Pitchfork Festival 2023 • Day One • Union Park, Chicago

Brassneck | July 24, 2023

Pitchfork Music Festival
Union Park
Chicago, IL
July 21, 2023

Photos and Recap by Curt Baran

A funny thing happened on the way to sundown at the Pitchfork Music Festival. As the sun that hovered over the 2023 incarnation of the fest dipped deeper into its western destination, the volume in Chicago’s Union Park gradually became more voluminous. The early Day One schedule felt decidedly chill with laptop-top rock vibes and mid temp mellowness. The afternoon kicked off with Nourished By Time and continued with uninterrupted performances from Contour, Sen Morimoto, MAVI, Gracie Ives, Axel Boman, and Youth Lagoon. Then the mood and the decibels shifted. Nation of Language seemed to turn the knob to 11, and the remaining sunlight never looked back. Early evening rocked itself into dusk with spirited performances from Jlin, Perfume Genius, Ric Wilson, Alvvays, Leikeli47, and the side project (The Smile (featured photo) from Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, who were Friday’s headliners.