REVERIE Picks: Purple City Lineup Reveal
Purple City’s punk energy is returning to Edmonton, Alberta from September 6-8 and the festival has shared their first wave of artists for the 2024 edition. This year’s lineup boasts a roster of over 70 stellar artists, celebrating some of the most vibrant, diverse and innovative sounds from the global music scene.
Whether it’s art rock, post-punk, cutting edge techno, or doom metal, Purple City sets the stage for a weekend of great music and community spirit. The festival will take place across 8 stages within a walkable, 2-block radius with venues including The Starlite Room, Template Stage, River City Revival House, and more. REVERIE will be heading North to enjoy the festivities, but in the meantime - here are a few of our must-see acts.
Pelada
The Montréal-based electronic punk duo Pelada have done it all, including opening for traditional punk bands like Iceage and performing live at Berghain. After an impressive 10 years, the band announced they have made the difficult decision to end Pelada over Instagram earlier this year. The group will have Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Pitchfork Music Festival in Mexico City under their belts before their performance at Purple City Fest, which will be one of their final shows. Catch them in Edmonton while you can and before you live to regret it!
- Kenn Enns
Gustaf
John Dwyer (Osees) made it known at Sled Island that Gustaf was a not-to-miss show and we always trust a John Dwyer pick. The group quickly became one of my favourite bands after seeing their frenetic set at Pin Bar and since then they have released a new studio album called Package Pt. 2. It’s guaranteed that you will be either dancing in the vein of Ian Curtis or bobbing your head to their music if it’s within your proximity. Luckily the next stop is at Purple City so we don’t have to wait too long!
- Jess Arcand
1876
1876 out of Portland, Oregon expertly combine punk rock, emo and hip-hop influences with their own traditional Indigenous sound. Heard across their debut album Pow Wow Punk Rock, the band pairs aggressive guitar riffs with heavy pow wow drums. Proudly representing the Northern Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Ogala and Lakota nations, the band intertwines tradition with rebellion. In a powerful act of language resurgence the band also performs in Cheyenne and Siksiká. After a stellar performance at Sled Island in 2023, this band promises an impressive live show.
- Kenn Enns
Gadfly
Heavy basslines and facemelting angst is what you can expect at a Gadfly show. Hailing from Tehran, Iran and now Vancouver-based, their psychedelic sounds infused with doom/stoner metal will bring a heavy edge to the festival. We have yet to catch them after their release of their 2023 album Apranik, and we can’t wait to see them breathe their energy into the live renditions.
- Jess Arcand
Tickets for Purple City are on sale now. Visit purplecityfest.com for more info.