The first Tough Luck Fest will take place at Brighton Music Hall this week and feature 12 alternative, pop punk, and metal acts, including several local artists as well as headliners deathcore band Monochromatic Black and pop punk group Young Culture.
Each day will be dedicated to a specific genre: day one, Sept. 6, focuses on alternative rock, pop punk, and emo, while day two, Sept. 7, features heavier music like death metal and hardcore, a subgenre of punk.
The festival was started by musician and organizer Asher Thomas as a school capstone project during his time at Berklee College of Music. Thomas aimed to create a show highlighting underrepresented genres.
“Our mission is to bring two very different music scenes together in a way that typically don’t have a more traditional or professional environment when coming up,” said Thomas.
As the concept grew, Thomas’ team expanded to include fellow classmates Olivia Monarch and Billie Bentil. The three all work at Evil Eye Artists, a company of music managers and the organizers of the event that represents many of the local acts on the bill.
“All three of us are just really passionate about the bands here and the scenes here, and it’s just a really cool opportunity to kind of show off what the Boston scene has to offer,” said Bentil.
In addition to creating an event that puts different genres together, the festival organizers hope to connect the musicians performing with one another. Artists on the festival’s lineup suggested both headliners of the show.
“It’s cool because these bands that we are working with specifically are now getting to play the stage with bands they’ve been invested in and fans of for a while,” said Thomas.
Ringpop!, a band slated to perform on the first day of the festival, recently released their debut album “Friend Crush.”
“We’ve played Brighton before. It’s such a special venue, so to do this there and be on a bill with a bunch of other similar bands is such a cool moment,” said Ringpop! guitarist Jake Michne.
Like the organizers of the festival, the members of Ringpop! also attended Berklee. The band also features three members of Park National, another band on the lineup. For their set at the festival, the members promised an energetic performance featuring songs from their new record.
“We’re trying to make it a unique and special set with some surprises and versions of songs you wouldn’t see elsewhere,” said Ringpop! guitarist Charlie Burket.
Also preparing for the festival is deathcore band Slamwich, who will perform on the second day of Tough Luck.
“We are super excited. It’s gonna be our first show back in a minute because we’re all away right now, so we’re really excited to be back with really sick bands,” said guitarist Andrea Jerez.
In addition to friends and fans of the bands and genres, the Tough Luck Team hopes to introduce new crowds to the alternative scene.
“The biggest reason why we’re doing this is to keep the culture alive. It’s been a staple in Boston and in New England in general for ages, but it never had the popularity that we wish it did,” said Monarch. “I’d be excited to see people who’ve never been to a show like this before and just want to learn about the culture.”
Looking for a back-to-school celebration full of headbanging, slam dancing, and mosh pits? Purchase tickets for the festival on toughluckfest.com.
