Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Lollapalooza Bands to Follow on Instagram

Logo from @lollapalooza IG feed
Lollapalooza 2013 is less than three weeks away so anticipation is building. If you are lucky enough to be attending this year’s festival, we have accumulated some of the most active Instagram users among the bands at this year’s Lollapalooza. If you can’t make the shows this year, you can still follow these music stars on Instagram to get a backstage pass into the festival.

If you are a music fan, you need to check out IG as a great tool to follow your favorite acts. We have published a separate broad article on musicians on Instagram, so you might want to check that one out if your favorite acts are not at Lolla this year.

Lollapalooza is scheduled for August 2-4 at Grant Park in Chicago. Lolla is always a pretty good reflection of the musical tastes of young people in the US and this year is no different. There is a heavy influx of Electronic, Dubstep and Alt-Pop bands as this genre has gained huge popularity over the past 3-4 years. The Indie and Folk genres are also well represented.

If you would like to sample songs from this year’s artists to find out who you want to see, check out this great music community on Kumbuya for soundclouds and videos of all the bands.

Because not all bands are active on Instagram, we have broken the article into two sections; music stars that are very active on Instagram and Lolla bands that are less active but on Instagram. We have put each category in alphabetical order to make you favorite artist easier to find.

You should also follow the Official Lollapalooza Instagram Account

If you don’t find your favorite artist at all, it is likely they are not on Instagram or at least we were unable to find them. We also were not able to search for all the less known acts as there are over 125 total bands at Lolla this year.


Lolla Bands that are Active Instagram Users (in alpha order):

American Authors
American Authors is an alt-pop band from Brooklyn, NY.  After an early incarnation under another name, they renamed the band American Authors in 2012.  Their first single, Believer, is fairly popular on alternative radio stations, but it was the incredible catchy and upbeat second single, "Best Day of My Life", that is putting them on the national map.  Many of us first heard it in a Lowe's commercial and now it is becoming a viral sensation.  They do not have a group IG account but the members have accounts.  Here are the two most active.
Zac Barnett – Zac is the lead singer and plays guitar for the band.
@zacaauthors
280 photos 500 followers
Dave Rublin– Dave is the bassist for the band and most active IG user.
@daveaauthors
675 photos 500 followers 

Interesting stage shot from @steveaoki
Steve Angello
Steve Angello is a Swedish DJ and musician who first came to fame on the Swedish reality show Svenska Hollywoodfruar. He is also a member of the huge EDM group, Swedish House Mafia, who has produced several large hits including 2013’s “Don’t You Worry Child”.
@steveangello
540 photos 237,000 followers  

Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki is an EDM artist, musician and record producer from Newport Beach, CA. He is also the founder of Dim Mak Records. Steve produces a combination of remixes and original music and travels the world performing for huge crowds.
@steveaoki
1,900 photos 560,000 followers  

Atlas Genius
Atlas Genius is an alternative rock band from Australia. The band consist of brothers Keith and Michael Jeffrey. They released their first single, “Trojans”, in May 2011 and then their first EP with Warner Bros in 2012. They are gaining momentum with their unique alternative sound.
@atlasgenius
270 photos 55,000 followers
Keith Jeffrey – Keith is the singer and guitarist for the band.
@keithwhjeffrey
212 photos 2,300 followers
Michael Jeffrey – Michael is the drummer for the band and prolific IG user.
@mdjeffrey
485 photos 2050 followers  

Azealia Banks
Azealia Banks is a female rapper from Harlem, NY. She initially released a couple of EPs and singles under the name Miss Bank$. She is currently working on her first full studio album which is expected to be released this fall.
@azealiabanks
540 photos 281,000 followers  

Beast Patrol
Beast Patrol is an alt rock band from New York City.  They combine solid rock sensibility with the dreamy vocals of Vanessa Bley.  You will definitely notice strong influences from The Pretenders and Garbage in their music.
@beastpatrol
540 photos 281,000 followers 


Chance the Rapper
Chancelor Bennett, known as Chance the Rapper, is a rapper and hip hop artist from Chicago. He has been gaining popularity during the past year, especially since releasing free mixtapes online. He has been touring as a backup act with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, as well as Mac Miller and Eminem.
@chancetherapper
407 photos 57,000 followers  

Flux Pavilion
Joshua Steele, known as Flux Pavilion, is a EDM dubstep music producer from Great Britian and cofounder of Circus Records. He has released a mix of original singles and remixes.
@fluxpavilion
210 photos 28,000 followers

Dillon Francis
Dillon Francis is an electronic music producer from Los Angeles, CA. After working on a lot of remixes as a DJ, Francis released his first EP of original music in 2010.
@dillonfrancis
760 photos 96,000 followers

Ellie Goulding
Ellie is a British singer-songwriter and musician who burst onto the scene in the US in 2011 with her hit single, “Lights”. It became a #1 hit on the Billboard 100. Of course she has been a big star in Britain for several years, so much so that she sang at the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
@elliegoulding
670 photos 910,000 followers

Icona Pop
Another of the electro music phenoms coming out of Sweden, Icona Pop is a duo of singers and DJs, Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo. They have successfully bridged the gap from Electronic Dance Music to pop sensation with their mega-hit “I Love It”.
@iconapop
410 photos 29,000 followers

Imagine Dragons
Band shot on the bus from @imaginedragons
One the hottest alt-pop acts this year, Imagine Dragons are set to breakout after their appearance at Lollapolooza. Much as Macklemore did last year and Muse in 2011, I think Imagine Dragons are going to the be the runaway hit after their Lolla performance.
@imaginedragons
490 photos 165,000 followers
Daniel Platzman - It appears that only drummer, Daniel Platzman, is personally active on IG at this point.
@danielplatzman
550 photos 2,500 followers  

