Pitchfork 2012: LIVE Where to Watch Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend Perform

For three days, Chicago’s Union Park will be transformed into a hipster Mecca for this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival. Here’s everything you need to know about who to watch—whether you’re at the festival yourself or watching from the comfort of your laptop screen. 

Friday, July 13:

Hit up Clams Casino at 7:15 PM on the Blue Stage. He’s produced for popular rappers like Lil B and Soulja Boy and just released his own EP on Tri Angle records, which pitchfork called “the new benchmark in the bedroom hip-hop revolution” and “totally essential.” 

Check out Feist at 8:20 PM on the Green Stage. This Canadian indie darling has a stint in supergroup Broken Social Scene, a hugely popular apple commercial, and four Grammy nominations under her belt (for her 2007 debut album). 

Saturday, July 14:

This is the day things really get heated up, with most of the most popular acts performing. Start your day in the afternoon with rock group The Psychic Paramount and post rock group The Atlas Moth, who are performing on the Green and Blue stages respectively, both at 1:00 PM. 

Flying Lotus, who transcends genre but incorporates aspects of dubstep and hip-hop while pushing the boundaries of both, will be performing at 4:15 PM on the Green Stage.

Sleigh Bells took the indie world by storm with their 2010 debut, and their new 2012 release is garnering even more positive reviews. This is a group you want to be able to say you’ve seen live.

One of the festival’s most popular acts is electronic group Hot Chip, performing at 7:25 PM on the Red Stage. Their 2006 album was nominated for a Grammy, their 2007 album went gold, and they toured their 2010 album with LCD Soundsystem.

If you want to see someone who’s taking the rap world by storm, go see Danny Brown at 7:40 PM on the Blue Stage. His 2011 album XXX was named album of the year, and I saw him open for Childish Gambino last month (the other opener, Schoolboy Q, performs at 5:45 PM on the Blue Stage, so check him out as well!) Let me tell you, he’s a rapper to watch.

If famous Canadian indie giants are more your scene, make sure you catch Godspeed You! Black Emperor on the Green Stage at 8:30 PM. They’ve been around since the 1990’s, but spent much of the 2000’s (2003-2010, to be exact) on a hiatus. Since then, they’ve been touring, playing for their devoted fans and earning new ones in the process. 

Sunday, July 15th:

Don’t worry if you missed Friday and Saturday, because some of the biggest acts are waiting for Sunday.

Real Estate, the band of friends that you wish you had formed with yours, perform at 4:15 PM on the Green Stage.

Beach House, whose 2010 album Teen Dream and 2012 album Bloom were both scored as “best new music” by Pitchfork, perform at 7:25 PM on the Red Stage.

Last but certainly not least, Vampire Weekend are performing at 8:30 on the Green Stage. Come on, even you’ve heard of them.