Wednesday, June 24 — Black Country, New Road / Horsegirl / Sharp Pins
5:00 PM | Rumsey Playfield, Central Park — enter at E 69th St & 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10021
A three-act bill for the indie rock crowd: British art-rock band Black Country, New Road, Mercury Prize nominees known for their genre-blurring, near-chamber-music approach, headline over Chicago trio Horsegirl, whose jangly, lo-fi sound has made them one of the most talked-about young bands of recent years, with Sharp Pins opening.

Black Country, New Road is a sextet of classically trained musicians from Cambridge, England, who’ve created a unique blend of jazz, math rock, and klezmer that turned the Brixton post-rock scene on its head even as live music took an extended pause during the pandemic. After scoring a nomination for the 2021 Mercury Prize with their debut LP For the First Time, the band went through a lineup shakeup just days before the release of their second album Ants From Up There. The band retired the songs from their first two LPs and took brand new music out on tour, with vocal duties inherited by the remaining band members, resulting in the whimsical concert film and album Live at Bush Hall.  Their latest release, Forever Howlong, was released in 2025 to critical acclaim. They’re joined by SummerStage alums Horsegirl, a New York-via-Chicago trio that takes musical cues from ’90s alt rockers; their latest LP Phonetics On and On was produced by the ​​eccentric Welsh artist Cate Le Bon. Rounding out the bill is Sharp Pins, the lo-fi power pop solo project from Kai Slater of the post-punk group Lifeguard, who hail from the same youthful Chicago rock scene that produced Horsegirl, formed while they were still in high school.

The 5 PM start is earlier than most SummerStage evening shows. Free, but gates typically open about an hour before showtime, and this bill draws a sizable crowd.