WHO: Lynn Drury Band

WHERE/WHEN: 11:45 A.M., Oct. 28, Le Flambeau tent

THE band: Lynn Drury’s music is like a roadmap of the places she’s lived. She blends her Mississippi roots with classic New Orleans funk and a splash of Italian soul for a rock ‘n’ roll sound that’s all her own.

What to expect from a live show: Drury is a craftswoman, balancing her powerful voice with catchy melodies and an all-star band. Her lyrics reference local bars and clubs in songs like “City Life” and “Frenchmen Street,” while also tackling the darker sides of our fair city. Drury’s band is filled with local favorites. She’ll be joined on stage by guitarist and singer Alex McMurray, drummer Carlo Nuccio, bassist Peter Harris and keyboardist Bill Malchow.

-Amy Garner

WHO: Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes

WHERE/WHEN: 7:45 p.m., Oct. 29, Le Ritual tent

THE BAND: Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes are comprised of five classically trained musicians who aren’t really that classical. Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes is an eclectic band with a lot of funk and horns. They list bands like The Beatles, Ween, Roy Orbison and Frankie Valli as influences. The five members step aside and let their alter egos play, with names like Master Johnny Rocket, Busta Gnutt and Sir Dirty Johnny. They credit the hardship and trials of Hurricane Katrina for forming the band’s friendships. The Sketchy crew was mid-tour when Hurricane Katrina hit, leaving them to fend for themselves on the road with very little to come home to. Ten years later, the well-oiled machine of chaos still tours the country.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The best part about this band is never knowing what to expect. Nothing is off limits, including public nudity. You’re guaranteed to experience shenanigans, a lot of laughs and plenty of inappropriate behavior. They may just be your new favorite band.

-Amy Garner

 

WHO: Major Lazer

WHERE/WHEN: 6:00 P.M., Oct. 28, Le Plur Tent

THE BAND: DJ extraordinaires Diplo and Switch joined forces in 2009 after meeting during the creation of M.I.A.’s gunshot-sampling smash hit “Paper Planes.” After concocting the insane identity of Major Lazer – a veteran of some kind of zombie war who, for reasons unbeknownst to us, has a gun for a right arm – the duo laid down some of the most bass-heavy Jamaican-inspired jams in recent memory. Chances are you’re already familiar with Lazer’s work and don’t even know it. Beyonc?© copped the warped moaning and rat-a-tat snare hits from the pair’s dancehall-shaker “Pon de Floor” for her girl-power anthem “Run the World (Girls).” If you’re not yet woozy with awe, consider this: Attendees of Lazer shows often engage in “daggering,” a style of dance that originated in Jamaica and pretty much equates to hyper-vigorous dry-humping. The audience daggers, hype man Skerritt Bwoy – often after having jumped, pantsless, from a ladder – daggers, everybody daggers.

WHAT TO EXPECT: A booty-shaking daggerfest that’ll blow as many minds as it does amps.

– Charles Ramesco

WHO: Mates of State

WHERE/WHEN: 4:15 P.M., Oct. 28, Le Ritual Tent

THE BAND: Most couples go to Costa Rica or Paris on their honeymoon, get drunk and spend a lot of time in the bedroom. When Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel got hitched, they formed Mates of State and started crafting sweet, undeniably catchy indie-pop confections. Think Matt & Kim if neither Matt nor Kim had a raging obsession with Brooklyn, N.Y. The couple is now on tour, hot off the release of its most recent album, “Mountaintops.” If you’re searching for a further primer on the band’s uptempo style, take a look at “Crushes (The Covers Mixtape).” Mates put their own spin on a number of classic tunes, including “Long Way Home” by Tom Waits and “Laura” by critical darlings Girls. The songs don’t ooze with marital lovey-dovery. They are crisp odes to the trickier parts of life, executed with a grace that makes creating music look easy.

WHAT TO EXPECT: A light and fluffy joyride that thrives on male-female harmony, literally and figuratively.

-Charles Ramesco

WHO: My Chemical Romance

WHERE: 7:15 p.m., Oct. 28, Voodoo Stage

THE BAND: Alternative rock band My Chemical Romance consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, brother and bassist Mikey Way, and guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero. The New Jersey band formed in 2001 and rose to fame with its second album “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” in 2004. Following its release, the band released its huge commercial success, “The Black Parade,” in 2006 and “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” in 2010. My Chemical Romance is described as punk, progressive rock, post-hardcore and, much to the chagrin of Gerard Way, emo. The band cites its influences as Queen, The Misfits, Black Flag and The Smashing Pumpkins. MCR’s most popular singles include “I’m Not Ok (I Promise),” “Helena,” “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Ghost of You”.

