Flyover Fest—formerly Act Like You Know Fest and Promcore—returns to Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 17 to 19 for a weekend full of hardcore music. Featuring over fifty unique artists from all over the country (even Canada), the weekend promises to be unforgettable. That being said, with so many artists listed on the bill it can be difficult to figure out who you want to see, so we at For The Punks thought we’d make a column detailing various artists performing at the festival and share them with all of you!
1. Roman Candle
Roman Candle, a 4-piece collective from Las Vegas, Nevada, has been on the rise within the DIY-punk scene. A few months back there was a semi-viral video on Twitter of a band performing in a California skatepark. That band was Roman Candle. Even since seeing that video, the band has been on our radar & they should be on yours too.
The band, while only existing for half a year, has reached a massive outreach of fans from all over the country and have only released one EP, titled Discount Fireworks. Roman Candle is Piper Ferrari on lead vocals, Bryson Drace on drums, Nico Borgia on guitar, and Jonas Vece on strings.
Read the interview we had with Roman Candle here.
Roman Candle will no longer be playing Flyover Festival due to a tour with Dying Wish. If the tour is coming near you, we 100% recommend checking it out!
Watch Roman Candle perform live below:
2. Public Opinion
“We’re either the surprisingly poppy band on the hardcore show or the surprisingly aggressive band on the indie rock show,” Public Opinion frontman, Kevin Hart, shared. While this might be a challenge when it comes to finding the right live bills, it’s also exactly what makes Public Opinion such an exciting new band in the punk scene.
Public Opinion blends the energy and aggression of hardcore with the overt hooks and swagger of garage rock, resulting in razor sharp songs that make you want to sing along and stage dive in equal measure. This year the band has released 3 new tracks with (supposedly) many more on the way. In February they released two tracks. “Heaven Sent” is a sub-two minute rocker that imagines The Hives as a hardcore band, while “Dry Clean Only” brings elements of ’90s alternative into the mix along with one of Public Opinion’s most anthemic choruses to date. September 5 marked the release of the third track, “Bug,” which was a collaboration with Rex Tycoon to provide a cure for the end of summer blues.
These releases follow their 2022 Modern Convenience EP and marks Public Opinion’s first time working with engineer/producer Taylor Young (God’s Hate, Militarie Gun, Ingrown, Nails). The band effortlessly combine primal first wave punk with a sense of unabashed catchiness, managing to keep a foot in guitar pop band and ferocious hardcore without missing a beat.
Watch Public Opinion perform live below.
3. Restraining Order
Locked In Time, the sophomore album from hardcore-punk band Restraining Order released on July 21 via Triple B Records. From the opening notes of the record a familiar sound appears as “Addicted To This Life,” the closer from the band’s 2019 album This World Is Too Much, plays in reverse in the aptly titled “Addicted (Reprise)”, connecting the cinematic universe Restraining Order has built across both records. As Patrick Cozens shouts “They don’t know what this means, this life it chose me,” it sets the tone that this music isn’t a fad, these lyrics aren’t made up stories, these twelve songs are a documentation of the band members’ daily lives.
At the surface, Locked In Time is very much a hardcore record, but it also dabbles with garage, psychedelia and other classic rock influences. Melody and hooks lay alongside the speed and chaos. Ambitious song structures are highlighted by seamless transitions.
“Painted World” ends the record with the band’s longest track yet, harkening in on those more off the cusp influences and putting forth Restraining Order’s full vision.
Watch Restraining Order perform live below!
4. SPINE
Raíces, the new album from hardcore and powerviolence Kansas City, Missouri band SPINE released on June 30 via Convulse Records. On Raíces, SPINE have crafted a thoughtful, uncompromising sonic assault that attests to the band’s longevity. The twelve songs on the record dive into the title’s translation to “roots”, grappling with the interplay of heritage and identity, family, and world outlook in the face of oppressive governments. The majority of the tracks on the album clock in under one minute, delivering a persistent urgency with biting guitars, frenzied drums, and throaty vocals from vocalist Antonio Marquez delivered in a mix of Spanish and English.
Out of all of the releases in 2023, Raíces is at the top of our list.
Expanding on the album’s lyrics and themes, Marquez states, “The lyrical content teeters on more poetic takes on how I see the world and myself with more poignant and direct takes on those very subjects. “Raíces” in English means roots. I wanted to show a bit of who I am, what I’ve been through, and what’s made me who I am today. I wanted to make it a point to write a chunk of the music in Spanish, English and Spanglish because that’s who I am. I wanted to really stress those themes of identity in how I’m seen and how I see myself…”
Check out a video of SPINE performing in 2019 at This Is Hardcore in Philadelphia.
