Ain't nothing but a rock'n'roll blog: Indianapolis' Dude Fest a thrasher's haven
By Rika Nurrahmah, Contributor
June 25, 2008 | 6 a.m.
I still find it hard to believe that all this actually happened. Dude Fest, an Indianapolis festival taking place June 20-22, 2008 featuring the loudest, fastest and heaviest bands around, could just be this unrealistic fantasy of the ideal concert swooshing around in my thought bubble. The idea consumed me when my alarm clock scared me awake the morning I was to depart, as well as during my five hour journey to Indianapolis.
I also thought about how weird it’ll be to see local metal band Skeletonwitch outside of its hometown of Athens. I got out of the car and walked to 10th Street where the Emerson Theater stands. A doorman securely straps a pink wristband onto my arm, and I proceed to the stage area. Suddenly my thought bubble popped -- I didn’t need it anymore.
Derek Black, founder and booker of Dude Fest and frontman of Indianapolis-based hardcore and ‘90s screamo hybrid Phoenix Bodies, has successfully unleashed the ultimate fest hype through message boards like Viva La Vinyl, through word-of-mouth and through plastering advertisements in magazines and postcards (which featured Hewhocorrupt’s vocalist Tommy Camaro surfing last year’s crowd in the nude).
These advertisements were previously placed at Haffa’s Records and hardcore shows at The Union. This gathering, going on its third year, consists of bands within the hardcore, punk and metal genres. Black noted that attendance is limited, as the capacity rate for the venue lined along 500 people, but that filled up fast.
The first day, as many first days of any fest, started off slow but quickly picked up around 8 p.m. Hailing from Louisville, KY, Coliseum unleashed the pump-fisting, endless stage dives (and a few headwalks – walking through the crowd, using their heads as platforms) and overall fury with their crusty hardcore and d-beat inspired music. As extreme as Coliseum’s performance sounds, the band’s set was a precursor to something even bigger. The main headliner of the night blew everyone out of the crowd -- literally.
Florida’s Torche headlined the first day, claiming the award for best performance of Dude Fest. Imagine amps upon amps stacked and lined up to create a wall of sound, blaring pure rock. Sources claim that at some points during the band’s set, Torche hit a decibel level on par with a jet engine; this is what the audience loved.
Torche played “In Return” and “Piranha,” two great songs with revving riffs that make me want to ride a Harley down Route 66 and pop an occasional wheelie, while flames shoot out of the back wheels. I was impressed and terrified about the crowd’s reaction toward Torche’s last song, which is actually the reason why I dub the band’s set the best of the weekend.
Right after the bomb-dropping intro riff to the song “Tarpit Carnivore,” audience members seemed to be blown out of their position. Some were carried out, many stage dove and one girl fleed the crowd covering her mouth.
I told myself that after what had happened day one of Dude Fest, no performance the following days could top Torche’s musical destruction. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t constantly in awe. It’s tough to go through highlights for the second day of Dude Fest because every band, even the day’s first band, received a great reaction from the crowd.
In regards to day two, I will say this: I constantly find myself being flashed by many men, mostly members of bands. I have Hewhocorrupts, a grindcore band that mocks Metallica and finds lyrical inspiration in businessmen ethics, to thank for that, among other acts. At one point, Hewhocorrupts’ vocalist Tony Camaro ripped off his underwear in a drunken fashion, hanging it on his neck like a lovely necklace.
The rest of day two continues to be fast, relentless, and legendary as it was Texas grindcore elites Insect Warfare’s last show and perhaps the only Midwest show that ‘90s grindcore legends Despise You would ever play.
Craziness continuing, someone brought a massive plush dinosaur during Pig Destroyer’s performance, the last set of the night. I was backstage when I witnessed someone hopping onto the colossal dino, ultimately voyaging over the heads and hands of the audience atop it.
Other than technical problems with its samples, Pig Destroyer’s violent sound of grindcore and thrash was flawless. the band’s performance perfectly duplicated its recordings. The set concluded on an epic note, with a recurrent wave of nonstop stage-diving from the whole front row.
If the first day of Dude Fest served as a warm-up and the second day was an exhausting display of performances, then the third was the fest’s cool-down of sorts. Attendees were tired, sleep started to lack and many dreaded their drives home. The only sets I was really excited about were local act Skeletonwitch and Washington power-violence duo Iron Lung.
Skeletonwitch has gone from playing monthly shows in Athens to touring in Europe. The band will be touring with metal giants Danzig this coming year, guitarist Scott Hedrick said, proving that Skeletonwitch really had exploded in popularity. The band’s set struck me as oddly amazing, though not as crazy as hometown shows (which I expected, since the act is playing at Dude Fest).
Vocalist Chance Garnett sticks to his on stage persona of being sadistically – but humorously – gesticulate. At the end of the song “Within My Blood,” many gathered around Chance to join in on the evil sing-along.
Two bands after Skeletonwitch, Iron Lung induced the crowd into seizure mode, while Bloomington hardcore Kung Fu Rick’s reunion set exploded with even more madness.
Post-Dude Fest, I’m sore, tired and a bit peeved. Five hours away from Athens, the fest has unearthed my concert pet peeves. This includes, but is not limited to: audience members annoyingly stagediving more than three times during one set (and boy do some grasp this opportunity by the horn) and unfunny speeches in between sets, especially during Kentucky’s hybrid of early punk and metal, Lords.
As Iron Lung’s vocalist puts it, “There are bands that tell jokes, and there are bands that are funny.”
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