Babe Haven joined Die Spitz on their Something to Consume tour, a perfect pairing of fierce femme ferociousness and earsplitting aggressive punk rock (not to mention hair flips for DAYS). I last saw North Carolina’s Babe Haven in Chicago last April when they opened for English-duo Soft Play, and instantly fell in love with this […]
Babe Haven joined Die Spitz on their Something to Consume tour, a perfect pairing of fierce femme ferociousness and earsplitting aggressive punk rock (not to mention hair flips for DAYS).
I last saw North Carolina’s Babe Haven in Chicago last April when they opened for English-duo Soft Play, and instantly fell in love with this band. They have the perfect blend of punk, metal, and riot grrrl and a chaotic sassiness that cannot be matched.
Since their last Chicago stop at Schuba’s on May 31st, Die Spitz toured with the infamous Viagra Boys, had their own North American headlining tour, have another headlining tour scheduled in February 2026 in the EU/UK and have a slew of summer 2026 music festivals in the books.
The band shows no signs of slowing down as members climb onto speakers, jump into the crowd moshing and thrashing about on stage. Their full-throttle performances leave you begging for more…and with the powerhouse of an album Something to Consume, Die Spitz is just getting started.
Garage-punk duo Teen Mortgage just finished another leg of their tour to promote their newest album, Devil Ultrasonic Dream. This time we caught up with them at one of the coolest Milwaukee-area venues, X-Ray Arcade, along with supporting bands Alex Vile and Bev Rage & The Drinks. Check it out! Voted Chicago’s Best Punk Band […]
Garage-punk duo Teen Mortgage just finished another leg of their tour to promote their newest album, Devil Ultrasonic Dream. This time we caught up with them at one of the coolest Milwaukee-area venues, X-Ray Arcade, along with supporting bands Alex Vile and Bev Rage & The Drinks. Check it out!
Voted Chicago’s Best Punk Band in 2024, Bev Rage & The Drinks opened the night with their loud, fast, and unique stage presence. Drag queen Beverly Rage towers over the crowd in high heels and tall hair, delivering a fun theatrical and unapologetically queer performance.
Tacoma, Washington’s Alex Vile began as a solo project by guitarist and vocalist Alexandra Vilenius and has since transformed into a solid 4-piece indie grunge band. Staying true to their Seattle-area roots, Alex Vile has all the vibes of an early 90’s alt rock band.
Teen Mortgage is still as fast and rowdy as ever as this leg of the tour comes to a close, echoing the common message of existential dread that we’ve all been feeling: damn ya’ll, shit’s fucked.
“Have you seen A Bug’s Life?” Asks guitarist/vocalist James Guile between ripping through songs of their politically charged album Devil Ultrasonic Dream. The 1998 animated film has deeper themes of anti-capitalism and class struggle, akin to many of the band’s songs.
The band just dropped a new single “Below the Christmas Tree” that is anything but your typical holiday track.
On the new song, James Guile shared, “We wanted to give people a new Christmas song to throw in their rotation because the usual Christmas hits get tedious to listen to. The song is a satire of people’s tendency to ignore the world and embrace consumerism during Christmas and the way they would continue the tradition in the face of a nuclear holocaust. But the flip side of that is that Christmas is a call for peace.”
The band is also partnering with Super Skate Posse and the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore to provide 50 pre-selected, area youths with new skateboards, helmets, and Converse sneakers, along with a skate demo and music performance in Baltimore.
The event will take place at the Skatepark of Baltimore on Saturday, November 22nd and will include demos from professional skaters Brian Anderson, Darren Harper, Spencer Brown, and Tony Massey, as well as a full performance from the band.
We have the final day’s gallery of Riot Fest 2025! Dying Scene caught a ton of killer bands…IDLES, Lambrini Girls, Jawbreaker, Bad Religion? An unforgettable headlining performance from Green Day? This might have been the best day yet. Check it out! British post-punk band IDLES may have had one of the best performances of the […]
We have the final day’s gallery of Riot Fest 2025! Dying Scene caught a ton of killer bands…IDLES, Lambrini Girls, Jawbreaker, Bad Religion? An unforgettable headlining performance from Green Day? This might have been the best day yet. Check it out!
