Venus Zine's Official Guide to Pitchfork's 2010 Fest

Our picks for this year's must-see acts

By Kelley Hecker
Published: July 16th, 2010 | 9:00am

Despite the sweltering heat (hello, heat index of 100°+!), thousands of music lovers will be swarming to Chicago’s Union Park this weekend for Pitchfork’s annual music fest. As usual, the lineup is chockablock with some of the best established and rising artists out there, so to make things easy, we’ve compiled our list of can’t miss acts.

Friday July 16
Friday’s loaded with comedy, with a few big name acts sprinkled in. It gets off to a sleepy start with folky singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, Dylan-voiced Swede the Tallest Man on Earth, and experimental hip-hopper El-P. At 5:30, things pick up, as the shape-shifting Liars hit the Connector Stage hot on the heels of their most focused effort to date, Sisterworld (Mute). Swedish pop princess Robyn brings Body Talk Pt. 1 (Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope) to Chicago for the first time since its release at 6:30. Her wildly energetic stage presence will make you forget how stinky and gross you are and will no doubt be a highlight of the weekend. Don’t miss her, even if it means having to pass on The Daily Show’s Wyatt Cenac. Later, catch the hilarious Michael Showalter (Stella, The State, Wet Hot American Summer) and Eugene Mirman (Flight of the Conchords) or Canuck rockers Broken Social Scene, debuting material from May’s Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts). If frontman Kevin Drew’s incessant cheerleading doesn’t come across as grating to you, then you can’t go wrong with either choice. The night wraps up with Modest Mouse, and you never know what you’ll get with Isaac Brock—and I mean that in the best way.

Saturday July 17
Free Energy’s danceable, hooky pop rock will be a bright start to your Saturday. The five piece clearly has a hell of a lot of fun doing what they’re doing, and that feeling is pretty infectious. Real Estate take to the Connector Stage at 1:45 and will provide a nice breather, so find a place in the shade to lay back and take in their dreamy pop. Spanish quartet Delorean’s recently released Subiza (True Panther) will make for a killer dance party at 2:30 on the Aluminum Stage, while “Ambassador of Funk” Dâm-Funk offers a nice change of pace with his thoroughly modern take on old school funk. If you’re into rap, don’t miss Raekwon, otherwise, catch the baby-faced Smith Westerns poppy garage rock on Balance. Definitely stake out a good spot for Wolf Parade at 6:15 on the Aluminum Stage. The Montreal group is playing Chicago for the first time in two years in support of June's Expo 86 (Sub Pop), the most straightforward set of rock tunes they’ve released thus far. (If you see them, tell Spencer Krug I say, “Haiiii, boy!”) Panda Bear will be previewing Tomboy (Paw Tracks) on the Connector at 7:25, but don’t expect to be visually entertained—at least not while sober. Noah Lennox is a cutie with zero stage presence, especially solo. Catch James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem as they close out the night with cuts from their triumphant This is Happening (DFA) with what’s sure to be one gigantic and fantastic dance party.

Sunday July 18
Kick Sunday off with California’s Best Coast. Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno’s debut, Crazy for You (Mexican Summer), is 13 jams made for a sunny summer day. Continue on with the Cali pop with Girls, who bring a mix of psychedelic, surf, and shoegaze-y pop to the table. Next up is a bit of a dilemma: do you catch the warm dream pop of Beach House or the huge melodies of Local Natives? Whichever you choose, be sure to make it over to the Connector Stage to see Annie Clark shred on her guitar through St. Vincent’s set as part of her Actor (4AD) victory lap. Put your earplugs in and get your dance on with Sleigh Bells as they whip through their debut, Treats (N.E.E.T./Mom + Pop). Former Poison the Well guitarist Derek Miller’s chaotic hard rock and Alexis Krauss’ sweet ‘n’ sassy vocals make for a delightful and ass-kicking blend of pop. Loud, loud pop. The fest concludes with the reunited Pavement, which is undoubtedly the one set every music fan is drooling over. Seeing as the band is only reuniting to tour this year, you’d be wise to stick around, but I don’t really need to tell you that, now do I?