See more coverage of Outside Lands 2026

Outside Lands ran August 7 through 9 in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and it was my first time attending the incredible festival. The festival featured 7 stages spread across a section of the massive park. Some were intended for the large wave of fans it welcomed, some for stumbling on and sticking around, while others remained tucked away among the trees for those seeking out the music. What stuck with me afterward is that my five favorite sets came off five completely different rungs of the bill, and I left those sets a total fan.

This year, Outside Lands had a top-tier lineup, so plenty of sets were memorable and a blast to take in. Charli XCX closed the first night with material from her new album Music, Fashion, Film. I heard “Rock Music” live for the first time, and the negative fuss around the rock music line is funny. It’s a great song, and was my favorite of that set alongside “House,” the lead song from the Wuthering Heights soundtrack. Wet Leg and GloRilla each tore up the mainstage. Clipse were back by popular demand, and Frost Children ran their set at full throttle. Labrinth live is an experience all its own, a showman who finds a way to remind you that the recorded music only captures a slice of the talent. A billed surprise also set on one of the tucked-away stages I mentioned turned out to be Leon Bridges Presents: Happiness Anytime. I caught Empire of the Sun’s big hits, part of RÜFÜS DU SOL’s laser show, and Lane 8 at one of the coolest stages of the weekend. Romy played a DJ set and then connected with The xx for a great set.

Infinity Song harmonized and belted their way into my heart. KWN, Balu Brigada and Bandalos Chino all delivered, and siblings Malcolm Todd and Audrey Hobert each pulled a crowd of their own at opposite ends of the park. It was a phenomenal lineup, and these are the five I’ll be thinking about next August.

1. TURNSTILE

It was my first time seeing Turnstile live, and the set showed a band widening what it does without trading any of it away. They’re branching out sonically as the audience grows, and hearing NEVER ENOUGH live next to the older tracks, I got to experience both at once: the frenetic, hardcore sound intact, built with more range around it. Loud and moshy, yes, and also soulful and emotional, with real depth underneath the volume. “I Care” and “HOLIDAY” hit hardest. One of the highest-energy crowds of the three days, and everyone in it was absolutely there to see Turnstile.

2. SIENNA SPIRO

Sienna Spiro is a popstar with a jazz singer’s instinct. Someone this incredible will certainly invite comparisons, but the 60s and 70s Nancy Sinatra-leaning, smoky jazz bar singer she’s gravitating toward hasn’t been done like this in a very long time, and it’s becoming a sound all her own. What carries it is the emotional depth in her voice, which is not what you expect at her age, and it makes the songs sink in rather than pass by. “He’s Not My Baby, I’m His” is an upbeat dancefloor-burning, decade-defying hit. She closed with “Die on This Hill” and outsang the recording; the power and hurt landed at full weight, soaring and then dropping low. One I’ll remember for a very long time.

3. HAUTE & FREDDY

Haute & Freddy was the first set I caught on Saturday and it set a high bar for the rest of the day. The act is whimsical by design and means to be funny, but the joke never eats the music. Haute is a serious talent and holds a crowd either way, doing something off-kilter or sitting at the piano belting her heart out. “Femme Hysteria” is one of my favorite songs of the past year, and live it becomes another beast entirely. They also played “Touch Touch,” which was unreleased at the time and later came out on 28 August.

4. PINKPANTHERESS

The British producer turned up with more hits than a festival slot can hold, months after PinkPantheress became the first female producer to win the BRIT for Producer of the Year. “Stateside” and “Boys a Liar” were both there, but she also went back through the earlier projects and played for the people who have been with her from the start. She joked about having worked up real choreography, and reminded everyone about the tiny bags she used to carry onstage. Then Troye Sivan came out for her remix of his song “Rush.” She reads like the life of the party you don’t want to miss, and her sets move the same way. Thankful I got to see this queen live.

5. BABY KEEM

Baby Keem brought the Ca$ino tour production to the last slot of the night, which made the moment that much better. High-energy rap was exactly what the weekend needed to close on, and Ca$ino has some great songs to vibe to. “Good Flirts” and “Dramatic Girl” were the highlights of the new album and my entire weekend. Keem took the closing slot seriously, bringing fans back to songs like “ORANGE SODA” and “booman” and absolutely tearing up his closing set.