The first Illiterati Fest was such a success, that like the band, it returned the following year, with a different location and beneficiary. The James Theater hosted, and all proceeds went to the South District Market, a vibrant food court experience that celebrates the diverse community of Iowa City’s South District. For the fest’s third iteration in 2024, we’re back to the future: Gabe’s is the venue once again, with United Action For Youth, a nonprofit which supports young people and families in Johnson County, benefiting from the community focused concert. 

Illiterati Fest 3, which takes place on Friday, August 23rd, opening at 6:00 PM, promises to be another memorable night for Iowa City’s thriving music scene. Three local acts, Anthony Worden and the Iliterati, Psyop, and Daisy Glue, are joined by rising artists from across the country: Valebol of Chicago, Feel Free Hi Fi from Minneapolis, and California based Exotic Gardens. All that music, for just $15! I for one can’t think of a better way to spend a warm summer night in Iowa City. 

Daisy Glue

Daisy Glue, as a collective, is relatively new to the Iowa City scene. However, the band members have been involved in many different projects in the area over the years. Daisy Glue has acted as a common meeting place for all these people to just jam together, and soak in the vibes produced from that. That’s how their songs and live performances are formed as well.

A 15-minute set of theirs could easily constitute just two or three songs, as they build out these sprawling, often improvised arrangements, adding on ideas. It’s a very free flowing act, dictated by whatever the feeling in the moment may be. Daisy Glue opening will help those wandering in acclimate themselves into the atmosphere of Illiterati Fest. 

-John Glab

Psyop

Acting as representatives to Illiterati Fest from a burgeoning Iowa City hardcore scene, Psyop will most likely play the heaviest set of the night. As mainstays on the local label Pokeys Records, the band defines much of what the local scene stands for: consciousness of the injustices in the world, foundation of community, and unrelenting riffs that leave people throwing themselves at one another. 

The band’s sets are quick, and with the immense amount of chaotic movement they whirl up, it feels like it can flash in and out of existence. In those fleeting moments though, there is an exciting euphoria where you can feel the presence of everyone in the room, probably because they’re all throwing elbows into you. Plenty of people will come out excited to see them.

-John Glab

Anthony Worden and the Illiterati

If you live in the Iowa City area, you’ve probably encountered the talents of Anthony Worden at some point. Along with putting on the yearly festival, he is often spinning vinyl at Gabes or playing with his band The Illiterati. He has been playing and creating music locally for 12 years. Worden and his band draw inspirations from many all-time classic bands like The Beach Boys and Sonic Youth.

Plain Angels, their most recent album, came out in May, but Worden and his band have kept busy in the time leading up to the third installment of the Illiterati Fest. Anthony Worden and The Illiterati’s music is distinctly emotional, connecting us all through storytelling and shared human experiences. Plus, their musical prowess makes their music and live sets thoroughly captivating. 

-Savannah Haneline

Exotic Gardens

Exotic Gardens is the solo project of Aaron Coyes, who makes up half of the California based Peaking Lights. Their sound is reminiscent of music that could be played at the beachside in Bora Bora or in an underground rave in Berlin. The sound is a combination of reggae, dub, and ’80s synth making it the perfect dance music. It’s much akin to the tracks produced by Coyes with Peaking Lights but presented in a denser tone. The music makes dub slightly more applicable to the average festival goer, who will probably want a mojito in their hand by the end of the set.

-Savannah Haneline

Feel Free Hi Fi

Located in Minnesota, Feel Free Hi Fi is the aggressive industrial electronic union of Shawn Reed and Derek Maxwell. The duo uses digital techniques to enhance their dancehall tracks, equal parts abrasive and comforting.

Their most recent project, I was so far in I was out. contains eight beautiful tracks, all featuring metallic creaks, liquid like synths, and infectious drum loops. Unlike other Feel Free Hi Fi albums, this one features no guest vocalists, but instead serves as a beautiful, lush instrumental album. All these different aspects that the band can produce will create a transient experience, seeping from the stage to across the floor. Feel Free Hi Fi is an incredibly compelling project, and not one to miss this Illiterati Fest. 

