Pure Joy
The 23rd FEST in Gainesville, Florida recently wrapped up. Scene Point Blank has been to the majority of them over the past two decades, beginning at FEST 5. I've personally attended roughly half of them. And at FEST 23, I saw 44 bands in 3 days (an even 50 if you count the pre-shows I attended). I took close to 3,000 photos, met several online friends in person and managed to sleep a few hours in between.
Then I slept for about another week after I got home at 1am on Monday evening, which means this wrap-up has been a little slow in delivery.
Fest is a monumental feat. While I saw 50 bands, I missed many (many) more. Heck, there are some bands I didn't even realize played until I was reviewing details after the fact. It's a weekend where you have to balance your love of music, socializing, and your own personal limits. It's about adjusting on the fly when a venue is at capacity or you just need to take a little breather.
What struck me the most about FEST 23 was how the event is evolving, still, after 22 previous versions. It's always been referred to as something of a punk rock family reunion, but that element is now literal. The Fest has become a multi-generational event with many of the larger venues allowing toddlers-to-teens. I even met some parents of band members this year in the crowd. While it's changing, the vibes aren't. It's still a community and everyone is still there for the same reasons.
The music.
And the people.
Friday October 24
It now feels like a FEST tradition to start with a pint at First Magnitude Brewing, which has a spacious outdoor stage where Leg Biters play a high energy from the heart set to kick things off under the Florida sun. Then Direct Hit! at Heartwood continued another new tradition, in that I hit Heartwood for a band as I work my way back toward the downtown epicenter when the action starts to pick up. As Direct Hit! wrapped up, I found what seemed like a secret door behind the stage, leading into a not-so-secret studio space that was a new venue this year, "Heartwood (Inside)." It felt like the kind of place where they shoot local PBS concerts, not a punk rock club, but it was a fun, quaint set with a classy stage and something of a DIY basement vibe with more elbow room. American Television clearly grew in the past year, and their set of catchy punk was punctuated by flying inflatable sharks and one near crowdsurfing disaster toward the end. The Carolyn were my next highlight, and Loosey's was packed -- a theme for the weekend -- for another growing band. The Carolyn's album is nonstop, but their set added a lot of kind-natured chatting with the crowd that balanced with their 90-second singalong anthems. Across the street afterward, The Arrivals played FEST for the first time in forever and you could feel the excitement as the band tore through a diverse playlist from their catalog, leaning into their most recent releases -- which are probably a decade old at this point. In exciting news, they also promised a new album soon and played new material too before closing with a lengthy whoa-oh jam to "Simple Pleasures In America." I've covered SPELLS plenty in the past and Chuck (guitar player) has a note on their festival experience at the end, so I'll just say they are always a band to see live.
And the night just kept building. I skipped a couple bands on my agenda to go to Bo Diddley Plaza instead, where I could order from a food truck and watch Iron Chic from afar. Like The Arrivals, Iron Chic are FEST vets, but it had been a few years and their sound is something I’ve been vibing on in 2025 so it was a much needed release as I took absorbed their set with a woodfire pizza in hand. I'll add that the band actually sounded great from the Food Truck cove, despite its distance from the stage, but still with respectable sightlines. Dillinger Four were next. I've seen 'em a billion times, but it was a classic D4 show, by which I mean it started strong and stayed that way, but the banter got a little sillier as time went on. When they broke into some of their earlier material (on the recently reissued This Shit Is Geniuser, it was clear they were a little less rehearsed, so to speak, with Eric throwing in a lovely stopgap lyric of "Something Something Something" to fill the void seamlessly. As I watched, lots of old friends walked past, giving hugs and eventually bolting into the pack whenever the next song would start.
If there is a recurring theme of the night, it's seeing old bands returning to an enthusiastic crowd. Toys That Kill also don't play much these days, outside of San Pedro, anyway. The crowd was clearly pumped up and it was one of the more energetic sets I've seen from the band, spreading their joy throughout Vivid Music Hall. Vivid is a venue that can hold a crowd, but with the wrong band it kind of sucks the life out of the room, which highlights just how much energy the band radiated. Then, to close my night, I crossed the street again for the perfect nightcap: a few closing songs by alt-county balladeers Whiskey & Co. and a chaotically fun set by King Friday.
Saturday October 25
Dauber were my first band of the day on Saturday and they were also one of the band's I’d earmarked as a “must see,” as they're relatively new and I missed their Minneapolis stop earlier this year. Their set was a perfect tonal match with their record, full of bouncy and quirky punk rock. City Mouse, right after, is another band I've covered thoroughly but their sets continue to grow stronger each and every time I see them. After a couple of early afternoon sets in bright sunlight and well lit spaces, I moved into the darker true venue space of The Wooly. Here, Rodeo Boys delivered a set of intense guitar-driven blue collar rock that carries the emotional weight of punk with the weight of some more sophisticated musical nuance. I bounced between venues more throughout the day, catching The Dreaded Laramie's flair, Houseghost's ghoulish pop-punk, and Sweat's in-your-face aggression, then went back to The Wooly.
