Inside the Heart of DIY at New Friends Fest
It’s hard not to feel alone in the world right now. The endless drone of horror that dominates algorithms everywhere, a constant reminder of the reign of terror built and executed by both the complicity and instigation of the people in power that crosses feeds and screens all day, every day; only to be complimented by an equally soulless overwhelming narration of influence - what to wear, what to buy, and how to be exactly as happy as the people on your screen, cause if you’re not, you are wasting your time. However, there is hope in the people around you, empowering communities who prove there is strength in numbers and other people out there just like you, fighting for your right to express yourself as you please, and for a better world for everyone.
New Friends DIY has built exactly that community, existing as a place for bands worldwide to come and share both their music and their message. Run by nine self-identifying, hard-working punks, they are driven by a collective love for punk and the vibrant, empowering communities it inspires. As clearly outlined on their website, “NFF strives to create a mutually empowering atmosphere free from sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression. NFDIY aims to encourage a diverse artistic scene where audience members can see themselves and their identities reflected in the performers they see on stage.”
With only 9 festival rules, the last three of which are: have fun and don’t be a jerk, respect others always, and dance with care; the community of mutual respect, love and support curated at NFDIY is marked by spit, sweat, blood and fists flying around all weekend. A true testament for the love for the music, with heavy vocals and unrelenting guitar, the entire weekend was filled with hardcore bands as festival goers bounced between the 2 stages in an endless stream of music.
Unpredictable and confrontational, bands got harder, faster, and heavier throughout the weekend to the delight of festival goers. Mosh pits, crowd surfing, and stage divers erupted from almost every set, egged on by both band members and the rest of the audience. With many bands taking the time to both express their gratitude to the festival and speak out about various injustices in the world, with the occupation and genocide of Palestine being at the forefront, the strength and power in the community created by NFDIY is undeniable.
Impossible without any of the bands, the Friday lineup included Beau Navire, The Saddest Landscape, Your Arms Are My Cocoon, Slow Fire Pistol, Gillian Carter, Nuvolascura, Botfly, Senza, Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead, Kaiba, and Cease. Saturday’s lineup included On The Might of Princes, Tenue, Animal Faces, Life, Respire, Mt. Oriander, Drought, IDIALEDYOURNUMBER, Gingerbee, Pyre, Stress Spells, and Piper Maru. Sunday's lineup included Snowing, Hirs Collective, Piri Reis, Sadness, Capacities, Satón, Edhochuli, BULLETSBETWEENTONGUES, Swimming, Löri, Bloom Dream, and Keening.
Go see a local show and support your local bands. Protect your friends and neighbours. Do not let anyone compromise your values for anything.
