Riot Fest 2023 Tour • Page 40

sigh, looks like ill try listening to the radio.

 

Something to think about

 

Hope this is the year Melvins finally play Riot

 

melvins would be sick

 

I think this makes Mr. Bungle super likely for 2023. Don't think it makes the Melvins any more or less likely, though, because this tour is in May.

But would be rad to get both!

 

I assumed Mr. Bungle and Faith No More would play this year once I started seeing Bungle dates popping up. I also think Billy Idol would be cool on there if that comes to pass.

 

I'm guessing Faith No More won't be active this year. Given the reason behind the last round of tour cancellations, Mr. Bungle seems like a more "low-profile" (and lower pressure) way for Mike to dip his toe back into things.

Pure speculation on my part. But that's what I'm guessing might be the case.

 

Sometimes, if you don’t like the headliners at a festival, a great undercard can still make a festival worth attending. Having said that, let’s play a game: Name 5-10 undercard acts you would like to see at Riot Fest. The catch is they have to be acts that have either never played the festival before or have not played in the past 5 or so years. Try and keep your suggestions realistic of course, and provide reasonings below if you want, especially if you suggest anyone who may be more unlikely so people know why you are suggesting them.

- The Beths (two sold out shows at Thalia next month, had a Riot Fest Presents show at Cobra before COVID had to cancel it)

- Chris Farren (has a new album out this year, would be a great earlyish act. Really fun live, and will usually go into the crowd during the show mid song and sing in the crowd)

- Soul Glo (they had a “breakout” year last year and released a widely acclaimed album, sold out a show at the Empty Bottle, and are definitely due for a return. They could realistically play either of the three main fests here, but it would be cool if Riot got them)

- Bartees Strange (One of the few acts like Soul Glo where he fits on all theee festivals. I thought Riot was going to get him on the first album cycle but P4K got him instead. Played a pretty crowded show at Thalia Hall last year and would likely have a decent sized crowd at Riot. Good mid day act for sure)

- Charly Bliss (They have a new album coming out this year and like all the others I have mentioned so far, have never played Riot. They did play an aftershow last year opening for Jimmy Eat World, and I’ve seen many people hoping they play the festival eventually.)

- Slaughter Beach, Dog (Jake Ewald from Modern Baseball. Played two sold out shows last year at Empty Bottle and Space, said they were working on a new album this year. Played a show a couple years ago during Riot at Lincoln Hall that did not sell well because Riot was happening, so crossover between fans of the band and Riot Fest attendees seems likely.)

- Illuminati Hotties (They put out an album in late 2021 and played a sold out Lincoln Hall show and a Thalia Hall show in support of the album, but they feel like another early to mid day act that would draw a solid crowd)

- Knocked Loose (they are on the Bonnaroo and Coachella lineups so maybe the token hardcore band that makes it on Lolla this year, but of course Knocked Loose at Riot would be a fun and wild time.)

- Diet Cig (fun indie punk band that has not come to Chicago since the pandemic due to having to cancel two shows at Lincoln Hall. Would be a fun early to mid day act for sure.)

- Dehd (There’s always hometown acts on the lineup, and this is one band who has never played the festival. They blew up quite a bit over the pandemic and have a solid following in Chicago. Played Pitchfork in 2021 and just finished a 3 night sold out NYE residency at the Empty Bottle. Could play Lolla but they would definitely be a good fit for Riot)

 

Not necessarily true, I see people who aren’t fans of any of the Coachella headliners still considering going. A good undercard can definitely still make people attend a festival. Besides, that was just a silly intro I put for this thing I typed up haha.

 

Half the people that go to Coachella go for clout

 

lol I’m just not going to respond to that, my post was just a fun little thing to talk about undercard acts since a lot of the discussion is headliners or close to headliner acts

anyways I wrote a lot in my post but y’all can just name names and don’t have to type reasons lol

 

Ipecac Recordings (Mr. Bungle’s and FNM’s label) teased an announcement for today, tomorrow, and next Tuesday. I’m hoping one of these announcements is FNM dates

 

Driveways— fun, newer pop punk band with some synth/hip hop influences. Don’t tour often, but the one time they’ve played Chicago they fucken burned the bottom lounge to the ground.

Scene Queen- this is gonna be the controversial one on this list. The Thursday before Riot Fest last year, I had no idea who Scene Queen was, but I was looking for something to do in the city. I caught her at Subterranean and was blown tf away. Like she might have been the most electric performer I saw the whole weekend-blown away. Love her music or hate it, but she’s a natural entertainer.

Pinkshift— grungy pop punk band on a meteoric rise. They’d be one of those names towards the bottom of the lineup that we’d look back on in a few years and wonder why they weren’t higher

Origami Angel— cant believe Riot hasn’t booked them the last few years. The best nerdy, mathy, catchy, high energy emo two piece of all time.

Youth of Today/ Project X— every year I say Riot Fest needs more hardcore on the lineup. For how big the fest is, they can get absolute legends of the hxc scene like Youth Of Today and it not even be in the top half of the lineup. What’s more is they can probably convince the band to do something really special, like end their set with a Project X reunion (wouldn’t require changing any equipment and would only take about 5 minutes to preform the whole Project X catalog).

Camp Trash- just put out my favorite pop punk/emo album of 2022 and have posted on Twitter that they’re trying to book shows this year.

