After a year away, Southern California psych-rock festival Desert Daze will return in 2024 with a lineup that includes Jack White, Mars Volta and Cigarettes After Sex.
The festival, known for its innovative mix of experimental rock, metal, hip-hop and underground music from around the world, will return to its longtime home in Lake Perris from October 10-13.
Headliner White just released a new album, billed as “unnamed” with typically contrarian promotion: it was given away as a free white-label LP at record stores in London, Nashville, Tennessee, and Detroit. The Mars Volta are celebrating their return to festival stages (after a tumultuous few years) thanks to their acclaimed 2022 comeback album and a Spanish-language reimagining of it. Dreamy indie-rock project Cigarettes After Sex just played two sold-out nights at the Kia Forum. The lineup also includes singer-songwriter Liz Phair and L.A. funk innovator Thundercat.
Just below them on the bill are Texas trash-metal combo Power Trip, who will play another set of their comeback tour following the death of singer Riley Gale; Belarusian post-punk group (and unlikely stadium act) Molchat Doma; and hip-hop veterans De La Soul (who will play after the 2023 death of co-founder Trugoy the Dove).
Other intriguing additions include dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 playing their beloved, sleazy debut LP “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine” for its 20th anniversary; avant-garde jazz programming featuring Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Ebo Taylor + Pat Thomas, and Adrian Younge; and a literary conversation between Bikini Kill founder and memoirist Kathleen Hanna and Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala.
The festival canceled its 2023 edition, saying in a statement: “After careful thought and consideration, Desert Daze organizers have decided to take a year off from the Lake Perris event and return in 2024, using the extra time to ensure an experience that exceeds expectations for many years to come.”
Tickets for this year's festival go on sale Friday and passes start at $299. See the full schedule here.
