Gig Review: Joyce Manor at FEST
Posted: by The Editor
Bo Diddley Plaza is an outdoor amphitheater, one of the biggest venues at Gainesville’s FEST. It was around 7 pm, and the space was filled.
It was incredible to see the amount of energy coming from the main stage, matched with the crowd’s energy. It seemed as though every song was a group effort with the band and the audience. Since Joyce Manor played for an hour, everyone in attendance got the amazing treat of hearing about 90% of the group’s discography.
The setlist itself had a great mix of hits, with favor to S/T and Never Hungover Again, which both got seven songs. Though the energy continued to stay high throughout the set, fan favorites “Schley” and “Victoria” unleashed some sort of energy I wish I could describe, but I think the best way to sum it up would be the golden words of the guy with PBRs in both hands, swaying back and forth next to me: “Joyce Manor knows how to mess me up.”
That guy wasn’t wrong. Though I came to see one song and one song only (“Think I’m Still in Love With You”), I found myself going the hardest I ever did throughout Fest’s three days during “Catalina Fight Song”. I don’t jump at shows, but I jumped for Joyce Manor.
Full disclosure, I’ve had a whirlwind love affair with Joyce Manor since only this July, but since then, I realized how much they’ve become a part of my day. Among fans that have been there for years, I didn’t feel out of place, even when I inched my way up to the barrier.
I loved the way Joyce Manor ended their set with requests, and only took requests they knew they could explode the crowd with. If you’ve never seen the band live, I totally recommend it, because their stage presence and anecdotes of past shows they’ve played rounds out to such an enjoyable experience. I wish I had more than an hour to rage to Joyce Manor, but let’s be fair, they’d run out of songs.
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Kayla Carmichael//@Carmikeall