-Casper Bakker

Valebol

Hailing from the Windy City, Valebol are a superduo formed by multi-instrumentalist Vivian McConnell and drummer Daniel Villarreal. Their new project combines the intimate self-reflection of McConnell’s solo project, V.V. Lightbody, with the vibrant Cumbia sound of Villarreal’s band, Dos Santos. The result? A kaleidoscopic synthesis that the duo title “translingual express-pop.” Sink into the warm ocean, they propose, and discover a feeling: 

“Maybe it’s finding an oyster on your maiden scuba dive and discovering it contains a kaleidoscopic disco pearl vibrating to polyrhythms from a forgotten cassette tape. Maybe it was buried in 1983. Maybe the club is still open. Either way, opening your new Polly Pocket sized seashell contains an iconic duo.”

While I will struggle to write anything better than their own wonderfully eccentric description, I can state unequivocally that their self-titled debut album is a gloriously serene listen. Released in April of this year, Valebol demonstrates exactly why the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) gave the duo an Esteemed Artist Award in 2021. It’s dreamy, breezy, and intricately layered. After multiple listens I had to check if the album’s running time really was 36 minutes, as it continually glides by in what feels like half the time.

Stand outs include the opener “Multivitaminas” and the album’s first single “Netuchepa!”, although this really is a project to be savored in its entirety. Their transnational charm render clean comparisons with other artists rather redundant. However, I’ll say this: if you like Denver indie pop duo Tennis, who graced Iowa City with a superb show last year, you like me will absolutely adore Valebol.

-Glenn Houlihan

Illiterati Fest 3 is at Gabe’s in Iowa City on Friday, August 23rd at 6:00 PM. Tickets are available for purchase here.

The post Illiterati Fest 3 Preview appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Last year, the first Pokey’s Fest was a wonderful success with an immense communal energy that came from the blossoming punk scene, along with travelers from elsewhere. The entire weekend oscillated between moments in loud, hectic mosh pits, and people chilling with each other in spaces like backyards and sidewalks. The connections between people, along with the constant string of crazy sets made bringing the festival back an obvious choice, just now it only has more. Much of the same scene will be on display this time around. 

Along with a plethora of hardcore bands, Pokey’s Fest this year will also feature many local vendors selling and trading things like zines, food and jewelry. The festival this year is all-encompassing, and perfectly placed for the time of year when the days are longest. Below is a somewhat comprehensive guide to many of the bands playing at the festival, all put together by some of the KRUI staffers. At the bottom of the article is also a schedule with what bands are playing when. Festival tickets will be available to be bought in person. 

Friday

The Mall

Music for punks who dance. From St. Louis, Missouri, The Mall produces tracks shocked with Earth crumbling bass hits and sawing synthlines slicing through the room. It’s entrancing industrial EBM all packaged into an aggressive punk like presentation. Mark Plant screams out vocals as they turn dials and press buttons, all while writhing in front of a dizzying array of lights beaming across the dark room. The whole display drenches everyone into a deep sense of euphoria. Somehow it depicts images of the end of the world, which for us will likely look like a cluttered wreckage of needless, cheap luxury and consumerist waste. Rather than be swept away and disparaged by it, The Mall encourages a celebration of bliss and life before the end of it all in whatever manmade rapture topples onto us. 

-John Glab

Payasa

Hailing from Lake County, Illinois, Payasa is relatively new on the scene, though their style of hardcore punk certainly isn’t. Harrowing poetic lyrics and their upbeat throbbing tempos create a unrivaled auditory experience that will leave the unprepared in the dust, as evidenced by their short but sweet 2022 release, The Haze Begins… One can only wonder if it will emerge once again at Pokey’s Fest.

-Evan Raefield

Prevention

The clichéd idea around hardcore shows, and I guess a hardcore festival, is that they’re dangerous, and that at any moment you could get clocked by someone throwing around flying spin kicks. Most of the time it is not like that. While still very wild and passionate, it’s a very respectful controlled chaos here in Iowa City. Out of every show I’ve been to in this city though, at no point did I think I was going to die more in a pit than when Prevention played at a Valentine’s Day show earlier this year. Something about the Springfield, Illinois band elicits a hidden message, sleeper cell type reaction from people. This will likely be one of the most tumultuous sets of the entire festival. 

-John Glab

Nature Boys

Veteran Kansas City punk outfit Nature Boys have worked to establish themselves in the larger scene of Eastern Iowa, as their profile has steadily grown along with their mosh pits. After working with Dead Broke Records to release their 4th album in 2021, they have introduced the world at large, and World City at large as of Friday, to their down and dirty Southern brand of punk rock.

