Hinterland Festival 2026: Day One
Two weeks ago, I found myself in Iowa. I know I’ve driven through Iowa a number of times, but never anticipated ever spending more than a brief moment there. Not that there is anything wrong with Iowa; I’ve just been a Midwestern girl for my whole life and coming from my own experience… we’re kinda bland. But, also coming from my own experience, I can say with certainty that every Midwestern state carries their own little pockets of magic.
You just won’t find them unless you decide to stop, open your mind, and take a look around.
Well, that’s exactly what I did when I made my way to the Hinterland Music Festival, a multi-day camping music festival placed in the rural fields of St. Charles, Iowa. My experience was four long days in the Iowa sun (and rain) as 31 bands performed live. Day One of the festival took place on Thursday, July 30th, with a large variety of music to get the long weekend started. I’d call this the “wild card” day, because unlike the more ‘catered’ days of music to follow, Thursday had a little bit of everything. The lineup consisted of:
- Porch Light
- Frost Children
- Jane Remover
- Oklou
- Audrey Nuna
- Ashnikko
- beabadoobee
- KATSEYE
Truthfully, I only recognized Ashnikko and beabadoobee from that list, but the great thing about music festivals is getting to experience and discover new music — which is exactly what I did.
What sets Hinterland apart from other music festivals of this size is that there is only one stage.
It sits at the bottom of a massive hill, a hill where thousands of attendees laid out their picnic blankets and inflatable loungers to ‘camp out’ for each day’s performances. There’s no rushing to different stages between sets to see your favorite bands, no overly tall dudes blocking your view on your tiptoes, and no standing all day until your legs give out. It’s quite a beautiful view, honestly. As I saw the green grass steadily fill with people, it instantly reminded me of Woodstock: the mass of people sitting and laying down in a luscious field together to listen to music.
With a big slice of pizza and a cold beer in hand, I too found a piece of land to call my own for the day and waited for the first performance to begin. The festival kicked things off with Porch Light, a high-energy indie rock band from Minneapolis. Only forming just two years ago, this band has swiftly made a significant impact, going viral on social media with excellent song cover performances. When I first heard them play on the Hinterland stage, Jackie Uhas’ vocals reminded me of an early Avril Lavigne.
The festival took a dramatic shift when Frost Children and Jane Remover took over.
Both sets turned the pit into a tidal wave of jumping and screaming fans. After a punky indie rock moment, the hills of Iowa were blasted with chaotic, yet controlled hyperpop digicore madness in the best type of way. Frost Children — made up of siblings Angel and Lulu Prost — are what I would call the love children of 100 gecs (both groups hailing from my hometown, St. Louis). They brought sporadic sounds of synthy autotuned beats you can’t help but jump to, which paired nicely with Jane Remover to follow, with their signature voice and rapping elements.
The day carried on with more genre-shifting as futuristic pop music of Oklou rocked us into an ambient trance-like state, while the fast-paced rapping vocals of Audrey Nuna took us on an R&B journey. Nuna and her backup dancers gave an incredible storytelling performance through their choreography; it was like watching art come to life onstage. This performance flowed smoothly into Asknikko’s set, as her performance felt like watching musical theater with humorous commentary, explicit lyrics, and graphic dance numbers.
After a long, yet satisfying day in the summer heat, the sun finally began to set.
The afternoon slowed down to a cooler evening, with beabadoobee’s dreamy voice filling our ears. The hill of Hinterland gathered with more and more attendees, turning the green grass into a rainbow of people left and right. The chill elements of beabadoobee’s soft bedroom pop sound allowed everyone to sit back and relax a bit before the exciting final performance.
This first night of Hinterland stood out to me compared to the others, because I noticed throughout the day that, by the time evening had arrived, there were as many children present as adults. I’d say that the Hinterland Music Festival is probably one of the best for families and kids, with its laidback, cozy atmosphere and its single stage providing ease for parents. No other night had nearly as many children present, though; I understood why when I saw families pass by with all children decked out in KATSEYE merch.
While I knew nothing of KATSEYE up to this point, I learned that they had a massive fan base with kids. By now, the sky was dark and the headliner awaited us. The hill — which was once patchy — was soon overflowing with people, eager for KATSEYE’s performance. Just as the stage dimmed and voices silenced, a cool mist of rain filled touched down on our faces. The soft sound of music began to play with bright lights beaming through my kaleidoscope vision; drops of water distorting my view, like night driving in the rain. I could make out several dark figures appearing onstage, as I heard a roar of voices cheering in an endless echo. With a sudden bright spotlight revealing the shadowed figures, KATSEYE broke out into song and the echo grew louder as they danced in sync.
Never in my life have I seen so many kids as ecstatic and energized than in that moment.
Throughout the crowd, children towered over us, propped on their parents’ shoulders and beaming with happiness as members of KATSEYE sang their favorite songs. It felt like such a unique and beautiful moment getting to see so many young people enjoying a music festival, an experience not many kids can say that they’ve ever had! It was hard to tell if it was the rain or tears of happiness that fell from so many faces that night. While the global pop girl group is enjoyed by all ages, the pure glee these young fans brought to Hinterland was infectious unlike any concert I’ve experienced before. I felt excited for their excitement!
Concluding this article, I feel similar to my first day at Hinterland: exhausted, yet satisfied and completely shocked in remembering that there are still three more days! So, buckle up — we’re only just getting started!
Photography by Sean Rider; review article be Michelle Zigler
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