Outside Lands has always rewarded curious festivalgoers. While the headliners may bring the biggest crowds to Golden Gate Park, some of the weekend’s most memorable performances are often found earlier in the day, on a smaller stage or somewhere outside your usual listening habits.

This year’s lineup offers plenty of opportunities to make those discoveries. There are rising singers with voices far beyond their years, new bands reviving the urgency of guitar music, electronic producers turning dance sets into emotional experiences and veteran performers reminding audiences why their songs have endured.

Here are 21 artists to seek out at Outside Lands 2026, and what you can expect when they take the stage.

Friday

Bad Nerves

Sutro Stage — 12:25–1:10 p.m.

Outside Lands begins at full speed with Bad Nerves, a British band specializing in ferociously fast, distorted pop songs.

Imagine the Ramones’ velocity colliding with the sharp hooks of the Strokes and the live-wire energy of the Hives. The result is loud, catchy and deliberately uncomplicated rock ’n’ roll. Bad Nerves have built their reputation by graduating from tiny, sweaty rooms to stadium stages without sanding down the frantic quality of their performances.

Their early-afternoon set should be an immediate jolt of energy, and a persuasive argument for arriving at the festival before the crowds reach their peak.

Durand Bernarr

Lands End Stage — 2:35–3:35 p.m.

Durand Bernarr approaches R&B with the vocal control of a classic soul singer and the imagination of a theatrical provocateur.

His music draws from the rich, polished R&B of the ’90s and early 2000s while adding modern production, sharp humor and a boldly individual point of view. Listeners who grew up hearing Luther Vandross or Rahsaan Patterson around the house may recognize the tradition, but Bernarr is not interested in simple nostalgia.

Expect extraordinary vocals, playful crowd interaction and a performance that can move from deeply soulful to delightfully unpredictable without missing a beat.

Sawyer Hill

Panhandle Stage — 2:50–3:30 p.m.

Long before one of his songs went viral, Sawyer Hill was learning how to command a room in the bars and dives of Northwest Arkansas.

That experience still defines his music. Hill writes grungy, emotionally direct rock songs with melodies large enough for festival stages but lyrics grounded in messy relationships, difficult nights and the search for something better. His breakthrough, “Look at the Time,” introduced a singer capable of turning romantic collapse into a cathartic rock hymn.

Hill’s set should feel like a small-club singalong temporarily relocated to Golden Gate Park: theatrical enough to fill the field, but personal enough to make every shouted lyric feel necessary.

Sierra Ferrell

Sutro Stage — 4:10–5:10 p.m.

Sierra Ferrell’s music feels as though it arrived from another time, another place or possibly another dimension altogether.

The West Virginia-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pulls from country, bluegrass, folk and old-time roots music without settling neatly into any one tradition. Her voice can sound delicate one moment and wildly untamed the next, while her live performances combine technical musicianship with a free-spirited sense of theater.

Songs from her acclaimed album Trail of Flowers explore joy, sorrow, healing and transformation. For festivalgoers unfamiliar with contemporary Americana, Ferrell may provide one of the weekend’s most enchanting surprises.

Clipse

Twin Peaks Stage — 6:45–7:35 p.m.

Clipse does not need an elaborate stage production to create tension. Pusha T and Malice have spent decades proving that carefully chosen words, cold-blooded delivery and skeletal beats can be more than enough.

Their performance offers a direct connection to the sound of late-’90s and early-2000s hip-hop, when personality and lyricism carried as much weight as spectacle. The duo’s precision makes their songs hit with remarkable force, even for listeners encountering them for the first time.

Expect a lean, commanding rap set built around chemistry, presence and some of the most distinctive writing of their era.

Griztronics

Twin Peaks Stage — 8:25–9:55 p.m.

GRiZTRONICS combines two of modern bass music’s most formidable performers: GRiZ and Subtronics.

The collaboration first appeared in 2019 and has since developed into a festival event of its own. Subtronics brings the punishing low end and controlled chaos of contemporary dubstep, while GRiZ adds funk, melody and the live instrumentation that has long distinguished his performances.

Together, they offer much more than a standard b2b DJ set. Expect enormous drops, rapid transitions, psychedelic production and a crowd operating at maximum intensity. Anyone closing Friday at Twin Peaks should prepare for one of the weekend’s loudest and most visually overwhelming performances.

Saturday

Rio Kosta

Sutro Stage 12:35–1:20 p.m.

Rio Kosta make music for anyone who believes a festival afternoon should feel sun-soaked, loose and a little bit magical.