-Evan Raefield

Sweat FM

Broadcasting on the wavelengths of Chicago’s Sweat FM is the ‘80s style power pop you would come to expect from things like home workout videos. It’s something that you would do that one Mannrobics dance from TF2 to. Even though this music to many people today is seen as gaudy, there’s a distinct energy that comes from that era’s sound that makes it kind of cunty. Dom Rabalais distills that pure essence into their new album you and i, we were born to cry. Among the pristine, suspended synth sounds and glam rock guitars is an infectious catchiness. It’s easy to shout along with these songs as you carry out your electric exercise routine in a would be mosh pit surrounded by everyone else. 

-John Glab

Jack and the Slammers

An exciting new three-slammer, one-Jack act from the depths of Des Moines, Iowa, Jack and the Slammers offer a particularly speedy strain of hardcore, with most songs not quite hitting the two minute mark. In addition, they have a song titled “GOON SQUAD” so you already know the crowd will be slammin’.

-Evan Raefield

Curt Oren

A bit of a change of pace, Curt Oren is an experimental electroacoustic artist and VLC projectionist incorporating genre bending elements such as saxophone to build gargantuan, larger than life compositions. Oren has worked in everything from lo-fi beats to transcendental long form soundscapes. So, one can only wonder what they’ll bring to the table this time around.

-Evan Raefield

God’s Hand

God’s Hand is a surfy punk band from Iowa City. They specialize in fast paced rock music that’s perfect for moshing. All their members are some of the most talented people in the scene and together bring an energy that can’t be replicated. None of their music is online for streaming, so if you want to experience them, you better be here in person. For now though, you can check out some of their previous sets on the Death in the Midwest YouTube channel. God’s Hand will be playing during the first set of the entire festival at Hell on Friday at 5:30 PM. 

-Trent

Bootcamp

Fresh off a 7” EP release and brief tour of the American South, Bootcamp, a hardcore punk rock four-piece and Iowa City scene staple, are back in town and ready to rock it Midwest style for Pokey’s Fest 2. Bootcamp is composed of guitarist Dolly, lead vocalist Juliette, bassist Molly, and drummer Oliver. They bring it fast and hard with killer riffs and belting vocals that demand your attention. Their songs explore ideas ranging from gender identity to corrupted former U.S. politicians, all with a spirit of liberation in mind. I <3 BOOTCAMP! See them perform at Purgatory on Friday at 8:30 PM!

-Lily Graham

Thought Wrong

We dive back into core Pokey’s Records with Thought Wrong, an Iowa City through and through hardcore group that brings a rougher edge to the scene. Thought Wrong will have you chasing the waves of their distinctive guitar sound, now at the hands of recently added guitarist Diego. This, however, is not to write off the impact of the rest of the band, with drummer August, bassist Cooper, and vocalist Marc, who bring equally weighty performances that will surely have your heads banging. The group seeks to carry on the Iowa hardcore tradition and does so with flying colors. See them bring the house down for Pokey’s Fest.

-Lily Graham

Saturday

Plack Blague

Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, Plack Blague spews out metallic, lustful “LEATHER INDUCED ELECTRONIC BODY MUSIC.” If you like assaulting yours ears with acidic bass and harsh keyboards, this band is sure to leave you foaming at the mouth from pure excitement. If that’s not enough for you, the unhinged erotic performance of vocalist Ross Schlesinger (a.k.a. Raws) is sure to satisfy your needs. You don’t have to spend your Saturday bored out of your mind. Embrace the pull of flashing lights, strange noise, and exciting company.    

-Casper Bakker

Mindclot

A relative newcomer to the scene, St. Louis based four piece Mindclot has already begun to build a reputation as a one of a kind act in their mere not quite two years of rocking. Bringing a hybrid between blackened crust and d-beat, their unique rhythms will shake up expectations for the fest. Check out their 2023 album Profit Over People to prepare yourself.

-Evan Raefield

Pat and the Pissers

They’re one of the most far flung visitors for Pokey’s, coming all the way from Indianapolis! Pat and aforementioned Pissers have had a busy flurry of years, having released an album in both 2022 and 2023 with no signs of letting up. They are fresh off a spring tour across the nation, as well as separate dates bookending their Iowa City appearance. Audiences can expect a tight, fuzzy, and artsy performance from the four when they take the stage.

