The inaugural Sonic Temple Arts and Music Festival is set to take place on May 17th through 19th, and it’s expected to be an amazing weekend. The headliners will include Foo Fighters, System of a Down, and Disturbed. The three-day event serves as the replacement for Rock on the Range, and will also feature bands Bring Me the Horizon, Lamb of God, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Refused, Hands Like Houses, Basement, Chevelle, and many more.
With such a stacked lineup — the full lineup can be found below — Substream decided to take a look at the Sonic Temple daily lineup and highlight the bands that deserve all of your attention. You’d be foolish to miss the one-of-a-kind System of a Down or Foo Fighters, so here’s three acts for each day that you might not be planning on seeing, yet.
Friday, May 17th:
- Badflower — If this band isn’t already on your radar, then they really should be. They just released their debut album, OK, I’m Sick, which featured their standout single “Ghost.” Substream contributor, Kaycee Fry, reviewed the record a few months ago and gave it a perfect five star rating. It’s good — trust us.
- Hands Like Houses — This is a band that has transformed their sound over the years, and they fit right into this festival. The band has more energy and passion than ever, and it shows on their latest record, -Anon. They’re a phenomenal live act, and are sure to win over some new fans at this event. You’ll be one of them if you aren’t already.
- Ghost — Ghost is one of the more fascinating rock bands in recent memory. The old passage of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” fits so suitably here. If you look at the band’s promo photos, you might infer they are a heavy, black metal type band. Think again. They combine all different brands of metal, with the result being one that is retro and fresh all at once. And their live shows? Yeah. You’ll have fun.
Saturday, May 18th:
- The Plot In You — This band has been running rampant through the metalcore scene for nearly a decade now; however, they’re now making their rounds through the bigger rock scene. This “active rock” scene, one that Sonic Temple/Rock on the Range was born into it, has become increasingly accepting of bands like The Plot In You. This is a perfect fit, and you’re gonna love them.
- Movements – Where the “active rock” scene has become more accepting of metalcore bands, Sonic Temple has been bringing on bands like Movements in years prior (ex: The Story So Far). The lines are blurring in rock music, and while Movements may sound a little out of place at first, they are nonetheless deserving of your attention.
- Fever 333 – With the death of one incredible rock band comes the birth of another. Jason Aalon Butler rose from the ashes of letlive. to bring out Fever 333 and take the world by storm. Their debut album, Strength in Numb333rs, earlier this year via Roadrunner Records, and were nominated for a Grammy in Best Rock Performance for “Made In America.”
Sunday, May 19th:
- Black Coffee – A local band from Columbus, Ohio, this serves as one hell of a homecoming for the self-proclaimed “new wave rock n’ roll’ band. They’ve been slowly taking over the local scene in Columbus for some time now, so it’s only fitting they make an appearance at Sonic Temple, and on this list. They’ve got one hell of an infectious classic rock sound, mixing the best of the 70’s and 80’s. They’ll win you — and many others — over this weekend.
- Refused – Every once in a while, I remember that Refused is actively a band again. That’s always a good day. This band received critical acclaim early in their career, before they broke up in 1998. This left many fans ever-so-patiently waiting for a comeback, and we finally got it in 2014. There’s so much to say about this band, but not enough time. Just look up their live videos and have fun.
- The Interrupters – This band released one of the most surprising sleeper hits of 2018 with “She’s Kerosene.” Most of us haven’t heard a ska song in our entire lives, unless in some “throwback” bit. So to hear a new ska song on the radio in 2018 was quite the experience. The song wound up peaking at #4 on alternative radio in the U.S., which makes it the perfect time for Sonic Temple to bring on a ska band. If you’ve never been to a ska show before, you can’t miss this one.
Find out the full daily lineups below, and we’ll see you out there!
Foo Fighters, System Of A Down, Disturbed, Bring Me the Horizon, Ghost, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Chevelle, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Cult, In This Moment, The Hives, Gojira, The Distillers, Meshuggah, Action Bronson, The Struts, Refused, Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, Black Label Society, Beartooth, Scars On Broadway, Architects, Tom Morello, Avatar, Pussy Riot, Bad Wolves, Fever 333, Mark Lanegan Band, Badflower, The Glorious Sons, Issues, Yungblud, H09909, Black Pistol Fire, Scarlxrd, Zeal & Ardor, Basement, The Black Dahlia Murder, Don Broco, Wage War, Hands Like Houses, While She Sleeps, Palaye Royale, Movements, Amigo the Devil, The Plot In You, Boston Manor, COUNTERFEIT., Demob Happy, Teenage Wrist, The Pretty Vicious, Black Coffee, Shvpes, Dirty Honey, No1Cares, The Jacks.
