Just Like Heaven 2024
If you’re longing and looking to tap into your indie-centered nostalgia, Just Like Heaven is the place to be. Every May, Goldenvoice puts on their annual Just Like Heaven festival, and this year marks 5 years since the first edition. It’s the time of year where you can bring back the buried lyrics you memorized back in the 2000s and 2010s and wonder how you still know them today. KCSB was at this year’s Just Like Heaven festival, and here’s our recap of the acts we saw and how it all went down.
Words by Marley Calderon and Avery Morgan
Photos by Avery Morgan
CSS
In the weeks leading up to Just Like Heaven, I discovered one of my coworkers at REI, Drew, was also going! In the breakroom at work, Drew always tells me stories of seeing performances from Modest Mouse, the Flaming Lips, Death Cab, etc. in the early 2000s, wayyyy before I had gotten into live music (or had even heard of any of those bands). I was excited to hear his suggestions for the upcoming festival – who had he seen before and whose sets should I catch? Of course, Drew had already seen almost every name on the line up. He told me I NEEDED to catch CSS, a band that had gone on a 6-year long hiatus recently. This year, they launched a tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, with their performance at Just Like Heaven being the final date in North America. I listened to one CSS song beforehand and enjoyed it, so I was convinced to at least catch part of their set!
After a nightmarish parking experience, I met up with Drew and his sister on the long trek to get inside the Rose Bowl. While they were reminiscing of past festival memories, Drew said that the Just Like Heaven lineup has all of the bands that Coachella refuses to book now. Drew saved ticket stubs until everything turned digital, so he has tangible mementos from Coachella’s early years, where he saw bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Radiohead, and LCD Soundsystem play.
Listening to his suggestion of catching CSS turned out to be one of my best decisions of the day. It feels important to note that CSS stands for Cansei de Ser Sexy, which translates from Portuguese to be “Tired of Being Sexy”. Their humor is apparent without ever hearing their music, with song titles like “Art Bitch” and “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex”. Lovefoxxx, the lead singer, came out on stage in a flowy, black jumpsuit. I was immediately laughing at the backdrop – they had random TikTok meme compilations going at 2x speed. I’ve seen their sound described as electronic punk, indietronica, and dance rock. All of these are pretty accurate and also not usually music I listen to. I highly, highly recommend taking the time to listen to them.
Before CSS, some of the other concert photographers were remarking how bored people looked at the barricade, saying they were probably “Ben Gibbard nerds who didn’t care about the other acts”. CSS performed on the stage where Death Cab and the Postal Service would be on later that night, so it was likely the people camped out at the barricade were on a mission to see the Transatlanticism + Give Up sets. However, Lovefoxxx’s infectious energy on stage had the crowd noticeably more excited. Lovefoxxx was constantly jumping and twirling and falling to the ground and back up again. After a song or two, she ripped off her black outfit to reveal a bright pink top and pants. A bit later, the pink outfit was ripped off to reveal another patterned jumpsuit. As far as I know, they had the most costume changes of the day. At one point, Lovefoxxx enticed the crowd to do a worm-like dance all together, which got even the biggest Gibbard Nerds moving. She then crowd–surfed into the audience with a giant grin on her face.
At Just Like Heaven, there’s an option to purchase “VIP” or “Clubhouse” passes, which grants access to a generously sectioned-off part of the crowd. I was curious if the performers were encouraged to acknowledge the VIPs or if they were slightly poking fun at the concept. CSS, along with most of the performances I saw, spent time directed towards that side of the audience, asking things like “VIPs! How are you doing?”. (Later in the day, Tegan and Sara would say my favorite line of the day: “Any VIPs going through a breakup? This one’s for you.”) The members of CSS all seemed to have a glimmer of humor in their eyes and wide smiles, but maybe I’m reading too much into it and it was genuine. (AM)
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene (BSS) was the second set I caught at Just Like Heaven and I did not know what to anticipate. In my head, they’re a classic 2000s band, and I could not pass up my chance to see them. They’re also a band that I associate with being 17 because of their timeless track, “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl.” So at a festival like Just Like Heaven, everything lined up for it to be a pretty epic set.
At this point in the day, I was getting adjusted to the festival environment. It was also much warmer than I anticipated, and I was not wearing the most festival-friendly outfit (long pants, long sleeve shirt). But one of the best things about a festival is that you can forget about your slight discomfort as soon as some good music starts. BSS kind of confuses me when it comes to their lineup, but the band sounded so strong and great when they were on stage. When they began singing “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl,” I was pumped to see Emily Haines join them on stage. Emily Haines could be standing completely still, and I would still fall in love with her stage presence. I put my hand over my chest and I felt struck by the song, and I think the entire crowd was in the same state as me. The group ended with “KC Accidental” and they had a small ensemble playing instruments such as the trombone and tenor saxophone with them on stage. It was the perfect song to end with. (MC)
Two Door Cinema Club
This is the set I was most determined to catch. I was a dork in middle school, a total chump really. But one of the influential bands that totally made me feel like the coolest kid ever was Two Door Cinema Club (TDCC). I would stay at the Boys and Girls Club program after school, I would go to the poetry activity, and I would have my wired headphones in and listen to the Tourist History album on repeat. I needed to hear the hits.