The duo of Mike Del Rio and Kosta Galanopoulos blends ’70s grooves, soaring harmonies and influences drawn from their Greek, Bahamian, Spanish, Italian and Puerto Rican backgrounds. Their debut album, Unicorn, embraces the freedom of childhood imagination while combining vintage warmth with contemporary production.

Expect an inviting, rhythm-forward performance that feels less like a formal introduction and more like wandering into an exceptionally well-curated backyard party.

Sienna Spiro

Sutro Stage — 3:05–3:50 p.m.

Sienna Spiro may be one of the lineup’s youngest performers, but her voice carries the weight and control of a singer who has been doing this for decades.

Her songs favor cinematic arrangements, emotionally exposed writing and a soulful vocal style that recalls timeless balladry without sounding trapped in the past. “Die on This Hill” showcases her ability to turn vulnerability into a towering pop moment, while her growing catalog suggests an artist still discovering the full range of what she can do.

This is the set for festivalgoers who want to witness a rising singer at the point when early promise begins turning into something much bigger.

Camoufly

SOMA Tent — 3:25–4:55 p.m.

Mystery is part of Camoufly’s appeal, but the anonymous Italian producer’s music is hardly withdrawn. His productions are energetic, sample-heavy and constantly shifting, combining playful details with an instinctive understanding of the dance floor. Releases including In Plain Sight and NEW SKIN have established him as one of electronic music’s most intriguing emerging artists.

Listeners drawn to jungle rhythms, intricate percussion and bright, unpredictable arrangements should make time for his SOMA set. Expect a groovy, fast-moving performance that rewards both focused listening and complete surrender to the beat.

Malcolm Todd

Twin Peaks Stage — 4:45–5:45 p.m.

Malcolm Todd belongs to a generation of alternative-pop artists who treat oversharing as a creative strength. His songs are polished but restless, pairing glossy melodies and unusual production choices with lyrics that can be anxious, funny, romantic and brutally candid. That combination has helped Todd build a devoted audience without making his music feel calculated for one specific scene.

Onstage, those diaristic songs become communal releases. Expect sharp hooks, emotional whiplash and a crowd that already knows precisely which lines to scream back.

It's Murph

Sutro Stage — 6:50–8:00 p.m.

It’s Murph makes dance music built around the idea that emotional release and physical movement are not separate experiences. The Nashville-based producer combines euphoric melodies, gritty low end and spacious atmospheres, pulling from melodic electronic music, tech house and bass-forward club sounds. There are traces of artists such as Fred again.., Chris Lake and Cloonee in his approach, but his productions favor their own balance of intimacy and scale.

Expect a set that begins with individual memories and feelings before turning them into something shared across the crowd.

The XX

Twin Peaks Stage — 8:10–9:25 p.m.

The xx have always understood the dramatic possibilities of restraint. Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie xx create music out of negative space: softly intertwined vocals, skeletal guitar lines, deep bass and electronic production that can turn a whisper into a festival-sized event. After spending years developing their respective solo careers, the trio’s reunion brings those new experiences back into one of indie music’s most distinctive group dynamics.

Their Outside Lands set offers a rare chance to hear the intimate songs of xx, Coexist and I See You surrounded by thousands of people. Expect hushed tension, sudden bursts of rhythm and a crowd hanging on every pause.

The Strokes

Lands End Stage — 8:35–9:55 p.m.

The Strokes may be one of the weekend’s most established names, but their live performances still carry an appealing sense that anything might happen.

The New York band reshaped rock music with the clipped guitars, detached cool and immediate melodies of Is This It. More than two decades later, songs such as “Last Nite,” “Someday” and “Hard to Explain” remain capable of transforming a festival field into a downtown club.

Julian Casablancas’ unpredictable stage presence adds another layer of tension, while the band’s tightly interlocking guitars provide the control underneath it. For younger listeners discovering their catalog retrospectively, this is an opportunity to experience foundational 21st-century rock songs in their natural habitat.

Sunday

Sosocamo

Twin Peaks Stage — 2:10–2:55 p.m.

Sosocamo’s music is rooted in rural North Carolina, where limited cell service, family gospel traditions and a steady diet of Southern rap helped shape his perspective. After learning to record and engineer music at home, he developed a melodic approach that moves between understated vocals, atmospheric production and sudden flashes of intensity. His album No Service introduced a self-contained world of isolation, ambition and regional identity, while newer material points toward a broader and more energetic sound.

His Outside Lands appearance offers a chance to see an underground artist in transition; still close to his basement-recording origins, but rapidly learning how to translate that intimacy onto larger stages.

Amble

Panhandle Stage — 2:55–3:35 p.m.

