TOP HIGHLIGHTS FROM TREEFORT MUSIC FEST 2026

by daniela shella

Happy Treefort! Treefort Music Fest is an incredible five day festival round up of global talent from around the world’s best acts. Based in Boise, Idaho, it completely takes over the city’s downtown center as well as a main stage festival grounds at Julia Davis Park. This was TMF’s 12th year, and biggest year yet. Unclear Magazine had the opportunity to spend the weekend bopping around from venue to venue enjoying music from across all different genres. Here are the highlights and some of my favorite shows we caught.

The Beaches

The Beaches swung Treefort and left everyone buzzing with excitement. Coined as “your rock ‘n’ roll sisters” (per their instagram bio) these gals took the stage and sang their hits, and the crowd screamed every word back. My favorite, “Last Girls At The Party,” kicked off their set and had everyone swaying. I was able to capture some portraits beforehand and say hello!

The Beaches have a super bright future ahead of them. They just won two Juno awards, one for Group of The Year, and will be performing at Billboard’s Women in Music event in Hollywood later this month. Also, you can catch them on their No Hard Feelings worldwide tour this upcoming fall!

 

Geese

All weekend, it was evident that Treefort fans were extremely excited to see the breakout sensation, Geese. When Saturday finally rolled around and the sun set, fans piled into Julia Davis Park to hear “Taxes”and “Getting Killed.” If you were me, you were having a religious experience to it and just basking in being surrounded by Cam Winter’s beautiful vocals and thousands of other strangers swaying to the beautiful music. Geese have the chops, and are on a totally special journey to the top of the indie music scene. What I feel like makes them special is the fact that they don’t feel overly polished or manufactured. There’s a scrappy, slightly chaotic energy to them that makes everything feel more real, like anything could happen in the next song. I enjoyed most of the Geese set from the crowd (their photo pit was insane and super locked down) but it was still an all around highlight of the festival!

 

Gelli Haha

Gelli Haha once again brought the incredible Gelliverse to Boise, Idaho for their second year at Treefort. It’s been such an honor watching them rise to fame and seeing their fan base grow. Bringing their entire collection of trampolines, inflatable dolphins, confetti, boxing gloves, and everything red you can think of, their 2026 show did not disappoint. All weekend, everyone was talking about making it to a Gelli Haha show.

I first saw Gelli Haha perform at the Neurolux in 2025, and it was delightful to watch them be upgraded to the largest venue downtown and absolutely pack the Treefort Music Hall to capacity with thousands of folks clamoring to witness their album Switcheroo in action. Gelli Haha just released a new song, “Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep” which generated 100K Spotify plays in just one week, and 55K streams on YouTube after just a few days (I actually shot the album cover!!). And songs like “Bounce House” (my personal favorite) and “Normalize” have nearly 1M streams and counting. It was awesome to see the crowd already know the words to a brand new song, and a new addition to the project.

When you enter a Gelli Haha show, you can feel the crowd tapping into their childlike wonder. They aren't standing still and filming like you’d see all too often at music festivals. They are dancing, singing, jumping up and down like school kids. I think something that’s special about Gelli Haha is their ability to look so polished yet so playful. The entire set is perfectly choreographed and no one misses a beat. From the dancers hitting every beat of the song, to lead vocalist Angel's perfectly whimsical and beautiful vocals, to the drummers expert rhythms banging on, to the synth and keys orchestrating it all together. It’s one big, incredible and exciting performance art project that welcomes you with open arms. If you get a chance to witness the Gelliverse, do it.

 

Duckwrth

I caught up with Duckwrth before his set to discuss his new project and roll out, “I Wanna Be Your Dog Again.” It is Duckwrth’s latest single, and it’s a pretty bold departure from some of his earlier, more playful work he typically releases. It mixes aggression with vulnerability and the lyrics mention desire with lots of emotional tension, making it feel both chaotic and intimate at the same time. Duckwrth described building something he's passionate about, and has leaned into the performance art of it all.

It’s a continuation of the All American F*ckBoy era’s experimentation! Its immersive, layered vibe  gives the feeling you’re inside the track rather than just listening. The songs are clearly  meant to make you move, feel slightly unhinged, and get pulled into his immersive world.

 

Haute & Freddy

While they were on stage in Boise, Lady Gaga herself shouted this medieval pop duo out in a TikTok caption saying she’s been loving their new album and it has been the soundtrack to her birthday. It’s evident that Haute & Freddy are in their own lane of creativity and experimentation and have received lots of love on their new album, Big Disgrace. They took the stage late on Saturday and everyone was eager to sing along to their anthems about outcasts and FREAKS (Like their song, “Freaks”).

Their set was high energy and high paced. It was hard to believe it was just two people creating such fun music and vibes on stage! They have this runaway circus narrative that is so amazing, and awesome to see a musician not just create and perform a song, but also a cinematic universe they are existing in. By the time their top hit, “Dance The Pain Away” came on, every single person in the room took to the dance floor and came as one. I put my camera down, enjoyed the lyrics and sentiment of the song. It was a communally cathartic, beautiful experience and a true Treefort highlight.

 

Kishi Bashi

We met up with Kishi Bashi earlier before his set to discuss kicking off his tour. In a way, he is revisiting old feelings, old creative and artistic musings. Treefort was the first stop of his new tour, which features songs from his previous album, Sonderlust released in 2016. He told me he was excited to play the album in its entirety, front to back. Kishi Bashi’s sound blends string instruments front and center, beautiful and loving, whimsical lyrics and created a tight, high energy connection between the audience and the band.

His set was joyous and tender, a perfect example of how Treefort can make you feel.

