Once a year the month of May means Riot Fest time, and 2016 is no different! Back for its fourth edition, with a stellar line up of local bands this may be the best Riot Fest yet! Over the years Riot Fest has grown from strength to strength over the passed five years. The first edition of the show was held at Schivas Rock back in 2011 of which I can quite clearly remember the evening, it happened to be the second time I had set my eyes on Make Overs, the garage rock and roll duo took a piece of my soul that evening and quite possibly never gave it back, needless to say Make Overs have continued to tear up the local and international scene since!
This years Riot Fest see’s a return to a familiar venue for the event, which is Rumours Lounge in Johannesburg. The annual event has been held at the venue for the passed 3 years and has seen some of the best rock and roll, punk and metal bands performing! From bands like The Slashdogs, and Facing The Gallows in 2014, to Fuzigish, Boargasm and New Academics in 2015, Riot Fest Productions have always done their best to get a great mix of genres as well as youth and experience onto their stages, which is something that tends to be overlooked nowadays, in my opinion.
The line up for this years event stays true to the events roots, with the familiar rock and roll favourites such as The Black Cat Bones and Man As Machine. Pop punk band Made For Broadway will be making their 3rd appearance at the event and have an incredibly energetic live performance, a must see! Octainium, Red Helen and Riddlebreak are this years metal acts. Riddlebreak are a progressive metalcore band and released a seven track EP earlier this year, and will be supporting international band Eskimo Callboy in October. This year two voting winners will be included as well as one wild card band, the voting winners are Skinnee Sunrise, a indie ska band and, The Just, an alternative band, both PTown based bands. As for the Wild Card Band…we have Held On Till May, a post pop punk band out of Centurion!
The Grind Radio cannot wait for this years Riot Fest, it is shaping up to be louder and faster than before!
We will see you all at Rumours on the 14th of May!!!
Photographs courtesy of the incredible Christelle Duvenage! Click on her name to see more of her work!