Review: Hangout Fest 2023
Written by Carson Huffer // Photos by Mae Krell
Thousands descended on the Gulf Shores last weekend for the beachy music wonderland of Hangout Music Festival 2023, and we could not be more excited to have caught all three days of music, food, and ocean views. Check out our reviews and photos of our favorite sets of the weekend below!
Day one of the festival brought about some chaotic travel experiences for the Tongue Tied team. As we watched clips of early sets from excited festival goers online, Friday showcased a frenzy of energy from artists such as Tove Lo, Meet Me at The Altar, and Thundercat that we couldn’t get enough of online. The two mainstages, two side stages, and various DJ booths around the festival clearly set the attendees up for three days of a non-stop party that we couldn’t wait to finally get to. We made it onto the beach just in time for the night’s first headlining set of Lil Nas X, and the energy on the sand was electric as we settled in for our first show of the weekend.
Lil Nas X’s hour-long performance at Hangout was nothing short of perfection. The production value of his performance was off the charts with snake and horse props to highlight different parts of the stage, a team of talented dancers to accentuate the star, and stunning costuming for everyone involved. Lil Nas X looked ethereal as he moved through his diverse musical catalog, opening with major hits “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” and “SCOOP” before moving into the emotional and passionate “DEAD RIGHT NOW”. Early in the set also found the unreleased song “Batty Boy” which has made rounds online and become a quick fan favorite since its debut on the festival circuit earlier this year. As Lil Nas X’s set came towards a close, the crowd did not thin in the slightest before hearing the final note of the explosive “INDUSTRY BABY” that has captured worldwide attention since its first release. Full photo gallery here by Mae Krell.
Ending Lil Nas X’s set on such a high note left the crowd alight with joyous dance energy moving into the close of the night with the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Peppers came onto the stage to massive fanfare and decided to live in it for a bit, indulging in a nearly eight minute long introductory jam session that had the crowd stunned. Pushing forward, the Red Hot Chili Peppers packed their set full of quintessential RHCP hits like “Californication” and “Around the World” while also showcasing the newest era of the band with various songs from their two 2022 albums Unlimited Love and Return of the
Dream Canteen. Festival attendees of all ages seemed entranced by the rock magic of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – including an adorable family with young kids jamming out in front of us – proving yet again the band’s impactful staying power nearly forty years after their debut album. Full gallery by Mae Krell here.
Saturday started bright and early for us with Florida’s flipturn opening up the Shein Surf Stage for the day at 12:30pm. Even with such an early set time in the beating Georgia sun, the crowd showed up in droves to dance along with flipturn for their allotted hour. The band’s debut album Shadowglow released in August of last year to critical acclaim, and their Hangout set included a variety of my personal favorites from the album such as “Sad Disco” and “Whales”. Flipturn also showcased older favorites “August” and “Chicago” to huge crowd reactions, as well as announcing a new cover of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, which will be streaming next month. Their passionate set ended with incredible visuals on screen to “Space Cowboy”, and if the massive noon crowd is anything to go by, I’d expect that we’ll be seeing flipturn much higher on festival bills incredibly soon. Full gallery by Mae Krell available here.
After flipturn we took advantage of some of the amenities and games of the festival, including spending some time in the Coca-Cola booth for free fans and wandering around to watch people enjoy the festival’s roller skating and beach access areas. We also enjoyed a variety of the festival’s diverse food options throughout the weekend, which included local vendors of every cuisine from American to Chinese with speed and incredible quality.
Once we had some food in our system and finished exploring the grounds, we headed over to catch Daniel Nunnelee’s indie folk set on the Mermaid stage. Daniel’s intimate energy to his music lended itself perfectly to his assigned stage that allowed him to be up close and personal with the ever-expanding crowd at a lower level. Opening with “Fireworks (The Last Time)”, Daniel changed up his opening lyrics to accommodate the city with “Fireworks in Gulf Shores, Alabama” to bright cheers. As he cycled through favorites such as “Oak Trees” and the viral sensation “Pick and Choose”, Daniel’s pure joy at playing live music was an infectious and joyous bright spot in the weekend. Full gallery by Mae Krell available here.
COIN came up next on our bill and absolutely packed out the beach of the mainstage at 3:30pm full of fans ready to scream along to “Crash My Car”. With the iconic lady bug hoisted up high above COIN, the band’s sixteen song setlist encompassed a wide range of the band’s musical talents, including crowd favorites of “Chapstick”, “Malibu 1992”, and “Talk Too Much”. Hands rarely left the air during COIN’s set, pushing them forward in a flurry of dancing in the sun. Full gallery by Mae Krell available here.
Charlotte Sands brought our energy back to the Mermaid stage for her riotous set Saturday afternoon. Although the Mermaid stage was situated off the beach in a smaller section of the festival grounds, Charlotte drew a massive crowd to the pavement to rock out to “Special” and “Dress”. Charlotte’s blue hair was nearly a blur throughout her set as she bounced around the stage with vibrant energy and the crowd presence of a bonafide rockstar. I watched a multitude of audience members be converted into full scale Charlotte Sands fans by the end of her performance, and I can easily say this was one of my favorite performances of the entire festival due to her sheer talent. Full gallery by Mae Krell here.