When TDCC took the stage, they were up against some tough competition. Alvvays was also playing at the same time, and I had never seen them perform live before. They were a band I listened to a lot in high school, and they continue to release some solid stuff. I would be lying if I said I did not question my decision for a split second. However, this doubt completely went away as soon as the first notes of “I Can Talk” began playing. My 13-year-old self possessed me, an intense side bang suddenly appeared on my forehead, and I began jumping and singing along. The band played the tracks “Something Good Can Work” and “This is the Life” BACK TO BACK. These 7 minutes were a highlight of my day, and I will be chasing that feeling for quite some time.
TDCC has been active for over 15 years, but Alex Trimbe’s voice still mirror the studio recordings, and their stage presence energized the crowd. I was not a big fan of the visuals during their set. The visuals might have been my least favorite of the day, but that was not too much of a problem as I was dancing with my eyes closed for half the time. I am aware that for bands who are currently releasing new projects, it can be hard to find a balance between playing their latest songs and appeasing fans by including old favorites in their set. But, I think TDCC was able to balance this well. I walked away from this set feeling fairly content, and I was stoked thinking about the acts going on for the rest of the day. (MC)
Metric
Leading up to the festival, I was getting blank stares in return when I told friends I would be seeing Metric live. I tried to prompt them with “Black Sheep…? Brie Larson cover…? In the Scott Pilgrim movie…?” The last one always got the response: “Oh yes! Metric!”. I don’t think any Metric songs have gained recent virality besides that cover, but I had grown up hearing them on road trips in my dad’s Chevy Silverado along with his favorites from The Strokes, Silversun Pickups, and Franz Ferdinand. Metric visited the Santa Barbara Bowl last summer with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Garbage (so sad to have missed that show).
When I saw Emily Haines of Metric sing with Broken Social Scene earlier in the day, she was wearing a graphic tee and jeans, so I expected the same for her later performance. But as soon as it was 6:35 pm, Emily stepped onto the stage wearing my favorite outfit of the day: a black, white, and gold bedazzled bodysuit. I will let the photos do the talking for how amazing it was.
At this point in the day, my feet were aching (why did I wear my cowboy boots??), I had a dull headache forming, and desperately needed to get food. Running back and forth between the two stages to make sure I photographed as many sets as possible was taking its toll. As soon as Metric started playing I was instantly reminded of why I was there. After decades of live performances, Emily has mastered her stage presence. Her energy while she marched around the stage had me smiling and dancing while photographing the set. In contrast to the soft vocals in the earlier performance of “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl”, Emily’s voice was powerful throughout Metric’s set. It was inspiring to see a band that has been around for so long (first album out in 2003) still sound SO good.
Along with many of the other bands I saw, Metric remarked how many bands in the lineup were close friends of theirs. Emily and the lead guitarist, James Shaw, dedicated their lead single ‘Days of Oblivion’ off of the 2023 album ‘Formentera II’ to their friends in Broken Social Scene, as they had both played with BSS during its very early years in the Toronto indie scene. (AM)
Passion Pit
Every time Just Like Heaven was brought up or heard in conversation, Passion Pit was always enthusiastically mentioned as a must-see act. If I am being honest, I am not too familiar with Passion Pit’s discography. I know the hits such as “Sleepyhead” and “Take a Walk,” but that was about it, and I wasn’t necessarily too crazy about the songs either. By this time of day, my friends and I split up, leaving me with some time to explore on my own. I sat on a lovely patch of grass, and I decided to plant so I could catch a bit of Passion Pit’s set. I know someone is reading this and thinking, “How can you sit during that set???” I understand that question, but let me say, it was a lovely time. 
This was peak observer hours for me. I want to first mention that Michael Angelakos has a fire voice, and he sounded so great. I was a bit shocked by this because the songs are vocally demanding, but his delivery was so strong. Even though I am not the biggest Passion Pit fan, I was really happy to catch most of this set. It seemed like so many people went to this festival just to see Passion Pit, and you could feel this energy the whole time. I saw people look at each other in excitement when they heard their favorite song. I saw people sing their hearts out and hug one another. I saw people jump and run around during the set. It was a wonderful thing to witness and it really added to my overall enjoyment of the day. Sleepyhead is also a fire song live, I cannot lie. (MC)
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC) and I go way back. All the way to October 19th, 2022 (bear with me). On that day, I saw DCFC at the Santa Barbara Bowl because I absolutely needed to see the opener, Yo La Tengo. I had Yo La Tengo on my mind, and let’s just say, I was content and ready to leave after their set. Actually, I lied earlier. In high school, a guy I knew tried to get me into DCFC, so technically our history goes back even further (wow). Circumstances caused me to space out during the entire DCFC set that day, but I now realize that this was a mistake. A mistake I had to correct at Just Like Heaven.
