The Kings of the New Age Are Coming to Chicago
An Interview With State ChampsState Champs hit the road last week in support of their fourth studio album, Kings of the New Age. This is the band’s biggest headlining tour to date which means larger stages, ramped up production value, and big surprises for fans, including a carefully curated setlist of old hits and new fan favs. The night…
Staff Picks: What the Heck Do I Watch on Halloween?
Halloween’s on a Monday this year—but we’re not letting that slow down the greatest day of the year! The Riot Fest team has been hard at work celebrating, debating, and sharing our favorite films to watch on Halloween night, and we’ve come up with a frightfully good list of our top picks for you. Here’s…
Why The Cramps are the Ultimate Halloween Band
Yes, even beating out the Misfits.Recently, I walked into a bougie health food store (it wasn’t Whole Foods, but a large local competitor) to the strains of a song I never expected to hear over their speakers: “Human Fly” by the Cramps. It was far from the first time I’d heard a punk-adjacent song in this kind of store. When…
Who The Heck Are Pinkshift?
Today’s Who The Heck feature is all about Pinkshift, Baltimore’s most promising young punk trio—and quite possibly the textbook definition of a “next generation” pop punk band (if “pop punk” is even the right phrase). Inspired by acts like My Chemical Romance and No Doubt, Pinkshift’s style leans into grunge and post-hardcore territories—but it was…
Premiere: Meet Ekko Astral, a Queer Post-Punk Band Making Mascara Moshpits
Listen to “EAT OFF MY CHEST“ off the D.C. group’s debut EP (out October 28) below“WE’RE JUST GROWING TITS AND THROWING FITS AT THE END OF THE WORLD! ” That’s just one memorable line from singer-songwriter Jael Holzman, a trans woman at the front of a thrilling new band called Ekko Astral who are currently tearing up Washington D.C.’s local punk scene. Today, we’re premiering their latest single “EAT OFF…
Watch a New Blind Adam and The Federal League Video Ahead of ANTIfest
Listen to “There Was A Ballgame” ahead of their Chicago show with Anti-Flag on November 4Ahead of their opening slot for ANTIfest in just two weeks, Blind Adam and The Federal League have released a brand new video for their song “There Was A Ballgame.” Watch it below. The track is off Blind Adam’s 2021 record An Act of Desperation, which was produced by Chris #2 Barker of Anti-Flag. Singer…
Bundle Up: Riot Fest Hoodie Orders Get Free Shipping
The best time of the year is finally here: FALL. Sorry, but we love light jackets and Halloween more than we love our own festival. (Can you really blame us? It’s a lot of work…) Anyways: it’s chilly out, so we’ve added free shipping on all RiotBrand.org orders with a hoodie included (U.S. orders only).…
Violence, High Heels, and “the Sexiest Band in the World”: Girls Against Boys’ Scott McCloud Revisits ‘House of GVSB’
The 90s alternative rock boom produced a lot of surprising success stories. For instance, post-hardcore outfit Girls Against Boys, which was born out of the DC Dischord scene before landing on MTV, Kevin Smith soundtracks, and (in poster form) Meadow Soprano’s bedroom wall. It was a strange rock star moment from a band whose shadow-y…
