These are the women-fronted acts who took over Outside Lands 2023
By T Von D.
The final main stage acts for Outside Lands this year may have not had a single woman performer, but these female-fronted bands still showed up and rocked out all weekend.
My own most anticipated performance of OSL was Janelle Monae, an artist I’ve loved since the debut of Q.U.E.E.N in 2012. I have to admit when they came out on stage for the first time I started crying. I had a hard summer, okay? Janelle’s latest album The Age of Pleasure is an absolute summer sapphic treat, and she carried the poolside theme all the way through her set. Sporting a transformable swimsuit in their iconic black and white palette, and a flowered swimming cap, Janelle brought full energy to the Lands End stage with renditions of “Float,” “Yoga,” and “Pink.” She even busted out her famous pussy pants. Janelle Monae performs with no hesitation and an abundance of love for the crowd.
Sometimes at the festival, you have to follow the drums, and on Sunday afternoon, the drums brought me to the Panhandle stage to witness the awesome might of Pretty Sick. This three-piece indie-rock band from New York drew in a head-bopping crowd that grew behind me.
Claiming she had lost her voice the night before screaming to Lana Del Ray, singer and bassist Sabrina Fuentes still delivered and personally, I think the scratchy sound added to her charm.
Maggie Rogers took the main stage at Lands Ends as the afternoon was winding down. Sporting a fun blue and yellow jazzercise outfit Maggie’s sense of nostalgia and retro sounds carried all the way through her performance. Her whole vibe felt really casual for a main stage performance even though she’s known for her rapid rise to fame. At one point she said something like, “I love that song — it makes me feel like a rockstar.” You are one, Maggie! Her mellow melodies on Saturday afternoon felt very sweet.
We love local music, and it doesn’t get more local than the San Francisco band No Vacation who gained many new fans at the Toyota Music Den. After a year-long hiatus, the band landed not one but two opportunities to perform at OSL. I’d love to know which experience they preferred, but when I caught them at the Music Den stage, the experience was magic. Lead vocalist Sab Mai was rocking a pink buzzcut and had complete command of the crowd. To finish out their set, guitarist Nat Lee was gently lifted onto the crowd to shred out a solo. I will absolutely be catching this band again on the local San Francisco music scene.
Also gracing the Music Den stage was this DJ duo that brought a smooth and deep techno vibe to under the canopy. Coco & Breezy are making the festival circuit this year, already hitting EDC, and headed to Deep Tropics in Nashville. Their sound is on the pulse of electronic music, mixing soft 90s vocals with danceable beats. Extremely danceable is right, the crowd at both the Music Den and The SOMA tent were gently stepping on their tired tired feet, but who can resist the talents of Coco & Breezy? When you need a DJ to treat you nicely, book them next.
Just as I entered the festival at the northern gate, I was instantly swept away by Ethel Cain who took the Sutro stage Friday afternoon with dreamy guitar and tragic lyrics. The theme of the Sutro stage this year seemed to be “Moody” with Interpol, Alex G, and Crumb also making experiences. Ethel Cain was the perfect choice to kick things off, the foggy weather couldn’t touch the crowd hypnotized by her voice.
Sadly, due to the density of the crowd and conflicting schedules, I did not get to see Willow or Lana Del Rey, two acts I had originally been gunning for. According to other festival-goers, both acts were amazing. Hopefully next year we get a woman headliner, too.
T Von D. is a local museum worker and lesbian.
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