Last weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the sixth edition of Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City, Utah. Over the past few years, it has become a highly esteemed destination for indie and alternative artists alike, and for good reason. With each passing year, the lineup gets more and more stacked, and especially for a mid-20s white guy like me, it has turned into a musical mecca.

It’s a chill festival — one of the few where people on shrooms are far more common than people on molly. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see a 47-year-old guy in jeans and a trucker hat silently nodding along to Slowdive, while a group of 17-year-old tank top and beanie-wearers behind him are pronouncing “shoegaze” like “shoe-gatzi.”

I only saw one small fight the entire weekend, and it was quickly diffused when a white guy with dreads stepped between them, held out his hands, and simply said, “Whoa.” And, just like that, we were back on track.

The festival itself is also just stunning. Four stages, all nestled in between mountains. There’s something surreal about watching one of your favorite artists perform while the faint outline of snow-capped peaks rises just behind the stage.

Now, the most important part of the festival is, of course, the artists. So it’s probably time I talk about them. There were so many I wanted to see that some I couldn’t cover, even though I really wanted to. I had to pick my battles — and sometimes, that decision was tough.

I could write a 10-page article about each of my favorite artists and individual songs, but for the sake of being succinct, I’m not gonna do that. So let’s get into it. Here were the best moments and performances from KBB6.

Future Islands

Speaking with Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring before the show, he explained that playing festivals demands a different approach than a headlining club set. "You have to come out swinging at festivals. It sometimes feels like you have to win over the crowd, as opposed to just singing to the choir," he said.

This was especially true for their performance, which fell on Thursday — the only day of the festival with just one set at a given time. This meant the entire festival audience was present, many of whom weren't necessarily dedicated Future Islands fans.

So, of course, Herring took his own advice and ‘came out swinging.’ If you've ever witnessed Herring live, you know he's one of the most intense and mesmerizing performers in music. He punches himself in the chest, slaps his face, throws in wild, knee-high kicks, and unleashes a monstrous growl at seemingly random moments. It's chaotic, it's funny, it's emotional, and completely impossible to look away from. 

Herring acknowledged that "it can be difficult to have those deeply emotional moments at a festival." Yet, in this set, everyone could feel his emotion in every syllable that came out of his mouth.

While the entire crowd might not have been fully on board at the start, by the end, they were completely captivated, screaming and applauding with every distinctive dance move Herring pulled from his arsenal.

Before beginning the song "Peach," Herring shared a moment of vulnerability, dedicating the song to anyone who spends a little too long in front of the mirror each day, trying on shirt after shirt in search of confidence. Somehow, after that, watching him storm across the stage like a gremlin on a key bump for the rest of the set nearly brought a tear to my eye.

Because, for the entire performance, he encouraged the crowd to dance like no one was watching.

But for Samuel T. Herring, everyone was.

Legacy '80s-'90s Acts: New Order, Devo, Slowdive, Built to Spill, Weezer

Now, that last line would’ve been a good one to end the article on, but we aren’t even done with the first night of a four-day festival. Future Islands was followed by Devo and New Order, whom Herring and drummer Michael Lowry called "two of their favorite bands of all time."

Devo, the pioneering American New Wave band, took the stage first. While their stage presence, in their older age, wasn't as dynamic as it once was, they seamlessly continued the synth-pop/rock evening in a wonderfully weird way. "Uncontrollable Urge" was a highlight, showcasing as much energy as they mustered all set.

But the crowd was absolutely locked in, with the front row sporting the red 'energy domes' that Devo is known for. Playing on the Lake Stage, Devo easily drew the biggest crowd of the weekend at that spot.

New Order, similarly, in their wise years, weren't the most energetic on stage, but undeniably sounded outstanding — often better than their recordings. The synth sounds, primarily played by Gillian Gilbert, were magical, though she never cracked a smile. Bernard Sumner’s voice, never their strongest asset, still held up, complemented by his incredible guitar playing. Stephen Morris was killer on drums. I'd been a little skeptical after founding bassist Peter Hook, just weeks prior, aggressively claimed New Order sounded like a bad cover band, but they absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. While the bass couldn’t quite capture Hook’s iconic sound, it served its purpose well enough.

Just before "Bizarre Love Triangle," the band brought out Brandon Flowers, who grew up in Utah, to uproarious applause. He didn't overstay his welcome, nor did he play any of his own killer songs (which would have been cool, but I was also happy not to take any time away from New Order’s hour and a half). He was gone at the song’s conclusion. The band closed their initial set with a prolonged and captivating version of "Blue Monday," followed by "Temptation," before returning for an encore of their former band, Joy Division's, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," with images of Ian Curtis playing in the background. It was a fairly emotional end to a very synth-pop night. I was already fulfilled by the end of the first night, and the weekend hadn’t even truly started.