-Evan Raefield

Snuffed

The hardcore of Chicago’s Snuffed is vicious. Words snarled from vocalist Karly feel absolutely rabid. Riffs are constantly dropping down into the Earth, sending shockwaves across the surface. The natural rotting decay featured in much of the band’s imagery gives into the sonic presentation. It’s hardcore to devolve into, returning to some sort of animal urge, forgetting any of the artificial hardships that plague everyday human existence. None of these problems will really matter when eventually we all will return to the dirt where we came from.

-John Glab

True Commando

Breakcore is one of the most intense and energetic forms of music out there, with its high BPM and blistering fast rhythms. Now imagine making it even more intense and demented. That’s what Iowa City based artist True Commando does with his “hellish jungle” tracks. Amid the already frantic pace of breakcore compositions, he makes it even more caustic with blown out samples, along with scathing screams that tangle themselves within the bombardment of noise. Through all the cacophony is an intense, infectious shuffle perfect for running through the causeways of some flaming city. An immense amount of harsh energy is brought to each one of the sets, leaving a little bit of his soul strung out among the wires coiled on the ground.

-John Glab

Frontal Assault

A shining star of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa metal scene and a longtime regular in higher profile Iowa City shows, the seasoned band Frontal Assault brings a high adrenaline shred based approach to speedy metal tempos, sure to send audiences into a frenzy. They’re coming off of their most recent project, 10 Beer Plan, a split with fellow headliners Ill Omen (more on them in a moment) released in April of this year. They will have necks hurting before Saturday is half over.

-Evan Raefield

Ill Omen

The other Gemini of the Cedar Rapids metal scene, it makes sense that Ill Omen released a split with Frontal Assault, as they too embody a high octane thrash metal experience, with piercing vocals and even more piercing licks. Fresh off of their 2023 album as well as the aforementioned split, Ill Omen will bring a verifiable technical wizardry to Saturday’s lineup. I can already hear the tremolos in the distance.

-Evan Raefield

Kl!ng

Kl!ng to some degree is Penny Peach reincarnate. Kl!ng consists of all the members of the other band, but instead the song writing responsibilities have been divided equally among the three of them. Sonically, it is very similar. The band still has the same indie rock fusion between the fluidity of garage psych akin to Ty Segall, and a much more chaotic approach to grunge. Each one of their songs twists and turns into unpredictable directions, and the personalities of all three are given plenty of room in any of their sets. It’s all a very welcoming presence.

-John Glab

YXNG RASKAL

Harry Manaligod, the artist behind the YXNG RASKAL project, produces scathing rap songs with abrasive, murky, hyper pop like beats. Many of her songs, like “prairielands” on her recent album SPLIT/TING are protest anthems made to rage at the systems of oppression that people face in Iowa City on a daily basis. All while doing this though, she still does it in a jovial way, like on the track “LiNDSEY GRAHAM” where she shows no matter how much those in power try to knock people down, we can still rise and enjoy the time we have in our lives. Along with this, as Manaligod puts it, it’s bad bitch music that’s not bitch made.

-John Glab

Burger

Despite being a newer band in the Iowa City punk scene, Burger does not need an explanation. Yet, I guess here I am trying to give one. Filling in the city’s empty niche of Oi! Punk, the band still exudes a level of aggression, but makes it extremely palpable by providing a generally chirpy atmosphere. Each Burger set is extremely fun and joyous. It feels like it’d be perfect to play in some chapter’s union hall. Another niche in the Iowa City area which should be packed even more. 

-John Glab

Sunday

Aseethe

Aseethe is viscous. Their sound of doom metal is all-encompassing. When listening to their sets, the sludginess of their riffs seems to turn the air of whatever venue they’re playing into a solid mass. They achieve this effect by emphasizing drones in their music. Along with blending the regular elements of hardcore, they introduce synths into their sonic array, never letting up for a moment of brevity. All the different voices bend and bleed into each other. Within their dense, metallic performance, it permeates into a mesmerizing, hypnotic rumble. 

-John Glab

Death Kill Overdrive

Death Kill Overdrive is a bombastic pop punk freakazoid band hailing from Iowa City. With the delightfully pissed off vocal stylings of Cain and Oliver, and unmatched instrumentation, you’ll have no choice but to cheer and jump around for this home grown four piece! They released their most recent album Juicin’ late last year. With songs about everything from the joy of being in love, to the absolute horror of working in a grocery store, to how fucking cute the bassist Molly’s rabbit is, there’s no excuse for not showing up to what is sure to be a fantastic performance. Catch Death Kill Overdrive on the flip side, and at Pokey’s Fest.

