• COURTESY LOLLAPALOOZA
  • Blood Orange

A festival as huge and commercial as Lollapalooza inevitably brings a ton of detractors out of the woodwork, so it’s a given that Lolla weekend will play host to at least one counter- or antifest—and this year there are several. The Neon Marshmallow festival—an experimental-music blowout that has, in previous years, featured big-time noisemakers such as Thurston Moore and Guardian Alien—runs for four days at the Burlington. After taking a break in 2013, it’s back with the likes of Ryley Walker, Hair Police, Insect Ark, and Olivia Block. Three-day rock party Gnarfest hops between under- and above­ground venues (we can list only a couple of its shows), and its lineup focuses on gross, hard, and heavy—Pygmy Lush, Bongripper, and Sin Orden, to name a few. Lastly, Tonic Room hosts the fourth annual Fuckaplooza, with a ton of local artists from all across the musical board, including Second City Citizens, Smoker, and Business as Usual.

Friday, August 1

Bombay Bicycle Club (see Friday), Bear Hands 11 PM, Bottom Lounge, sold out, 17+Cut Copy, Bomba Estereo 11 PM, the Vic, sold out, 18+Disclosure (see Friday), Julia Bashmore, Wrestlers 9:30 PM, Aragon Ballroom, sold out, 18+Fuckapalooza: Smoker, Steve Stone, More Killer, Jonny Rumble, Hot Moms 8:15 PM, Tonic Room, $10, $20 for a three-day pass, 21+Gnarfest: Bongripper, Snooze, Itto, Best Witches 7 PM, Illinois Centennial Monument, $5 suggested donation, all agesThe Head & the Heart, Vance Joy 11 PM, House of Blues, sold out, 17+Glitch Mob (DJ set), Zebo 10 PM, the Mid, $20, 21+Gramatik, Herobust, Russ Liquid, Gibbz 10 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+Kodaline, Split Single 11 PM, Schubas, sold out, 18+Jenny Lewis (see Saturday), Apache Relay 11 PM, Park West, sold out, 18+Kate Nash (see Saturday), Meg Myers 11 PM, City Winery, $25 ANeon Marshmallow festival: Mines, Todays Hits, Earring, Winter Bear 9 PM, Burlington, $10, $30 for a four-day pass, 21+Parquet Courts, Running 10 PM, Empty Bottle, sold out, 21+Phosphorescent, Papa 11 PM, Double Door, sold out, 21+Spoon (see Saturday), Wildcat! Wildcat! 11 PM, Metro, sold out, 18+Typhoon, Desert Noises 11 PM, Lincoln Hall, $20, 18+