Riot Fest 2021 Preview – The Clockworks, Meet Me At The Drive-In, Best Coast

Lost in the stir of losing Nine Inch Nails, Riot Fest also lost a Canadian band, White Lung.  Which sucks because they were likely one of those unknowns to turn into favorites.  But by losing them we gained The Clockworks, which slide right into that possible future favorites.  Too bad we couldn’t get both.

EDIT: Pixies and Skating Polly just dropped. This was written before this news. Since The Clockworks were touring with Pixies it’s very likely they will drop back off. More changes to the lineup are expected included some new adds. Stay posted.

The Clockworks – Sunday

As mentioned, a last minute replacement.  They’re Irish punks.  Remind me of a mix of old school Gang of Four meets The Idles with a bit of Slaves thrown in.  A great sound.  Super new. So new they don’t even have a Wikipedia page.   So new they don’t even have a proper album; just a run of singles.  And they are really good singles.  Oh, and they’re opening for Pixies on their latest tour so they have street cred. I hope they slot right into the small stage mid afternoon.

Meet Me @ the Altar – Friday

A pop punkish band created entirely over Youtube with it’s members living in different states.  Our generation created bands in garages.  Today they are created on the computer.   Possibly one of those lower poster line bands that are great to discover on the small stage.

Best Coast – Saturday

Indie duo from LA (singer and guitar and have a touring bassist and drummer).  Originally inspired by the Beatles and Beach Boys, but aren’t all bands?  I like their sound, a lot.