-Casper Bakker

thisworldisnotkind

All lowercase, no spaces, MySpacecore band name? No thanks. Sure they’re relatively new, but this band like sucks. They’re fucking trash. We don’t need a cringe-ass screamo “skramz” or whatever the fuck band in Iowa City. I hate every member of this band, especially that dumb fuck twink of a bassist. Go see them or whatever.

Pest Heaven

Two piece bands consisting of just a vocalist on guitar and drums aren’t very common to come by. This is often because with having just the three possible voices, it’s hard to flesh out a full sound, unless you exude extreme talent. Two pieces like Washer, Gnarwhal, or to some degree The White Stripes do this exceptionally well, being able to create captivating songs with the barebones tools. Pest Heaven also falls into this category. Between guitarist Adelina and drummer Cauline, no space feels left empty. Some intricate fill or drum pattern is always being played, while the guitar riffs feel incredibly lush, and move from one killer idea to the next. All of this comes along with the duo’s fiery, heartfelt delivery. 

-John Glab

Haunter

Iowa City, Pokey’s Records, and the festival that they are putting on is home to plenty of weird and convention-pushing art. Tucked into this is a thriving experimental noise music scene. Haunter is one of many of these artists. During their sets, typically lit by just a single candle, they generate dark, barren, windswept landscapes. They feel inhospitable to be in, like it’s some sort of mistake that you find yourself standing in the middle of the long-decayed carnage. It’s an overbearing sensory experience that can make a person grapple with their own swirling being.  

-John Glab

Pokey’s Fest Schedule

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Within the line though were many dressed to their best for what was dubbed “Screamo Prom” by those in the community. Attire included the attempted elegance of high school formal wear combined with darker aesthetic elements fitting the genre of screamo. In this line, and in the days preceding, the local scene was bustling in anticipation. 

-Glab

Image via Paul Botch

Psyop

February 2nd saw the arrival of the eagerly anticipated Screamo Prom, the first proper Iowa City hardcore show of the year. The opening band, local hardcore juggernauts Psyop, were incredibly fitting and, furthermore, representative of the scene, sound, and DIY sensibilities of the Iowa City World City mantra.  

Fronted by prolific local artist and musician Dolly Sperry, they delivered a powerful set rife with rage and passion. Without hesitancy, the set whipped the crowd into an inescapable rolling flurry. It set the stage for what proved to be a legendary night full of talented musicians. Psyop kicked down the door, and everybody else filed in. 

-Joan Priester

Image via John Glab

Aseethe

Swathed in the reds and blues of stage light, Aseethe began their set sending a single dense note into the crowd at Gabe’s who were already itching for a mosh. Diverging from the night’s up-tempo punk, they delivered a change of pace to the lineup with their slow and droning doom metal. Sludgy notes formed into motifs, repeating themselves while overlaying new sounds and vocals into a mesmerizing pattern.  

As the only band of the night using a synth, an uncommon choice for doom metal, they built in an electric effect into their sound. The underlaying synth bled together their layers of sound, distorting the air into a dense mist of pure noise that seeped across the room. Repetitive sounds continued building, bending, and bleeding together into a hypnotic rhythm. One of my favorites of the night for their unique heavy style, Aseethe brought a dense metallic performance to the show’s lineup, generating a droning fog to drag a crowd into their doom. 

-Pauly

Image via Sam Hammond

Bootcamp

Bootcamp’s set was marked by a sharp increase in stagediving, and the like. The chaos seems to have only incentivized the crowd. During the set, not only were there stagedivers, but there were also crawlers, flippers, and even several cases of audience members remaining on stage and singing with Bootcamp’s vocalist. All of it together made for a vivid, lively, and positively unique experience for those in attendance. With this fervor in activity from the audience, the band took it in stride. Their set was fantastic, none of the members, at least outwardly, phased by the happenings of the raucous crowd.  

The band, particularly the guitarist and vocalist, blended a sense of early rock joy into their hardcore musical stylings, jumping and dancing as if it were the ‘60s. The music, too, was on point. The drummer was a particular highlight, while all three of the other members of Bootcamp performed excellently throughout their set. Perhaps the most important gauge of a good set to me is how much fun the band was clearly having. The grinning smiles on the vocalist’s and guitarist’s faces were clear indications of that. 

