Bad Cop Bad Cop prepare to rock your face off. All photos by kim moenich

Ask anyone who’s ever been, and they’ll tell you that Fest, which takes place in Gainsville, Fl, is the BEST three days of music out there. Unlike other festivals where you have to watch your favorite bands perform on huge stages in one general area, Fest features nonstop music at over a dozen venues throughout downtown Gainsville. If you need a break from getting your head exploded by awesome punk/metal/hardcore bands, there’s also a comedy showcase hosted by Chris Gethard, and there’s even Fest Wrestling!

Fest Wrestling is the best wrestling! photo by kim moenich

Fest celebrated it’s twentieth anniversary this year with over 350 bands stretched out over three days. It started as a two day show in 2002, with only four venues and 60 bands, but has grown quickly. There are food trucks, vendors, a Flea Market, Punk Rock Saves Lives and Feed the Scene, and $4 PBR’s everywhere you turn. Water is free and food is easily available. Tee shirts are $25 and the fun is free! Last year’s total attendance was over 10,000 people, and this year was certainly more than that. But because of the way Fest is laid out, you never end up feeling crowded!

The crowd during Restorations. photo by kim moenich

Fest merch is the best merch! photo by kim moenich

Cheap beer abounds! photo by kim moenich

The days leading up to Fest weekend include a ton of pre-shows, both in Gainsville and in towns all around it. This year’s main pre-show happened on Thursday night, with a heavy lineup featuring Cloud Nothings, The Flatliners, and Hot Water Music. Hot Water Music, Gainsville natives, had been awarded the key to the city earlier that day. (Laura Jane Grace, a Fest regular, received it last year.) Thursday night’s show was a celebratory occasion, and the HWM boys were joined onstage for a brief moment by founding member, Chris Wollard, who no longer plays live with the band. During the final song of the night, Chuck Ragan handed his guitar to Pete Steinkopf and the mic to Greg Attonito, as the Bouncing Souls ran onstage with Hot Water Music to perform “Wayfarer”- and it was just as epic as you think it was!

Chris Wollard joins Chris Cresswell onstage during Hot Water Music. photo by kim moenich

The only “not fun” part of Fest, according to basically everyone, happens on Friday, when we have to lineup to get our wristbands. This is a requirement, and can’t be avoided. We usually arrive an hour earlier, but were running behind, so when we got to Boxcar Beer and Wine Garden, where you have to pick up your bracelet, there were several hundred people already in line. And while the ninety minute wait in the Florida sun was a bit toasty, it was actually pretty fun and flew by. Punk Rock Saves Lives had people coming by with Malort in squirtguns, The Fest Grace Raffle was getting people in to their raffle for the unhoused (I won the signed Bouncing Souls record set!), bands handed out stickers advertising their shows over the weekend, and one inventive gent was even giving out fortune cookies, where the fortune promoted his band’s Fest appearance! And of course, there were always the conversations with other line pals- Fest Friends are the Best Friends!

The Loooooooongest liiiiiiiiine… photo by kim moenich

Then the fun started! One hundred five bands were lined up to play in eleven venues around downtown just on Friday alone. My day started out at the farthest away venue, the Heartwood, where Codefendants were playing. You’re outside, with a bunch of weirdos, and then Sam comes onstage and it was just perfect. Stacey Dee, from Bad Cop Bad Cop, joined them for a song, and Sam, Ceschi, and Stacey all ended up in the crowd, with all of us singing our hearts out. Fantastic start to the weekend.

Codefendents start off Fest with a bang. photo by kim moenich

Stacey Dee “helping out” the Codefendants?! photo by kim moenich

I tend to stay for full sets of bands, so I only managed to squeeze in six bands on Friday. One of my favorite parts about Fest is getting to find out about rad bands you’ve never heard before. Last year, I stumbled across Reconciler, while waiting to see Samiam, and they blew my socks off! I made it a point to catch them again this year, and they didn’t disappoint! And one of those stickers I got while waiting in line was for a band called Crossed Keys from Philly, who’s drummer played in Ink and Dagger, an old favorite of mine from the mid 90’s (RIP Sean Patrick McCabe!) They put on one of the more fun shows of the weekend!

