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Six more Life Is Beautiful acts you shouldn’t skip, no matter what

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(Left to right) Willow Smith, Glass Animals, San Holo and 6lack
Illustration: AP Photo

San Holo (Friday, 11:20 p.m. Fremont Stage) A good DJ gets you on your feet. A great one gets you in your feelings. Dutch DJ, composer and producer San Holo’s body of work transcends faceless electronic dance music and explores the many languages of love over ethereal soundscapes, guitars and trap beats. The result is an experience any music fan will enjoy as they stumble upon his set.

Willow Smith (Friday, 8:40 p.m., Bacardi Stage) At age 20, Smith has already been making music for half her life. But with her fourth LP, July’s Lately, I Feel Everything, she has officially arrived. The pop-punk record introduces a raw compilation of Smith’s innermost musings over frenetic guitars and Travis Barker’s signature drum work, while deep cuts like “Lipstick” demonstrate her ability to sing with a beautiful kind of abandon. Don’t miss the rising star’s LIB debut.

Glass Animals (Friday, 9:20 p.m., Downtown Stage) This British indie-pop outfit makes music so textured, you could almost touch it. Lead singer Dave Bayley’s production know-how and vocal range vivifies latest album Dreamland until it’s a woozy, walking animal of eclectic sound. Polished tracks like “Heat Waves” shine from every angle. And you won’t be able to resist the earworm that is “Tangerine,” so why fight it? Just enjoy the show.

Emotional Oranges (Sunday, 5:25 p.m., Bacardi Stage) The LA-based duo creates the kind of tunes that make you want to drive down the sunny California coast, touch some grass and take your ex back. The pair focus on their craft, never sharing their real names and often performing in a colored, smoky haze on stage. We can handle a little mystery when the ’90s-inspired R&B grooves are this good (think: Lauryn Hill and Sade). Catch a vibe with this one.

6lack (Sunday, 8 p.m., Bacardi Stage) Three-time platinum hit “Prblms” put this Atlanta-based rapper and R&B artist on the map back in 2016. Since then, he’s worked with Normani, J. Cole, Khalid and other prolific names in the music industry. 6lack (pronounced“black”) puts breakups and loveless declarations at the forefront of his music, most recently in his single with Lil Tjay “Calling My Phone.” It’s relatable, it’s raw and it’s exactly what you’ll be singing along to come Sunday.

Modest Mouse (Saturday, 7:35 p.m., Downtown Stage) Where past LIB lineups sprinkled in throwbacks like Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Jane’s Addiction and Duran Duran, the 2021 edition is almost entirely about the present. That makes Modest Mouse, which began releasing indie-rock favorites in the mid-’90s, elder statesmen on this year’s bill (along with Green Day). That doesn’t mean frontman Isaac Brock and his mates will only be playing oldies, however. The guys have a solid new album, June’s The Golden Casket, in hand, and have been giving it a workout on tour for the past few weeks. And don’t worry, longtime fans: warhorses like “Doin’ the Cockroach,” “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” and “Cowboy Dan” remain solidly in the rotation. –Spencer Patterson

Life is Beautiful September 17-19, Downtown Las Vegas, official ticket exchange at lifeisbeautiful.lyte.com

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Amber Sampson

Amber Sampson is a Staff Writer for Las Vegas Weekly. She got her start in journalism as an intern at ...

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