DCFC took the Orion stage at twilight and truthfully, I was hooked. I studied for the festival by listening to Transatlanticism in full since I knew DCFC would be playing the album in its entirety. As I listened to the studio version, I knew the opening song The New Year would sound great live. My assumption was completely right and I immediately entered my 45 minute dance session. Ben Gibbard has an undeniably strong stage presence, and I was charmed to say the least. The crowd was entranced, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by some of the most epic air guitar and air drum skills I had ever witnessed in my life.
DCFC has been touring this album for over a year now, but as someone who saw the set for the first time, I could not imagine a more energized set. Near the end of the set, Ben Gibbard began explaining the next song by sharing that it was about sex. He proclaimed this pretty proudly, and as charming as I found him, I was skeptical of how good the song was going to be. That song was We Looked Like Giants, and I am currently wishing I could go back in time and relive that moment. It’s a nostalgic song in many aspects, and a song that I will listen to many many times. This set was so memorable and one of my favorites of the day. (MC)
Phoenix
While checking my camera settings in front of the barricade before Phoenix’s set began, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Two guys who had camped out the entire day began asking me how I got to photograph the sets, which gave me a chance to plug KCSB. One of their eyes lit up, and he said “Oh, you’re a Gaucho, too!” It was sweet to meet someone from the same place. They ended up being two of the world’s biggest Phoenix fans, as they had immediately ran to this barricade when the gates opened and stayed put the entire day, not even leaving for food. They understandably planned on leaving immediately after this set, having never heard of the Postal Service. I tried to convince them to stay for the upcoming ‘Give Up’ performance: “They haven’t played together in 10 years!” “Last date of the North American Tour!” “It will make you cry, I promise!” “Ben Gibbard!”. I don’t know if they ended up staying, but I like to imagine they are Postal Service mega-fans now.
I haven’t kept up with Phoenix’s recent releases, but they were always prominent on my middle school playlists (along with alt-J, Foals, and Kings of Leon haha). I spent hours memorizing the words to ‘If I Ever Feel Better’ when I was 14, so I was excited to finally get to sing along live.
To my surprise, Phoenix started off with ‘Lisztomania’, which made it hard to focus on shooting – I just wanted to dance! The band is from France, which was very apparent when Thomas Mars was talking between songs but quite hard to tell when he was singing. All of their songs were fast-paced, catchy, and joyous. I was able to forget about my horrifically aching body throughout their set. Despite touring for over two decades, Phoenix seemed to be having organic fun up on the stage. Thomas spent time focused on each area of the audience, coming down into the pit to sing to his loyal fans. There were countless handmade Phoenix posters and t-shirts. Out of all of the sets of the day, I think I’d be most likely to pay to see them another time.
I left the set a bit early to catch The War on Drugs, who I’d seen before but wasn’t super impressed this time around. As always, they have a refined, reserved stage presence (no theatrics needed for how good they sound). But after watching Thomas Mars run around the stage, I was craving more energy to keep me excited. This was the second music festival I’ve gone to, with the first being Shabang. I think I have a different expectation/desire from festival sets compared to typical concerts. After hearing so many of my favorite bands in one day, I was a bit picky over which ones I had loved. There’s something about a dynamic backdrop, colorful outfit, and cheery attitude that made me forget about the exhaustion from the day! (AM)
The Postal Service
I was feeling emotional. EMOTIONAL! How was the day almost over at this point? How was this the last set of the day? Was this really the last time I was going to see Ben Gibbard on stage until god knows when? I was exhausted by this point, but I was on hour 2 of being a newly converted Death Cab for Cutie Fan, and I was even more fired up to see The Postal Service. I know it’s not for everyone, but I am a fan of bands playing an album in full. My only qualm at this point was the fact that the DCFC and the Postal Service sets were not back to back. They have been touring together for quite some time, and they have performed festivals as well. I knew that in previous festivals, the sets were grouped together, so I was curious about why it was different. Regardless, I was ready for The Postal Service to take on the stage.
This was the culminating act of the day and you could feel the fullness and anticipation from the crowd. The sun had set, we were well into the nighttime, and the Postal Service members and their all-white outfits lit on stage. It’s been established that I was charmed by Ben Gibbard earlier in the day, but this time, I was totally captivated by Jenny Lewis. Especially since I had been playing some RIlo Kiley that week. I especially loved her presence during her verse in the track “Nothing Better.” She’s incredibly cool and owned the stage at that moment.
Towards the end of their set, they were approaching the song I was most excited to hear, “Brand New Colony.” In late 2021, I bought the “Give Up” cassette at Amoeba, and I became obsessed with that song. Hearing that song live was even better than I expected. Towards the end of that song they got the crowd to sing the lyrics “Everything will change.” I have been oddly emotional lately, but as someone who is about to graduate college, I was a complete wreck during that part. I am unaware of how I composed myself in that moment, but I was either sobbing in my head or in real life. I don’t remember what happened. All I know is that I was happy to be there. I had good company. I listened to great music. The Postal Service wrapped up the night beautifully. (MC)