Photo of Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons by Michael O’Connor
With a day of warm weather ahead, this Iowa crowd was ready for the sun after two days of rain. Waylon Wyatt opened with a presence that felt far bigger than his 19 years of age. His voice carried that true old-country grit. Banjo solos rippled through the crowd, striking something nostalgic. His set had a Hinterland-core ease to it, and I was vibing to the music under the shade of one of the beautiful oak trees left of the stage.
Julia Wolf followed with a glow on her face; you could tell she was so happy to be performing. She’s one of those artists whose genuine joy makes the entire crowd feel lighter. Her guitarist Joe Cecere was absolutely jamming on stage, sending riffs across the hill that added a punch of texture to her sound.
A burst of whimsical chaos burst onto stage: CMAT was one of the best energies all weekend, and was such an exciting artist to see perform live. The entire band matched her energy and leaned into a playful indie-pop sound that had the crowd screaming and dancing. At one point she even made her own pit to jam in and jumped into the crowd.
The Format kept the momentum rolling with some of the best vibes of the entire festival. They kept joking very seriously that they were from Iowa (they are very much from Arizona), and the crowd thought it was hilarious. People were dancing, singing along, and fully locked into their sound. Their set landed right as the sun was setting, only amplifying the warmth and good energy radiating off of the Hinterland hill.
One of the strongest vocalists of the entire weekend, Jessie Murph cut straight through the Iowa air. She covered every inch of the stage with her presence, then walked into the photo pit to greet fans holding signs and messages for her. At one point, she pulled a shirtless audience member onstage and painted (with a full-size paintbrush) them mid-song. Her vocal control was unreal: lying down, bending, standing, moving, and never losing power, almost bringing me to tears.
Mumford and Sons closed day three with a smoky haze rolling across the stage. Their sound felt like the true form of Hinterland indie. Midway through the set that all changed, and they unleashed rock tracks with pyro that lit up the sky. Afterwards, lead singer Marcus Mumford sprinted off stage and was projected on the big screens running along the hill while still singing their track. | Michael O’Connor
