Flycatcher & Bathing In Chunks - recapped by Jordan

First up on the roster was New Brunswick based Flycatcher. Opening Corefest was no small feat, but the local favorites rose bravely to the challenge and knocked it out of the park. With a blend of midwest emo and blues rock pushed together, Flycatcher sounded like nothing that had been done before. Singer and guitarist Greg Pease lead the band through an electrifying set playing such hits as “Distances pt. 1” and “Miles.” Heads were bobbing, bodies were moving, and the crowd was loving it.  

Bathing In Chunks stormed onto the stage like a force of nature commanding their troll minions to emerge from the soil and mosh. Bodies flew from left to right, arms were thrown, worms were danced, it was utter chaos. With bangers like “Cucked By NASA” and “Skindiana Jones”, the Chunks melted all of our faces. Singer Christian Courtney could not be contained to just the stage - he utilized the entire room. Courtney was found screaming at the wall behind the crowd, screaming at the stage from under it, and screaming the word “cheeseburger” as he made his way into the student center’s main room. The crowd was absolutely loving them and it was easy to see why. Bathing in Chunks were aggressive and charismatic in equal parts. Between songs, Courtney did an ASMR role play as a deli owner and we, the crowd, were a turkey sandwich. Was there some form of symbolism there? Probably not, but who cares, it was hysterical.

Gabby’s World & The Greeting Committee - recapped by Gianna

In soft, electric hues of blue, magenta, and fir tree green, Gabby’s World took the stage. I had been looking forward to Gabby’s World, along with Bathing In Chunks, the most out of all the Corefest bands. Expecting to be lulled into a blissful, swaying union with fellow audience members, I was delighted when the opposite occurred-- playful, yet purposeful best describes the performance that Gabrielle Smith, Oliver Kalb, Ian Cory, and Jack Greenleaf put on. Between songs, band members laughed amongst each other, and entreated audience members to an intimate moment with them, demonstrating a mutual manifestation of good vibes. Intensely vulnerable lyrics paired with pleasantly punchy instrumentation and ethereal vocals made the set very memorable. They concluded with the crowd-pleaser “Broken Necks” off of their album O.K. Garnering judgement from the dimly lit crowd faces around me, even those least anticipatory of Gabby’s World enjoyed them thoroughly.

Headlining was The Greeting Committee, fronted by Addison Sartino, and featuring Brandon Yangmi on guitar, Pierce Turcotte on bass, and Austin Fraser on drums. Although this was the band which brought Corefest to a close, this band brought people and multiple genres of music together. Turcotte alternated between bass and saxophone throughout, bass hanging off his neck while blowing into brass. Sartino moved from mic to keyboard, then down to the ground floor in flashes of an instant. Yangmi tested the strength of the basement show dwellers when he dared to crowd surf along the span of a couple Core DJs, thrilled by his spontaneity and D.I.Y. spirit. Sartino, too, encouraged D.I.Y. fun, dancing alongside the audience off stage, and fully supporting the baby mosh pit that erupted before her during the absolute bop, “Don’t Go”. For some, it was their first time moshing, and for others, it may have been the umpteenth, yet everyone felt the love throughout The Greeting Committee’s striking performance. Afterwards, the down-to-earth, up-and-coming indie rock stars received compliments a plenty and conversed with all who had approached them with praise and food recommendations.

Check out photos of the event on Facebook and Flickr from Dustin Niles and Carlos Bustillo!