Sure, we all know and love the headliners of Louder Than Life, and those are most likely the reasons we decided to buy the tickets in the first place. However, every year both festivals feature a wealth of talent flying under the radar, and 2024 is no exception.
These are the bands and artists playing before 7:00 p.m., when the crowds really start rolling in for the headliners, and more often than not are playing the smaller stages. The following are only a handful of amazing up-and-coming acts playing these two festivals that deserve your attention, and you’re going to need to make sure you’re there early to catch them!
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Jigsaw Youth
Thursday, September 26 | 11:15 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.Loudmouth Stage
In the spirit of great all-female metal bands like L7 and Kittie, Staten Island, NY’s Jigsaw Youth are ready to rip your face right the fuck off! Referring to their sound as “Back end grunge,” the trio of Maria Alvarez on bass and vocals, Nastacha Beck on guitar, and Alex Dmytrow on drums bring a new wave of raw distortion and elements of 90s alternative rock to the table, then proceed to smash you over the head with it! This isn’t lightweight, cutsie, inoffensive radio rock; this is primal, raw, punishing old school metal with punk rock ethics! In other words, this is going to be a great set!Soul Glo
Thursday, September 26 | 11:45 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.Reverb Stage
Simply put, there is no band out there quite like Philadelphia’s Soul Glo. Hardcore, punk, thrash and rap all thrown at you, all at once. Soul Glo is an all-out assault on your ears and your mind. Vocalist Pierce Jordan’s approach to his lyrics isn’t exactly subtle, as his usually screamed, frantic words come flying out of his mouth rapid-fire like a machine gun – taking on racism, mental health, politics, and everything in between – generally with alarming vulnerability. This is extremely powerful, explosive music that hits you like an atom bomb and leaves you dazed and bewildered, but ready for more. Soul Glo is the future of hardcore!Fugitive
Friday, September 27 | 5:55 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.Reverb Stage
After the unexpected passing of Power Trip vocalist Riley Gale in 2020, guitarist Blake Ibanez wasn’t sure what to do next. He found his answer in 2022 with Fugitive; a thrash metal supergroup featuring Ibanez and Victor Gutierrez (Impalers) on guitar, vocalist Seth Gilmore (Skourge), bassist Andy Messer (ANS, Stymie), and drummer Lincoln Mullins (Creeping Death). Old school late 80’s/early 90’s sounding thrashcore in the vein of Obituary, Exodus, S.O.D. and Discharge. If their set doesn’t have the most vicious pit at Louder Than Life, I will be seriously disappointed!Hemorage
Saturday, September 28 | 12:40 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.Loudmouth Stage
Out of every band playing Louder Than Life this year, perhaps none deserve your respect more than San Francisco crossover thrasher punks Hemorage. The band converted a mini bus into a mobile stage and tours the US playing for anyone, anywhere, at any time they please – all DIY style with no manager and no label. Their music is aggressive as fuck, and I expect the pit to be insane! Want another reason to catch their set? Their latest single “Resilience Through Destruction” features Gary Holt – who just happens to be playing LTL with Slayer the night before. Hmmm….Gozu
Sunday, September 29 | 12:00 p.m. – 12:25 p.m.Loudmouth Stage
It took me a few times of looking at this year’s LTL’s lineup flyer to notice them. There, at the bottom, literally the very last band listed – Gozu! And I am fucking stoked! I’ve been a fan of these Boston stoner/desert rockers for a long time now, and they are masters of heavy, fuzzy, dirty, Tony Iommi-esque riffs. This is the kind of music where you feel like you need a shower after listening to it. And bonus, they have some of the greatest song titles ever! Get there early Sunday!Project MishraM
Sunday, September 29 | 1:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.Decibel Stage
The problem with LTL is that there are far too many bands that sound too similar to each other. Project MishraM is not one of those bands. No band at LTL sounds like them. No band I’ve ever heard sounds like them. This is originality on a whole new level! Hailing from Bangalore, India, they are an extraordinarily talented seven-piece progressive Carnatic fusion band that blends western genres of music like rock, metal, jazz, reggae and electronic music, all centered around Indian classical music – creating enormous soundscapes in the process that are unlike anything you’ve ever heard or experienced before. By far the most interesting band you will hear at Louder Than Life this year!Drug Church
Sunday, September 29 | 4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.Decibel Stage
I’m not going to lie; their band name is what initially caught my attention a few years ago. It’s quite possibly the best band name ever, and I really wish I’d thought of it first. But it was their music that got me. Albany, NY’s Drug Church is one of the few bands that can go from heartfelt and emotional to straight up powerhouse, windmill-kicks-in-the-pit style hardcore in an instant, and do so honestly without sounding forced or insincere. It’s a style they’ve mastered over their 13 years as a band. And with a new album coming out in October, this may be their biggest year yet!
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Jeff Polk is a contributing music writer for LEO Weekly. A Louisville native and grizzled old veteran of the local music scene since the early ‘90s, he has played drums in several bands that you’ve...
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