Coldplay closed out Glastonbury on Saturday night, playing to an absurdly large crowd and lighting up the night sky like only Coldplay could. Notably, the band brought out Michael J. Fox to play “Fix You”, which brought on the waterworks for thousands of people in the crowd.

During ‘A Sky Full of Stars’, frontman Chris Martin asked people to put their phones away, which led to a beautiful moment as the band finished out their set.

It’s been too long, Coldplay. Come back soon.

For the last four years, I’ve served as your Expert In Bands At The Bottom Of The Poster. That role has since spiraled into A Case For, an interview series that began at Riot Fest 2023 that highlights bands that are embedded in the alternative community, but don’t find their music being played on Q101. As Riot Fest moves to RiotLand, I am happy to report that once again, I’ll be highlighting acts on this year’s festival that could wind up being your next favorite band. Join me in exploring 9 bands that are playing Riot Fest this year that you don’t know, but that you need to. -Case the Producer

Basement

Basement is a funny band. They played Riot Fest in 2015 and they’re objectively a bigger deal than they were nine years ago. Two records have followed, neither of which were as explosive as 2012’s Colourmeinkindness, but both were strong. The band has become big by simply pausing their activity. Much like Deftones and contemporaries Superheaven, their shoegaze-adjacent sound has exploded on TikTok and has ushered Basement back into the spotlight. Riot Fest 2024 marks their return to Chicago for the first time in five years.

Drug Church

Drug Church are a machine. They play fast, they play loud, and they play mean. Fronted by loudmouth Patrick Kindlon, the band has plowed through lesser bands to reach their current status as a must-see touring act. Most recently, the five-piece punk act opened for Chicago’s own Alkaline Trio. Kindlon has promised new music by the end of 2024, which we’ll surely hear some of at Riot Fest this year. Before you’re bombarded with what will surely be an Album Of The Year Contender, familiarize yourself with both Cheer and Hygiene, both of which are some of the finest punk records of the 21st century.

Fiddlehead

Fiddlehead is my favorite active band, full stop. They rival only The Smiths when it comes to minutes spent listening over my lifetime. Fronted by ex-Have Heart frontman / current high school teacher Pat Flynn, Fiddlehead is one of the many melodic hardcore acts that have surged in popularity post-COVID. Pulling from the raw intensity of bands like Minor Threat and Mental while also borrowing melodic approaches from Arches Of Loaf or Samiam, this band brings forth a truly unique and original sound. You will not want to miss Fiddlehead.

Gel

Gel’s popularity always catches me by surprise. It’s not that they don’t rip, because they absolutely do, but it’s a little bit like Knocked Loose in which I instinctually feel like their sound isn’t accessible. Their white-hot audience says otherwise. Gel continue to tour hard and play even harder. Each time they hit the road and leave a city in the dust, the city left behind feels the undeniable impact of what Gel did on stage. This feels like a band that could steal the entire weekend.

Heart Attack Man

While Riot Fest alumni The Menzingers still sit atop my “Why Isn’t This Band Bigger?” pantheon, Heart Attack Man are quickly nipping at their heels. Seriously, why isn’t Heart Attack Man bigger? I blame the sad decline of MTV2. This band would be huge if the ecosystem was different and frontman Eric Egan had an easier path to scaring Middle America. When 2023’s Freak of Nature dropped, I played “Like A Kennedy” for Brian after the morning show because I thought he would appreciate what they were going for. He was stunned at how abrasive the lyrics were. That seems to be the ongoing goal for Heart Attack Man – not to receive a good reaction or a bad reaction, but merely to receive a reaction.

Home Front

I honestly feel like more bands should try to be like Home Front. They don’t need to copy their look or their sound, but they do need to copy the innovative spirit that this Canadian outfit has to offer. Having just seen them at Cobra Lounge with The Chisel, I cannot express just how much fun Home Front were to see live, especially given that their primary influences are The Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen, a far cry from the no-nonsense street-punk approach that The Chisel brings to the table. They were odd-men-out, yet they felt right at home. I get so excited when I see bands go for it, unapologetically, and Home Front is absolutely going for it.

