2013 Lollapalooza: Must-see acts

Don’t miss:

Deap Vally(Friday, 1:30 p.m., Petrillo): Guitar-drums hard-rock duo of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards leaves bruises.  (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

Emeli Sande (Friday, 1 p.m., Red Bull): She’s already a star in the U.K., an in-demand songwriter with an impressive best-selling debut album. But is she too understated to crack the U.S. pop charts?  (Rob Harrison/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Ghost B.C. (Friday, 2:15 p.m., Bud Light): Swedish heavy metal band with a penchant for dressing in hooded liturgical garb while delivering old-school head-banging kicks.  (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

Smith Westerns (Friday, 2:30 p.m., Red Bull): This Chicago band has moved from low-fi garage rock to lush power-pop reminiscent of vintage Raspberries and Badfinger.  (Robin Marchant/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Jessie Ware (Friday, 3:15 p.m., Petrillo): The British soul singer values subtlety over over-emoting, and it’s a wonderful thing.  (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for VEVO)

Don’t miss:

Crystal Castles (Friday, 4:15 p.m., Red Bull): Ethan Kath provides the beats and the textures, Alice Glass delivers the chaos. Do not expect to be coddled.  (Brad Barket/Getty Images for SKYY Vodka)

Don’t miss:

Thievery Corporation (Friday, 5:15 p.m., Petrillo): After nearly 20 years together, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton continue to make an inspired mish-mash from a world of influences.  (Brad Barket/Getty Images for SKYY Vodka)

Catch if you can:

Modestep (Friday, 5:45 p.m., Perry’s): Dubstep has seeped into more than just DJ culture in the U.K., as this electro-rock quartet demonstrates.  (Ollie Millington/Redferns via Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Queens of the Stone Age (Friday, 6:15 p.m., Bud Light): Josh Homme and his crew return after a lengthy break with their strongest album in a decade, “Like Clockwork.”  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Catch if you can:

Hot Chip (Friday 7:25 p.m., Lake Shore): The veteran British quartet’s songwriting often leads them to the dancefloor, but they also have a penchant for poignance that’s perfect for late nights alone.  (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)

Don’t miss:

Nine Inch Nails (Friday 8:15 p.m., Bud Light): Trent Reznor has reassembled his industrial-rock band after a hiatus and will likely be debuting songs from its forthcoming album, “Hesitation Marks.”  (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Rebel Waltz)

Catch if you can:

Steve Aoki (Friday, 8:45 p.m., Perry’s): The label owner, event promoter, remixer, DJ and producer will likely blend some of his own tracks into his combustible dance mix.  (Ollie Millington / Redferns via Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Cherub (Saturday,noon,Perry’s): Rumbling low end and distorted vocals, but the Tennessee duo also serves catchy tunes.  (Brad Barket/Getty Images for SKYY Vodka)

Catch if you can:

Shovels & Rope (Saturday, 12:45 p.m., Red Bull): South Carolina co-ed duo plays it raw and rough with a grungy hillbilly vibe.  (Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

Catch if you can:

Little Green Cars (Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Lake Shore): The Irish quintet comes across as a junior Mumford and Sons, which should entice fans of the day’s headliners.  (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Coachella)

Don’t miss:

Charles Bradley (Saturday, 2:45 p.m., Bud Light): The soul survivor is finally being heard after decades of obscurity, and he’s got a trove of songs about heartbreak and resilience that he delivers as if his life depended on it.  (Marianna Massey/Getty Images)

Catch if you can:

Wild Cub (Saturday, 2:10 p.m., BMI): Harmony vocals and exotic rhythms distinguish this quintet’s electro-pop blend.  (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

Don’t miss:

GRiZ (Saturday, 3:15 p.m., Perry’s): Grant Kwiecinsk drops bass bombs with snaky, psychedelic textures and hooky vocals.  (Stephen J. Cohen / Getty Images)

Catch if you can:

Court Yard Hounds (Saturday, 3 p.m., Lake Shore): Two-thirds of Dixie Chicks, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, bring a bluegrass and country flavor to their pop songs.   (James Minchin/HANDOUT)

Catch if you can:

Local Natives (Saturday, 4 p.m., Red Bull): Studio-as-instrument innovators love a good melody, but aren’t afraid to dress it up with experimental touches.  (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

Foals (Saturday, 5:45 p.m., Petrillo): The quintet from Oxford, England, takes its danceable guitar workouts in a more bombastic direction on its third album, “Holy Fire.”  (Rich Polk/Getty Images for Coachella)

Don’t miss:

Kendrick Lamar (Saturday, 6:45 p.m., Bud Light): The Compton, Calif., MC put a new spin on the gangsta-rap tradition with the brilliant, introspective 2012 album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City.”