The following day brought two more legendary bands: Slowdive and Built to Spill, with the latter taking the Kilby Stage first, launching into their set with "Fool's Gold," a track from their 2022 album, When the Wind Forgets Your Name.

What followed was a guitar-heavy, 50-minute shred-fest, with frontman Doug Martsch relentlessly tearing through bluesy, distorted riffs. The band easily generated the most noise created by only three people on stage all weekend.

Slowdive followed on the same stage, wrapping the audience in a sonic blanket of distorted guitar, heavy reverb, and a more deliberate tempo. The crowd was utterly mesmerized — a profound silence hung in the air during the brief pauses between songs. The band perfectly set the mood with "Shanty," the opening track from their 2023 album, Everything is Alright, before concluding their set with the ethereal "When the Sun Hits." 

Finally, rounding out this very loosely-categorized group, we have Weezer — specifically, Weezer performing their Blue Album in full. And, they sounded very good. Weezer Weezer’d around up there. There’s no denying that Weezer was Weezering. 

In all honesty, though, it was great to hear all the classics from the Blue Album, along with a few highlights from Pinkerton and the rest of their discography, too. They weren’t necessarily up there putting on a 1985 Live Aid performance, but they sounded like their 1990s selves — which undoubtedly sounded great.

Beach House

Beach House headlining the same festival as New Order, Weezer, and Justice is a testament to their monumental rise in popularity over the past few years, largely fueled by TikTok's embrace of their now dream-pop classic, "Space Song."

The band wisely placed that track at the very end of their set, reserving the preceding time for a stunning exploration of their entire catalog. They sounded absolutely amazing; lead singer Victoria Legrand’s voice was perfect—atmospheric and ethereal — while Alex Scally’s guitar work, though subdued, was meticulous and dream-like. But of course, it was a Beach House show, so it was more of a stand-and-sway kind of vibe. No one was exactly moshing to “Master of None,” much to the dismay of a group of guys behind me.

George Clanton's (afterparty)

George Clanton began his afterparty set by saying, “I spoke to the owner of Kilby Block Party, and he told me: ‘That was the best set we’ve EVER seen here.’ And I said, ‘Are you fucking kidding me? That shit was mid. If you want a real show, come to the afterparty.’"

And honestly, he was kind of right. His Kilby set was fantastic, a ton of energy and an unbelievable amount of noise. But seeing him at The Urban Lounge, a small venue a few miles from the festival grounds, was a completely different experience — more intimate and way more chaotic. Clanton spent at least half the show in the crowd, moshing with fans. There were multiple crowd surfers, including Clanton himself, his drummer Anya Good, and, of course, a blow-up Pokémon with large breasts.

If you ever get the chance to see Clanton and Good live, do yourself a favor and get the ticket. 

Nation of Language

Nation of Language is a Brooklyn-based synth-pop group. As a fan of New Order, Depeche Mode, and Kraftwerk, these guys feel like they were made for me. This was my first time seeing the trio live — and by God, did they deliver. There's so much emotion in lead singer and guitarist Ian Richard Devaney's performance, and a genuine sense of love and camaraderie radiates from the band as they play. They’re a group that truly feels their music and is deeply grateful that others feel it too.

They’re a sight to behold. As the set went on, the crowd erupted into a full-on dance party, made up of longtime fans and curious newcomers alike. There wasn’t really anything you could do except move your body.

Their afterparty set at Metro Music Hall was just as good. No emotion was lost in the transition from a big festival stage to a smaller venue, which speaks volumes about the strength of the band itself.

They were joined by another Brooklyn-based band, Gift, who also blew me away. I unfortunately missed their KBB set, but I’m so glad I got to catch them in a more intimate space. Their electric blend of psychedelia and dance music had me completely locked in from start to finish.

Nation of Language’s new single, Inept Apollo, just dropped last week, along with the announcement that they’ve signed to the legendary label Sub Pop. I truly believe their meteoric rise is imminent, so listen now, and you can say you were into Nation of Language before it was cool.

Geese / TV on the Radio

You might be wondering why I’m including both of these bands under the same header. It’s not because they performed a joint set — rather, they were scheduled at the same time on different stages, and I wanted to catch both.

Usually, when two artists I'm desperate to see play at the same time, I pick one and commit for the full set. But for Geese and TV on the Radio? I was torn. So, I decided I’d split their sets equally. 