One of my Festfriends is a big Whippersnapper fan and had no idea, leading into the weekend, that the band was going to play their first show in 23 years. First, we watched the southern punk Reconciler with a tight, mood-building set. I'll admit I didn't know Whippersnapper but it was a fun, peppy show filled with anthemic punk with just enough rough-around-the-edges moments and some flashes of hardcore sneaking into the song structures. It was fun to see a front row corner of their children, watching the band for the first time, just like I was, leading to a closing comment from the band that, "We'll see you in 23 more years."
The Saturday dinner hour was spent wandering and finding new bands for a bit. Geoff Palmer played upbeat Panic Button-style pogo punk and Museum of Light where a technical change of pace that were fun to watch. They played just before Unseemlier, who also topped the list of new-to-me bands I wanted to see. Unseemlier pulls the multi-singer approach of screamo without all the tempo changes and they put on a tight set that was equally heavy and chill, if that makes any sense. It had the aggression of heavy punk but a welcoming vibe on the floor.
Then it was back to The Backyard at Boca Fiesta, which is a favorite outdoor courtyard stage where I've wrapped up many of my Fest nights over the years. It started with seeing Clown Sounds -- once a Todd Congelliere solo project that's evolved into a full band that shares members with many of his other groups. It was my first time watching the dual drummers at FEST, but they did return again the next day with yet another of his bands. Somewhere in between, my friends gifted me a takeout Love And Rockets burger from The Top, which took a bit of recollection on my end just now, because the day was so packed with bands.
Admittedly, much of my Saturday night was a repeat of Thursday's pre-Fest show at The Atlantic, where I had also seen Shehehe and The Eradicator. Both bands delivered exactly what I want to see from them. Shehehe play a great mix of poppy-punk rock that follows in the Ramones' tradition but gains a new energy and enthusiasm live. The Eradicator puts on a unique show that merges silliness with hardcore’s serious side.
I think I may have witnessed The Spits a decade ago at some Triple Rock show, but don't quote me on that. Saturday's late night set felt like the first time, as their gritty garage-punk fueled a new level of energy that had been building all day long. They have a great stage presence, clever banter, and a great balance between punchy, hooky garage rock and jean vest sleaze rock. In the crowd, I was told their Saturday set topped the Friday set I had missed. Later, on Monday at the airport, another friend called The Spits’ Saturday set the best of the weekend. I'm not somebody who likes to rank things, but I'm inclined to agree. F.Y.P had big shoes to fill after it, and they certainly brought it, playing their 20+ year-old songs to a crowd who were clearly reliving their youth. I've seen F.Y.P countless times, including back in the day, and it was probably the most active crowd I've seen for them. Pure joy.
Sunday October 26
I should stress that FEST offers a wide variety of bands -- I just like what I like, which is lots of rough-around-the-edges poppy bands. But you'll get a bit of everything from hardcore to ska to noisy, more experimental stuff and singer-songwriters too. Broken Record, who I watched with an iced coffee in hand at about 11am in my home time zone, play grunge-influenced rock on the noisier side and it was a great way to start the day. Lauren's melodic vocals over building feedback were a welcome change of pace after a night of bouncier beats. I watched the band, sat for a little longer than I'd expected at a ramen joint, then ran over to see Errth, whose self-titled debut, is a top record this year for me. Plus, Kevin does PR and I work with him on all kinds of things. We finally got to meet in person. Face to face time with people who know online is easily one of my favorite parts of FEST. But, back to Errth, as they say... Vecino's was full, way too full for a divey bar at 1pm on a Sunday, which is a testament to their record. They sounded tight and the alternating vocals and singalong choruses cut through the crowd as everyone woke up from their hangovers.
With so many bands and my own personal agenda, I didn't go to the largest two stages at FEST for all of Saturday. Sunday got me back to the plaza, in part to see how the main stage would accommodate the abstract partypunk band Underground Railroad To Candyland. Their mix of costuming, two drummers, and surf rock anthems seemed to be a hit for all ages. At first I saw a few confused faces, but they turned it into a smiling, dancing, all-ages crowd. On a recommendation, I then went to University Club for Carnivorous Flower, only to learn that the band features Ben Snakepit and ex-Waves members. It was a great mix of those artists' styles and they were probably my favorite new find of FEST 23. There's nothing like stumbling into a small room and finding what feels like a crowd of your friends...and then finding a new favorite band at the same time. Honestly, that happens at FEST a lot.
