The Hangout Music Festival has managed to fly a bit under the radar since its inception in 2010, but the Huka produced (Goldenvoice also co-produces) festival has been putting on a pretty great show for the past 7 years in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Gulf Shores is an incredible location for the festival, which features beautiful beachside stages, high quality accommodations, and a consistently awesome lineup. This year Hangout features artists from a huge range of genres – from hip-hop to rock to EDM, with headliners including Phoenix, 21 Pilots and Mumford and Sons. We sifted through this year’s lineup and handpicked 3 emerging artists essential to catch @ Hangout this year, which takes place from May 19th-21st.
WHO: A R I Z O N A
WHEN: Saturday May 20th, 1:30pm @ BMI Stage
WHY: You may not have heard of Arizona yet, but their fresh and fun take on indie pop will be hard to miss this year. The debut album, entitled Gallery, is out on May 19th, and promises not to disappoint. The lead single from the album, “Oceans Away”, is a beautifully polished song, indicative of the rest of the record’s sound. The trio behind the music are old friends from New Jersey, whose lives intertwined until the band was finally formed in 2015. Their deep rooted chemistry is clear onstage, and you can tell watching them perform that Arizona has a promising future as a group. They only have a handful of shows scheduled for this summer, so don’t miss these exciting newcomers at Hangout Fest this year.
WHO: Bishop Briggs
WHEN: Friday May 19th, 4:30pm @ Fitz’s Stage
WHY: Bishop Briggs (real name Sarah Grace McLaughlin) has led a pretty seasoned life for a 24-year-old. The London born singer moved from Scotland to Hong Kong when she was a child, where she remained until the age of 18 - when she finally decided to make the move to LA and pursue music full time. She caught the ear of an A&R rep at a bar one night in 2015, after which she recorded her first single “Wild Horses”. The song gained a bit of traction on the charts (in large part due to it being tied to a major commercial), and fueled Briggs to continue putting out new music leading up to the release of her self-titled debut album, which came out in April. Her live shows are as fun as they are intense – it’s hard as an audience member not to get as lost in the music as Briggs does while performing. The budding songstress has a pretty busy summer lined up – with performances scheduled at a number of major festivals, including Lollapalooza and, of course, Hangout. Don’t miss her set on Friday.
WHO: Matoma
WHEN: Sunday May 21st, 4:00pm @ Boom Boom Tent
WHY: Norwegian DJ and producer Matoma got his start like a lot of DJs do - through remixes posted online. Over the past few years he built a name for himself through high profile re-works of music by the Notorious B.I.G, John Mayer and Eminem. More recently though, Matoma has been getting attention for his original music – over the past year or so the 25-year-old has churned out a number of fun, pop tracks in collaboration with a slew of well-known artists, including Becky Hill, Magic!, and The Vamps. His passion for what he does is evident in both his music and live sets, which take his tropical-house sound to the next level. If you like to dance, don’t miss Matoma’s set at Hangout this year!