When the lineup for the eighth-annual Bumblefest, a September institution presented by the influential SoFla music zine PureHoney, dropped in July, I didn’t recognize any of the headliners. While that might spell doom for many a festival that relies on big-name recognition, in terms of this curated indie-rock extravaganza, such relative obscurity is a compliment.
Compared to, say, the Kilby Block Party, which I attended earlier this year and which corrals the biggest names in indie rock, Bumblefest is the indie-est of the indies, often capturing emerging artists before they’ve caught the ear of satellite radio, Colbert, the alternative press and the blogosphere. In the words of Bumblefest founder Steve Rullman, “Bumblefest is like going to a museum where you get to check out works of art you normally don’t get to see, in this case live music—sounds and bands that wouldn’t normally make the trip to Florida.
“It’s a cultural experience of sorts, where you break out of your regular routine and try something different with an open mind—explore without having to leave town.”
Here’s a preview of some of our most-anticipated Bumblefest acts, which will perform across two days, Sept. 6-7, at Respectable Street in Downtown West Palm Beach.
World Destroyers’ Pleasure Club
Existing in the self-defined genre they call the “hyperdelic polywave,” this pandemic-born quintet from Los Angeles weaves together electronic and acoustic instruments, with a groove-laden, avant-pop sensibility that recalls Talking Heads and Pere Ubu. (Midnight Sept. 6)
Dion Lunadon
The former bass player for New York City’s “loudest band,” A Place to Bury Strangers, singer-songwriter Dion Lunadon keeps the volume turned to 11 in his solo discography, including his latest and fifth LP, Systems Edge. Expect garage punk at its rawest and most rambunctious, buoyed by Lunadon’s high-energy stage antics. (Midnight Sept. 7)
Starcleaner Reunion
My personal favorite of the Bumblefest acts, the New York City quintet Starcleaner Reunion is almost certainly on the verge of breaking into the indie-rock big time, with a classic, clean and bouncy dream-pop aesthetic that conjures Stereolab, Dummy and the many projects of Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Talulah Gosh). (10:50 p.m. Sept. 6)
Psychic Death
This Atlanta quartet lives up to its suggestive name, specializing in a heavy, churning and utterly compelling brand of darkwave and post-punk that looks back to forbears like Ministry and the Cult. (10:50 p.m. Sept. 7)
Fiona Moonchild
This Los Angeles singer-songwriter cut her teeth playing with Scott Yoder, Boyfriends and Doglob before striking out on her own with 2021’s Sweets of Reason, a glorious and romantic synth-pop record that looks forward, not back; it was partially produced by Fiona while sailing from Seattle to Southern California! (9:40 p.m. Sept. 7)
Shehehe
Hailing from Athens, Georgia, still one of the nation’s most fertile music incubators, this fun and addictive three-piece band plays pop-punk in its purest form, evoking the period before the genre became co-opted by corporate America. (10:20 p.m. Sept. 6)
American Dream Survivors
The cello and accordion up front instantly mark this band as unusual from its Bumblefest peers, but it’s par for the course for this infectious folk-punk act from Gainesville. If you like Frank Turner and Dropkick Murphys, you don’t want to miss these guys. (9:10 p.m. Sept. 6)
For more of Boca magazine’s arts and entertainment coverage, click here.
