Bonnaroo 2024 Artist Spotlight: Nation of Language

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2024 lineup. After roaring back to life in 2022, after two years off due to Covid and weather, and feeling fully like its old self again with a great fest last summer, this year marks Bonnaroo’s 21st installment (and 23rd anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also a continuation of some of the big changes and improvements rolled out over the last couple of years, with more flexibility in ticketing and camping, a reimagined “Outeroo” campground area, new activations, and further new ways to Roo. Back once again in its usual June 13-16 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend at the fest!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

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Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, indie pop and post-punk trio Nation of Language conjure the moody and ambient texture of classic Krautrock acts like Germany’s Kraftwerk as well as the lush atmosphere of iconic post-punk and new wave and goth-rock bands like Joy Division and The Cure, yet all with a flair of modern indie rock bent. Anchored by frontman Ian Richard Devaney, the project’s origins trace back to the dissolution of his former group, New Jersey indie rock outfit The Static Jacks. Initially a bit of a revolving lineup as Devaney honed the group’s sound, began to release early singles and demos, and performed around New York, the trio’s first lineup cemented with Ian’s wife Aidan Noell on synthesizer and backing vocals, and former Static Jacks bandmate Michael Sue-Poi on bass (replaced a couple years ago by Alex MacKay). Though early buzz was incredibly strong, the band’s debut LP, Introduction, Presence, wouldn’t arrive until May 2020, in the midst of the pandemic lockdown, curbing their ability to play live for newfound fans. Sophomore effort A Way Forward dropped in late 2021, met again with rave reviews, as Nation of Language became heralded as one of the best and most essential contemporary synth-pop bands in the world, finally able to tour once more, as their star-power rapidly rose. Welcoming MacKay into the fold and adopting a more expansive, slightly more organic (though still awash with synth) sound, culminating in their best and most attention-grabbing album to date, the band released their latest, Strange Disciple, last fall. In just a few short years, Nation of Language have toured the world, appeared on television and on several major festival lineups, recently wrapped a big run of dates with Beach Fossils, and will play some of their biggest shows to date later this year with Blonde Redhead. And they arrive at Bonnaroo as one of the coolest, most exciting new indie acts making music today. At fest that doesn’t program a ton of post-punk and synth-rock, this set stands out as a must-see!

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