Feature: Audiofeed 2025 Review
by Stephanie Jordan, Heaven’s Metal Magazine –
Invitation.
It’s addicting.
Who doesn’t like to be invited? Everyone I know wants to be invited, even if they cannot go. Invitation is the word that sums up Audiofeed 2025. I know. I know. It should be all about the incredible bands and music, and it was a lot about that because they made the invitation possible. Audiofeed, coming into its 11th year, seemed to birth something entirely new, yet familiar, this festival. It was magical.
I have been to many festivals throughout my life and have never experienced the “come down” that I did after Audiofeed. I experienced festival depression for the first time in my life. It is hard to taste a slice of heaven on earth and not feel the impact of having to go back to normal life. So I want to take you with me to relive the taste of what I think is as close to perfect here on earth as it gets.
Audiofeed likes to go hard and is a four day long festival. It started July 3rd and went through the entirety of Sunday, July 6th, finishing out the headliners at 10 p.m. Four solid days, three packed stages, hidden gems like the Front Porch, The Subculture Tent, and the kids stage give you an endless list of entertainment and fun. This is where the ODing of festival glory happens. It. is. Glorious.
Loyd Harp of Heaven’s Metal Magazine Speaks:
Thursday is opening day, but Audiofeed does not hold back the good bands. Burningtown/Impact stage had bands that will make you move like Sam’s the Hero, my hometown boys Audiophile, and Light the Way. Audiophile claimed to be professional sweaters, and I don’t mean a warm fuzzy jumper, I mean the raw drip down your face natural coolant in the summer sweat. And they earned every drip with their energetic, fun, stage presence. Bloodlines stage kept the crowd slamming and surfing with River Rats, Brave Days, Terminus Victor, and Adjy. Tuned-up Stage spoiling everyone with its air conditioning, stayed hot with acts Sam Mooney, DJ 3W, and K3hlab to name a few. K3hlab brought us to church with some powerful lyrics and strong testimony. This was just the beginning…just the taste of what was to come.
I had the amazing opportunity to vend at the festival this year with the awesome folks at The Novelty Collective, Brittany and Jordan King. They were incredibly welcoming and helped us get set up and get all of the artists’ wares in place. This space, the artists nook with Novelty Collective, was part of the intense invitation that was so welcoming. There were rich conversations, prayers, meeting of new friends, reprieve from the heat, some snacks, and just an all around creative space. Some vendors offered classes each day for an hour ranging from creative writing taught by yours truly, to zine making, clay cups and typewriter art. We also were able to have some fun, unexpected pop-ups from musicians to entertain and bring laughter.
Friday was July 4th. Though Audiofeed doesn’t do firework shows, you can see fireworks in the sky around the venue, but the true fireworks were on the stages. Burningtown/Impact stage kept people entertained by Jeremiah Dirt, The Jonah Project, and Glen Kaiser Band, who are a crowd fav. The Tuned-Up Stage, by Ryan and Katie Getz, who are hosts with the most, brought out a killer line-up starting with Monarchs to Oblivion, The Jericho Harlot, some Celtic punk The Bricks, As We Are, and headlining was Kings X.
There was barely a reason to leave the air conditioning with these bands…except if you didn’t keep moving, you would have missed Flatfoot 56 giving us a pop-up treat on the Front Porch. When I say pop-up treat, I mean like the orange sherbet toilet roll-like pop ups on a hot summer day as a kid that left you feeling somehow incredibly refreshed and lost in a moment at the same time. I was experiencing this kind of elation watching Flatfoot 56 for the first time in nearly 20 years. It was one of the magic moments that left me flying high and craving more.
There was no shortage of killer musical doses. Bloodlines stage was where the fire was staying stoked all day of energy, screaming, and body slamming. Dreaded Dale, Twenty Something Summer, Godseyes, Clear Convictions throwing down in the day time, and just gearing the crowd up for that evening of powerhouse worship. Bloodlines took me to church with their passionate heart to share the Gospel and power of Holy Spirit. Their song “Ruah” became my theme song that I can’t get enough of and consume regularly. Convictions of a Traitor was ironically placed on the 4th of July and the red coat jokes from them and picking on the British band for joining in our celebration of rebellion against their home country was additional entertainment. They were full of energy and hype to keep the crowd going late into that night. Bloodlined Calligraphy headlined finishing out an incredible day of music, celebration, and invitation.
Yall…we have only made it through day two! Can you see why I was festival high?
Saturday brought great anticipation for me…but we will get to that in a minute. That day, we may have started feeling the festival fatigue a bit, but no one was done having a good time. Because bands. The people who play the instruments, sing the songs, and invite us to join them in a journey of life, healing, and worship were in droves on Saturday. Burningtown/Impact stage had a full lineup with artists Gypsy and Me, Harry Gore, Dana Vogel, Turtledoves, and Leper headlining with his love of all things gothic art. The tuned-up stage had speaking sets in the early part of the day and I am thankful to see the value of speakers represented at this festival. Teaching is of great value and recognizing it and making it available is very respectable. That afternoon No Treaty bringing in hardcore worship that will melt your face off with its honesty and rawness. I always enjoy their show. Sower, a self proclaimed indy/emo/rock project, had an honest show of deep songs, truth, and appreciation for being able to share. The Myriad closed out the night.
Bloodline stage was roaring as always with all the energy, young men covered in sweat and dirt, families scattered about with kids’ ear coverings creating some flashes of color. Valley of the Doves, Maewyn, and Irae helped to keep all the energy going for the first half of the day. As my anticipation grows for the evening, Destroy Nate Allen takes the stage, followed by my hometown friends Meadows, who always put on an incredible show. But then…
I could barely contain my excitement, though it was getting late in the day and my body was telling me that I was done, my heart was so engaged and anticipatory for the bands about to appear on Bloodlines stage. Officer Negative played first and all of a sudden I was jetted back in my heart and mind to early 2000s when their anthem became my anthem, “Jesus Christ! Hardcore!” JC/HC has always been part of my walk with God, even though I hadn’t seen the band in ages. And if that wasn’t enough nostalgia to OD on, Blaster the Rocketman was next up. Otto Bot brought all his energy and again, thrown back 20 years in my mind when I first was able to experience their quirky, horror sci-fi, psychobilly sound that became a regular around my household. They played the longest set and didn’t waver one second on the energy and getting all of us American Werewolves to howl late into the evening right along with them.
By this point, I was completely elated in my little slice of heaven on earth. I wasn’t ready for everything to end, though I knew that, indeed, it was inevitable. I had one more day to enjoy.
The weather was questionable, ominous clouds rolling in, but there were still bands to be seen. Then it happened…my favorite find from last year’s Audiofeed, Rosemont, showed up on the Front Porch and gave my heart another boost of joy. Tuned-up stage hosting Chase Tremaine, The Local Hangups, and John Van Deusen. Burningtown/Impact stage never stopped the party with Joshua Crozier, Sara Beth Go, Maggie Valley band, The Uh Ohs, and their finale Brothers McClurg. Bloodlines stage kept up the rage room worthy thrown downs with Kept On Hold, Zippy Josh making things a little lighter for a minute with his fun vibe, Bearhound, Symphony in Peril, and finishing out the night, Idle Threat. What a way to go out!
Off I went towards home, processing what an amazing festival I wasn’t just attending, but was invited to fully join, to become a part of it. I had to accept the comedown from heaven on earth, though I will always have a piece of it in my heart. I am inviting you to come and be a part of Audiofeed because there is nothing like having an invitation to join a little slice of heaven, incredible music, brothers and sisters in Christ, art, and community here on earth.
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