NO COAST FEST 2022 x Cherubs

NO COAST FEST 2022: noise rock royalty Cherubs join lineup, debut new bassist Pete Shore (Unsane)

With this year's edition of No Coast Fest just weeks away, festival founder Jeff Helland announces the addition of noise rock legends Cherubs to the stacked lineup.

Scheduled for October 27-30th, at Rubber Gloves in Denton, Texas, a college town nestled 40 miles northwest of downtown Dallas, No Coast Fest 2022 is quickly earning a name as the must-see, go-to, noise rock destination of the year. As a recent BrooklynVegan article states: "Noise rock is having a moment right now, thanks to fast-rising bands like Chat Pile and stacked noise rock festivals like No Coast Fest."

Confirmed to play this year's four-day extravaganza are Cherubs, Metz, Young Widows, KEN mode, Chat Pile, Protomartyr, Tropical Fuck Storm, USA Nails, Bummer, and many more – an international mix of crucial up-and-coming bands, as well as elder statesmen of the genre, representing three continents and as many generations.

Fest founder Jeff Helland has stated that No Coast Fest 2022, the third installment of the festival, is the biggest and best one yet: "Not only do we have more bands in more days, but we’ve gone global... Then there are bands in the mix that will be new for most folks and I love that too, having a platform to turn people on to some new blood." 

Founded in Austin, Texas in the early '90s, Cherubs has been described by Pitchfork as "the noisiest pop music on the planet"; that same outlet hailed the band's defining 1994 album, Heroin Man, as "exponentially more dense and intense than the majority of what came out of the original noise rock era... a stone cold classic." A VICE article describes Cherubs' songs as "ugly, down tuned, blown the fuck out, and ready to die, American rock and roll classics." 

The trio's early works were released on Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey's label, Trance Syndicate. Since reuniting in 2015 after a 20-year hiatus, the band has released music via Brutal Panda, Amphetamine Reptile, and Relapse Records. Cherubs' appearance at No Coast will serve as the debut of new bassist Pete Shore, known throughout the scene as an original member of Unsane and a member of Boss Hog and Action Swingers. Shore joins Cherubs founders Kevin Whitley and Brent Prager in this new incarnation of the band.

Find more info about No Coast, here: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2022/07/no-coast-fest-2022_21.html

Buy No Coast tickets, here: https://nocoastfest.com/

Stream Cherubs' latest album, here: https://cherubs.bandcamp.com/

Read an interview with No Coast's Jeff Helland, here: https://www.brooklynvegan.com/chat-pile-and-no-coast-fest-founder-interview-each-other-about-noise-rocks-current-moment-dream-reunions-more/

Photo of Cherubs, by Mike White

NO COAST FEST 2022

NO COAST FEST 2022: Metz to perform self-titled debut album in its entirety; Protomartyr joins lineup; official poster art revealed; tickets on sale now

No Coast Fest founder Jeff Helland announces the addition of Protomartyr to this year's festival, whose lineup already boasts Metz, KEN mode, Young Widows, Tropical Fuck Storm, USA Nails, Bummer, Chat Pile, and many more. Metz, whose self-titled debut album celebrates the 10th anniversary of its release on Sub Pop Records this fall, confirms they will be performing the acclaimed album in its entirety at the festival.

Founded in 2019, the Texas-based No Coast Fest has quickly risen to become a household name as a destination for noise-rock and noise-rock-adjacent sounds. A mix of local, national and international artists, this year's edition of the annual bash showcases a range of new and established talent from all across the globe.

"Not only do we have more bands in more days, but with Tropical Fuck Storm coming in from Australia and USA Nails from the UK, we’ve gone global," states Helland. "We also managed to be timed perfectly for the reboot of Young Widows. And after a couple years of learning the ropes, we landed Metz, a band I’ve loved for a decade. Then there are bands in the mix that will be new for most folks and I love that too, having a platform to turn people on to some new blood."

A four-day event, this year's fest is scheduled for October 27th-30th at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton, Texas, a college town nestled 40 miles northwest of downtown Dallas. The epicenter of Denton's live music scene since 1997, Rubber Gloves was recently renovated and relaunched under new ownership. 

An article in the Dallas Observer proclaims: "To say that Rubber Gloves is a fixture in the Denton community would be an incredible understatement. Down a ways from the Square on Sycamore Street where the trains pass, this music venue earned its legendary status booking bands that went on to fill arenas. Since reopening after a two year hiatus, Rubber Gloves has undergone an expansive makeover that included the addition of an outdoor bar and stage. Keeping with its dedication to the local music scene, the cheap drinks are served up by a bar staff of mostly local musicians."

The location is of great significance to Helland, a former Denton resident and Rubber Gloves regular. "I lived in Denton from 1996 to 2006," he reminisces. "I grew up in small towns. Going to college in a town like Denton, allowed me access to people and music that I hadn’t even known existed. Rubber Gloves is within walking distance of downtown Denton. Within that square mile there’s a world class record store, a dozen bars, and multiple restaurants – none of which are chains or franchises, just people doing what they love."

As a member of the band White Drugs, an outfit signed to the legendary Amphetamine Reptile label, Helland says he was also inspired by AmRep founder Tom Hazelmyer: "I'd wanted to start a festival since playing the AmRep 25th anniversary in 2010. Walking around there, you saw groups of people from all over the world who travelled not just for the music but for the community."

Hazelmyer has been an active part of No Coast Fest – he designed the official posters for the 2020 and 2021 festivals. For this year's poster, Helland tapped graphic designer TOOTH, also known as Steel Pole Bath Tub bassist Dale Flattum, whose artwork has adorned posters for such bands as X, Faith No More, The Melvins, and Mötley Crüe.

In addition to more than 30 bands performing, the fest will feature an array of vendors, including Skin Graft Records, Reptilian Records, Hex Records, and The Ghost Is Clear Records.

For more info and tickets, visit the No Coast Fest website, here: https://nocoastfest.com/

Live photo of Metz, by AF Cortes