words & photos by Mike Golembo (with Tyler the Creator photos courtesy of Governor’s Ball)

Tyler The Creator by Roger Ho (for Governor’s Ball)

2025 marked the 15th anniversary of NYC’s Governor’s Ball Festival and Occult Magazine was lucky enough to be at all three euphoric and exhausting days for official media coverage! This year’s headliners featured some of the more prominent names in music - Tyler the Creator (day 1), Olivia Rodrigo (day 2) and Hozier, with the rest of the lineups being filled out by acts old and new, local and international, and in between.

The hot and intense weather on the first day of Gov Ball 2025 suited the energy of the artists who took the stage on Friday. The vibes in Flushing Meadows Corona Park were high, the mood was uplifting— the crowd (many of who showed up early to get front row for Tyler) was as engaged all day long.

photos by Mike Golembo

STRAWBERRY LAUNCH

I first saw this local band from Brooklyn at SXSW in Austin last year and have followed them ever since. When I saw that they were going to be performing at Gov Ball, I couldn’t be more excited for the rise of their musical journey. They did not disappoint; Strawberry Launch put on a wonderful set, gracing the Grove Stage at Gov Ball in front of hundreds of people— which was quite an exciting upgrade from their more intimate SXSW set. Ripping through their top songs such as ‘Videos’ and “Sweet Basil”, Riiza the lead singer showcased her dreamy and calming vocals that sounded even better live. The synth-based melodies and catchy hooks, combined with a very lively stage presence, made for a highly entertaining set. Early crowds at festivals tend to be uninterested and unengaged, but the passion and energy brought on by Riiza and her bandmates had the audience wanting more by the end. (A more in-depth look at Strawberry Launch and their set will be coming soon!)

Strawberry Launch by Mike Golembo

DOGPARK

Another Brooklyn band, and another banger of a set! The indie-rock group had one of the more fun performances of the day with a very high-energy set. Hits such as the title track to their EP "Breaking in Brooklyn”, and ‘Now It’s Over’ had the crowd jumping and singing along– Dogpark fans had taken over the Grove Stage in the early portion of Day 1. The guitar riffs on ‘Now It’s Over’ had me making a stank-face (in only the best way). The continuous movement on stage, and the encouragement of crowd participation from lead singer Eamon Moore had fans engaged for the entire set. The band was fresh off the release of the new single ‘Far Away from You’, and they debuted it live for the first time on the festival stage, which was a special moment for their loyal fans. Although it's a more of a tame and acoustic sound compared to their previous releases– it's an undeniable hit. (A more in-depth description of Dogpark and their set will be coming soon!)

Dogpark by Mike Golembo

Mannequin Pussy

Mannequin Pussy was a band I’ve only heard about– I had seen plenty of raucous videos of the band on social media, so I was really looking forward to what they had in store for the festival’s Keihl’s stage. Well, the hard thrashing Philly indie-punk band rolled into Gov Ball with the rage and intensity one might expect. The setlist included songs old and new - from their 2021 hit ‘Control’, to a few singles off of their last album I Got Heaven, such as the title track and ‘Loud Bark.’ Hair flipping, scowl-inducing punk rock as it’s meant to be, was on full display throughout the eventful 45-minute set. Lead singer Missy Dabice controlled the narrative as she paused between songs to scold (in a positive way) the men in the crowd to be better allies and led a vivacious ‘PUSSY!’ scream. At other points, she called out the state of America, gender norms, and other societal and political issues that are plaguing the country right now, which all received quite positive and supportive cheers from the already amped up and lively crowd. The band knows they have a powerful voice through their music and they’re not afraid to use it.

Mannequin Pussy by Mike Golembo

Coming off of his highly touted Coachella performance, the T-Pain set at this year’s Gov Ball was one of the most anticipated for the entire weekend– and let me tell you, he was as great as advertised and then some. The hour-long set was less a concert and more of a musical spectacle that had everything from coordinated dance routines, classical interludes, and a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” that rivaled the original. He performed a medley of his number 1 hits that had the crowd in a frenzy and singing every word. From ‘Buy U a Drank’ to ‘Im Sprung’, to ‘Bartender’, I couldn’t help but travel back to simpler times of being in middle school and high school, listening to these iconic songs on the radio– or hearing them blasting through-out car speakers all over NYC. Hearing these tunes live from the legend himself, was truly one of the more memorable experiences from 2025 Gov Ball weekend.

T-Pain by Mike Golembo

Mk.gee

Taking the main stage shrouded by fog under an overcast sky, Mk.gee’s mysterious aura projected loudly through deep bass and synth-laden guitar chords. Opening with ‘Rockman’, and playing through songs from his latest album Two Star & Dream Police, the haze-covered Mk.gee entranced the crowd with his soft-toned voice and nonchalant, yet focused demeanor. The heavy electric guitar riffs combined with his signature synthesizers really showcased why he’s one of the more unique artists out there right now. In what was actually a pretty rare occurrence, due to it being daylight during the set, the crowd was able to see Mk.gee’s face (albeit largely covered by his long curly hair). His solo shows are notorious for incredibly dark low lighting that encapsulates his music, and yet being able to actually see him on a grand stage with 10s of thousands of people in the audience, made it feel almost more intimate.

Mk.gee by Mike Golembo

TYLER THE CREATOR

There’s not much else to say at this point about Tyler, the Creator, other than he is one of the ultimate showman and performers of this generation. Tyler rose to the top of his trademark green Chromokopia shipping container, donned in his iconic green military outfit and plastic mask. He ran through an explosive (literally, there was heavy pyro) hour and 15 minute set that ran the gamut of his discography.

Chromakopia hits like ‘Sticky’ and ‘St.Chroma’ had the already-worn-out and sweaty crowd moshing and going wild, but it was when he transitioned to some of his previous hits like‘New Magic Wand’ and ‘EARFQUAKE’ that really elevated everyone (including myself) into a frenzy. Tyler stopped multiple times in between songs to declare that it was “hotter than a bitch” on a very humid and sweltering night– but it didn’t stop him from keeping up the energy for the duration of the set. At one point he took us back to the beginning with tracks like ‘Yonkers’ and ‘She’, and let me tell you, those go as hard all these years later as they did back in the day. After ditching the plastic mask and once again declaring how hot it is, the sweat-drenched Tyler wrapped up the set with ‘See You Again’ in apropos fashion– I most certainly hope to see him again on tour when he comes back around to NYC.

Tyler the Creator by Deanie Chen for Governor’s Ball / second photo of Tyler The Creator’s crowd by Charles Reagan for Governor's Ball.

NOTABLE:

While it’s nearly impossible to see every single act due to overlapping schedules, I did manage to catch just a few songs of some other notable artists between acts: the soulful Jean Dawson, the fantastic, international superstar Tyla, new riser BigXthaPlug, and the back-flipping sensation Benson Boone– and each one brought it big time for their sets of Gov Ball 2025.