WHAT TO EXPECT: While the band is not featured as a main headliner on Voodoo’s website, expect a fairly large crowd: My Chemical Romance, now possibly considered old, will be sure to take many fans on a trip down memory lane to their middle school years of wannabe punk/hipster-dom. The band also seems to put on a good show by replicating its album sound and keeping the audience pumped up all the way through with energy and lighting effects.

– Abbie Levenson

WHO: The Static Jacks

WHERE/WHEN: 12:45 p.m., Oct. 28, Le Carnival stage

THE BAND: The Static Jacks, an emerging indie-rock band from Westfield, N.J., will display its punk- and pop-influenced garage rock in its first major festival appearance. Currently touring nationally with The Wombats and signed during the summer by Fearless Records, the Static Jacks released its first studio album, “If You’re Young,” on Aug. 31, which included songs largely based off the bandmates’ mutual experiences after leaving college in 2009 to begin a musical career. Lead singer Ian Devaney said the band’s main draw is its distinctiveness in a crowded, homogenous indie-rock scene that overuses electronics and manufactured beats.

“We try to keep everything live and done by us,” Devaney said. “We’re just trying to uphold a tradition of guitar rock in the indie rock world.”

WHAT TO EXPECT: Even though the set is early in the day, expect the band to “Static Jack” up the crowd with the soulful vocals and tribal beats of “My Parents Lied” and the heavily punk-influenced “Walls.” Devaney said the band may experiment with new elements for the performance.

“We’re planning on giving our set a festival treatment, to make everything a little bigger and more bombastic, so people can expect a show,” Devaney said.

-Jon Berman

WHO: Steve Angello

WHERE/WHEN: 7:30 P.M. on Oct. 28, Red Bulletin stage

THE BAND: Steve Angello is not simply a member of the supergroup Swedish House Mafia along with Axwell and Sebastain Ingrosso. In addition, his solo act is ranked one of the best in the world by DJ Mag. Beginning his career in Stockholm, Sweden, Angello is now one of the best house artists in the world after his 2004 breakout remix of the Eurythmics tune “Sweet Dreams.” Angello’s productions can be categorized as progressive, techno, and electro house and within these fields, Angello has been successful to the point that he now owns his own record label, Size Records.

WHAT TO EXPECT: As typical of Swedish House Mafia, expect an energy-filled show in which you can’t help but bob along with the crowd as the uplifting electronic dance music consumes you. Check out his work in Swedish House Mafia’s new album “Until One” and after listening through that, go back and check out Angello’s own albums: “Ibiza 4AM with Sebastian Ingrosso,” “Stadium Electro,” “Sessions, The Yearbook and Size Matters Mixed With AN21.”

-Nate Costello

 

WHO: The Wombats

WHERE/WHEN: 2:15 P.M., Oct. 28, Le Carnival Tent

THE BAND: Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Tord Overland-Knudsen became the British indie powerhouse The Wombats in 2003 after the trio met at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. The band’s 2007 debut album, “A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation,” featured the single “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and granted the Wombats recognition on both sides of the pond. The record is nowhere near as emo as the title would suggest and instead boasts songs that are catchy without being overenthusiastic. “This Modern Glitch” of 2011 was even more fun and provided a more diverse track selection while shedding some of the first album’s cliche. Both records have a strong brit-pop feel reminiscent of The Kooks or more mainstream Arctic Monkeys hits, but the band’s sophomore effort incorporated a indietronica sound that set the Wombats apart.

WHAT TO EXPECT: If witnessing The Wombats live is half as enjoyable as rocking out to “This Modern Glitch” alone in your car, their performance is bound to be one of Friday’s highlights. The band’s early time slot is a pity, but the boys are on UK time, so prepare for a high-energy midday dance party.

-Christina Murphey

Who: Fitz & the Tantrums

Where: Le Carnival Bingo! Parlor at 6:45 p.m. on Friday

The Band: Playing shows since only 2008, Fitz & the Tantrums is a relatively new band, born largely out of the acquisition of an old organ by bandleader Fitz. The band has put out two albums (“Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1” and “Pickin’ Up the Pieces”), and has toured with Maroon 5. Their sound is a sort of energetic, pop-soul. Fitz’s organ is usually largely featured, along with the amazing vocals of both Fitz and Noelle Scaggs, who acts as much more than just a back-up singer.

What to expect: In their suits, Fitz & the Tantrums keep it classy. While full of energy, the band never loses its control and powerful explosion of sound backed up by a superb rhythm section.

-Sophie Unterman