We made a pitstop into the Jose Cuervo DJ stage to catch some fantastic mixes from DJ HoneyLuv next, and the booming bass was shaking the sand as guests danced throughout her whole set. Full gallery by Mae Krell here. We then bounced over to Sabrina Carpenter on the Surf Stage, and the energy leading up to Sabrina’s set was a flurry of excitement and screaming chants of “Sabrina!”. With the smashing virality of Carpenter’s emails i can’t send album, the sunset set was an emboldened and passionate showcase of Sabrina’s powerful vocals and heartfelt lyricism. The crowd was loudly singing along for each
belting chorus and soft verse with volumes I hadn’t yet heard during the festival. Everyone waited patiently for the songstress to bless the crowd with the Hangout version of the “Nonsense” outro, where she joked about old people thinking she’s Hannah Montana and prompted the crowd to make some noise for Sweet Home Alabama. Full gallery by Mae Krell here.
After a quick water break I headed back out to the Surf Stage for Paramore’s headlining set. In the dark of night, Hayley Williams immediately claimed attention with her sparkly silver outfit and bright blonde new hair as the band floored into their set with brash energy. Alternating between older hits like “Misery Business” and brand new tracks from their February album This Is Why. A true highlight of the set for the sea of Paramore fans came with the band’s performance of “Decode”, which is not often played live but holds a strong fanbase as a favorite track from the band. With the band’s flying energy and
expansive set, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the jumping with the thousands of attendees who all couldn’t get enough of Paramore.
SZA closed out Saturday on the Hangout Stage with the energy of a pure superstar. Pulling out much of her stage scenery from this spring’s SOS Tour, the phenom bounced through her discography with ease. Her quartet of talented dancers kept the energy high as SZA moved through the lengthy twenty-two song setlist, including “Seek & Destroy”, a mashup of “Special” and “Supermodel”, and cult favorite “The Weekend”. The nautical theme of the show captured hearts easily, and having seen SZA during her tour’s opening date in Ohio, I can safely say that her powerful show is only getting better with each performance. Full gallery by Mae Krell here.
The final day of Hangout first brought us to the indie folk set of Noah Kahan. Kahan’s rise with his 2022 album Stick Season has been nothing short of meteoric, and as a long time fan of the Vermont-based singer, I couldn’t have felt more love and pride than I did during his hour on the Surf Stage. He speedily moved through many of the album’s favorites such as “Northern Attitude” and “Growing Sideways” with powerful fanfare and a resounding chorus in the crowd. The festival also got the treat of witnessing the extended version of “The View Between Villages” and the live debut of unreleased song “Dial Drunk” off of Kahan’s upcoming deluxe
album Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), releasing on June 9th. With such deep and evocative lyricism, Noah’s set brought the emotion to the Gulf Shores to a welcoming and loving crowd. Full gallery by Mae Krell here.
The Backseat Lovers took over the Hangout Stage next with a litany of their best tracks. “Pool House” was an early set favorite, and as we moved through the set with the young band, the crowd couldn’t help but dance to hits like “Kilby Girl” and “Maple Syrup”. An adorable proposal also happened in the crowd mid-set, adding to the already smooth indie rock love fest that the band creates within their first few chords of booming guitar lines. Full gallery by Mae Krell available here.
Mayday Parade took over the BOOM Stage next with pedal to the metal energy for their midday set. “Jersey” and “Miserable At Best” highlighted the band’s bold setlist with thrashing energy. Hangout also received the live debut of new single “More Like a Crash”, which absolutely lit up the various fans screaming along to every word in the crowd. As one of the few pop punk acts of the lineup I admittedly didn’t expect a full crowd, but the lot in front of the BOOM Stage was amped and ready to go for the entirety of Mayday Parade’s set. Full gallery by Mae Krell available here.
Ashnikko’s set easily claims the top spot of best performance of the weekend for me. Between her dance breaks with two dancers, her immaculate costuming, and her frenzied and stylistic performance style, I was quite literally eating out of Ashnikko’s hand for her entire set. With a long list of viral songs thanks to apps like TikTok, Ashnikko had a wealth of songs to pick from to help amplify the crowd energy like “STUPID” and “You Make Me Sick!”, as well as the passionate declaration of “Yeehaw country gays! This one’s for Dolly Parton.” prior to launching into “Working Bitch”. My personal favorite moment of the set came from the singer’s emboldened speech on queer rights, universal healthcare, and bodily autonomy that came before “Invitation” as she proclaimed “They can’t forget about us southern queers!” to a roar of applause. If you’ve never seen an Ashnikko performance live, buy the ticket. I can promise you won’t regret it. Full gallery by Mae Krell available here.
Our final set of Hangout came in the form of Kevin Gates on the BOOM Stage. Although Kevin wasn’t on one of the mainstages of the festival, the singer easilyshould have been with the sheer number of people that showed up to the side stage to catch a piece of the action. A sea of phone flashlights shone pre-set as the crowd chanted for Kevin, and after a brief DJ introduction, the crowd lost their minds when Gates finally took the stage. Kevin looked angelic and joyful as he jumped around to “2 Phones” and “Thinking With My Dick” with renewed vigor, clearly loving the energy the crowd fed him. Full gallery available here.
With that, Hangout Music Festival 2023 is officially in the books! The Tongue Tied team had a blast at all the sets we caught at Hangout 2023, and we already can’t wait for next year with what is certain to be an even more explosive lineup than ever before. Make sure to stay up to date with all things Hangout on the festival’s website and instagram, and also make sure to check out all of our photo galleries from the festival linked above!