After this, a couple of travel buddies took naps or relaxed at comedy shows, while I watched part of a great set from Tired Radio, enjoyed the international Sunday showcase at Loosey's, and shifted plans when it started to rain during AJJ – leading me to the annual dinner at Boca Fiesta. Co-owned by Warren Oakes (ex-Against Me!), it’s a good spot to get local flair, sip a cocktail and sit down for a while. But part of the tradition is how I lament missing out on whoever I'd planned to see before the crash came. (This year it was Perennial.) But I had to recharge for another night at The Backyard.
The next tradition I upheld was ending Fest at The Backyard, which often features a local Gainesville/Tampa band, TIltwheel (who are maybe an honorary Tampa band), or one of Todd Cong's many bands. This time, it was all 3 of those scenarios -- plus Mikey Erg. Tampa-rooted Too Many Daves continue to put on a high energy, highly entertaining set that varies year to year. Sometimes it's drunken chaos on the floor; this year it was more of a controlled (or, let's be honest, tired) chaos with a lot of singing along but fewer crowdsurfing crashes. While it’s not their literal history, Too Many Daves feels like a band that was created by FEST for FEST, if that makes any sense. Four friends, mostly named Dave, come together for a cause.
Jeff Rosenstock was a headliner I somehow missed twice at Bo Diddley Plaza. While I feel like I put in some hard work to see a bunch of bands at FEST, Rosenstock easily has me beat. About 10 minutes after playing the main stage, he showed up and plugged in a guitar to join Mikey Erg at Boca. It took until a break after about the third song for him to politely request some soundbooth adjustments. Mikey used to be the Swiss army knife of FEST, playing too many sets to count. This year, it seems like Rosenstock carried the torch, so it's only natural that both artists played together.
Tiltwheel has been a favorite of mine since I first heard them, I would guess at FEST 6. While they have played all 23 Fests, it feels like the past couple of years have carried a little more weight to them. The songs are all personal and cathartic, but there's also just something in Davey's delivery that commands the room.
And then Underground Railroad To Candyland was back to close it out, with special surprise guest: Jeff Rosenstock on saxophone. Earlier I talked up their surfpunk concept and its all ages appeal, but this one was definitely a close-out-the-party affair. While the floor was a mix of sloppy dancing and endless smiles, shouting along nonsensical lyrics like "No way! Miss U-S-A!" and "I don't want no square ball," the stage was even more chaotic. The dual drummers somehow can play in sync while wearing pantyhose over their heads -- while those pantyhose are tied to each other, with Rosenstock sometimes grabbing drumsticks and joining in. Meanwhile, the hockey-masked hypeman pogoed and wiggled onstage as band members and the audience essentially tripped over one another for close to an hour. It's a high energy, parade-like concept that almost literally was bouncing off the walls.
The Fest is many things with many different types of bands. You can pick a niche and live in that realm for a weekend, you can watch the headliners play tight sets in a park setting, you can go to Heartwood for what I call farmer’s market vibes, or you can chisel your own path. And then, when you go back, you’ll meet old friends and make new ones. And each and every Fest you attend will be similar but also very different.
As I recap my experience, I'm almost ready to start planning for FEST 24. Even if I still feel a little bit behind on sleep.
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Shameless plug: FEST is a choose-your-own-adventure event. And now with FEST LIBS, you can choose-your-own adventure at home too in the form of our word game. Play 'em here, share 'em online.
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My List Of Bands (That I Remember Seeing)
Pre-Shows
- Direct Hit!
- Miller Lowlifes
- Chad Price Peace Coalition
- Shehehe
- Dead Bars
- The Eradicator
FEST 23 OFFICIAL
- Leg Biters
- Direct Hit!
- American Television
- Elway
- The Carolyn
- The Arrivals
- SPELLS
- Tim Barry
- Vicious Dreams
- New Junk City
- Iron Chic
- Dillinger Four
- Toys That Kill
- Whiskey & Co.
- King Friday
- Dauber
- City Mouse
- Rodeo Boys
- The Dreaded Laramie
- Houseghost
- Sweat
- Reconciler
- Whippersnapper
- Geoff Palmer
- Museum of Light
- Unseemlier
- Clown Sounds
- Shehehe
- The Eradicator
- The Spits
- F.Y.P
- Broken Record
- Errth
- Late Bloomer
- Underground Railroad To Candyland
- Carnivorous Flower
- Tired Radio
- Flame On
- Tim Holehouse and The Escape Ghosts
- AJJ
- Too Many Daves
- Mikey Erg
- Tiltwheel
- Underground Railroad To Candyland
