Everything You Missed at Friday Gov Ball: Post Malone, Dominic Fike, Labrinth

Written by Shannon Daly

Published on June 8, 2024

Governors Ball 2024 is here for their fourteenth year celebration, bringing it back to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with 60+ artists across three stages. The epic festival took over the Queens on Friday with artists like Post Malone, Dominic Fike, Alex G, Goth Babe, Rauw Alejandro, and Labrinth, including DJ sets across the park at different locations.

With over 40 food and drink options and 27 “Beyond The Music” alternative booths, events, and interactive experiences, there was no room for boredom or lollygagging, unless of course you wanted to! 

Some important names in indie music took the stage in the morning, although the festival was cross-genre and had sweet music that was sure to please all who attended. 

 

 Los Angeles-based Blondshell kicked off the day for me at 1:00 p.m., and although the crowd had not filled out to anywhere near Post Malone numbers, you could sense the dedicated fanbase went all out for the blonde queen. Plenty of room for dancing, and enjoying her simple sweet melodies and strong vocals. Some stand outs for me include: 

“Kiss City”- With its smooth jazz piano intro that blossoms into a powerful rock ballad that showcases her natural belting abilities and instrumentals that wrapped around her like a warm blanket. The chorus rung out in my head all night afterwards. 

“Salad”- Perhaps her most powerful and most confident piece, the gripping and intense lyrics about an abuser, which translated to the stage perfectly in all of its angry and vexed nature. This song was definitely a crowd favorite as well, and it was easy to see why.

 

The next band on my personal bill was the Long Island’s Arcy Drive, turning out to be one of my top performances of the night. A musical blend of the Backseat Lovers and early Arctic Monkeys makes this band a refreshing fourpiece that permanently turned up the energy in the first half of the day.

The GoPuff Stage kept this energy for the rest of the night, including fan favorite acts that all brought something unique. For Arcy Drive, this would be the fact that the entire band played barefoot on stage. Shoes or not, they kicked the crowd into life with their energy bursting songs. Here were my favorites: 

“Wicked Styley”- The set opener immediately proved the band to be an exciting upcoming band in the indie rock scene. With all smiles on stage, the band’s chemistry was hard to miss. Claiming they were one of the only bands to play instruments all day, it was a refreshing act for an indie music lover like myself. 

“Thrift Store”- A new unreleased song for the band was a unique addition, with a monologue in the middle, proved to bring a lighthearted and silly moment for these New York natives. This band is definitely one I will keep an eye on and keep on repeat. 

 

Yung Gravy, the Midwest rapper showcased a set that, shockingly, was a can’t-miss for me. He played all of his classic discography like “Cheryl”, “Gravy Train” and “Mr. Clean”, all which use recognizable samples from classic catalog songs to create a refreshing and fun, yet almost delightfully crass twist on timeless tunes.

Most shockingly, he debuted his new country rap songs, yet another popstar jumping on the country fad bandwagon in charting music. While these weren’t my favorite, bordering the line on too cheesy, I must give credit to “Clementine”, a song all about his short ex-girlfriend to the tune of “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band- one of my actual favorites.

Yung Gravy is an expert in shock value, singing his heart out to lyrics that made some laugh, some gasp but all smile. This set is when things really started to get kicking, crowds making it all the way to the back of the grass. It also helped he equipped security with fruit loops to throw at the crowd, and brought a leaf blower on stage for no other reason but- because he could! And I think that perfectly sums up a Yung Gravy show anyway. 

 

Dominic Fike was my favorite act of the night, collecting a massive crowd at 6:30 p.m., to hear his raw symphonies on love, regret, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. His relationship to his crowds is nothing but brutally honest, often speaking of his relationship with drugs, women and time in jail. But this only makes his music more relatable and heartfelt to his beloved fans. He has an unmatchable energy, and wastes no time in between songs to talk to the crowd and show his appreciation. The live drums and bass to his songs could be felt down to my core, making it incredibly easy to connect with the music. He also showcased his impressive guitar skills on his more rock-influenced songs.

He debuted his songs on his new EP “14 Minutes”, “Coast2Coast” and “Misses”. My personal favorites of the night were: 

“Frisky”- A groovy acoustic song that gets the ol’ legs moving and is super easy to sing-along to. 

“Why”- A crowd favorite which he let the fans sing the first hook, yet sounded incredibly different live in a fabulously good way. With crushing guitar chords and deep drums, the live mix to this song is one you need to hear to believe. 

 

Labrinth was next on my checklist, and was close to what I expected, a mesmerizing spectacle of vibes with a beautiful light show. His set was the most artistic by far, featuring a single drummer and four backup singers and dancers on stage with him which perfectly highlighted what his music feels like.

Most songs he played were from his extremely famous Euphoria soundtrack, which I could swear every teen knew in 2019. I thought his set was especially enriched by his songs “Lift Off”, a new favorite of mine full of beautiful synth pads and his collaboration with Sia, “Genius”, a earworm with a haunting orchestral build up that pays off every time.

Sadly, most people left early due his 40 minute delay, and being right before Post Malone, even pushing into his set at 8:30 p.m., certainly did not help. But those who stayed had the right idea. 

Some honorable mentions are Goth Babe, a great indie artist that had a fun set, Alex G, who I was unable to see but was described as a soft, intimate set that fans adored. I also must mention Farruko, whose “Pepas” had people dancing seemingly miles away, and Rauw Alejandro, whose fans lined up ALL DAY to get a glimpse of. 

 

Finally, Post Malone, the cross-genre superstar took the stage at 8:30 p.m. coupled with fireworks and a pyrotechnic extravaganza. He played all of his classics, everything from his 2017 hiphop “Zack and Codine”, to his pop hit “I Like You” and his country anthem “I Had Some Help”. His hooks are undeniably perfect recipes for hits, which had even the unknowing attendees singing along to.

This being my third time seeing Austin, I can easily say this is the most confident he has ever sounded, and the happiest and best he’s looked while performing. His recent collaborations with Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Morgen Wallen have skyrocketed him into unprecedented stardom, seeing him bless almost every genre he touches. His drummer was extremely impressive with powerful and skillful fills, and I have to mention the female guitarist that put on a great show.

A highlight for me was “Take What You Want”, a collaboration with Ozzy Ozborne, yet another genre that he has broken into. His metal scream shook me to my core, and truly proved that he can dominate any music that he wants. He is at an exciting point in his career, and as a longtime fan, I have never been more impressed with his work and interested in where he will go next. 

With a strong Friday schedule, Saturday’s lineup has a lot to compete with for the title of fan favorite. Stay tuned for future Gov Ball news, and let’s rock!

To read more about Governor’s Ball, check out reviews for Saturday and Sunday by WMSC.

 

Featured image photographed by N Bradley.