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Nursing our week long hangovers has become a sheer battle during our time in Florida. Suffice to say we strive through it all to the very end! Today marks the final chapter of The Fest 13<\/strong>, and we couldn\u2019t be more excited to view today\u2019s great billing of bands. We head towards the main stage at the Bo Diddley Plaza for our first act in the warm glowing sun. Despite their recent controversial statements, Olympia, Washington punks RVIVR<\/strong> bring out the fun in those attending. With help from Caves\u2019 Lou Hanman on guitar, the band doesn\u2019t let the critics squander the smiles on their faces. Their fire is fuelled by anarchic tendencies, but they inject it with humour. It\u2019s a solid set; however, I can\u2019t help but feel slightly unmoved by them. Their talks of gender equality are admirable, but the recent controversies may have led me to take them with a pinch of salt. The only thing I can say is that RVIVR<\/strong> have the beloved backing of their fans, who go crazy to every song they deliver.<\/p>\n Since most of the bands we\u2019ve seen have played 8 Seconds, we may as well give you a side fact about the venue. On its normal days, did you know that 8 Seconds is primarily a hall for country music and line dancing? Nice little fact, but it\u2019s a shame that the sound mixing has been slightly off, which dampens the impact of local heroes Dikembe<\/strong>. All in all though, it\u2019s a striking performance to watch. The majority of the setlist compromises from latest LP \u2018Mediumship\u2019<\/em>. I\u2019ll be honest I was sceptical of the album on first listen, but this material really does grow into you. The glum quiet which erupts in angst on a song like \u2018Hood Rat Messiah\u2019<\/em> burrows into the skin till you can\u2019t shake the feeling. Dikembe<\/strong> bow out in a tenderly yet resounding fashion, and based on the audience\u2019s reaction, it\u2019s a solid success. If only the damn sound had the right balance!<\/p>\n Bringing the party vibes to the punks, Fake Problems<\/strong> smash out rocking choruses via \u2018The Dream Team\u2019<\/em>. Whilst it\u2019s been four years since their last album \u2018Real Ghosts Caught on Tape\u2019<\/em>, these indie punks have jams which still retain re-playable quality. \u20185678\u2019<\/em> gets the floor moving a la Saturday Night Fever, with frontman Chris Farren\u2019s charisma flowing towards the back. However, the aforementioned sound problems make their set feel a tad off. Nevertheless, it runs smoothly till the end. A personal highlight belongs to the reflective eulogy \u2018Songs for Teenagers\u2019<\/em>. You can feel the hopeful woe bleed out, even when it features Laura Stevenson showing off some sweet dance moves. We\u2019re satisfied by Fake Problems<\/strong>\u2019 good performance, now when will we hear new material fellas?<\/p>\n Now out of their Weezer garb, Orlando emo punks You Blew It<\/strong> show Fest<\/strong> what they\u2019re made of in fantastic style. Their latest album \u2018Keep Doing What You\u2019re Doing\u2019<\/em> exuded a new found confidence in the band. This confidence is very much present here as they play in their element. For instance, songs like \u2018Award of the Year Award\u2019<\/em> or \u2018Terry v. Tori\u2019<\/em> emote such a raw eagerness that you just want to have what they\u2019re having. The fans become swept up in it from the very start, resulting in a communal vibe which defines the very heart of this prestigious punk festival. Sure I\u2019ve had my complaints about the sound in this venue, but You Blew It<\/strong> pulls it off splendidly.<\/p>\n We make our way to the High Dive now for a good dose of heart on sleeve gruff punk. Red City Radio<\/strong> has all the qualities needed to make this style work. The camaraderie surrounding this room is complimented by big choruses, tear and beer soaked shirts, and a gritty calamity. We can all agree that Red City Radio<\/strong> knows how to deliver their genre like a crafty ad man knows how to deal with a consumer market. Whilst gruff, melodic punk rock has been running on low steam for quite some time, it\u2019s good to see a band like this still clinging on to the edge and ambitiously showing its still worth a damn!<\/p>\n Like their peers Nai Harvest on Friday, today marks the final day for what seems to have been an incredible first U.S. tour by Gnarwolves<\/strong>. The Brighton punk trio play with rigorous wit and daring attitude on stage. The audience goes bat-shit crazy at all the hits flung from Gnarwolves<\/strong>\u2019 sharpened arsenal. \u2018Melody Has Big Plans\u2019<\/em> roundhouses a jolly good mosh, whilst \u2018History Is Bunk\u2019<\/em> features a welcomed giddy sing along. Mid tempo tunes such as \u2018Bottle to Bottle\u2019<\/em> behold a grunge laden punk combo of the aforementioned happenings. Its sets like these that make you grateful to be a music fan; let\u2019s hope Gnarwolves<\/strong> can continue this brilliant upward trend.<\/p>\n Legendary and rare; these are two words which can be best used to describe New Jersey emo punks Lifetime<\/strong>. They are a legendary band since they\u2019ve pretty much influenced most of the bands on the Fest line-up. On the other hand, they rarely play shows nowadays since all of their members live full-fledged adult lives. By this point, you\u2019re probably thinking that Lifetime<\/strong>\u2019s set at the Bo Diddley Plaza is a special, brilliant show. Well it is special, in the sense that hearing these songs live makes you feel bemused. Yet, the setting makes it feel simply good rather than spectacular. Admittedly, Lifetime<\/strong> make songs like \u2018Rodeo Clown\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Turnpike Gates\u2019<\/em> sound well fleshed out here. However, it feels as though what makes this a solid performance is the enthusiasm of the fans. The excitable bunch feed Lifetime<\/strong>\u2019s vitality to the letter, keeping one\u2019s interest locked on to what we can get out of this performance. Reading over my thoughts, I guess my expectations haven\u2019t been fully met. At the end of the day though, realistically, Lifetime<\/strong> are older and far more experienced punks than they were 20 years ago. Overall, I am satisfied in hearing and seeing a mature, contented band such as this.