Knife Party
Knife Party is an electro house duo from Australia. The two partners, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, first met as members of a metal band Xygen. However, after hearing Konflict’s “Messiah”, the two decided to get into the bass and drum, electro music scene. Only Gareth appears to be an active Instagram user, so this is his info.
@garethknifeparty
210 photos 23,000 followers

The Lumineers
The Lumineers are an indie rock/folk band from Denver, Colorado. Their 2012 debut album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 but their hit “Ho Hey” was the most played song on Spotify for much of the 4th quarter of 2012 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 100.
@thelumineers
270 photos 114,000 followers

Makeshift Prodigy
Makeshift Prodigy is an alternative band from Chicago suburb, Tinley Park.   I really like their single, Chasing Daylight, and if I compared them to other Lolla2013 acts, I would call them a blend of Imagine Dragons, Vampire Weekend and The Killers.
Anthony Bagnara
Anthony is the lead singer of the band and active on Instagram and Tumblr.
@anthonybagnara
130 photos 400 followers

Matt and Kim
Matt and Kim are an indie pop duo from Brooklyn, NY. They met and began dating while at the Pratt Institute. Though they released their first album in 2006, it wasn’t until 2011 that they started to get some radio airtime with their single, “Good for Great”. Then in 2012 their latest album had several singles that did well in the chart.
@mattandkim
200 photos 31,000 followers

Nick onstage from @joshmodestep
Modestep
Modestep is an electronic rock band from London. Their members include the Friend brothers, Josh and Tony, Matthew Curtis and Nick Tsang. Josh Friend is th lead singer and official Instagrammer for the group. He is very active posting pics on and off stage.
@joshmodestep
590 photos 14,000 followers

The National
The National is an indie rock band from Cincinnati, OH. The band is comprised of two sets of brothers, Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, and lead singer Matt Berninger.
@ntnl
325 photos 88,000 followers


Emeli Sande
Emeli Sande is a pop artist from Scotland.  She first came to fame singing collaborations with the rappers, Chipmunk and also Wiley.  Her latest album became the #1 selling album in the UK during 2012.  She is also an accomplished songwriter and has written for Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Leone Lewis and Susan Boyle.
@emelisande
290 photos 240,000 followers

Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian Indie Pop band formed by the twin Quin sisters of the same name. While they have been well known in Canada for since the early 2000s, they are now gaining popularity in the US with the release of their 7th album which debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. The sisters are both openly gay and have been proponents of gay rights.
@teganandsara
330 photos 110,000 followers

Timeflies
Timeflies is a pop music duo formed by Rob Resnick and Cal Shapiro, while in Tufts University.  The pair are from the NYC area and currently call Brooklyn home.  They has self produced their 2 albums and an EP.  Their latest single "I Choose U" was released in April 2013 and has begun to get significant radio air time.
@timefliesmusic
220 photos 42,000 followers

Vampire Weekend
Interesting artistic shot from @matsor
Vampire Weekend rose to fame with the release of their debut album in 2008 and recently released their fourth album which immediately rose to #1 on the Billboard 200 album list. From NYC, the band appeared on Saturday Night Live in May 2013 and could not be hotter right now. While the band does not have an active Instagram account, three of its members are very active users:
Rostam Batmanglij – Rostam is the lead guitarist and also plays keyboards, backing vocals and one of the main songwriters. His handle is his first name backwards.
@matsor
480 photos 9,700 followers
Chris Baio – Chris Baio is the bass guitarist and also provides backing vocals for the band. His handle is his last name backwards.
@oiab
300 photos 6,200 followers
Ezra Koenig – Ezra is the lead singer and another guitarist for VW. He is not as active on Instagram but still fun to follow. Following the trend, his handle is also his first name backwards.
@arze
90 photos 34,000 followers  

Wild Belle
Wild Belle is an indie band from Chicago started by brother and sister, Elliot and Natalie Bergman.  They combine a dreamy mix of alternative, reggae, ska and electronic styling in their music.  Natalie is very active on IG.
Natalie Bergman – Natalie is the young of the two siblings and the main singer for the band.  Her distinctive voice provides continuity throughout their varied musical mix.
@nataliebergman
430 photos 2,000 followers


Lolla Bands on Instagram but Less Active (in alpha order)


Shot of the banjos from @mumfordandsonsofficial
Mumford and Sons
Mumford and Sons is a folk rock band from London, England. They have been gaining huge popularity during the past three years, first in the UK and now in the US. Their second album was released in the fall of 2012 and became the fastest selling album of 2012 in the UK.
@mumfordandsonsofficial
78 photos 38,000 followers
Ted Dwane – Ted Dwane is the Bass Guitarist and backup vocalist for the band. He is the only member of the band that we could find on IG personally.
@mrteddwane
140 photos 4,800 followers

Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an industrial rock project founded by Trent Reznor in 1988. While most bands lose their edge over time, NIN and Reznor have been able to maintain that edge over 25 years. Reznor is the only permanent member and sole writer for the band’s music. He enlists rotating musicians for the bands tours and recordings.
@nineinchnails
15 photos 26,000 followers
Trent Reznor –Sole permanent member and singer/songwriter for NIN.
@treznor
15 photos 20,000 followers

Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is a heavy rock band from Palm Desert, CA. They were first formed in the late 1990s and had a strong stint through the early 2000s. The band went on hiatus for a few years as a few of the members tried to sober up. Now reunited, fans are extremely excited to get new music from the band.
@queensofthestoneage
29 photos 5,000 followers


Check back with us leading up to the show as we will be adding more Lollapalooza acts on Instagram.

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