Indie Rokkers rejoice! The prominent SoCal music festival Just Like Heaven is back for its third year and it is packing a punch with a heavy lineup full of 2000’s hipster nostalgia.
This year’s lineup features Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Future Islands, Empire of the Sun, M83, Hot Chip, Caribou, The Walkmen, The Bravery, Fever Ray, STRFKR, Metronomy, Ladytron, Azealia Banks, The Faint, The Sounds, and Cults.
Goldenvoice created Just Like Heaven back in 2019 as an answer to indie rock lovers in the Los Angeles area. Originally Goldenvoice’s Coachella used to be the staple festival for indie rock music around the years of 2006 – 2011. As time went on Coachella’s lineups shifted to cater towards hip hop, pop music, and electronic music. It is no surprise that Just Like Heaven’s lineup came a week after Coachella’s lineup announcement. Coachella 2023 is more void of alternative rock than it has ever been before. So to all the music lovers who crave the heyday of Coachella, Just Like Heaven is what you’ve been waiting for.
Just Like Heaven sits on a golf course alongside the notorious Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena and is only a short 20 minute drive from downtown Los Angeles.
Some of our standout acts for this year:
MGMT
The Brooklyn psych-pop band MGMT are coming in hot with a full performance of their breakout 2007 record Oracular Spectacular. This will be a first for the group and we know it’ll be an extremely special set for everyone in attendance.
Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun was also at the forefront of indie electronic-pop back in the late 2000’s. I caught their first U.S. tour with a performance at Coachella in 2011. Since then they have dominated rock and electronic festivals non-stop for about seven years. They have taken a lengthy hiatus in the states since around 2018. This festival is a return to California and so far the only U.S. booking that has been announced. It will surely be a big one!
The Bravery
The Bravery was massive in 2005. At a time when synthesizers were becoming more acceptable in rock music, The Bravery was all over radio stations with their unique dance rock sound. They went on a 10 year hiatus before reuniting in 2021 with a few bookings. This is their first official major festival performance in the U.S. and we know it’ll be nostalgic to the max.
Metronomy
My favorite band from England returns! Although Metronomy recently played The Wiltern in LA for their Small World tour, it has been 11 years since they last played a SoCal festival ( their last one was Coachella 2012). I feel like lineups for the past decade have been missing out on this incredible group. In the past decade they have toured for FIVE different albums and each time they come around it has been better than the last. Their most popular tracks of the late 2000’s fit perfectly with the indie dance vibe of Just Like Heaven. My hope is that Metronomy brings a setlist packed with tunes from their 2008 record Nights Out.
There is way too much to unravel in this single day event! We are ecstatic to share more on Just Like Heaven in the coming months.