5. Pain Of Truth
Columbia, South Carolina band Your Spirit Dies is determined to set the record straight on metalcore. Formed in 2019 and making their recorded debut in 2020 with The Process of Grief, they call back to the halcyon days before metalcore was just hardcore’s more popular but markedly less cool younger sibling. Your Spirit Dies delivers deft, darkly melodic riffing and surgically precise, crushing breakdowns.
The band has been touring a lot this year and if you haven’t had the chance to see them yet, Flyover Fest is your chance. The band followed their debut in 2020 with another release in late 2022, Our Saints Drown In Ash.
Your Spirit Dies is not just what metalcore could’ve been – it’s what it should be.
Below is a taste of what their live performances are like.
6. Enervate
Enervate is a Milwaukee hardcore band that has been making waves this year. So many of my friends have been talking about this great band and I’m stoked to see them next month in Tulsa. Like many other bands performing, they had an amazing 2023 release. Back in March, they released a four song EP called All Said And Done. It’s a must listen, especially for those in Milwaukee.
Flyover Festival next month will be their first time in Tulsa and they will proudly be representing Milwaukee. Along with that, they have a few shows leading up to the festival with World I Hate.
Check out a video of them performing live below.
7. Caustic
Caustic, a corrosive thrash metal band from the depths of OKC, will be taking the stage next month at Flyover Festival for a hometown performance. Just like bands like Downward, Inside You, and Free For All, Caustic will be showing us what the Oklahoma scene is all about. They released an EP back in February titled Decapitated Future and it features four great songs worth listening to before you get to the festival grounds in Tulsa (or from the comfort of your own home).
Watch a video of Caustic performing in 2021 below.
8. Doubt It!
‘Riff City Party Rockers’ (Detroit) Doubt It! will be performing at Flyover Festival this year. The band has been busy this year playing shows in and around Michigan. They made their debut in March of 2022 with the single “Just Another Secret,” which was included on their 2022 EP “Demon Dance.” Most recently, the band released the song “Brothers Creed,” for Detroit Hardcore.
Detroit has always had a great hardcore scene and we’re happy that Doubt It! can be added to the amazing list of bands from the area.
“Don’t Doubt It!”
Check out a video of Doubt It! performing live below.
9. Inside You
Inside You is a band to look out for this year and into 2024. Flyover Festival will be a hometown performance for them. They recently took to social media with some announcements that have us looking forward to the next few months, too. Not only did the band release a new single “You Hide/You Die,” the first single from their November 1 release, they announced that they have a new member of the band.
Keep your eyes and ears open for November 1. The artwork to this EP (or album, not 100% sure), is amazing and gives a good look at what is to be expected with the sound.
Listen to “You Hide/You Die” below.
10. Time X Heist
Time X Heist is a hardcore punk band based in Denver, Colorado. Comprised of a diverse group of members from across the country with varying musical backgrounds. What brings them all together is a love for hardcore and a commitment to The Straight Edge.
Formed in 2022 by guitarist Robert and vocalist Mark, Time X Heist draws their main influence from the style and sound of the youth crew revival of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Their sound is a unique combination of youth crew, blended with the musical maturity of more melodic bands like Comeback Kid and Count Me Out.
In November of 2022, Time X Heist debuted their first release, an EP titled “The Odds Against Tomorrow.” Already gaining world-wide attention, this release is a call to action for all those who still love to dive off stages and scream along to songs that touch their spirits. Time X Heist hasn’t been around that long but their sound and message are just as urgent as they are timeless.
Watch Time X Heist performing live below.
11. Vomit Forth
Vomit Forth is a Northeastern death metal band. Their most recent release was the 2022 debut full length album “Seething Malevolence” via Century Media Records. The full-length was self-produced, and mixed & mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Ghostmane). Combining influences from old school death metal and hardcore, Vomit Forth has created their own distinctive style that is one you should be listening to.
Watch Vomit Forth perform live below.
12. Twitching Tongues
Twitching Tongues was born of LA’s hardcore scene in 2009. Formed by brothers Colin Young (vocals) and Taylor Young (guitar/vocals), the band slowly established their reputation locally, embracing the DIY ethic. They’ve put out two releases this year, Sleep Therapy Redux and In Love There Is No Law Redux. Sleep Therapy Redux was the first release in April and they accompanied the release by saying “we’re back.”
Sleep Therapy Redux is a remixed, expanded version of their 2011 debut album Sleep Therapy. It includes unreleased material, the 2010 demo, and covers of Pentagram and Type O Negative. Following this release, in August, they released Love There Is No Law Redux. This is a 10 year anniversary of the Love There Is No Law album that features six new bonus tracks.
We are truly honored and excited that Twitching Tongues is back and that they are playing Flyover Festival this year. If you haven’t checked out the reduxes yet, now is your time.
