With Riot Fest out of the way we move on to our last festival of the year. FEST14 kicks on in Gainesville at the end of October and has a mammoth line up, packed full of killer bands. To make things a little easier for you, or to perhaps help you branch out and find something new, Conor, Maryam and Jeff are here to pick some of their favourite bands playing.

JEFF TAKACS

THE GAMITS

Sunday 1st November, The Wooly, 7.20PM

With their latest batch of band announcements, the Fest added in a whopper that may have gone unnoticed.  The addition of the Denver, Colorado punk band The Gamits was one that had me even more elated for the punk rock family reunion.  The reason for that is simple: their 2004 album Antidote is one of the best punk records released in the last decade.  It has the outright perfect blend of pop and aggressive sounds mixed with brilliant lyrics and songwriting.  Combine that with the fact that their work that came before and after this amazing album is also great, I absolutely can’t wait to see this band live for the very first time.

TEEN AGERS

Saturday 31st October, Loosey’s, 12.10am

For someone who hails from Florida, one of the coolest things about Fest is that it showcases the many great underground bands that come from the Sunshine State.  One of my favorites is the Orlando punk band, Teen Agers.  Bringing a brand a punk rock that blends influences of 90s punk acts like Face To Face and a poppier sound that’ll please punks like me who are in our mid-thirties and the young whippersnappers in their early twenties.  Their 2013 debut album I Hate It is still in regular rotation for me and the band is set to release a new EP this Winter.  I’ve seen these guys several times over the years and they are a guaranteed fun band to watch while at Fest.

CONOR MACKIE

THE WINTER PASSING

Saturday 31st October, Market Street, 3.10PM

The Winter Passing have just released their debut album and, holy shit, was it worth the wait. For the past three years they’ve been sculpting and crafting their songs into a record that feels so accomplished and amazing that you can’t really believe it’s their debut. The dueling vocals of brother/sister combo Rob and Kate Flynn add something so special to these punk rock songs and it will be their first time at Fest, so you should head down and support this band. If nothing else, you’ll at least be able to tell your mates “I saw them in a tiny venue in Gainesville” when you see them absolutely smashing huge stages in the years to come. And, let’s be honest, if being able to one-up your friends isn’t a great feeling, then what is?

WOAHNOWS

Sunday 1st November, Loosey’s, 12.30PM 

Oh my god, Woahnows. What can I say about this band? They put out one of the best records I’ve heard from an English band for such a long time and they are just so good. There is something so special about this band. Guitarist/vocalist Tim Rowing-Parker is pretty much the best ‘frontman’ (man, I hate that word) you’ll see and Woahnows just always look like they’re having the best time. If you can watch these guys without grinning, then you have no capacity to feel joy. You are a robot and I feel so, so sorry for you.

MARYAM HASSAN

NOT HALF BAD

Saturday 31st October, Loosey’s , 3.50PM, 

The first time I heard Not Half Bad was after a friend sent me the ‘Sorry Dudes’ EP and I got to the track ‘Three Things That Aren’t Jackie Chan’ and knew that all I wanted to do was sing this song at the top of my lungs at somewhere like Fest. So it’s only natural that I’m gonna go watch them at Fest and do just that. This is just good, catchy pop punk that you will be singing for days and days. Come and join me losing my mind.

TWO HOUSES

Saturday 31st October, Loosey’s 3PM

Chicago based punks Two Houses had one of my favourite EP’s last year, sounding like some sort of wonderful mix of garage indie punk and I’m eagerly awaiting their first full length which I will talk in caps about a lot. Their live show is equally impressive though, it’s loud, energetic and just absolutely brilliant. The thing about Two Houses is that they are just brilliant at what they do, Ryan is killer on bass, Dave and Mike write brilliant lyrics, everything comes together and is AWESOME. You’d never expect from hearing the EP that you’re about to witness bloody knees, high energy and lots of mayhem. Grab yourself a beer and join me at Two Houses, you will not regret this decision.