Andrew WK headlines Fest this year.
Another year, another Autumn. Leaves are changing colours and blah, blah, blah… who cares?! Fest 14 in Gainesville, Florida (and Pre-Fest 14 in Tampa) is nigh upon us, and in the month of October the summer vibe is all that matters. Here are my picks for this year’s edition of the greatest music festival on Earth.
Andrew WK
I always feel like naming headliners at a festival is kind of a cheat. Everyone is excited to see them, that’s why they’re headliners. But Andrew WK is something special. Along with his partying anthems, which were more or less built for Fest, we have the privilege of saying there’s a grassroots element to the fact that he’s playing. Festers themselves rallied both Andrew WK and the Fest maestro/king/god/whatever Tony Weinbender and now the Party God (with full band, to boot) himself is playing. Are you… READY TO DIE?
Old Flings
I’ve seen Old Flings once and, truth be told, I don’t remember if I enjoyed it. Not their fault; it was Death to False Hope Fest 3 and I was so drunk that all I remember are beers and food trucks. However, they’re an incredibly infectious pop-punk band whose songs make my chest feel like it’s going to burst open with positive emotion. I cannot wait to revisit their live show while hopefully (but not likely) somewhat more sober.
The Winter Passing
A sad-punk group from the faraway place of Ireland that is somewhat reminiscent of Save Ends. I ran into them via Bandcamp a year or two ago and was genuinely shocked to see their name added to the Fest roster. I still remember the feeling I had when I first heard their song “1990” and I can’t wait to relive the feeling at their live show. One of those bands Festers from North America may not get many chances to see and should absolutely take it. Come join me at Market Street Pub to ugly cry while double-fisting PBRs.
Heartsounds
Heartsounds is fronted by former members of Light This City, Ben Murray and Laura Nichol. The melodic hardcore outfit hails from San Francisco and have three LPs to their name, all of them excellent examples of technical proficiency in punk. I’ve caught them playing in venues big and small and it’s always a blast to see them shred as few can. And the only thing that makes seeing a great band at Fest even better…
War on Women
…is seeing multiple awesome bands in a row at Fest. Heartsounds gets followed by War on Women, a hardcore feminist group out of Baltimore. I’ve spoken somewhat at length on the merits of this band so, for the sake of brevity, here’s just a quick reiteration: this band’s music is fire. This band’s live show is an inferno hot enough to make the Dark Prince jealous. War on Women put out one of the best albums of the year with their self-titled debut back in February. Come to High Dive to experience it for yourself.
The Fest takes place in Gainesville, Florida on October 30-November 1.
Pre-Fest takes place in Tampa, Florida on October 28-29.
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