When it was announced that P-Pop phenom SB19 would play at this year’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, the A’Tin fan community erupted with such ecstatic joy, fueling brave predictions that the song-and-dance fivesome would ‘slay’ the competition. At the time, it appeared like premature conjecture given the fact that the headliners of the four-day event included Charli XCX, Lorde, The xx and The Smashing Pumpkins.
As SB 19 finally got their slot at the Allianz stage on July 30, the first day of the festival, the hoopla about their upcoming Lollapalooza stint seemed to have been filtered out of the daily outpouring on social media of their rise from the sidelines to the mainstream by dint of hard work and, oh, their undoubtedly great songs. Though this corner wouldn’t speculate on how the initial breast-beating got lost in the shambles, let’s rather take a quick look at the four other groups who would also make their first stand at the Allianz stage.
The day’s opening act, Pearly Drops, the duo of Sandra Tervonen and Juuso Mal, will offer a glimpse of the artful, eclectic side of Finland’s underground music scene. Their latest album titled ‘The Voices Are Coming Back’ has critics dropping references to the weirdness of a David Lynch movie, the music of The Cure and Goth, as well as electroclash and indie disco. Live, Pearly Drops graft disco nostalgia to the more experimental edge of tech-driven music.
Next on the bill will be Australia’s five-man riot act Bad Nerves, whose fleet-footed, hook-filled garage punk-pop has Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong endorsing them as ‘the best band in England right now.’ Of their new album titled ‘Still Nervous,’ Kerrang! observes ‘they take lean garage punk riffs, triple the speed, then throw them in a blender with a full complement of roughshod vocal harmonies, hand-claps and simple, catchy choruses.’ In concert, Bad Nerves push their audience to be as disorderly as possible, with the moshpit central to the nerve-wracking experience.
Our very own P-Pop kings SB19 are smack right in the middle of the five-ring spectacle, raring to make history as the first Filipino group to perform at Lollapalooza.
Singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert will follow our P-Pop royalty. Hobert’s exciting debut titled ‘Who’s the Clown? sees her as one of pop’s smartest up-and-coming stars, delivering synth-heavy bangers, glossy hooks, and brooding acoustic numbers about longing and moving on. Performing live, Audrey Hobert dishes out empowering ear-benders packed with wit, energy and style.
UK’s Wet Leg, the duo of Rhian Teasdale and guitarist and co-writer Hester Chamber, will cap the Allianz stage extravaganza. Wet Leg’s eponymous debut went gold in the UK, made the US Top 20 and won two Brits and two of the three Grammys it was nominated for. Musically, their latest album titled ‘moisturizer’ has Pitchfork calling the record ‘as dazzlingly earnest as it is wry, displaying the staying power of a band that will outlast a sense of novelty.’ In live performances, Wet Leg build a ringing wall of sound from their thundering alternative anthems.
Besides Allianz, there are six other stages on Lollapalooza’s Day 1 featuring equally formidable musical acts from Lorde to Empire of the Sun to Blood Orange to the Viagra Boys.
Catch the Lollapalooza 2026 festival LIVE from the comfort of your home, streaming exclusively on Disney+ from July 31 to August 3, 2026, with the stream starting at 3:45 AM daily.