East Tennessee Hardcore did it once again —and this time in a big way! Three days, nearly FIFTY bands! There wasn’t a single lull in excitement for the entire weekend. Each day had something fresh and interesting. Over 400 people came out to the fest and the crowd was VERY involved, as you’ll see in the video above or the photos below.
The first day had Bummer Hill right in the midst of classic and beatdown hardcore bands. The second day started off with a nearly-improved set from Double Tap, who had just had their first practice the night before and a surprising reunion from one of Knoxville’s most legendary bands, Will To Die. Day three didn’t hold any surprises (though there were many people expecting a certain surprise from Balmora), but Every Promise Kept played a very faithful one-time cover of a classic Underoath song.
Over all it was a wonderful time! I tried my best to get photos of each band, however, I did miss a few. On day one, I managed to walk up the road and grab a bite to eat in between sets, so I didn’t miss anyone that day, but on day two, it took a little loner to get food and then it poured the rain just as it was time to walk back over so I ended up missing sets from both Keep Reaching and Lethal Method. From all accounts, they were both killer live and had the room stage diving and dancing. I really picked the wrong time to go get some chicken tenders…
I also caught up with Gaining Purpose Media after the fest to ask how they were feeling afterwards, and a lot of what I’d like to say is perfectly echoed in their comments, so I’ll leave you with this before we get right into the photos!
Knox Hardcore was a fucking blast and was honestly more than I expected. After going to other fests here and there this one was truly special. I mean asides for Gaining Purpose being able to sponsor the fest. We had an amazing time seeing all our friends in the ETHC Community as well as all the bands that came down to play and deliver a time like no other. Getting to beat up my friends all weekend while they inevitably deal it back out to me, getting to see everyone and have that connection that is so unique to this place, and of course interviewing all the bands we did, getting excited for all the other shit going on as well.
It was just the best weekend I think we’ve had ever. Especially with it being the first fest we’ve ever personally backed. Shoutout to Jay, Andrew, Shane, Chase, and everyone else involved. And to the bands Septum Bone, Pressure Point, Deciet, EPK, Retribution, Raptured, and all the KY heavy hitters, yall make this shit so rad and if you are from here or not this is y’all’s second home. And to those who attended thank you all for keeping this shit alive it’s always ETHC ON TOP!
Knoxville Hardcore Fest 2024 Day 1
Featuring: Spiral, WHITECORSET, Kick Out at Two, Pressure Point, God Instinct, Mark of Fatality, Two Choices, Extinct, Collective Action, Dead Upon Arrival, Chunked, Quiescent Mantis, Bummer Hill, Brass Tongue, Damage Control, Retribution, Fallfiftyfeet, The Callous Daoboys
Knoxville Hardcore Fest 2024 Day 2
Featuring: Double Tap, Deceit, Bare Your Teeth, Sanity, Human Shield, Chained, Raptured, Surfaced, Blistered Spirit, Sidious, Circuit Circuit, Septum Bone, WithPaperWings, Age of Panic, Will To Die, Shogun
Knoxville Hardcore Fest 2024 Day 3
(Half Day) Featuring: Balmora, Astral Decay, Amino, A Loving Embrace, Azshara, Every Promise Kept
Well, that’s it for the Knox Hardcore Fest recap! I hope you enjoyed the music and photos! If you’re looking for found media, please check out my page on Archive.org for the full list of digitized media. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message right here or drop a comment below. If you haven’t already, please check out the suggested posts below! or any of my other previous posts here. Thanks so much for checking out this week’s edition of Diptych!
See you soon!
—Forrest
Share this post