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Jun 03, 2026 Web Exclusive By Kaveh Jalinous

New York City is a difficult city to throw music festivals in (for reasons both subtle and obvious), but that hasn’t stopped the Governors Ball (or “Gov Ball”) from continuing to grow, prosper, and solidify its place as one of the Big Apple’s premier festivals.

Now in its 15th year and at its fourth venue in the city (Flushing Meadows Corona Park), the three-day festival continues to excel in its simplicity. For those living in New York, it’s fairly easy to get to, boasts an eclectic lineup of artists and genres, and offers a chance to catch mainstream artists making informal New York City stops on their tours. (For example, Lorde returns to the festival after three NYC shows last year; A$AP Rocky headlines as part of his Don’t Be Dumb tour).

At first glance, you’d think the festival lineup leans slightly more mainstream than what we usually cover. But there is a flurry of indie artists we simply can’t wait to see, including:

flipturn

(Friday, June 5 @ The Grove, 7:30-8:30)

flipturn’s reverb-heavy sound feels familiar, resonant, and nostalgic, akin to music you’d hear from bands like Peach Pit or the Backseat Lovers. Listening to their tracks, it’s almost surprising that they aren’t even more popular than they already are, given the catchy and accessible nature of their sound. That being said, a primetime slot on opening day marks the perfect opportunity for the five-piece band to make an early, large impression on the festival audience.

Wisp

(Saturday, June 6 @ GOVBALLNYC Stage, 2:00-2:30)

There are certain artists you feel lucky to catch early in their budding careers; that especially feels apparent with shoegaze artist Wisp. Readers may recognize the name from her excellent feature on American Football’s LP4, but that’s just the surface of an extremely impressive catalog. Though her set is fairly short, we’re excited to see how she commands the audience and gets festivalgoers hyped for a great day of music to follow.

Wet Leg

(Saturday, June 6 @ GOVBALLNYC Stage, 4:45-5:30)

Fresh off the announcement of a deluxe edition of their sophomore album, moisturizer, the now-five-piece band hailing from the Isle of Wight return to NYC for the first time since their double-header last year, still in support of the aforementioned album. Even if you’ve seen the band perform live, watching lead singer Rhian Teasdale command the stage is always a treat. They’re also the type of band you envy when watching them perform live; it just looks like they’re having so much fun. We’re excited to see how that energy shines during the busyness of a festival day.

Blood Orange

(Saturday, June 6 @ Snapchat Stage, 5:30-6:30)

Blood Orange, the moniker of Devonté Hynes, last visited New York as part of a six-night residency last year in support of his latest record, Essex Honey, which placed 46th on our top albums of last year. In many senses, his early evening placement is perfect. Amidst the hustle and bustle of a festival, an hour to relax and admire Hynes’ stunning, layered, and complex compositions is a great way to ring in Saturday evening.

Amyl and the Sniffers

(Saturday, June 6 @ The Grove, 7:30-8:30)

This year’s lineup doesn’t scream “punk rock band mosh pit” energy, so it’s a good thing Australian outfit Amyl and the Sniffers is booked as one of the festival’s late-night Saturday acts. It’s hard to believe its been nearly two years since the band released their latest album, Cartoon Darkness, which placed amongst our favorites of that year. If that record suggests anything, it’s that lead singer Amy Taylor’s powerful stage presence and energy will make for a great hour.

Hannah Jadagu

(Sunday, June 7 @ The Grove, 12:30-1:00)

Some of a music festival’s best and memorable sets happen right as the day begins, and we have a feeling Hannah Jadagu’s early Sunday set will be exactly that. Both of her albums—2025’s Describe and 2023’s Aperture—feel wildly underrated, with excellent lyricism, catchy melodies, and assured confidence. Hearing her top tracks live is the perfect start to what’ll be a very busy Sunday.

Slayyyter

(Sunday, June 7 @ GOVBALLNYC Stage, 1:45-2:30)

2026 is Slayyyter’s year. Her latest record, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, is a stunning, propulsive electropop album that has catapulted her to fame in indie circles. She’s been on a major run since then, with a standout Coachella performance, a Tonight Show feature, and a social media trend revolving around the album’s premier track, “Dance…” Her presence in New York is long-awaited, and Gov Ball presents an opportunity to see her without shelling out hundreds of dollars for her solo NYC shows later this year (which sold out in seconds).

Japanese Breakfast

(Sunday, June 7 @ Snapchat Stage, 4:00-4:45)

Japanese Breakfast’s sound has expanded in fascinating ways throughout the past few years, making it difficult to imagine how the Michelle Zauner-led band will fit their extensive, stunning catalogue into 45 short minutes. But, in an odd way, that makes us even more excited to see how the group will blend slower, emotionally raw tracks from their latest record, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), with more upbeat songs from their earlier eras.

Geese

(Sunday, June 7 @ GOVBALLNYC Stage, 4:45-5:45)

You could call this Geese’s quasi-homecoming show, before their actual homecoming shows in November. You could also argue that this is the Cameron Winter-fronted band’s first major NYC appearance since their latest record (and our #1 album of last year), Getting Killed, which immediately catapulted them to indie rock fame. They did play two shows at Brooklyn Paramount last November, but tickets went on sale before many discovered who they were. A NYC crowd is already fun; a NYC crowd for an NYC band is even more electric. We’re excited to see just how much energy Winter and co. bring to the festival’s closing evening.