Catch if you can:

The National (Saturday, 6 p.m., Red Bull): If you’ve heard any of their consistently solid albums, you know the deal -- baritone-voiced angst shaded by excellent drumming and ebb-and-surge dynamics.  (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

HAIM (Saturday, 7:15 p.m., Grove): Three sisters flail heavy-metal tresses with touches of folk, classical and pop.  (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Death Grips (Saturday, 8:45 p.m., Grove): Agit-rap doesn’t come any harder than this. Ferocious stuff from a trio that revels in sonic beat-downs.  (Karl Walter/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

The Postal Service (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Bud Light): This “side project” turned into a major 2003 album, “Give Up.” Now Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello are back, with Jenny Lewis on vocals.  (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)

Don’t miss:

Palma Violets (Sunday, 1 p.m., Bud Light): Brits channel Clash, Billy Bragg and no-frills, guitar-driven mania.  (Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images)

Catch if you can:

Wild Belle (Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Lake Shore): Breezy pop songs flavored with Caribbean and African exotica from Chicago co-ed quintet.  (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Soho House)

Don’t miss:

Angel Haze (Sunday, 2 p.m., Perry’s): Detroit MC brings swagger and rapid-fire flow to her personal tales.  (Gus Stewart / Redferns via Getty Images)

Catch if you can:

Wild Nothing (Sunday, 2:15 p.m., Red Bull): One-man studio band Jack Tatum expands the lineup for his concerts, where his new-wave-influenced melodies can flourish.  (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

Lianne La Havas (Sunday, 3 p.m., Lake Shore): Prince has been touting this U.K. singer-songwriter-guitarist as a “new Joni Mitchell.”  (Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Machines Are People Too (Sunday, 4:30 p.m., BMI): Hooks galore from this Nashville synth-pop quartet.  (Derek Hatfield / HANDOUT)

Catch if you can:

Tegan and Sara (Sunday, 4 p.m., Red Bull): The sisters have kept it intimate and personal despite often playing huge outdoor shows during a career spanning seven albums and nearly 20 years.  (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Alt-J (Sunday, 5 p.m., Lake Shore): Quartet win Britain’s highest musical honor, the Mercury Prize, last year for its debut album, “An Awesome Wave.”  (Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images)

Catch if you can:

Bear Mountain (Sunday, 5:40 p.m., BMI): No Passion Pit at Lolla this year, but this Vancouver band should fill the void by balancing electro groove and pop songwriting, topped by Ian Bevis’ go-for-broke vocals.  (Brad Barket/Getty Images for SKYY Vodka)

Don’t miss:

Grizzly Bear (Sunday, 6 p.m., Red Bull): Chris Bear, Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen and Chris Taylor have been making meticulously crafted albums for more than a decade.  (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

Vampire Weekend (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Bud Light): After two albums of mostly breezy, upbeat pop-rock tinged with exotic rhythms, the quartet gets darker, slower and weirder on its latest, “Modern Vampires of the City.”  (Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Major Lazer (Sunday, 7 p.m., Perry’s): This is shaping up as the wildest party of the weekend, with Diplo in charge.  (John Sciulli / Getty Images for BACARDI)

Catch if you can:

Beach House (Sunday, 7 p.m., Lake Shore): Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand carry the dream-pop torch in the tradition of Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star.  (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)

Don’t miss:

Phoenix (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., Bud Light): The French pop-rock band has developed into major hitmakers and reliably effervescent performers.  (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella)

Catch if you can:

The Cure (Sunday, 8 p.m., Red Bull): The Goth-rock pioneers aren’t for everybody, but they can be a triple-headed guitar army in concert.  (Norberto Duarte/ AFP/Getty Images)