A Review of Long Island Fest by Katie Chirichillo
Katie Chirichillo was kind enough to send over a review and some fantastic black and white photographs from Long Island Fest which took place last week. The fest was a three-day event taking place in a few Island venues featuring current and reunited hardcore and punk bands.
In the last few years since I have been going to college in New York, I have made plenty of friends from Long Island—many who possess a deep love for music, like me. I am from New Jersey where we have lacked a strong music scene for a few years, so going out to experience Long Island Fest last weekend made me excited to be a part of a musical culture again. It is amazing how punk and hardcore music can bring so many people from one demographic together like a family. And when this family learned of the bill—combining so many acts that the underground scene would love to see all at once—and that did happen—Long Island and other fans were more than excited for this fest. It is even more incredible that a 20-year-old guy, someone who is the same age as me, organized this 3-day fest with 50+ local acts and tons of national/international acts (including bands reuniting), AND the fest ran 99% smoothly. To make this event as fest-like as possible, there were even separate rooms for band merchandise, as well as hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda being served outside under a tent all day. A job well done.
The headliner for Thursday’s show was Scraps And Heart Attacks—a band from Long Island that has since moved onto other projects (This Is Hell) but were a staple in Long Island hardcore a few years back. In my opinion, Friday had the best, most complete and diverse line-up. This day combined hardcore band reunions (such as Ambitions, With Honor), current hardcore (Incendiary, Cruel Hand) with rock bands of different genres (My Heart To Joy, Tigers Jaw). Saturday’s headliner was Trapped Under Ice and this day featured a reunion from Subterfuge.
This will hopefully be the first of many more Long Island Fests to come, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next summer! 
