An Outside Lands pre-party celebration of queer Bay Area music and community. Featuring electrifying sets from Emily Afton, *Mystery guest TBD*, Cardboard People, Medscool, DJ n0be, plus special performances from local drag performers, go-go’s, and dancers!

Emily Afton is a queer multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and performer with roots across California, in Oakland, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Her nostalgia-infused alt-pop has been described by NPR as “…wonderful, wonderful electro-pop that’s weary of life, but positive,” and draws influence from a wide musical spectrum including the likes of Fiona Apple, Frank Ocean, and Robyn. In 2017, Afton was invited to perform her feminist protest song, ‘The Veil’ at the San Francisco Women’s March, garnering the admiration of many in the 40,000-person audience.

When the song was officially released on her 2020 EP, Consideration, the song and EP’s popularity landed Afton’s music on TV shows such as The CW’s Batwoman, and caught the attention of Third Eye Blind frontman, Stephan Jenkins who asked her to perform as direct support on their national tour. Emily Afton’s most widely recognized song, ‘Lost’ (from her debut album Archetype), was featured on the series Riverdale, which brought Afton’s music to the international stage for the first time.

Emily Afton is currently releasing a handful of new singles from her anticipated 2nd full-length album, slated for a Fall 2024 release. Following her first two singles, (‘Make’ and ‘Free [feat. Tauwoo]), the third single, ‘Running out of Time’ comes alongside a jaw dropping music video collaboration with Southern California based women-led production company, NO STORAGE PRODUCTIONS. The new single and micro thriller -music video explore themes of heartbreak, self-preservation, and the end of toxic relationship patterns.

Pillowprince is an Oakland-based indie gaze band that makes rock from cracking folds of leather and glittering chain link, from nights of red-gelled stage lights and mornings after that are way too bright, from hair matted with joy and danger and most of all from bodies making places for themselves only they know.

Songwriter and guitarist Olivia Lee sings about queer joy, pain, love and subversion, punctuating raw sincerity with vibrant brooding guitar riffs. Together with Sea Snyder on drums, they create dense, propulsive shoegaze anthems.

Massive and melodious, Pillowprince ebbs and flows between a dramatic intimate grandeur and irreverent indie pop on their debut EP, pretty, baby!, coming out on Dune Altar Records on April 25, 2025.

Cardboard People is an electro-pop group from the Bay Area consisting of singer Yunoka Berry and producer/songwriter Jim Greer. Known for uber-high-energy performance and creative genre-hopping, Cardboard People have been performing on Bay Area stages from the MOMA to the Makeout Room, and in the words of 48Hills,  “stealing crowds, piling up those “oh my gawd” moments..go get gobsmacked by this gotta-see band making waves”. Cardboard People have toured to NYC and back in 2025 and are releasing 2 EPs this year , following up their well-received 2024 release, Tigress Lane ( War Chant Recordings).

Medscool is a rock group from San Francisco created and fronted by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maria Donjacour. Medscool began as a passion project for Maria as she navigated COVID lockdown away from her bandmates in Secret Secret and has blossomed into a strong live band with collaborations from some of the most talented musicians in the SF DIY music scene. Maria takes inspiration from a wide range of musicians such as Cate Le Bon, Jay Reatard and Ty Segall. She also pulls from her training as a dancer to create an engaging and lively performance. Maria’s bandmates Marika Stuurman on bass, Ellie Stokes on keys, Sammie Dee Walingaon drums, and Jas Stade and Alex Wu on guitar add their own unique styles to the mix to create a powerful sound and uplift the presence of women and gender-nonconforming people on the concert stage. Medscool’s debut album RAW was released in January 2023. Their next EP Learning How To Fall is scheduled to be released in June 2025.

If you took your older brother’s cd collection, the cute goth girl’s mixtape, and the hot pink speakers of a Limited Too dressing room, you’d have the sound of DJ n0be. Bringing her curated mix of everything from throwback hip hop to surf punk, DJ n0be brings a wave of good times everywhere from a poolside kickback to a strobe-lit club. Listen and enjoy.