Article Contributed by Nick Gumas
Published on 2026-09-03
As gates opened on day two of this year’s Outside Lands festival, the famed San Francisco fog rolled into the park with the crowds, and with it, the ambiance of the grounds was set for fans to take in a lineup that reflected the past, present, and future of indie music. A lineup filled top to bottom with acts whose stories have just begun to be told, powerhouses of the genre, and much anticipated reunions, the gentle and sentimental atmosphere of the day defined the experience for tens of thousands in attendance.
Starting the day on the Sutro stage, Los Angeles psychedelic soul act RIO KOSTA woke audiences up with an intense high energy mix of latin beats and mediterranean musicianship. Anticipating their upcoming tour with funk act “Jungle,” the group looked to take their time on the upswing of popularity in stride, demonstrating great reverence for the crowd that showed up to support them in the early Saturday hours, never letting the mood dampen for a moment throughout their time onstage.
Another artist who had seen their streams rise dramatically over the last year, pop singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert gave a performance that showcased herself both as an artist and as a person on the headlining Lands End stage later that afternoon. Humorously setting the tone that she was not expecting to take herself all that seriously, she began her set atop a ladder cloaked in a long trench coat and comedic Groucho glasses ensemble as she began her performance with her recent single “I like to touch people.” A stunning demonstration of authenticity and vulnerability by all measures, her diary-like narratives felt as if they were pulled from the darkest memories of her young life, juxtaposed with dancing around the stage as if not the focal point of tens of thousands, proved a revealing introduction to the Bay Area community. Poking fun at the dreary San Francisco summer weather, she took a moment in between her songs to remark “I usually wear a coat onstage and today I opted for something a little lighter, when really, I should have worn the coat.”
Making his Outside Lands debut on the same stage later in the day, indie rock artist Djo gave a long awaited performance, defined by his energetic demeanor and creative approach to musicianship. Sauntering onstage to a deep bass instrumental melody that pulsated through the Polo Field, his set started with an eruption of enthusiasm, opening with his 2025 single “Awake.” The Stranger Things alum continued with a setlist that reflected his work’s commitment to blending a nostalgic style of tonal identity with a modern flare for production values, compiling an extensive list of work that has defined his meteoric rise including “Basic Being Basic,” “Delete Ya,” and “Lonesome Is A State of Mind.” Closing out the hour with a creative flourish as well as a familiar favorite, the artist instrumentally extemporized for a few moments with the accompanying band, setting the mood to end the performance with their breakthrough single and project-defining single, “End of Beginning."
Headlining the evening on the Twin Peaks stage, London-born indie powerhouse trio The xx ended the night by putting on a clinic in fostering spacious soundscape with an intimate feel. Freshly back from an eight year touring hiatus, the group drew one of the largest crowds of the weekend, earning the captivation of tens of thousands from the moment the lights dimmed. Opening with a throwback, the mood was quickly set as the group started the evening with a rendition of their 2009 hit “Crystalized.” Playing with symbiotic cohesion as if they had never taken time apart, the group played a full account of their hits from across the decades including “Islands,” “Angels,” and “I Dare You.” Showing that their years apart was put to creative use, the trio played a select few songs from Jamie xx’s solo ventures including “Wanna,” “Treat Each Other Right,” and “I’ll Take Care of U.” Closing with abundant sentimentality, artist Romy Madley Croft began to stumble over her words as she expressed her gratitude for the band’s touring crew before sending fans off with an instrumentally transcendent cover of their early single “Intro.”
