Also Cool's Osheaga 2024 Top Picks (Bladee, No Waves, DIIV, and More)
It's that time of year again. Drainers and indie rock fans from all over come together this weekend in Montreal for the 2024 edition of Osheaga. This year's lineup hits on every part of our eclectic taste in music, with a heavy lean towards bands that we’ve loved since high school.
To help you navigate this absolutely stacked lineup, we've put together our top picks so that you can efficiently sprint across the festival grounds between sets.
Listen along as you make your game plan for Osheaga weekend:
FRIDAY
Bladee
It's no secret that Also Cool is part of the Drainer community. From Red Light to Cold Visions, we are almost always bumping Bladee on an electric BIXI in the summertime. One of our most anticipated festival sets, Bladee, plays the Green Stage at 7:50pm.
Dominic Fike
Easy to have a crush on and perfect for a summer day, Dominic Fike plays the Bell River Stage at 6:55pm.
Two Door Cinema Club
Easily one of our favourite bands from the 2010s, it was a pleasant surprise to see Two Door Cinema Club return to the Osheaga lineup this year. Almost every track on Tourist History (their 2010 smash-hit album) is an undeniable banger, and we will be revelling in what's now considered indie sleaze nostalgia. Catch their set on the Bell River Stage at 5:20pm.
Sleater-Kinney
Iconic is an understatement when it comes to Sleater-Kinney. Live your best riot grrrl life and catch their set at the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 4:35pm.
Mannequin Pussy
Coming off their most recent release I Got Heaven, gorgeous indie punk outfit Mannequin Pussy hits Montreal at 3:10pm on the Coors Light Mountain Stage. Mannequin Pussy provides the perfect soundtrack to process emotions in the mosh pit. if you have an ex to get over, this is the set for you.
Melanie Martinez
2010s Tumblr revival might be the unofficial theme of this year's lineup, with Melanie Martinez taking her rightful place as a headliner this year. The alt-pop star graces the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 7:55pm.
SATURDAY
Green Day
It's time to be emo and see Green Day play the Bell River Stage at 8:45pm. Do we need to say much more? No, because you know you want to relive your emo era that never really ended.
The Smashing Pumpkins
An important introduction to grunge rock for many, and deeply influential to our teenage brains and sense of angst, The Smashing Pumpkins play the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 7:45pm.
No Waves
Hometown heroes and punk scene sweethearts take the Green Stage at 2pm. Catch up on your No Waves lore by listening to our podcasts and interviews with our favourite Montreal pop punk trio.
T-Pain
On a recent trip to LA, one of the Also Cools was at a bar night where every client had to play a strange, but bopping, track. Their selection was the undeniably-electric reimagining of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” by T-Pain. Since that night, Also Cool has been collectively dreaming of seeing him do the song justice live. T-Pain plays the Belairdirect Valley Stage at 7pm.
SUNDAY
SZA
Whether you're in love with SZA or in awe of her incredible lyricism that perfectly encapsulates love, loss, and everything that brings us from one to the other, you can catch her on the Bell River Stage on August 4th at 9:15pm.
Jungle
Disco? Dancey? Perhaps both? Get grooving to Jungle on the Belairdirect Valley Stage at 8:15pm.
Still Woozy
We love some good slacker indie pop, and Still Woozy hits that 2017-era wub-wubby sound. Dust off your checkered Vans and mustard-yellow Kanken backpack and hit the Bell River Stage at 7:10 pm.
Alvvays
Throwing it back, once again, to our late-high school years, Alvvays' self-titled album still hits. Return to a world of iron-on patches, American Apparel, high-waisted mom jeans, and floral print everything, and sway to their set on the Coors Light Mountain Stage at 6:20pm.
Amyl and the Sniffers
Grimy, charming, and excellent at pushing punk boundaries, Amyl and The Sniffers take the Belairdirect Valley Stage at 5pm. Get tossed on a Sunday, why not?
DIIV
Another high school favourite? Yes, but this time à la shoegaze oblivion. DIIV's performance at TIME Fest in Toronto in 2015 left an everlasting impression, so it's only right that we include them in our top picks. Become a Frog In Boiling Water at the Green Stage at 4:15pm.
OSHEAGA
Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.