Slaughter Beach, Dog

While Modern Baseball remains one of the most sought after Riot Fest reunion bookings, Jake Ewald’s post-MOBO project Slaughter Beach, Dog is live and in living color at Riot Fest 2024. While still as emotionally rich as MOBO’s teenage angst hits, SBD offers an alt-country approach to yearning and despair. If you are looking for an escape from the pit, Slaughter Beach, Dog will be an excellent exit ramp.

Spiritual Cramp

What if The Clash had a baby with The Hives? That would be Spiritual Cramp. In fact, let me be incredibly clear when I say this: if you’re going to go see The Hives at Riot Fest, you need to also go see Spiritual Cramp. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Spiritual Cramp a handful of times over the last few years – first with Angel Du$t, then with The Metz, then as a headliner, and then one last time with Militarie Gun on the Life Under the Gun Tour, and each and every time I was simply in awe by the raw, unforgiving stage presence of this band. I wish nothing but success for this band going forward. If I were going to earmark any single band as “must see” for this year’s Riot Fest, it would be this band.

Waxahatchee

As it stands at publishing time, Waxahatchee has 2024’s Album Of The Year. Tigers Blood, which dropped in March, has been on steady repeat ever since. Admittedly, I’m a little surprised to see Waxahatchee on this year’s bill given how folky and chill Tigers Blood is, but this is nothing short of a delightful addition to what is already a spectacular festival lineup.

Every Friday, Case the Producer rounds up the most exciting new tunes in music and serves them up in one easy-to-find blog for you, the Q101 Crew Members.

beabadoobee: Coming Home

Excellent singer-songwriter beabadoobee is rolling out tracks in anticipation for her new record, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, which is slated to drop in mid-August. “Coming Home” is more of what we’ve come to expect from beabadoobee; soft, ear-worm-pop that promises to stay in your head all day. “Coming Home” is as cute as it is good, and it’s very cute.

beabadoobe makes her way to the Aragon Ballroom on September 17.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby: We Were Never Alive

Buckle up, folks: the summer of Brigitte Calls Me Baby is upon us. My personal pick for the best Chicago band running (with apologies to Friko, Sincere Engineer, and countless others), the crooners are back with the lead single for their debut album, The Future Is Our Way Out, which comes out on August 2. “We Were Never Alive” is one of the many tunes that this band has been playing during their live sets as of late. Steeped in alternative tradition (80’s keyboards, a bass breakdown that would make the late bassist of The Smiths Andy Rourke smile), “We Were Never Alive” continues the trend of BCMB putting their best foot forward. If this is any indication of what’s to come with their first full length record, we’ll have a new Album Of The Year Contender come August.

Catch Brigitte Calls Me Baby at Lollapalooza at the IHG Hotels & Resort Stage on Saturday August 3 at 12:30.

Falling In Reverse & Jelly Roll: All My Life

Grab your Monster Energy and pack a pouch of Zyn: Falling In Reverse has a collaboration with Jelly Roll and that is bound to make a certain type of person extremely happy.

The Offspring: Make It All Right (single) 

The Offspring are back and ready to roll out their eleventh record, Supercharged. The lead single, “Make It All Right”, is a new entry into Offspring’s catalogue that sounds like classic Offspring. Supercharged will be out on October 11.

Pedro the Lion: Santa Cruz 

Indie-rock legend Pedro the Lion is back with his seventh studio album. Santa Cruz is a return to form for Pedro, who weaves brilliant storytelling across heartbreaking indie rock for 11 tracks.

This story keeps getting weirder.

The man who went viral for showing up on a Zoom court hearing about his suspended license while driving is back in the news. Yesterday, we reported that a clerical error was the reason that any of this happened in the first place and that the driver, Corey Harris, had done nothing wrong.

Now, it’s come out that Harris never had a drivers license to begin with.

“Let me make it very clear, based on what the court looked at. [Harris] has never had a Michigan license. Ever. And he has never had a license in the other 49 states and commonwealths that form up this great union. He has never had a license,” the judge said. “The shocking thing about it is, it’s for driving with his license suspended that he didn’t take care of.”

Free our man.