On Sunday night 96 K-Rock hosted the first annual Swampfest at The Ranch in Fort Myers, FL. While the lineup and music was great, the attendance was somewhat disappointing. Messer, Memphis May Fire, and Pop Evil put on a great show and the crowd was loud, enthusiastic, and had a great time.
Messer opened up the show at about 7:30pm. A modern rock band hailing from Dallas, TX, Messer put on an energetic and entertaining performance. They worked the crowd and really got everyone excited for the rest of the night.
Next up was Memphis May Fire a metalcore band from Nashville, TN. This is a band I have heard a little bit of on the radio and I was really impressed by their live performance. Vocalist Matty Mullins mixes throaty dirty vocals with an excellent clean voice as well. While not as energetic as a whole like Messer, Mullins leads Memphis May Fire in the energy department moving all around the stage and making use of the many risers at the front. This is definitely a band you should check out.
Last but certainly not least the headliner, Pop Evil, took the stage around 9:45pm. I have seen them half a dozen times and they never disappoint. Playing both songs from their newest self titled album (“Colors Bleed”, “A Crime to Remember”, and “Be Legendary”) to older favorites (“Trenches”, “Torn to Pieces”, and “Footsteps”) they had a commanding presence and the audience was loving every minute of it. You could tell the band was having a great time as they interacted with each other and laughed.
Overall Swampfest was a great event. I hope word gets around and next year the attendance is better. I would definitely recommend not having it on the same night as Rock Fest as that may have taken away some fans.
Photos and review by Matt Chase