British post-punk band IDLES may have had one of the best performances of the day with their insane energy; right out of the gate guitarist Lee Kiernan ricocheted into crowd, sending fans into a frenzy. Jack White made an appearance joining IDLES performing “Never Fight a Man With a Perm” and if that was not enough, Soft Play took the stage as well for “Rottweiler”.
I hyped up Soft Play a lot in the last year; first in my top picks of 2024 for their song “Act Violently” and album Heavy Jelly, and again for their sold out show at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge in April with Babe Haven. No surprise, Soft Play’s Riot Fest performance was also fantastic and insanely fun. The two-piece duo Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent own the stage wherever they play.
Keeping up with the English punk rock theme, Lambrini Girls hit the ground running with the release of their debut album Who Let the Dogs Out on January 10th, 2025 via City Slang Records. The record received widespread praise and charted at #16 on the UK Albums Chart. The album has themes of calling out misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, and politics with their live shows being no different. Personally, they are also one of my favorite bands and finally seeing them live at Riot Fest was nothing short of magical.
Influential and poetic Jawbreaker played a highly anticipated set at Riot Fest. Their controversial major label debut Dear You was released 30 years ago on September 12th, 1995 (and we are so happy they are back!).
Fans flocked early Sunday for Footballhead as they opened the day. I became a fan of Chicago-based alt rock band after hearing their single “Face to Face” on a local college radio station.
Atlanta pop punk band The Paradox was not previously on my radar but I can say I became a fan after their Riot Fest performance. Outrageously fun, the band quickly rose to stardom after just a short period of time opening for Green Day and playing at Warped Tour.
Take a look back at our day one and two galleries if you’re feeling nostalgic. Riot Fest may be over but we are already thinking about what magic they are cooking up for next year. What’s your dream lineup? We’re dying to hear about it!
AFI is currently on a Fall tour of North America to promote their newest album, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, released on the same day of their concert at Chicago’s Salt Shed on October 3rd. The tour marks the first full-scale tour since their 2021 album Bodies. The ever-evolving band has made shifts in every […]
AFI is currently on a Fall tour of North America to promote their newest album, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, released on the same day of their concert at Chicago’s Salt Shed on October 3rd. The tour marks the first full-scale tour since their 2021 album Bodies.
The ever-evolving band has made shifts in every album, from hardcore, emo, post-punk and genres in between, always pushing the envelope and being their bold, unapologetic selves. With the release of Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, AFI may have reached their final form and what they were always meant to be; a post-punk gothic rock powerhouse reminiscent of the likes of Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy and The Cure.
To help set the mood, the Canadian electronic project TR/ST opened for the evening, transforming The Salt Shed into a synthesizer-heavy dark wave night club.
One thing that remains steadfast during AFI’s transformations? The fans. Between powerful lyrics, dark romanticism, melodic riffs, and Davey Havok’s showmanship (not to mention his own fashionable image), seeing AFI live is nothing short of immersive and feels like home.
AFI played an expanded set list across their discography in addition to songs from Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, including the album’s leading single “Behind the Clock” and a debut performance of “Ash Speck in a Green Eye“. Also notable was the performance of “File 13” from their 1996 album Very Proud of Ya.
Davey and AFI have not slowed down one bit over the years and their live shows are a testament to that. High energy, jumping from platforms, crowd participation and even being held up by fans while standing, you can tell AFI genuinely love what they do and their fans. Whatever the next era may hold for AFI, we the fans are here to stay.
Hands Off Our Fest is back! The music festival celebrating the women, femmes and thems of the Chicago punk scene features a mix of live music, stand-up comedy, drag performances, queer expression and joy, and feminine rage, all washed down with plenty of beer. This year the fest will take place on October 11th at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois. […]
Hands Off Our Fest is back! The music festival celebrating the women, femmes and thems of the Chicago punk scene features a mix of live music, stand-up comedy, drag performances, queer expression and joy, and feminine rage, all washed down with plenty of beer.
