There are three surefire ways to get the crowd going when performing at a music festival:
- Play your biggest song(s);
- Yell the name of the festival (or host town/city) early and often; and
- Play a cover song.
Not even the full-time nationally touring musicians and the seasoned concert-goers at Hinterland are immune to the charms of a well-chosen cover song. Some are obvious: of course country queen Sierra Ferrell is going to cover Dolly Parton, along with some other country classics. Lana Del Rey also played a couple of country covers, but we would have loved to hear her version of Sublime's "Doin' Time," which is less obvious but manages perfection.
Here at Studio One, we took a few minutes to compile a list of our favorite cover songs from the 2025 Hinterland Festival. These are listed in the order they happened, starting Friday afternoon. If you’re trying to track down something that isn’t listed here, Setlist.fm is going to be your friend, but feel free to email me if you get stuck.
Remi Wolf, “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
Remi Wolf had the Friday afternoon crowd eating out of her hand immediately, starting her set off with “Cinderella” and not ever letting up. After the halfway point of her set, she’d built up enough good will that it was the perfect time to hit us with this Fleetwood Mac classic. Chances are you’ve heard a million cover bands and/or country singers attempt “Dreams,” but Wolf made the wise decision to not try a Stevie Nicks impression and just be herself. It was definitely a memorable moment early in the festival.
The Marias, “Lovefool” by The Cardigans
It can be hard to pick up on facial expressions during live performances, but lead singer Maria Zardoya of The Marias always seems to have a mischievous twinkle in her eye that says 'I know something you don’t.' When The Marias launched into this quintessential ‘90s tune right after their own “Run Your Mouth,” the crowd went nuts, and Zardoya had a small smile on her face that seemed to say, 'Yup, this is happening.' She flubbed a few of the lyrics at the beginning, but nobody cared.
Michael Marcagi, “deja vu” by Olivia Rodrigo
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when Cincinnati-based singer Michael Marcagi let us know he and the band were about to play an Olivia Rodrigo song. I was a little worried they were going to do it ironically, which is a musical pet peeve of mine. (I once heard a male singer covering Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl,” and to this day, I cringe thinking about it.) But hats off to Marcagi and the band: they made “deja vu” fit right in with their own songs about small-town life and personal challenges.
(Also, shout out to Studio One midday host Cece Mitchell, who somehow knew I wouldn’t know the title of this song and helpfully dropped it in our team’s group chat without me having to ask.)
Wyatt Flores, “How to Save a Life” by The Fray
“How to Save a Life” is a story about The Fray’s lead singer Isaac Slade, who worked as a mentor at a camp for troubled teenagers, and his unsuccessful attempts to reach out to one person in particular. Despite the song’s tragic origins, Slade has encouraged listeners to interpret the song in their own way. That didn’t make it any less strange to hear an upbeat version performed by Wyatt Flores, an artist who is so country he took a few minutes on Sunday to talk about the new Hereford calf that had just been born on his family’s cattle ranch in Oklahoma. The crowd loved it, though, so who are we to judge?
Bleachers, “The Whole of the Moon” by The Waterboys
These are the moments Studio One hosts live for. A band in a primetime slot (the second to last of the weekend, in fact) playing a 40-year-old deep cut by a Scottish band? Yes, please! The Waterboys aren’t exactly an “unknown” band, and “The Whole of the Moon” was a big hit in the United Kingdom and is still heard on alternative radio (including Studio One). The presentation is the key here. Lead singer (and producer to the stars) Jack Antonoff gave the song his all, but also made no mention of the fact that it was a cover, so I can’t help but wonder how many in the crowd had any idea what they were hearing. The cover also served as a nice tribute to Waterboys member Karl Wallinger, who later went on to found the band World Party and sadly died in March 2024.