Kenny Loggins- this one was on my mock lineup and I stand by it. If we can’t have CRJ and a mosh pit to Call Me Maybe, then I want one to Danger Zone, god damnit

Islands— admittedly more of a Pitchfork booking, I had a big indie music phase in high school and Islands was one of my favorites. Would be a nice change of pace in between some high energy punk sets

Knocked Loose— great heavy band, on the festival circuit this year. Mo from the RF staff has tweeted before about wanting to get them on the lineup.

The Dwarves— this set would be for the RF base. Fast dumb fun skate punk. I’m surprised they haven’t played in a while.

 

Knocked Loose on the lineup would be dope. Maybe this year or one year they’ll have a hardcore stage with like Knocked Loose, GEL, Scowl, Militarie Gun, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, etc.

The genre seems to be really popping off in recent years, especially with smaller acts.

 

Pinkshift are probably booked for this year

I'm only going by the fact Riot did an article on them in October

 

Well, that's a fun game for a snowy afternoon. I feel like it's only a matter of time before Bartees, Illuminati Hotties, Charly Bliss, and Soul Glo play. If I had my money, though, I'd say Soul Flo is gonna wind up on Lolla this year.

As for my picks? Most of these aren't necessarily "buzz bands" or whatever, but could reasonably wind up on the bill. There's the obvious older ones that I'd want to see. But instead of repeating those for the 50th time, I've focused on newer (and in some cases "younger") artists that would make me say "fuck yes, I wanna go!"

Grumpster: Younger, 90s style pop-punk band tied to the Gilman Street scene in Berkley, CA. On PureNoise Records with an album that came out in 2022 and more music coming in 2023. Not the most buzzed about band, but they definitely write killer songs and it's been a hot minute since Riot has has a "traditional" pop-punk band on the younger side of things on the bill. Could work well on Rebel or in one of the first two slots on the "punk" stage. Would also add to representation of the LGBTQ+ community on the line-up.

Little Low: New project from the singer of Save Ends. Really solid, high energy indie-punk that could more succinctly be described as "emo." It's sad music for people who really like caffeine. Rebel stage, for sure!

Call Me Malcolm: Ska-punk band from the UK whose latest album was mostly about mental health. They have two singers and one of them occasionally sounds like Frank Turner. They're pretty much the opposite of that "mozzarella sticks" meme. bit of a stretch, since they're over in the UK but... The Bad Time bands are mostly out. So why not?

Zebrahead: Okay, I lied. This band is old. But fun. And they've never played Riot Fest. Solid early day "punk" or "pop-punk" stage addition. Or maybe early evening on Rebel. I bet they'd be stoked to play before GWAR.

One Step Closer: Buzzy hardcore band that seems to be gearing poppier. Riot booking them early would be nice, since they fucked up and didn't book Turnstile until after they had already popped.

Drug Church: Amazing live show. Pretty popular and kinda shocked they haven't played Riot yet.

Head Automatica: Would work nicely on a few different stages with various bands. Would be a solid, fun "reunion" get for Riot.

Eichlers: Hyper-pop meets ska. Super catchy, fun, and would get the crowd hyped early in the day while adding some genre diversity to the line-up in a way that "makes sense" with Riot's aesthetic.

The Methadones: Another older band. But... They're from Chicago and haven't played Riot since it went outdoors.

Local H: Classic 90s alt-rock band from Chicago that fits squarely into the post-grunge box. Would work nicely along a few younger bands on the Rebel Stage (the Dirty Nil immediately come to mind). Definitely in the "it'd be about time" category along with Veruca Salt...

Praise: Really great, super melodic hardcore band from Baltimore. Slight buzz, Revelation Records, etc.

 

I am honestly so confused how Local H have never played this festival. It has to be their year one of these years…

 

Especially since Scott has attended the festival multiple times over the last few years. Haha.

 

Oh! I totally forgot Story of the Year. They'd be a really cool add that would make sense for Riot and hasn't popped up on the schedule yet.

 

You just don't get, he keeps it copacetic

 

Soty needs to come back to Chicago. I don’t care if it’s a headline show or riot fest but they need to play up here. Haven’t been here since 2019

 

I don't think they've played Boston proper in a decade. Haha. But I caught them at Back to the Beach in 2019 and they were still fantastic live!

I'd kill for a headlining set, though... They have such a deep catalog now, and while I love the earlier stuff, the last album has so many songs I'd want to see live. And the singles on the newer one are just as good, if not better, than a lot of that record. They've managed to keep their signature sound and update it in a tasteful, sincere way.

 

Maybe it’s like an MxPx sort of thing. Maybe there have been underwhelming offers and they decided it’s just more worth it to stick to playing local (no pun intended) headliners

 

I'm pretty sure Local H has played free festival shows in Chicago.. those probably don't pay better than Riot.

Maybe Riot Mike has just never asked.. dunno

 

Honestly, I'm not even sure what their draw is like in Chicago. But this is where my head goes too. At Riot, they'd probably be locked into an afternoon Rebel set or like first band on the main stage.

Which could work in the right context. But, I dunno... If I were them I'm not sure how I'd feel about playing at 1pm while bands half your age are playing the rest of the afternoon after you, y'know?

I bet the pay is equivalent (potentially greater) and they probably get a longer set later in the day.

They're kind of a weird band. Because everybody of a certain age knows the name and at least one of the "hits." But they're ostensibly a bar band at this point in their career. And I say that as a person who celebrates their entire catalog and has the book they put out a few years back. So it's not a sleight.

I just think they're a band that most people don't care all that much about. Y'know, like Jimmie's Chicken Shack.