Just Like Heaven Provides an Alternative to Millennial-Centric Lineups

Indie rock and alternative bands abandoned by Coachella 2019 anchor two-day Long Beach festival.

If you’re one of those Coachella attendees who felt a little let down by this year’s lack of alt-rock throwbacks or indie rock reunions, you might want to check out what’s happening down south in Long Beach this coming weekend. Just Like Heaven—which takes its name from The Cure’s 1997 hit—is a two-day festival taking place at Queen Mary Park in Long Beach May 3 and 4. But unlike most two-day events, where the lineup is split up between each day, Just Like Heaven will feature the same programming on both days. That’s because the show started as a single-day event on Saturday, but demand prompted the promoters to duplicate the experience on Friday.

With headliners like Phoenix, MGMT, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs—all bands who’ve graced Coachella’s main stage—and other alt favorites like Miike Snow, Beach House and The Faint, Just Like Heaven will gleefully appeal to Gen X’ers that wanted a little more Aphex Twin and a little less Diplo in the desert a few weeks ago. But probably the biggest draw is the reunion of The Rapture, who will be playing their first shows together since the band unofficially (and very silently) parted ways six years ago.

Learn more about the festival and check out an extensive interview with The Rapture’s Luke Jenner about the group’s history and reformation here.