Battles may be one of the stranger acts to play at Bonnaroo, the annual Tennessee festival that has a tradition of hosting jammier bands like Phil Lesh and Friends and Trey Anastasio. But with the lineup more diverse than ever this year — thanks to headliners like Metallica playing alongside acts like Jack Johnson — Battles were a solid choice to perform on the first night of the fest. The New York-based four-piece — fronted by Tyondai Braxton, the son of jazz musician Anthony Braxton — turned out a killer hour long set of tricked-out, prog-rock grooves, which ranged from avant-garde electro-jazz to freaked-out space funk. The clear highlight of the group’s set was “Atlas,” a fantastic piece of robo-rock that mixes Daft Punk-style electro-grooves with industrial atmospherics. Last year, Battles were a blip on the blog-buzz radar, thanks to their debut disc Mirrored. But based on the crowd’s insanely enthusiastic reaction, these dudes have deservedly developed a huge cult following.

• Rolling Stone at Bonnaroo 2008

[Photo: Getty]