This year the fest will take place on October 11th at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois. We talked to some of the awesome bands about H.O.O.F., check it out!
First things first…introduce yourselves!
Hello !!!!! We are PINKSQUEEZE!! We are a GAY rock n roll band from Chicago and we are tryin to be gay have fun and that’s what we want to share with our community as well.
What made you want to participate in HOOF?
We were very excited to participate in HOOF this year bc we basically live for opportunities to rock with other queer, women, trans, and non-binary people. It feels so special and so important to have spaces like this for our community and we are grateful to join 💕
Why should people go to HOOF?
People should go to HOOF bc the bands ROCK and everyone is NICE and also HOT. But fr, times are feeling dystopian right now with all of the evil attacks by our government on our neighbors and trans people- getting together with community and imagining a better world wherever and whenever you can is really important.
Anything else you want people to know? New music/show announcements?
Why yes, there is new music and shows on the Pinksqueeze horizon… Go to www.pinksqueeze.com to sign up for our email list to keep up with all of our upcoming announcements 🙂
“Hi! We’re Faerie Dream. The band consists of Ana Hinojosa on vocals, Joy Rhodes on bass, Jose Bedoya on drums and me, Kurt Uy, on the guitar.
We wanted to participate in HOOF because want to support femmes in punk. We were approached by Sweetie and it seemed like a lot of fun!
People should go to HOOF to support local music , and most importantly, femmes in local music.
We currently recording a project, stay tuned with us!”
“Hi! We’re Girlrot, an alt-rock teen band from Chicago.
We wanted to participate in HOOF because we wanted to play with more musicians like us. We play a lot of shows with dudes, and this is a really nice change of pace.
Y’all should come to HOOF for the environment! It’s amazing to play and listen to and support music by Queer and femme people. Especially in such a male-dominated industry. In a time like this, having a safe space for Queer people like us is vital.
We are also releasing music soon! Any support to us will go back into the band to help us get studio time.”
“We are Won’t Stay Dead, Chicago’s premier grrrl-fronted, horror-themed punk band.
Birdy is a close friend of ours, and we were lucky enough to play the first HOOF. We had a blast, and we’re so excited to be playing again at a beautiful (and haunted??) new venue.
You’ll hear some killer bands, witness fabulous drag and comedy, and build community, all while uplifting femme, queer, and nonbinary voices that sometimes get drowned out in the scene.
We’re playing FEST in Gainesville, FL at the end of October, and hitting Nashville, TN & Louisville, KY on our way down. We’re heading up to Kenosha, WI in November, and we have an album coming out with some comrades in the near future.”
“I’m Birdy Vee, frontwoman of Chicago lipstick-punk band, Sweetie, and organizer and founder of Hands Off Our Fest (HOOF). My bandmates are Joe Soldati (bass) and Ryan Gowdy (drums). Sweetie has been around since 2019 and HOOF is going into its third year!
I wanted to participate in HOOF because I created it! HOOF is my baby! I started the festival back in 2023 after finally becoming fed up with the misogyny in the punk scene and deciding I wanted to do something about it. HOOF was created to help the women, femmes, thems and queer folks of the Chicago punk scene to collaborate, socialize, and build community.
HOOF is an event that is both joyous and healing! It’s got SO many great bands, EXCELLENT drag performers, and one of the funniest stand up comedians I’ve ever seen. It’s going to be an event that’s full of positive energy and an excellent place to connect and make new friends! Also, this year it will be at the historic Egyptian Theatre in downtown Dekalb, IL, and is apparently haunted. So, the vibes of a slumber party with your besties AND there might be ghosts? I mean c’mon, you GOTTA go.
We released our new album back in June! It’s called La Vie en Rouge and it’s FABULOUS. Also, Sweetie will be back at the Egyptian Theatre on Halloween to open up for the Rocky Horror Picture Show!”
Check out all the fun from last year’s HOOF and catch it again October 11th!
