While the city of Austin gears up to host thousands of Austin City Limits festival-goers, fans are busy planning their weekend performance schedules. With over 137 bands and artists set to perform on eight different stages, how do you choose which acts to see? ORANGE has compiled a list of a few must-see artists and bands for your viewing pleasure over the next two weekends.
By Dani Haberly

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down. Vocalist Thao Nguyen and bassist Adam Thompson joined together in 2003 to form this California-based alternative folk-rock group. Nguyen may not tear your heart out with the emotions of her music, but she is sure to put you in a first-class, bouncy mood with her upbeat melodies and relaxed voice. This time last year, Nguyen signed with Ribbon Music and released her new album We the Common. Catch her on the Bud Light stage at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

Jake Bugg. Don’t let his shaggy hair and baby face fool you — Jake Bugg is making waves in the British rock scene. Bugg, 19, was discovered by Mercury Records at the Glastonbury Music Festival in England two years ago. The UK-reared artist’s self-titled debut album was released in October of 2012 and his popularity in the indie rock genre has grown rapidly. Consequently, he has performed on popular television talk  shows such as Conan, Ellen DeGeneres and David Letterman. His new album Shangri La drops in November, but don’t wait until then to hear his tunes; catch Bugg on Friday at 5 p.m. on the Austin Ventures stage.

Wild Belle. Brother-sister combo Natalie and Elliot Bergman are not new to the music business as individuals, but their joint efforts as an indie-rock duo are fresh to the scene this year. Their debut album Isles was released in March 2013 by Columbia records and includes the popular track Keep You. Vocalist Natalie Bergman possesses a sensual voice similar to the likes of Amy Winehouse while Elliot Bergman sets the pace with the bass guitar. Sway along to their smooth, soulful tunes Friday at 6:15 p.m. on the Austin Ventures stage.

Purity Ring. Canadians Megan James and Corin Roddick make up this lush electro-pop group. Their debut album Shrines was released by 4AD Records in July 2012 and includes the popular tracks Bellspeak and Fireshrine. The musicians are artistic in more than one way;  James stitches together their show outfits by hand while Roddick builds homemade instruments to play on stage. Experience their dream-like club beats on Friday at 7:45 p.m. on the Austin Ventures stage.

Bobby Jealousy. Austin-based Bobby Jealousy is an eccentric, wild pop band comprised of Sabrina Ellis, Seth Gibbs, Adam Harlow, Brian Patterson and Jake Knight. The group released their debut album A Little Death with Superpop Records in East Austin in February 2012 and was named one of Austin Monthly Magazine’s “10 Bands to Watch” in March 2013.  Catch their wild performances style, including tracks from their newest album, Importance of Being Jealous, on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. on the Austin Ventures stage.

Electric Guest. Formed in 2011, Electric Guest is a Los Angeles-based pop group that delivers sweet melodies with a quick, snappy pace. Asa Taccone, Matthew Compton, Todd and Tory Dahlhoff released their debut album Mondo in April last year and went on to be named one of MTV’s  “Artists to Watch” in 2012. Their retro-inspired grooves can be heard on HBO’s hit series Girls as well as MTV’s Teen Wolf. See what they are all about Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Austin Ventures stage.

Lissie. Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, commonly known by  her stage name Lissie, is a folk rock singer from Illinois with a sexy, careless voice. Her debut album, Catching a Tiger dropped in June of 2010. The same year, Lissie was named Paste Magazine’s No. 1 Best New Solo Artist. Her newest album Back to Forever is set to release on Oct. 8. Catch her (and hopefully her killer cover of Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness) on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. on the Austin Ventures stage.

To catch all of the bands mentioned here, download the ACL app to access the festival schedule, maps and more. There are still tickets available for the second weekend, so the opportunity to catch your favorite bands is not lost yet.