For the past two years metal, hardcore, and emo fans have all made the journey to Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, Alabama for Furnace Fest. The festival made its triumphant return in 2021 and has only garnered more interest amongst music fans in the coming years. This was my second Furnace Fest. I went in 2021 where it felt like a big family reunion, especially after going through the pandemic. This year was no different.
For many, Friday started slow, but the shed was the place to be for the start of the day. The shed housed the Plug Your Holes stage which featured many of the hardcore and metal bands that played during the weekend. The industrial atmosphere of the shed only added to the vibe of the music that was played. If you’re a seasoned festival goer you’re used to seeing barricades and security in front of the stage and in previous years Furnace Fest was included in that. This year all bets were off and the barricades were removed. This lack of barricades provided a genuineness that is affiliated with hardcore shows. Distorted, buzzing guitars turned the shed into a sound cannon that reached festival goers as far as the pond and adjacent stage. Tennessee metal band Orthodox played early in the day, but based on the crowd reaction you wouldn’t have noticed. There wasn’t a single moment where the stage wasn’t filled with stage divers.
After Orthodox finished obliterating the crowd, fans could take a minute to breathe by walking over to the Monster Energy stage positioned by the pond to check out Alcoa. Aloca is the folksy/indie band from hardcore outfit Defeater’s vocalist Derek Archambault. The swaying guitars combined with Archambault’s soft, buttery voice was a nice reprieve for festival-goers.
Braid was a big highlight for emo fans this day. The band is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their album Frame and Canvas and played the album in full to close out the Monster Energy stage. From the front of the stage to the stairs leading down to the pond, festival-goers packed in to hear some of their favorite songs from the record. Closing out the first night was Hatebreed at the Plug Your Holes stage and MxPx at the Baked Brothers stage.
Saturday started with a lot more energy. The shed was packed before the first band even started. Based on that energy alone, you could tell this was the place to be for the first half of the day. Foreign Hands opened up the day, hitting you in the face like the first sip of black coffee in the morning (even though it was noon). Mindforce followed, keeping the chaotic atmosphere up by shouting about hardcore values in a way that only a New York hardcore band could. Black powerviolence outfit Zulu kept the party going. Mixed in their hardcore punk sound are soul and funk influences that let the crowd vibe out during their set. The real treat of the early half of the afternoon was Santa Cruz hardcore band Drain, whose frontman Sammy Ciaramitaro urged the crowd to move forward. Like sheep going to slaughter, the crowd did as they were told. Sammy continued to command the crowd “There are no rules” as he pushed to get the crowd to stage dive and jump from the concrete walls. Not a single person was standing still. It was madness with sweaty bodies on top of sweaty bodies. Drain is known for putting on a show, and this was obviously one of the best sets of the day.
After a small break, California hardcore band Scowl took the Monster Energy stage. The only complaint with this set is that the band should have played the Plug Your Holes stage in the shed, as their energy fit more with that atmosphere. Regardless, the band played a phenomenal energetic set. Vocalist Kat Moss bounced all over the stage as she growled at the crowd during songs like “Bloodhound” and “Fuck Around.”
As if the day couldn’t get any more chaotic, Trash Talk played the Plug Your Holes stage after Scowl. Trash Talk is a band notorious for putting on a show (if you haven’t seen their Eric Andre skit, watch it) and that’s exactly what they did. Something was happening the entire set. At one point Lee Spielman had the crowd open the pit up from the front of the stage back to the barricade. When their set was over, he commanded everyone to leave and then proceeded to herd the crowd out of the shed like cattle.
If you went to Furnace Fest in 2021, you may have been able to see Thursday perform Full Collapse for its 20th anniversary. This year the band was back with another anniversary for War All The Time which celebrated its 20th anniversary. Vocalist Geoff Rickly spoke about how he used to feel the album was “too angry” and that he hated it but in the past few years he’s grown to love it. Regardless of how much time has passed, the band performed as they had 20 years ago.
Another band that was also featured in 2021 and made a triumphant return this year was Turnstile. When they played the Plug Your Holes stage in 2021, Glow On had just come out and was gaining insane amounts of traction. Fans packed the shed like sardines. I remember having no space to move. This year the band played on the Baked Brothers main stage, where it was yet again packed. From the front to the back past the sound booth fans piled in to dance to the groovy hardcore band. The band opened with “Holiday” and the party was on. Festival goers moshed and stage dove the entire set while the band played through some of their popular hits. At the end of the night, confetti rained down on Furnace Fest, a truly spectacular end to day two.
By Sunday, the exhaustion on the festival grounds was palpable. People were sunburnt and tired from three days of the fest (not to mention the countless after-parties after each day). Straight Edge band Inclination played Plug Your Holes early and once the band started all exhaustion went out the window. The stage dives and moshing were back. Following them was Koyo from Long Island. Koyo blends melodic hardcore and emo, reminiscent of Silent Majority and Taking Back Sunday. The band is gaining tremendous amounts of traction over the course of the past few years. Mixed in with crowd favorites like “Moriches” and “Diamond One” the band played five songs off of their upcoming release, including one new single.
A little later in the day, Welsh band Casey played the Baked Brother’s stage. This was a momentous occasion for the band, as it was their first US festival experience. The band reunited in December 2022 and was announced for Furnace Fest a couple of months later. The band announced on Instagram that Furnace Fest and their other US dates would likely be the last in the country for a while, so fans flocked to the stage to catch them.
Supergroup Better Lovers was on many to-watch lists for Sunday. With members from Every Time I Die and Dillinger Escape Plan, many just wanted to see what kind of show the band would put on. It was a high-energy, don’t-stop-moving event for the crowd. The band covered “Rusty Cage” by Soundgarden as well as opening a song with “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. If you weren’t a fan of the music before the set, you definitely were after.
Closing out the Monster Energy stage was emo darlings Armor For Sleep. To add to the list of anniversaries and special occasions, the band is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album Dream To Make Believe. While they didn’t play the album in its entirety, they did play all of their hits. The band opened with “The Truth About Heaven” and closed with “Car Underwater,” two of their biggest hits. Mixed in the setlist of older songs was “How Far Apart” from their 2022 album The Rain Museum.
Closing out the final night of Furnace Fest was beloved hardcore band, Bane. Bane announced a string of dates earlier this year. These are the first dates since their final 2016 show, save for a benefit for member Brendan “Stu” Maguire who passed away in 2021. Bane was the sole reason to go to Furnace Fest for many, as announced dates were few and far between. “Can We Start Again” was the closer, with fans dogpiling onto the stage to be a part of the special occasion.
Furnace Fest is special to so many people. Whether you went to the first ones in the early 2000s or if you’ve just gone to the revival shows, you’re part of the same family. There’s a community that Furnace Fest has created that transcends the festival itself. At the end of the weekend, Furnace Fest founders announced that 2024 would be the last Furnace Fest as we know it. The fest ran for a four-year period from 2000-2003, so the cycle of the reunion will have come full circle. Each Furnace Fest has seemingly been better than last and 2023 was one for the books.