Didn’t have enough from the day one gallery of Riot Fest 2025? Well here’s our day two with more album plays and a stacked lineup! The Bouncing Souls played through their 2001 hit album How I Spent My Summer Vacation with fans singing along to every song (of course). Day two of Riot Fest had […]
Didn’t have enough from the day one gallery of Riot Fest 2025? Well here’s our day two with more album plays and a stacked lineup!
Day two of Riot Fest had a good variety of post-hardcore/emo bands with Citizen being one of them. Citizen is no stranger to Chicago or Dying Scene, last playing here with Movements and Scowl at the Aragon Ballroom.
Staying on the emo theme, Nashville’s Free Throw performed an energetic and melodic set.
Chicago’s annual punk rock music festival celebrated its 20th anniversary from September 19th-21st with three jam-packed days of legendary music acts, full album play sets, and some notable local Chicago punk bands to celebrate Riot Fest’s Chicago roots. Opening day included headliners Blink-182, “Weird Al” Yankovic and Alkaline Trio. No matter your musical preference, there’s […]
Chicago’s annual punk rock music festival celebrated its 20th anniversary from September 19th-21st with three jam-packed days of legendary music acts, full album play sets, and some notable local Chicago punk bands to celebrate Riot Fest’s Chicago roots. Opening day included headliners Blink-182, “Weird Al” Yankovic and Alkaline Trio. No matter your musical preference, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Let’s get on with day one!
Alkaline Trio performed an album play-through of their second studio album, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire. We took a look back at this album released 25 years ago, check out that review here!
Celtic punk legends The Pogues featured an expanded line up to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their album Rum Sodomy & the Lash.
Touché Amoré ran the stage with their energetic and powerful vocals and equally enthusiastic fans.
One of the newest bands on my radar is The Barbarians of California, a metallic hardcore band from…California! With the tag line “They’re your new favorite band,” the act is collaboration from Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION and producer/engineer Eric Stenman.
Chicago’s own metalcore group Harm’s Way joined the lineup of an already impressive amount of hardcore bands playing at Riot Fest. They are currently touring with the blackgaze powerhouse Deafheaven.
The New York hardcore punks Agnostic Front need no introduction. They performed their 1984 debut album Victim in Pain in its entirety.
A band I never had the chance to see live I was looking forward to on this day was The Didjits, a punk band formed in 1981 in Mattoon, Illinois (that’s just under 200 miles south of Chicago). They released five full-length albums through Chicago’s Touch and Go Records, an independent label that has a roster including the likes of The Jesus Lizard, Die Kreuzen, The Effigies and many more.
Honey Revenge is pop punk from California and slay on stage. Consisting of Devin Papadol on vocals and Donovan Lloyd on guitar, Honey Revenge bring an immense amount of fun energy on stage that you cannot help but dance and sing along to. On top of that the overall aesthetics is pretty fabulous if you ask me.
Harrison Gordon is “emo guitar music” from Normal, Illinois and they have made a name for themselves in the Midwest indie scene. Their latest EP Spring Break! was released in March of this year.
Last in our day one gallery (but certainly not the least) is another Chicago-local band La Rosa Noir. Part post-punk, part Midwest surf, La Rosa Noir has been conquering the Chicago music scene with their eclectic sound and dark hypnotic vibes.
On July 18th Chicago’s Metro hosted a phenomenal line up of punk rock bands that was not one to miss. Check it out! The night began already with high energy; no slow build up is necessary as Chicago natives Flatfoot 56 took the stage, crushing through “Live or Die Trying”. Flatfoot 56 will be back […]
On July 18th Chicago’s Metro hosted a phenomenal line up of punk rock bands that was not one to miss. Check it out!
The night began already with high energy; no slow build up is necessary as Chicago natives Flatfoot 56 took the stage, crushing through “Live or Die Trying”.
Flatfoot 56 will be back to bring their brand of Celtic punk rock at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge on August 30th to support The MethadonesLove on Layaway record release show. Grab your tickets here before it sells out!
