’re going to have to help me,” Jepsen joked when it came time for her breakout 2012 hit “Call Me Maybe.” Phone cameras shot into the air to record the first moments of the song. For a track that’s been heard endlessly for more than a decade, Jepsen doesn’t seem to have lost any of her enthusiasm. She ran along the barricade as she sang, frequently turning the microphone over to an audience of all ages to sing the iconic chorus.
Jamie xx
Much like Jai Paul, the inclusion of Jamie xx was a major draw for fans of another artist who rarely plays live. The English producer and DJ (real name Jamie Smith) first rose to prominence for his work in the early 2000s eclectic indie group the xx before garnering acclaim in his own right for his 2015 debut album In Colour. Aside from producing singles and albums for other artists, Smith’s own new music has remained limited. However, after almost ten years in between albums, Smith announced the release of his second album, In Waves, for September.
Smith took the stage without any fanfare. The lights simply flashed, and he began. He wasted no time in immediately spinning In Waves' single “Baddy on the Floor,” a pulsing, jubilant track celebrating grooving on the dance floor. Smith mixed live at a heart-pumping 125 to 130 bpm, cobbling together an incredibly vast selection of four-on-the-floor tracks ranging from Andruss’s “Frikitona” to Neumonic’s “Movin’” to Lemon D’s “This is L.A.” with his own recent singles “Treat Each Other Right” and “KILL DEM.” Whether Smith included any In Waves songs in Saturday’s mix will be determined when the album is released in the fall.
Smith stood backlit with shadows obscuring his face and performed without a side screen. Instead, footage of the dancing crowd’s uninhibited, full-body movements appeared behind him in hypnotic black and white. The visuals seemed to inspire the rest of the festival attendees to dance on their own terms, to move as the music led them, and to release themselves fully to the sound.
Sunday, July 21
MUNA
Shrieks of delight from the tight cluster of fans at the barricade echoed over Union Park Sunday afternoon as MUNA took to the Green Stage one by one. The band immediately set the energy high with the highly danceable electropop “What I Want.” Fans stretching back nearly to the Blue Stage on the opposite end of the park scream-shouted the lyrics as lead singer Katie Gavin danced back and forth across the stage. Beside her, bandmates Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson tore into their guitars and synth with full body force, with Maskin windmilling her arm to rip chords from her guitar strings. The resulting stylish synth-pop felt perfectly suited to the sunny outdoor setting.
MUNA didn’t come to the festival with a new album or tour to promote. They’ve been touring their self-titled album since 2022 and have only released the single “The One That Got Away” since. However, MUNA did slot in some unexpected songs. This meant fans were treated to “Pink Light,” a track from 2019’s Saves the World. McPherson reminded the crowd of Gavin’s upcoming solo debut single. “She’s responsible for breaking up the band, but the show’s good,” they joked goodnaturedly. Gavin was quick to assure the crowd that a breakup wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.
Of all the acts mixing advocacy into their sets, MUNA was by far the least shy about raising their voices in solidarity with Palestine. “We don’t know what’s going on in our country right now or what’s going to happen, but we want to say ‘Free Palestine’ and free people everywhere,” Gavin said. Earlier in the set, she dedicated “Solid” to the band’s lesbian fans and the acoustic track “Kind of Girl” to its trans fans. “We’re a queer band that wants the revolution and we know a lot need to change for that to happen, but we need to find moments of joy and spaces where people come together,” Gavin told the roaring crowd before performing “Silk Chiffon.” These statements felt on par for a band working to create welcoming, affirmative, and loving spaces for all fans to dance and sing together.
Brittany Howard
“It’s so good to be back, everybody,” Brittany Howard said to the crowd following as the last strains of “He Loves Me,” her thick Alabama accent hanging in the humid air. “I drove through the night to get here. I said ‘I ain’t missing this one!’ We’re going to have a good time and I’m going to give you all I’ve got.” Throughout her hour-long set, the former Alabama Shakes frontwoman did just that, delivering a graceful, yet intensely powerful show to close out the festival’s Red Stage performances.
Supported by a cohesive backing band, including powerhouse bassist (and Alabama Shakes vet) Zack Cockrell, Howard’s set toggled between numerous genres, including funk, soul, gospel, and R&B. One moment, she’d dig into the heavy, funk-rock sound of “He Loves Me” before switching to the breezy R&B for “Stay High.” The multi-genre nature created by her performance also offered the opportunity to flex her equally boundless vocals. Howard commanded the stage both when her voice was a gentle whisper and when it ratcheted up into a scream. Beside her, two backup vocalists added gentle harmonies.
The music seemed to move through Howard’s whole body as she performed. Her face contorted and stretched to power through notes, she matched down beats with a sharp clap of her hands or snap of her fingers, and her hands reached for the sky as she sent high notes into the air. The freedom of her movement inspired the crowd, who also swayed and put their hands in the air. As the performance ended, Howard blew kisses and waved to her audience.
Alanis Morissette
After three full days of music, Alanis Morissette brought the festival to a close Sunday evening with an in-your-face retrospective of her role blazing a trail for women in alternative music. These legacy reminders started before Morissette had even taken the stage: a video, shot in the compiled format of a documentary trailer, showed clips of Morissette performing in the ’90s and 2000s, speaking casually with talk show hosts, answering questions about feminism during sit-down interviews, and even snippets of artists like Olivia Rodrigo extolling the glories of Morissette’s music on late night TV. The video confirmed what many in this crowd already knew from first-hand experience, and they greeted her with an uproarious cheer as she began with “Hand in My Pocket.”
Morrissette has released music for three decades, but the majority of her set pulled from early albums, especially breakout Jagged Little Pill. As more images from Morrissette on tour in the ’90s played on the video screen, the present-day Morrissette moved from one side of the stage to the other as if determined to make eye contact with everyone in the front row as she sang. Her voice rang out loud and piercing, as clear and distinct as it was when originally recorded. Behind her, her versatile backing band provided driving guitar riffs and thudding drums, while carefully keeping her vocals as the centerpiece. And of course, Morissette had her harmonica in hand to round out her music.
If anyone in the audience was unsure how influential Morissette’s music has been, they needed to look no further than her performance of “Ironic.” “I’m going to need some help singing the first line of ‘Ironic,’” Morissette joked before ushering out the three members of MUNA. The trio looked genuinely starstruck at the sight of the musician before them, and a little unsure of what to do. In what was likely a quickly planned collaboration backstage, the four stumbled through amazed giggles and awkward microphone passing to sing the first line of the song before Morissette thanked them for their help, took back the mic, and launched into rest of the song without properly sending the band back off the stage. While the execution itself might have been a bit rocky, Morissette’s extension of a hand down to support the musicians who looked to her for inspiration felt like a real-life example of her legacy in action.
Morissette closed her official set with “You Outta Know,” before leaving the stage to deafening applause. She then played a short encore of “Uninvited” and “Thank U,” causing hordes of fans to come running back toward the stage. Her last song was a bit of a perfect encapsulation of the weekend: Despite lingering questions about the future of Pitchfork both as a tastemaking publication and festival organizer, Pitchfork 2024 was still a testament to the joy, community, and excitement created by music in its many diverse forms. And that’s something we can all be grateful for.