Further Seems Forever Visits Orlando Before Taking on Fest

Pre-Pre-Fest is a chance to preview bands who will be performing at Gainesville’s famous Fest in other cities, including Orlando, Florida. Featuring three venues, the genres span from punk to hardcore, math-rock, and even ska. Gainesville’s Fest is the type of show that reminds you why you go to shows. It embodies punk rock culture and the idea that everyone is welcomed, celebrated, and protected.

Originally a Florida band and now hailing from New York, Bad Luck, sing out with the crowd in unison, “Get me the fuck out of Florida!” a song from their 2014 EP entitled Cold Bones. A band with a unique tone, they hold a lot of angst and raw personal and emotional lyrics that feel like the lead singer, Dom, is speaking right to you. Bad Luck performed at Will’s Pub, where lead singer Dom let the crowd in on a little secret saying, “This is actually our first time playing Will’s Pub, isn’t that weird? We think it’s weird.” Will’s Pub is a staple for the Orlando Music scene, so it’s only fitting Bad Luck gets to perform on the stage before playing the iconic Fest.

Atlanta’s Michael Cera Palin enjoys their first Fest in Gainesville, Florida. A band that has strong roots in DIY punk culture, whose foundations are in cultivating a community. Michael Cera Palin does a great job at creating a strong sense of togetherness which can be shown below in fellow Fest band hailing from the UK, Buds, singing MCP’s “If It Makes You Happy” into the mic. Performing at Framework Craft Coffee house made the audience feel as if they were friends singing along with their favorite records.

I finished off my night with Further Seems Forever. The room was filled with fans of all ages going to see the Florida-based band play their home state— a rarity. The band formed in 1998, just southeast of Orlando in Pompano Beach, Florida. Although they have gone through different lead singers, their sound has always had emo influences. Singer Jason Gleason played songs to an audience both reminiscing and feeling nostalgic about the past, with new listeners savoring the emotional lyrics that resinate generation to generation. The intimate venue of Will's Pub with a capacity of 200 people made for an up close and personal demonstration of raw emotions. Further Seems Forever has played multiple Fests and although each album has a different lead singer, the themes of loneliness and longing for something have always been prevalent.