-Harry Epstein

Image via Sam Hammond

Your Arms Are My Cocoon

Someone said, “Hey, can I borrow your vape?” during a brief reprieve of silence in the beginning of Your Arms Are My Cocoon’s set at Screamo Prom. As the stage was awash in pink light, everyone crowded towards the front to get closer to Your Arms Are My Cocoon’s lead, Tyler Odom. They were dressed in prom attire and wearing a bunny cap that obscured their eyes (sadly not a Gummo reference, I asked them. Rather it’s a natural acknowledgement of their love of caring for bunnies in their off time).  

Through a flurry of unreleased songs and cuts from their 2020 self-titled EP, YAAMC managed to bring their unique blend of rage and melancholy. Their genre clash of bedroom pop and traditional screamo singing bled through into a uniquely cathartic set. Their control of the crowd had people kicking and screaming one moment, then slowly swaying together the next. People weren’t just screaming just to scream, rather screaming lyrics along with the band.  

Emotions were in the air. If there’s one thing I remember about this show, it’s the swiftness between trying not to collapse under the weight of the crowd pushing towards the stage, then holding hands with my friends as the band broke into a ballad, with everyone collectively stopping for a second. 

-Benjamin Romero

Image via John Glab

Frail Body

Before this night, I’d never properly listened to Frail Body. I’d heard a few songs back in October, sitting in the front of my friend’s car, which was filled with a strange sense of high energy delirium I have only really felt while driving home from shows. I barely remembered how they sounded. However, I could almost remember the way my chest ached, and how my peripheral was filled with aviation obstructions and headlights. I remember how tired I was, and how I didn’t care.   

Right before Frail Body went onstage, I also found myself very tired. Each set had been fantastic, but by round five I found myself so drained that I didn’t know what to do with myself.  I was sitting outside of Gabriel’s, watching whisps of cigarette smoke blow in the breeze and wondering how on earth I was going to be able to stay awake long enough to cover this show. A blare of sound check echoed around the garden, and it was time for me to head inside.   

Frail Body woke me up from a trance. I was swept into the pit by dense instrumentation and exposing vocals, letting the piercing waves swallow me whole. Just as this noise began to consume me, the sun broke through, melting all over. The music was tragic but hopeful. You’re falling on the ground, but you’re facing up towards the light. Triumphant bell tones and misty, dark melodies soundtracked this collapse, and blanketed the crowd. It became too much to kick and scream. My feet began to move differently, loosening without the pressure. Flinging myself across a sea of figures, I was ready for the tragedy to not hurt so much anymore. <3

-Casper Bakker

Image via John Glab

In Loving Memory

It had been a tumultuous night already, with each consecutive artist seeming to only amplify the already electric energy of the house. However, by the time 9:30 PM rolled around, the night had taken its toll. Many held towards the back, taking a breather and getting their energy back, that is, until the set began.  

In Loving Memory is one of Iowa’s finest in terms of musical artists. Seamlessly bridging the gaps between the similar but distinct fields of emo, screamo, and emoviolence, they rose to prominence around the turn of the century. Both during their short reign, and in the time since garnering a cult following, their no-holds-barred screaming delivery that doesn’t compromise a millimeter of intricately crafted riffage, has built an immensely exciting aura. The result is a galvanizing, high-tension experience. Look no further than the effect on the crowd that night.  

In mere minutes the general atmosphere turned on a dime from black-and-blue exhaustion to a surging, explosive mosh pit. While their set was brief by most standards, clocking in at about a half hour, those who have listened to their music before know that is more than enough time for them to deliver a potent combination of musical punches, and the band proved it. While bands that reunite after almost two decades often lack the consistency, energy, and hunger that fans often crave from their original work, In Loving Memory proved to be a welcome exception to such expectations. Their stage presence alone was enough to demolish any such thoughts, as they flew about the stage and even into the crowd.

In an emotional address after the set, the band thanked everyone for showing up and convincing the band to return from the grave, as many of them never anticipated to return to the project. They were met with deafening cheers and demands for an encore as they came together and embraced. It perfectly concluded the night dubbed Screamo Prom, which at its core, centered around community, support, and love for the scene. 

-Evan Raefield

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