Outside Lands Music Festival features one of its strongest lineups of female-fronted bands this year, from local favorites (Nicki Bluhm) to national buzz acts (Haim, Warpaint). Look out for these ladies when the festival returns to Golden Gate Park, August 8-10.
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Outside Lands Single-day Lineup
Outside Lands Food Lineup
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Tegan & Sara
FRIDAY
Perhaps, second only to Arcade Fire, Tegan & Sara is the hottest thing happening from Canada with their new album Hearthrob. The duo’s new pop sound earned a major nod at the Junos (basically, the Canadian Grammys) and an opening slot on Katy Perry’s latest tour.

Nicki Bluhm
FRIDAY
A regular in the San Francisco scene, Nicki Bluhm is joined by the Gramblers (featuring her husband Tim Bluhm of the Mother Hips) for a hometown show at the festival. Those who made it to the Outside Lands super jam with John Oates and Dumpstaphunk will remember her guest performance on the Hall & Oates hit “I Can’t Go for That,” the same cover that helped launch her career into the national spotlight.

Warpaint
FRIDAY
With one of the best albums so far in 2014—a brooding self-titled release released on Rough Trade in January—LA’s Warpaint return to San Francisco for a Friday set at Outside Lands. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante co-signed the band early in its career (he mixed and mastered Warpaint’s debut EP) and the band last visited San Francisco opening for Queens of the Stone Age between Coachella performances at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

Kacey Musgraves
FRIDAY
An oddity on the Outside Lands lineup, Kacey Musgraves is notable only because she is one of the few country stars booked at Outside Lands (probably the only pop country act booked at the festival). We’ll use the advice from her hit song: “Roll up a joint, or don’t, just follow your arrow.”

Haim
SATURDAY
LA sister act Haim make their Outside Lands debut after a whirlwind year in the wake of 2013 major label debut Days Are Gone. The band seemed to be everywhere after the album’s release, from numerous appearances at major music festivals to the pages of Rolling Stone.

Dum Dum Girls
SATURDAY
Dum Dum Girls returns to Outside Lands on Saturday in support of the band’s third album on Sub Pop, True Blood.

Chvrches
SUNDAY
A 2013 breakout, Chvrches is the best bet for an early dance party to kickstart Sunday’s festivities with wispy vocals from Lauren Mayberry backed by moving synthpop beats.

Jenny Lewis
SUNDAY
Jenny Lewis returns to Golden Gate Park (she last performed there at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) with her third solo album The Voyager. She says the album was written during one of the most difficult times of her life after her father died and Rilo Kiley broke up. Despite the heavy situations, it’s laced with breezy roots rock.

Lucius
SUNDAY
We first ran into Lucius by chance at SXSW back in 2012, playing for about 50 people taking shelter from the mid-afternoon Texas heat. Fronted by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig sharing vocals, the band has continued to grow with sold out shows locally at Brick & Mortar and most recently the Independent to accompany widespread critical praise.

Lykke Li
SUNDAY
Lykke Li’s latest I Never Learn follows in the tradition of great breakup albums with heart-wrenching ballads (“Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone”) and doesn’t stray from that course for most of its duration. It’s a beautiful collection, but let’s hope she works in a few of her more upbeat tracks to prevent a total snoozer at the fest.