Gov Ball 2025: Day Three

Banner Image Photo Credit: Paigge Warton

Review by Gwyneth Moe

Day Three of 2025’s New York’s Governor’s Ball Festival started with a bang, or rather banging line up. 

After arriving at festival grounds around 1:30 p.m., we kicked off the day with Joey Valence and Brae’s rager of a set at the main stage. Playing remixes of Travis Scott’s “Fe!n” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” to warm up the crowd. The duo then stormed the stage, jumping around while  singing “THE BADDEST.” 

The Pennsylvania rap duo is heavily influenced by Y2K fashion and media, packing their verses with references from Star Wars to Danny Phantom, to even Spongebob. Their act echoed the chaotic energy of iconic hip-hop groups like the  Beastie Boys. From their performance it’s clear they don’t take themselves too seriously, and that’s why it works. 

Unfortunately, we had to leave their set halfway through to check out Frost Children over at The Grove stage. That decision proved to be well worth it. Frost Children ended up being my favorite discovery of the festival. The sibling duo, Angel and Lulu Prost, know exactly how to hype a crowd. Their electronic, indie-sleaze-inspired sound was the kind of music that makes you yearn for a basement venue. 

This set was by far the most energetic crowd I had the pleasure of being a part of all weekend. There was not one song played where fans weren’t either jumping or moshing in the pit. Halfway through their set, the duo shared that they had flown in directly from playing a 1:00 a.m. DJ set at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound. If 2025 has proved anything so far, it’s that dance and electronic music is in good hands.

After dancing our hearts out at Frost Children, we slowed things down to enjoy RAYE at the main stage. While I am not an avid listener, I knew that we would be in for a treat, and she did not disappoint. 

RAYE’s vocal abilities are nothing to be trifled with. She was nothing short of phenomenal. Even more impressive than her vocals was the effortless way she engaged with the crowd. At one point, she playfully poked fun at herself for being, “dramatic,” before introducing a song with an intro that, as she pointed out, did sound a bit like Star Wars. While I don’t know if the majority of RAYE’s music is for me, I would definitely recommend checking out a live performance. 

Next up on the main stage was Royel Otis, who gained widespread attention with their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bexter’s “Murder On The Dancefloor” for Triple J. Their set was indie perfection, a perfect parallel to Wallows the day prior. Perhaps a little too similar, because just like at Wallows, it started to rain about halfway through. Fans braced for a second monsoon, but thankfully, the rain stayed light. 

Despite the dreary weather, Royel Otis is a band I’d love to see again. Their songs immediately stuck in my head, especially “Sofa King” and “Kool Aid.”

As rain continued trickling down, we made our way to Kiehl’s stage to catch Clairo’s set. We joked that the real “Clairo shade” might have been the picnic blanket we huddled under to escape the rain. 

Clairo’s stage design had a charming vintage appeal. She opened her set sipping a glass of wine and chatting with her bandmates. Once she got to the music, however, it was clear to me that she is not much of a performer. Her vocals were technically solid, but she lacked the energy and stage presence needed to win over a crowd of people waiting in the rain.

Listening to lo-fi esque music while shivering might be someone’s idea of a good time, but unfortunately, it’s not mine. Clairo is an artist I’ll stick to listening to in my headphones.

Back on the main stage Mt Joy was a perfect precursor to Hozier’s upcoming headline set. Their mix of alternative indie and folk was nostalgic and provided the crowd with a moment to reflect on the weekend. Easily my favorite moment of the set was when they brought out Gigi Perez to sing “In The Middle,” a collaboration on Mt Joy’s latest album, “Hope We Have Fun.”

Perez is quickly becoming one of my favorite alt-indie artists. Her debut album, “At The Beach In Every Life” is, in my opinion, one of the best albums released this year. Maybe next year we’ll see her at Gov Ball as more than just a guest. 

After Mt. Joy, we headed back to Kiehl’s stage for its final act of the weekend: Glass Animals. Glass Animals’ 2016 album “How To Be A Human Being,” is one of my favorite records, so I was incredibly excited to see the group live for the first time.

One thing I didn’t expect? Just how often frontman Dave Bayley sticks out his tongue. It became a bit of a running joke among the crowd around me, you’d think it was over, and then suddenly, there it was again. Why? We’re still not sure.

Apart from that more comical part of the performance, they sounded incredible. The production, especially on their first two albums, was an element that immediately made me connect with the group upon discovering them back in 2017. Dave Bayley’s vocals were fantastic, and the group made a concerted effort not only to interact with the crowd but to join them. During “Gooey,” the song that lifted the group out of obscurity back in 2014, Bayley went into the crowd. Lifted up by security, he sang nearly the entire track from the audience.

At the start of “Pork Soda,” the camera panned to the pineapple on stage, a nod to the lyric “pineapples are in my head.” At one point Bayley picked it up and held it toward the crowd, commenting that he’s no longer allowed to throw them. 

They closed out their set with their hit single “Heat Waves.” From there, festival attendees massed together at the main stage to watch the final performance of the night. 

The headliner for the third and final night of this year’s Gov Ball was Hozier, and despite being visibly and audibly under the weather, he delivered a phenomenal performance. This was my second time seeing Hozier live in concert, and coincidentally also the second time I have seen him while he was sick. At this point, I can’t help but wonder: Am I the problem?

He opened his set with the anthem “Nobody’s Soldier” as fans settled into the crowd. His first words to the audience were an apology for being ill. But in my opinion, the strength of his vocals, even while sick, is a testament to his skill as an artist. In fact, we were lucky to see him perform at all, as the next day he announced that he was rescheduling the next two stops on his own tour in order to recover. 

Hozier has always used his platform to speak on causes he believes in, and his Gov Ball set was no exception. Before playing “Nina Cried Power,” he gave a heartfelt and inspiring speech to the crowd, expressing his frustration with the current state of the world, calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East, and urging people to come together to make change rather than turn on each other.

As he sang, graphics flashed behind him, revealing statistics about the rate of homelessness in different countries and the evolving stock value of defense contractor Lockheed Martin over the past few years. The impact could be felt in the crowd, as we collectively wondered how we got to this point. 

Hozier closed out his set with “Take Me To Church,” a song that directly challenges homophobic beliefs of religious institutions like the Catholic church. With the recent rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation all around the globe, the message of this song is more important than ever.