Watching a band out in the heat at Pitchfork isn't for everybody. That's why the after-parties, where headliners take the stage at 8:30 each night, are such a great alternative to the daytime sets.
Here are nine of the best bets for the post-festival festivites.
Friday, July 18
Cloud Nothings and The Wytches at Schubas
Despite having grown from singer Dylan Baldi's dorm room project into a fest-ready trio, Cloud Nothings's gritty pop-punk is best consumed in a small setting—which you won't necessarily get at Pitchfork. Schubas, on the other hand, is one of the tiniest rooms hosting an after-show this year.
10:30 p.m. Schubas, 3159 N. Southport. Tickets: $18.
Deafheaven and Perfect Pussy at Bottom Lounge
Of Pitchfork's nine after-shows, this will indisputably be the loudest—which isn't to say the noisiest. Post-black metal outfit Deafheaven's sophomore LP Sunbather was one 2013's most texturally complex records (Pitchfork deemed it a "modern classic"), and Syracuse punkers Perfect Pussy build their cacophony on a foundation of glimmering guitar work.
Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake. Tickets: $10
FKA twigs and Lucki Eck$ at Bottom Lounge (upstairs)
FKA twigs's intimate upstairs show at Bottom Lounge has sadly sold out—likely due in part to Chicago up-and-comer Lucki Eck$'s opening slot (he isn't playing Pitchfork)—but there are a handful of slightly marked-up tickets available for resale on StubHub. Go get 'em!
9:30 p.m. doors, 10:30 p.m. show. Bottom Lounge (upstairs), 1375 W. Lake. Tickets: $32-46 (StubHub).
Wild Beasts and Mutual Benefit at Lincoln Hall
English indie-rock quartet Wild Beasts's two vocalists couldn't sound more different—guitarist Hayden Thorpe dons an airy falsetto while bassist Tom Fleming sticks to a Robert Smith–inspired moan—but their live interplay is stunningly complementary.
11 p.m. Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $25 advance or $15 at the door with Pitchfork wristband.
Saturday, July 19
DIIV, LODRO, and Regal Degal at Empty Bottle
Of all the Brooklyn garage bands channeling early-90s shoegaze—and there are tons—DIIV are one of the handful doing it well. Their 2012 debut Oshin was beloved by both mainstream media and fringe blogs alike, and word has it the quartet is using their summer shows to toy with new music.
9 p.m. Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western. Tickets: $15
Dum Dum Girls, Ex Hex, and Speedy Ortiz at Bottom Lounge
Dum Dum Girl Dee Dee Penny might be the star of this show, but Speedy Ortiz frontwoman Sadie Dupuis is worth showing up on time for. Her band, who plays Pitchfork's regrettable 1 p.m. Sunday slot, has penned some of the most shtickless, irreverent indie rock in recent memory, with a sense of humor that's growing rarer and rarer in the genre. Take the hook to "Bigger Party," which premiered last week at The A.V. Club: "I'm sorry for the time that I made out with all your friends/ I'm really a shithead."
9:30 p.m. Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake. Tickets: $13
Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, and Mick Jenkins at Metro
Chicago lucks out big-time on this one. After announcing last week that he was too physically exhausted to play his nine remaining summer shows, Earl Sweatshirt, the barely-legal member of alt hip–hop collective Odd Future, jumped back on both Pitchfork and this after-show—two of only three remaining US dates. After Death Grips's abrupt cancellation earlier this month, Earl's change of heart likely saved Pitchfork some serious damage control.
7:45 p.m. Metro, 3730 N. Clark. Tickets: $23
Real Estate and Peter Matthew Bauer at Lincoln Hall
Real Estate corners the post-fest exhaustion market on Saturday night. The New Jersey quartet's feather-light surf rock might not make for the all-night rager Earl Sweatshirt will, but after two days spent wilting in the sun (with a third on the way), you might be grateful for the easy come-down.
11 p.m. Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $15
Sunday, July 20
Majical Cloudz and Hundred Waters at Lincoln Hall
It's no mistake that Pitchfork's sole Sunday after-show stars two of its most docile bands. If you absolutely must keep raging once Kendrick wraps up the festival Sunday night, do it to the smooth sounds of electro-pop acts Majical Cloudz and Hundred Waters. Then go home, make a cup of Honeybush, and go to bed. You have to work tomorrow.
10 p.m. Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $15 advance or $10 at the door with Pitchfork wristband.