Savage Mountain Punk Fest Day 3
Day three, August 9th, brought a different start to the evening. A flea market materialized on the streets outside the venue, bringing a returning crowd earlier than the previous nights. The highly anticipated conclusion filled the space with excitement, but also a bittersweet taste in everyone’s mouths as the final night came all too quickly. Heroes Unsung started at 6:30. The band delivered an acidic ambiance, as well as a lead singer who performed in the pit rather than standing above on stage, eliminating any notion of separation between the band and the crowd.
Burn Kit—All photos Evan Swartz
Burn Kit took over at 7:15. They delivered one of the most energetic sets all weekend, thanks to the singer’s simultaneous singing and movement that brought him all over the venue, even at one point, singing in the streets outside. The band performed their EP, Fallen Rose, in full, delivering a sound that combined The Cure’s gothic identity with the aggression of a classic Dead Kennedys show.
The Goons then took over, crafting one of the loudest sets of the festival, one that felt like the adrenaline rush of a bank heist. The singer’s visual style resembled that of Two-Face’s henchmen from Batman: Forever, crafting this chaotic gusto of a comic book villain.
8:45 birthed Submachine. A household name of the ’90s underground that continued the relentless energy that violently introduced the building’s residents to the meaning of Steel City Punk. A sharp aluminum smack to the assembly’s bodies that smashed any notion of civility.
Submachine—All photos Evan Swartz
Next came Huntington’s, filling the venue with their comedic yet angrier and obnoxious Ramones-esque frame of mind. A tongue-in-cheek set that opened with the intro to Guns N Roses’ “Welcome To The Jungle,” and ended with a sweaty and warmed crowd.
The Raging Nathans took the stage at 10:30. The set was defined by its fast and upbeat mood, which screamed one word: MOVE. To be still was to be a traitor in the eyes of the band, the crowd, and the event’s hosts. The group served as a proper focus of energy as everyone anxiously awaited the final act.
Then came the long-awaited set of the legendary Dwarves. A classic punk band defined by their meaner, trashier, and perverted personality. The set truly reminded those in attendance of the singular existence of The Dwarves, a monolith of the festival that signed it off in the only way imaginable: disruptively.
The Dwarves—All photos Evan Swartz
The long weekend concluded with laughs, screams, and constant excitement in the Cumberland hills as train whistles screamed out into the night. The crowd dispersed into the evening air, leaving a lingering scent of cigarette smoke, sweat, and a shared yet welcome case of tinnitus, which seemed to have given everyone a sense of fulfillment and joy.