Amble’s music is built on friendship, quiet observation and the natural chemistry of three musicians listening carefully to one another. The Irish trio pairs acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki and close harmonies with storytelling shaped by life in rural Western Ireland. Songs including “Mariner Boy” and “Lonely Island” are intimate without feeling fragile, finding emotional weight in uncluttered arrangements.

At a festival filled with massive speakers and high-concept productions, Amble should provide a welcome change in scale. Expect warm harmonies, detailed narratives and the feeling of being invited into a conversation rather than presented with a spectacle.

Night Tapes

Panhandle Stage — 4:30–5:10 p.m.

Night Tapes create dream-pop for listeners who enjoy getting lost inside a song. The London trio combines synth-pop, shoegaze, trip-hop and ambient music, weaving field recordings and imperfect analog textures into immersive electronic arrangements. Their debut album, portals//polarities, was shaped in shared houses, hotel rooms and temporary spaces while the band traveled, giving the music the feeling of memories collected in motion.

Fans of Cannons’ nocturnal atmosphere may find a new favorite here, but Night Tapes’ songs are stranger and less predictable than a straightforward dream-pop comparison suggests. Expect shifting structures, hazy vocals and a set that makes the outside world briefly disappear.

KWN

Twin Peaks Stage — 5:15–6:05 p.m.

East London singer KWN (pronounced “kay-one”) brings a subtle, sensual approach to contemporary R&B. Her music centers on melodic vocals and intimate writing about attraction, relationships and self-discovery. Rather than overpowering listeners, her songs draw them closer through restraint, atmosphere and conversational details.

KWN’s set should be ideal for anyone looking to slow the pace of the day without losing its emotional intensity. Expect smooth production, quietly confident vocals and the kind of performance that can turn a large festival space into something considerably more private.

The Temper Trap

Sutro Stage — 5:35–6:25 p.m.

Few opening notes can trigger collective recognition as quickly as those of “Sweet Disposition.” The Temper Trap’s defining anthem has enjoyed a remarkable second life through streaming, festival culture and remixes by a new generation of electronic producers. But the Australian band’s appeal extends beyond one song. Their catalog is filled with emotionally charged, cinematic alternative rock designed to expand in an open-air setting.

With new music beginning another chapter after a lengthy recording break, the band arrives at Outside Lands carrying both nostalgia and renewed momentum. Expect soaring vocals, widescreen guitars and a powerful reminder of why the indie-rock sound of the late 2000s and early 2010s continues to resonate.

Empire Of The Sun

Lands End Stage — 6:45–7:45 p.m.

Empire of the Sun do not simply perform songs. They construct a universe around them. Led onstage by Luke Steele, the Australian electronic-pop project is known for fantastical costumes, surreal visuals and performances that blur the boundaries between concert, fashion show and science-fiction pageant. Festival staples such as “Walking on a Dream,” “We Are the People” and “Alive” provide the euphoric center of the production, while material from Ask That Godexpands its celestial mythology.

This is the rare set that can satisfy listeners arriving for the hits and spectators who simply want to see something astonishing. Expect maximalist visuals, enormous singalongs and one of the weekend’s most transportive performances.

RÜFÜS DU SOL

Lands End Stage — 8:25–9:55 p.m.

RÜFÜS DU SOL specialize in electronic music that feels both physically immense and deeply internal. The trio’s blend of melodic house, progressive production and live instrumentation has made them a natural fit for festival closing sets. Their songs build patiently, using repetition and atmosphere to create the sensation of gradually leaving the ground.

“Innerbloom” remains the clearest example: an emotional slow burn that has become a communal ritual for fans. Hearing it live, surrounded by the lights, fog and scale of Golden Gate Park, should be one of the weekend’s defining moments. Expect a meticulously paced performance that moves between introspection and total release.

Baby Keem

Twin Peaks Stage — 8:40–9:55 p.m.

Baby Keem’s music thrives on contrast. He can sound restrained and conversational before abruptly switching voices, tempos or emotional registers. His debut album, The Melodic Blue, established him as an inventive rapper, songwriter and producer capable of moving between vulnerable melodic passages and explosive tracks built for enormous crowds. “Family Ties,” his Grammy-winning collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, captures that volatility.

After sharpening his stagecraft on Kendrick Lamar’s Big Steppers Tour, Keem has the experience to make his unconventional songs connect at festival scale. Expect sudden beat changes, tightly controlled chaos and a crowd ready to erupt as soon as the opening bass hits.

Whether you spend the weekend chasing familiar favorites or wandering toward a stage to discover someone completely new, Outside Lands offers countless ways to build your own soundtrack to Golden Gate Park. For the complete lineup, schedule, festival updates and everything else you need to plan your weekend, visit the official Outside Lands website.