 

Impossible to pick just a few favorite highlights, but other honorable mention highlights were Magdalena Bay’s headlining performance, INJI’s high energy set, running into Hemlocke Springs post incredible show, Minneapolis’ VIAL shutting down the Shrine basement, Drug Church seeing the most crowd surfing I’ve ever witnessed at a concert, and so many more. With 400 bands, and 13 different Forts, there was never a dull moment during Treefort.

 

Overall, the magic of Treefort is truly impossible to explain. People often try to explain it as a SXSW style festival, or a communal vibe similar to Bonnaroo, but this festival has a genre of its own. Its people are kind, welcoming and genuinely so excited to listen to music. Oftentimes festivals can be influencer-ridden, full of activations and big-box ideas. Treefort has been able to preserve its roots while still being progressive and growing in a welcoming, modern way.

Now my second time attending it, it felt like returning to a summer camp in a city where I once had no ties or connections to, I now have close friends and favorite music venues. I have friends that volunteer their time and energy to the festival because they so deeply believe in the mission of it, and it’s truly an honor to get to take part in this celebration. It’s evident that Treefort continues to level up and grow in such amazing ways each year. Not only are they able to pull in top acts, but they don’t just call it in when it comes to lineups. This year’s lineup featured so many up and coming artists of all genres, and Boise welcomed them with open arms. My only hope is that more people will start putting Treefort Music Fest on their yearly festival rotation and realize how incredible it is. Until next year, Treefort!

 

5 ACTS AT TREEFORT MUSIC FEST 2025 THAT MADE THE MOST WAVES

by daniela shella

Treefort Music Fest, held annually in Boise, Idaho, continues to shine as a vibrant celebration of indie music, art, and culture. This year's festival once again delivered an incredibly diverse lineup, mixing established local and global acts with emerging talent across all kinds of genres. The intimate atmosphere of Treefort allows for close connections between artists and attendees, making for a unique festival experience. Treefort showcases 400 bands across several venues and spans nearly a week of music and events.

This year was my first Treefort Music fest, and I was welcomed with absolute open arms! Unclear Mag was boots on the ground running around covering the best acts of the festival.

Here are 5 top acts that made the biggest waves that week, and my review on their sets.

1. Obvious and goes without saying was Remi Wolf

As the Friday of TMF started, all everyone could talk about was making it to the Main Stage for the big show, Remi Wolf. All day the energy was buzzing and everyone you’d run into would be making plans to see Remi, and then hit some other iconic late night shows. But it was a can’t miss set of the weekend.

When Remi took the stage, the photo pit was maybe the fullest I’ve ever personally experienced. The barricades shook with excitement from the front row, and the energy transcended all the way to the back of Julia Davis Park. I was able to catch her before the show and snap a few photographs of her in one of her iconic layered outfits.

From the second she took the stage, she was keeping things so high-energy and slipping in quirky anecdotes, always keeping it centered around her unique blend of pop, funk, and indie vibes. With her signature playful style and infectious charisma, Remi had the crowd dancing and singing along from the very first note. By the time her set wrapped up, fans were eager for more, and I could hear the chatter around buzzing with, “Wow I need to see her again.” Remi’s tour continues with dates all over the US, check them out HERE.

 

2. Gelli Haha was on our radar earlier this year but am recently converted into a die-hard fan

Gelli Haha, where do I begin! Angel, Gelli Haha’s frontwoman, was so lovely to meet and I had no idea the energy they’d bring. I was able to meet up with them for a quick portrait session, and then later caught their electric late night show. On stage, Gelli blends smooth melodies with an edge of experimental sound, trampolines and bubbles guns, dramatics and choreographed theatrics. The crowd was fully immersed in the mix of chill tunes and punchy beats, and Gelli’s cool stage presence kept the vibe going strong even up until the last note. Their new album is set to release this June!

3. Durand Bernarr

Durand was a TRUE professional performer. He engaged with the crowd so much, and the whole set was a soulful, captivating experience. I love that Durand is Grammy nominated and didn’t fail to mention that huge accomplishment on stage. I could see heads bobbing turning to hips swaying very quickly.  With his smooth vocals and magnetic stage presence, he effortlessly blended R&B, funk, and soul, drawing the crowd in from the start. I’m excited to see more from Durand this year.





 

4. Annie DiRusso, an indie leader

Fresh off releasing her new album, Super Pedestrian, Annie took the stage and played crowd favorites like “Wet” and “Coming Soon,” which she mentioned on the mic, is about how she “thought she was going to flunk out of college.” I thought it was a beautiful moment to draw the crowd in and extremely cool to see her making art of something that was a struggle, now only paying off tenfold on stage.  Annie’s band was killing every song, their stage presence was so laid back and effortless. Annie was able to blend raw emotion and catchy alt-pop tunes to draw the crowd in, making it clear she’s a rising star to watch.

 

5. Sofi Tukker

Can’t mention Treefort without mentioning Sofi Tukker’s incredible DJ set. From catching the flying drone in the air (check out that footage HERE) to turning the whole stage into a giant party, they brought the fun. I was able to snap a few photos of them right when they got to Boise, and they were excited to bring the party to Idaho. Fans were stopping them in the streets for photos and they were so kind and caring.

During their  DJ set, it became an absolute party! The duo brought their classic blend of house beats, high-energy, and global rhythms that had the whole crowd dancing from start to finish.  They sprinkled original songs and remixes with an electric vibe and killer track choices. Sofi Tukker never fails to bring a huge burst of joy and excitement, and it was so evident by the smiles on the crowd’s faces.

 

Check out more photos below!