<\/p>\n The next three bands we watch involve a mad dash from one place to the other. Beginning with Circle Takes the Square<\/strong>, our jaws snap off at their mind dizzying mayhem. The prog screamo heroes hold their ground in an unprecedented formation. During fan favourite \u2018In the Nervous Light of Sunday\u2019<\/em>, the combined gusto, screams and riffery by bassist Kathleen Stubelek and guitarist Drew Speziale creates a temperamental yet intimate frenzy in the crowd. Such calculating ferocity and skilful playing keeps Circle Takes the Square<\/strong> atop the pantheon they\u2019ve built for the last decade. It puts all of the newbies to shame, making this trio as relevant to the musical landscape as ever!<\/p>\n From The Wooly to Bo Diddley, we make a dash to dive into the midst of Gainesville legends Hot Water Music<\/strong>. As well as being a home town show for the band, Hot Water Music<\/strong> are marking a career whopping years as an outfit. Hearing the gravel laden yells by Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, you get entangled in this massive scale of emotive punk. The setlist they covet spans over a plethora of hits including \u2018Remedy\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Turnstile\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Rooftops\u2019<\/em>, and \u2018Jack of All Trades\u2019<\/em>. The band sound as unfathomably raw and intense as when they first started, providing an ageless wonder to their presence. It is a performance like this which justifies a band\u2019s place in historical memory; here\u2019s to another gracious twenty years!<\/p>\n The final band we head to see in this mad dash is Louisville, Kentucky trio Coliseum<\/strong>. It\u2019s been an interesting journey for this group since they began; evolving from bulldozing hardcore to the brooding post punk\/indie powerhouse they are now. The Wooly becomes consumed with heated intensity at the start of \u2018Blind in One Eye\u2019<\/em> before it explodes with a deafening post hardcore chorus. Another highlight includes the gritty dark punk barnstormer \u2018Black Magic Punks\u2019<\/em>, which sees this trio become possessed with an electric force of reckoning. Of course, the band balances these theatrics with the no nonsense thrills of early work like \u2018Defeater\u2019<\/em>; this maintains a deserved adrenaline rush for the crowd. Subsequently, all expectations are met and we\u2019re pleased with Coliseum<\/strong>\u2019s bold display.<\/p>\n Before we go into this next band, we should give you a little info about \u201csecret sets\u201d. They\u2019re a timely tradition at Fest and they usually involve one of the band\u2019s playing an additional special set besides their official billing. What an absolute it was then that we managed to slip in at Loosey\u2019s to watch The Hotelier<\/strong> play their latest album, \u2018Home, Like Noplace Is There\u2019<\/em>, from front to back. The moment the band play \u2018An Introduction to the Album\u2019<\/em>, you can sense the crammed emotions of this tiny bar begin to thicken with awe. As The Hotelier<\/strong> move seamlessly and beautifully from tracks 1 to 9, intimacy grows to dizzying levels. Personally I could go on at how audacious this set is, but since it\u2019s a \u201csecret set\u201d, I won\u2019t let slip any more details. For what it\u2019s worth, if these young chaps are in your area, then go see them because they\u2019re wonderful!<\/p>\n Finally, we come to the finishing line; the final band for Already Heard<\/strong>\u2019s first visit to the Fest<\/strong> in Gainesville. Despite reading and hearing mixed early reviews, it\u2019s no surprise that after two months of touring may have helped Mineral<\/strong> to find their feet again and sound this incredible. Nostalgia grips tightly to the older generation, whilst the young feel blessed to witness this. Beginning with \u2018Five, Eight & Ten\u2019<\/em>, the Texan indie emo legends swell all their reputable majesty into magical spacious wonder. Follow up tracks \u2018Gloria\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Slower\u2019<\/em> sees vocalist Chris Simpson tentatively sings over a climatic shift from quiet chords and verse to loud distorted melodic choruses. For all the disarray, there is time for these experienced gentlemen to expose their tenderness on numbers like \u2018Palisade\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Aletter\u2019<\/em>. They treat these moments with such care that you become hypnotically lost in their notes. I should give credit for 8 Seconds for finally fixing their sound issues since Mineral<\/strong> are the first band to sound perfect in this venue. By the set\u2019s end, the band gather all their cosmic energy and burst it into flame during \u2018Parking Lot\u2019<\/em>, leaving with us with abated breath, only to spark it out one more time during encore song \u2018The Last Word Is Rejoice\u2019<\/em>. \u00a0All in all, we all feel truly blessed to have Mineral<\/strong> back in the musical landscape, out of the 90s, into the 21st<\/sup> Century.<\/p>\n