Hinterland Music Festival: Day Two

Hinterland Music Festival welcomed back attendees this morning to day two of the festival. The barricade sprint was a good one as fans rushed to the stage. What excited me most for today wasn’t Lorde or Muna, and while both of those sets are going to be amazing, I was most excited for a full day of femme led musical artists on the bill. Saint Avangeline kicked off today with the most whimsical and garden-of-eden set design and a voice that compared to Lana Del Rey. This was her very first festival and only her sixth time performing as Saint Avangeline. Her musical project first kicked off on Youtube as she uploaded Lana covers with the pronouns in the songs flipped from “he” to “she” to give her covers a sapphic twist and caught the eyes and ears of lesbian music lovers.

Wisp was next on the femme led, whimsical, bedroom pop lineup streak and brought the perfect touch of edge to contrast her set from Saint Avangeline’s. With grungy coquette visuals and soft lighting to accompany her, her set was the perfect compliment to day two’s bill and one I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. Her set wasn’t all soft pop, there were some moments within her stage set where the entire band absolutely rocked out. With fan favorites like “Your Face” and “Pandora”, Wisp was hard fitting with the perfect soft edge.

Ugh Sofia Isella, the woman that you are. Listen, I LOVE weird girl music and this was that. My favorite set of the day, and probably the weekend. She appeared on stage covered in mud — which is a recurring bit of hers that i’m obsessed with — and kicked off her set by pouring water over herself and delivering the performance of a lifetime. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know what this set was going to consist of. I hadn’t researched any of the artists on the lineup because I love the chaos and element of surprise, and Sofia Isella was exactly that. Her career started in 2020 with the release of he first extended play, "I'm Not Yours", and primarily consisted of songs she had written when she was 14 and 15. With multiple instruments and multiple shirt changes, Isella exceeded all expectations I had for the vibe this set was going to give off. Currently adding her songs to my playlists and will definitely keep eyes out for her next headlining show.

Now before Paris Paloma hit the stage, I was trying to recall the song I knew by her and the minute the first notes to “labour” played I knew immediately the energy that was about to erupt. Her set leading up to the final song was whimsical and ethereal and she twirled around the most stunning dress that at times looks like fairy mushrooms or coral. Day two really brought the best energy with the artist performing and Paris Paloma performing such an amazing set was the perfect addition to an amazing day. Her songs were empowering, strong, and full of emotion that overtook the body. She closed her set with not only “labour” but also by bringing Sofia Isella on stage and descending into the crowd.

Michigan electro-dance artists Snow Strippers were EXACTLY the midday pick me up that I needed. The crowd was hype, I was hype, the artists seemed to be hype which all equates a killer set. The lead vocalist energy from the second their set started to the end was erratic and explosive in the best way and whatever vibe the masked DJ in the back was giving, I was a fan. Snow Strippers is another artist I haven’t heard of or gotten to see live and as someone who has just recently entered the EDM scene, I honestly had so much fun with this set.

MUNA showed up for the girls, gays, and they let me tell you. They brought the effortlessly cool vibe that is so fun to watch. MUNA has come through Minneapolis a handful of times and while i’ve never been able to attend, I’ve lived vicariously through mutuals who got to go so I’m ecstatic that my time to see MUNA live has finally come. What I loved most that it wasn’t just the lead singer bringing the energy but every single person in the band showed up and delivered a killer performance. MUNA closed their set with “Silk Chiffon” which honestly healed something in me. The GA crowd today did not come to play and brought the vibes and energy for every single artist to hit the stage today which is so so amazing to see.

Following MUNA’s killer performance was an hour and a half break to get the stage ready for night two’s headliner Lorde. Now I’m going to be real with you, the temp had dropped to 62 degrees and we were being pelted with sheets of misty rain so the wait for her set was feeling a little torturous but I know even though I didn’t get the opportunity to photograph this set, I had to hold out and see the absolute amazing performance she was about to deliver. I’ve seen Lorde a couple of times and every single time the performance is different and intricate in such a niche way that relates perfectly to the album that is being toured. The Melodrama tour hit at such a pivotal time in my life and narrated that period perfectly and then when Solar Power hit I was once again in a transitional period of my life so you can imagine the same thing happened when Virgin was released. It’s like she knows exactly when I need a new Lorde album in my life.

Her stage set at Hinterland was well worth the wait. It was edgy and nostalgic with a subtle and strange hint of tech-y vibes, that emitted the perfect Virgin energy. Her hit song “Royals” was second on the set and while it was a shortened version, it was clear she was getting the crowd geared up for the set to come. I thought seeing Hozier in the rain was life changing, but let me tell you - Lorde singing “What Was That” while being pelted with sheets of rain was actually kind of cathartic. I’ll never miss a Lorde set, and neither should you.

Hinterland day 2, I love you