Geese started a few minutes before TV on the Radio, so I began with them. The moment they began, someone next to me, clearly unfamiliar with the band, quietly spoke about lead singer Cameron Winter, "Wow, he definitely has a voice?" And it’s true, he does!

Winter is a captivating performer, constantly twisting his voice, sometimes sounding wildly different from the recordings, other times eerily spot-on. It can feel erratic, but his pitch is almost faultless. The band itself brought an explosive energy, pushing their songs into even higher gears. Drummer Max Bassin was a stand-out — an unbelievable percussionist who melds raw power with intricate technicality, anchoring the band even when their sound teeters on the edge of chaos.

It was tough to tear myself away from their set, but I knew I had to. I trekked over to the Lake Stage, arriving just in time for the second half of TV on the Radio’s set, catching the opening notes of "Wolf Like Me."

While not as unpredictable as Geese, the energy was still electric, especially from Tunde Adebimpe. His vocals were practically flawless, and he brought his signature fire, dedicating the set to Palestine and declaring every song they create an anti-fascist anthem. Longtime fans know their politics are unapologetic, so it would be shocking if they didn’t make a political statement, especially in our current climate. 

Justice

By the final night of a four-day festival, I was running on fumes. My legs were about to give in, my energy was completely drained, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I had anything left to give Justice the reaction they deserved. Standing in the crowd, waiting for their set to begin, I felt myself fading fast. The red bull I chugged in 6 seconds did nothing to aid me in the moment.

But then, Justice took the stage.

After a slow, suspenseful buildup, they unleashed the beat to “Genesis,” the opening track from their debut album — and just like that, I was all in. For the next 75 minutes, I was utterly mesmerized.

It’s hard to truly capture their performance in words; it’s something you have to experience. Just two shadowy figures on stage, commanding a towering, knob-laden DJ rig. But the way they manipulated it proved exactly why they’re legends.

They delivered a masterclass in electronic performance: a nonstop, tightly-woven set that kept the entire crowd moving from start to finish. And just when you thought it was over, they returned with a euphoric reprise of “D.A.N.C.E,” “Safe and Sound,” and “Neverender” — a perfect, unforgettable finale to close out the entire weekend.

Honorable mentions

As I said earlier, I wish I could’ve written ten pages and highlighted every single artist I saw in more depth — but that would’ve made for far too long of an article, and I’m probably already losing a decent percentage of readers at this point. So I just want to take a second to acknowledge a few more bands I really enjoyed but didn’t include with their own individual header.

First up: Tennis, who just released what will be their final album, Face Down in the Garden. Their set was effortlessly pleasant. Alaina Moore’s vocals were stunning, beautifully showcasing her intimate, poetic songwriting. She was accompanied by her partner Patrick Riley’s strummy guitar work, creating the kind of dreamy, soft-edged atmosphere the band is known for. They’re currently on their farewell tour, so be sure to catch them if they're coming to a city near you.

I also really enjoyed The Lemon Twigs’ set. They sounded almost identical to their recordings, delivering the lush, Beatles- and Beach Boys-esque melodies they’re known for. The most surprising part? The genuinely hilarious back-and-forth banter between brothers, and co-lead singers, Brian and Michael D’Addario. Their sibling dynamic added a fun, unpredictable energy to the performance, making for a laid-back but thoroughly entertaining time.

I’d also like to highlight Austin, Texas–based indie pop duo Hovvdy. I’ve been a big fan of theirs for a while, and while they’re definitely known for their hushed, low-key sound, their live performance brought a whole new dynamic. The drums hit harder, the vocals were more prominent, and overall, there was just a lot more energy than you’d expect from their recordings. Their performance of “Forever” was one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend.

Though I couldn’t catch these bands’ sets in their entirety, they’re all still worth mentioning. Momma brought a raw, energetic vibe to songs from their latest album, Welcome to My Blue Sky, which dropped just a few months ago. Their mix of gritty guitar work and earworm melodies hit especially well live.

Husbands, from Oklahoma City, also surprised me — in a good way. They added a sharp edge to their typically more laid-back surf rock/synth-pop sound.

And I’ve got to shout out Real Estate, who played on Sunday morning. The weather was brutal early on, but right as their set started, the sun finally came out, fittingly so, given their bright, sunshiny brand of rock-pop. It felt like the perfect soundtrack to that moment, and pushed the rest of the evening in a positive direction.

Overall, Kilby Block Party delivered the kind of weekend that reminded me why I fell in love with live music in the first place. For any indie or alternative rock fan, this festival belongs on your bucket list — it truly offers something for everyone, and I have no doubt it’s only going to keep growing.

All photos were taken by Lily Rutherford, unless otherwise noted.