Missed Speedbump Fest? Don't worry our friend Jason, over at Supercorrupter wrote a review of the show so you can get caught up! Check it out below:
SHOW REVIEW: SPEEDBUMP FEST 2023
Posted on October 9, 2023
"This past weekend, the fine folks at the Last Letter Project hosted their annual Speedbump Fest at Musica in downtown Akron, and it was lights-out from the time I got there through the very end! You may recall that we were invited to play last year’s party, and full-disclosure, I was asked to illustrate this years flyer too. All that aside, this was probably the best Speedbump Fest I’ve been to yet!
I arrived late to the party, missing what I’m told was 18 minutes of Wallcreeper fury. It’s not hard to imagine, as I’ve seen Wallcreeper a number of times and they always deliver that “integrity flavored” metallic hardcore with authority. I was surprised that they opened the show, and more surprised when I heard the crowd didn’t become an unruly mob for their blistering set. Maybe that was the plan – get them on early before people had a little too much to drink and decided to nuke Musica. Smart.
Spike Pit was up next. I’m a huge fan of their drummer, Ian Cummins. His playing style is radical, and I love how he throws himself into every song! I had no idea about what to expect from Spike Pit, but for some reason I figured they were probably some kind of gutter punk slop. I was so very, very wrong! These dudes came out swinging with a thrashy attack that never let up. Riffs, speed, chugga chugga stuff – it was ripping! Their frontman was engaging to watch, but I wish he had better mic awareness – singing into the side of an SM58 doesn’t work that well! Ian’s drumming was on fire, as he heel/toed some killer kick patterns (man is he fast!). Dudes ripped!
Up next was Bridesmaid. I love Bridesmaid and I’ve told everyone about them as much as I can over the years. These guys are just plain fun. They have fun songs. They have fun on stage. They are excellently heavy as well, making a massive wall of sound that few can rival. As usual, Bob’s bass rig was carrying the lows while Scott’s carried the highs, and admittedly, whoever was running sound favored Scott a bit much. I had to stand directly in front of Bob to get the full force of the band. I spent a lot of time watching Cory and Adam’s drumming during this set, trying to take note of where they synchronized and where they augmented each other and that was cool. Usually I’m enthralled by the bass wizardry, so it was a smart play on my behalf to focus on the drums this time. Yay me. Anyhow, they played their predictably awesome set and were done way too soon. They are still my favorite Columbus-based band.
My friends in ALBUM took the stage next, and this was an awesome idea because ALBUM is also FUN. The guys charged through a fierce set that had me smiling throughout. I talked with Winfield and Josh afterwards and commended them for the “over the top mid-song crowd interactions” they employ so well. It’s an engaging tactic that really makes their sets so memorable. The interplay between Jason and Winfield also tips the rock and roll scales forever in their favor. At one point Jason lunged across the stage, landing on his knees and sliding over in front of Winfield without missing a beat. What showmanship! If I tried that, I feel like my knees would explode. Ahaha. ALBUM also seemed to end too soon. What a set!
Finally, our longtime buds in goosed returned to the stage. The guys hadn’t played live since the last Blackout Cookout in October 2021, and it was radical to see them joined on stage by Trash Mountain/Modem’s Matthew Yunk on vocals. He gave it hell, pushing his body to its visible limits as he belted out Bill Govan’s lyrics. Wow. It was awesome to see the band back in action, as they plowed through a varied set of material from their Nest to Nothing album. Erb was playing Mike Burn’s killer SG and it sounded ferocious through his JCM800. Bill brought the heat as well (he always does – there’s a reason he’s played bass in so many bands over the years, he’s excellent!). Kenny’s drumming was tight and focused too – and I love that he still has the long hair look going. All in all, it was a mighty set from these guys.
So there you have it! Speedbump Fest was another smashing success and if you missed it, sucks to be you! I was also happy to talk with so many fine folks that I don’t get to see often enough! Cherish your friends!"
Thanks Jason! Check out photos from the event by Kyle Langford below:
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