Street punk legends The Casualties stormed the stage next with fans erupting into a frenzy of moshing and singing along throughout their performance.
The Casualties have a slew of tour dates coming up, starting with Charleston, South Carolina on August 27th and ending with Punk in the Park in San Pedro, California on October 5th.
With an explosion of confetti and beer flying through the air, The Adicts finally made it to the stage for this highly anticipated show. Complete with the Clockwork Orange droog image and joker cards thrown about, The Adicts played fan favorites “Joker in the Pack” and “Viva la Revolution”. Whether you are an old fan or new, they put on an impressive performance that is impossible not to have fun at.
The Adicts are back at it with The Casualties on October 3rd in New York City if you are lucky enough to be there!
Canadian badass and fierce punk rockers NOBRO and Bad Waitress teamed up for The Go For Broke Tour, kicking off at Punk Rock Bowling in May before traveling across the United States. Chicago’s own Carnivore Mommy started off the night with a performance nothing short of theatrical. We first featured the in-your-face band last fall […]
Canadian badass and fierce punk rockers NOBRO and Bad Waitress teamed up for The Go For Broke Tour, kicking off at Punk Rock Bowling in May before traveling across the United States.
Chicago’s own Carnivore Mommy started off the night with a performance nothing short of theatrical. We first featured the in-your-face band last fall for H.O.O.F. (Hands Off Our Fest), a Chicago music festival celebrating the women, femmes and thems in punk rock.
On May 25th they released their newest single “Dissonance”, check it out here! Carnivore Mommy is very quickly becoming one of my favorite local bands; see them live and they will be yours, too.
Next up is Canadian punk rock band Bad Waitress, whom I have been dying to see come through Chicago. Aggressive and lively, the band blasted through fan favorites, including “What Do I Want?”, “That Sedative” and “Manners”, plus their newest single “Plan B”.
Guitarist Katelyn Molgard ricocheted through the crowd and on stage while Kali-Ann Butala sang with unique course-textured vocals, keeping the night of unapologetic rowdy energy alive and well.
Fellow Canadian punk band NOBRO closed the night with their own brand of ferocious femme force. They released their debut full-length album Set Your Pussy Freeon October 27th, 2023 via Dine Alone Records to much appraise, winning the 2025 JUNO award for Rock Album of the Year.
History was made for Pierce the Veil in Chicago as they played their largest headlining show ever – a sold-out amphitheater of 26,000 people. The post-hardcore band from San Diego, California was joined with Sleeping With Sirens and Beach Weather at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre on June 7th as part of their I Can’t […]
History was made for Pierce the Veil in Chicago as they played their largest headlining show ever – a sold-out amphitheater of 26,000 people.
The post-hardcore band from San Diego, California was joined with Sleeping With Sirens and Beach Weather at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre on June 7th as part of their I Can’t Hear You World Tour. Baby and elder emos alike flocked to the Tinley Park venue, keeping the resurgence of emo music alive and well.
Indie rockers Beach Weather opened the evening, best known for their hit song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” Sleeping With Sirens hit the stage next to a now packed amphitheater with more fans still trickling in.
Sleeping With Sirens has long cemented their place as a gold standard in the world of screamo and metalcore, making them the perfect fit to tour with Pierce the Veil (and it wouldn’t be their first time). Frontman Kellin Quinn’s vocals are unmatched, reaching high pitches that are powerfully emotional.
Pierce the Veil truly has had a phenomenally dedicated fan base since the release of their breakthrough album, Collide with the Sky, in 2012. If you’ve ever been to Warped Tour, there’s a good chance you have seen Pierce the Veil play. Only this time they aren’t playing in the parking lot; they’re selling out the entire amphitheater.
After a long hiatus the band released their fifth studio album The Jaws of Life on February 10th, 2023. The I Can’t Hear You World Tour supports all of their studio albums, featuring songs from each one.
Whether you are an old fan from their Warped Tour days, or a new one just discovering their music, this tour is not one to miss; they are back and better than ever.