Reconciler crushing it at The Wooly. photo by kim moenich

Crossed Keys made their Fest debut and absolutely crushed it! photo by kim moenich

Saturday started eariler, with Zeta kicking off the day in true Zeta fashion. Tell me a drummer in the scene that’s better than Chino Sandoval- go ahead, I’ll wait! Keeping the party going, Bad Cop Bad Cop came on next and the crowd went crazy. I was planning on spending the first half of my day at the main stage, Bo Diddley, so I watched Cloud Nothings perform before Joyce Manor took over and sent Fest-goers into orbit. Cursive and Superchunk made me reminisce for the mid-90’s emo scene.

Chino of Zeta, killing it on the drums. photo by kim moenich

Linh doing Linh things. photo by kim moenich

Joyce Manor had the crowd entranced. photo by kim moenich

Superchunk bringing me back to my college years! photo by kim moenich

Not to be missed, I headed over to The Wooly to see my faves, The Bollweevils, from Chicago. Doc Daryl was on fire! Pogoh made a rare appearance since getting back together in 2016, and I was not going to miss it, so I ran over to Loosey’s. They brought all the feels, as the kids say!

Daryl wants you to dance at The Bollweevils set. photo by kim moenich

Pogoh bringing back last century memories. photo by kim moenich

I closed the night with two absolutely insane bands, City of Caterpillar and PageNinetyNine, who you should catch any time you get the chance if you’re into frenetic, noisy insanity. And then Touche Amore brought it home. This was the band’s first time back at Fest since 2014. After walking offstage at their 2014 Fest performance, singer, Jeremy Bolm, found out his mom had passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. He told the audience Saturday night that he was hoping to gain some sort of closure with this appearance, and he opened with the song “8 Seconds”, which was the former name of the club in which they were playing both that night and Saturday. The crowd didn’t let Jeremy down, and sang their hearts out to every word. It was incredible.

City of Caterpillar shredding during their set at Vivid. photo by kim moenich

The only “calm” moment during PageNinetyNine’s insane set. photo by kim moenich

Touche Amore touched our hearts. photo by kim moenich

Sunday was no less amazing. My day started with a Bad Cop Bad Cop acoustic set that ripped my soul out. I followed that up with the mania that is Brendan Kelly, from The Lawrence Arms, then launched right back into tears with perhaps the best Tim Barry performance I’ve yet to witness. He was just on, and the audience was right there with him. It’s always an amazing time when he performs but the vibe in Vivid Music Hall that day was something special, and you could tell Tim was feeling it too.

Brendan Kelly kept us laughing (and a bit confused!) photo by kim moenich

Tim Barry bringing the music to the people. photo by kim moenich

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists put on an electrifying performance, and everyone and their brother came out to watch it. They were followed by the Bouncing Souls, who know their way around Fest, and had the crowd singing along- especially when they were joined onstage for their last song by Hot Water Music, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Joyce Manor, Ted Leo, and more!

Ted Leo was one of many performers to talk politics, especially regarding the genocide in Gaza. photo by kim moenich

The gang was all there for the Bouncing Souls! photo by kim moenich

The closing headliner was not a typical Fest band, and I was curious as to how they would go over with this group. But no one can resist the infinite fun that Matt and Kim bring, and this Fest crew was no exception. There were sex dolls, an inflatable alligator, giant beach balls, a million balloons, and even Kim drumming with giant sex toys! It was a night that none of us will soon forget!

Matt and Kim had it all- especially the fun! photo by kim moenich

My last band of the weekend was personal favorite, No Man, from D.C. Formed from members of Majority Rule, with the addition of Maha Shami on vocals, they are a very politically fueled hardcore/screamo/metal band who have a lot to say- and a lot I want to hear. Seeing them Sunday night was exactly how I wanted to cap off my Fest experience.

NØ Man spoke at length about the devastation of Palestine, the home of Maha’s parents. photo by kim moenich

If you’re looking for the best lineup where you’re guaranteed to have maximum fun and make friends for life (possibly with your favorite band members- I got to spend quality time this weekend with Linh Le and Stacey Dee!), then make sure you snatch up a Fest ticket as soon as they go on sale! Fest friends are the best friends!

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