Already looking ahead to the fall, Goner Records announced the key bands to be featured at Gonerfest 20 this year. And while the fest will officially be entering its twenties, there’s bound to be plenty of primitive teen spirit afoot with headliners like The Mummies, Osees (aka Thee Oh Sees), and The Gories.
Indeed, the creepy-crawly, goo goo muck vibe is echoed in the Gonerfest 20 artwork, unveiled this week along with the band lineup. Once the festival kicks into action, such is the omnipresence of the annual Gonerfest artwork that its premiere is nearly as newsworthy as the bands themselves. Last year’s imagery by Sara Moseley drew many comments as the festival wore on, and this year she’s back, collaborating with Stacy Kiehl. Together, they’ve created the creature above, with more elaborations sure to come as the festival’s opening approaches.
The three biggest names on the bill are all Gonerfest veterans who, like many punk/art damaged/freakish bands, have retained their edge even as they reel in the years. Case in point: Osees, who last played Gonerfest some 14 years ago as Thee Oh Sees. Known for their prolific output, the shifting personnel around lead Osee John Dwyer have gone through a few stylistic shifts since then, though always with a sound that grabs listeners by the throat.
Just counting their releases since their latest name change in 2019, they’ve put out Protean Threat (2020), Metamorphosed (2020), and A Foul Form (2022). And they recently pulled off an incendiary set on celebrated Seattle station KEXP:
Having first exploded out of Detroit in 1986, The Gories both predate and embody the Goner aesthetic, but they too have not played Gonerfest in over a decade. Their 2011 performance was deemed newsworthy to the Memphis Flyer‘s J.D. Reager at the time, and subsequent footage proved him out as they played an incendiary set:
Meanwhile, The Mummies have been more recent visitors to the Bluff City, and their gonzo showmanship was captured well by the Memphis Flyer‘s Jesse Davis during Gonerfest 16:
Clad in tattered “bandages,” the band powers through a dynamite performance. The keyboard player lifts his instrument over his head and onto his back. They’re so obviously in lock-step with each other, the tempo and changes so ingrained, that they play with a ghoulish intensity.
This year, the gonzo independent music festival hosted by the label and iconic Tennessean storefront takes place in Memphis’ Railgarten from Thursday, September 28 through Sunday, October 1.
In addition to the headliners, Gonerfest 20 will showcase many other bands, MCs, and DJs from around the world. Highlights include a number of acts coming from overseas, including performances by UK artists Chubby & the Gang and Vivron Vavron; Australian bands CIVIC, Dippers, 1-800-Mikey, TV Repairmann, Vintage Crop, and C.O.F.F.I.N.; Denmark’s The Courettes; Japan’s The Smog; and Lewsberg from the Netherlands, among others.
Gonerfest 20 tickets go on sale now. Golden Passes, which allow entry to all official GF20 events, are $130. Single-day passes will be available at the door, according to venue capacity. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Fans should also watch for after shows at other venues around town, often as thrilling as the official lineup. This too fits the Goner aesthetic. As Goner Records’ co-founder Eric Friedl told the Memphis Flyer last year, “There’s not a whole lot of separation between fans and bands and everything else in Gonerfest. It gives it a different feel, rather than seeing someone up on stage that isn’t interacting with the people at all.”
With the publication of an annual program guide, Gonerfest also works to support local business while promoting the music, arts, and culture of Memphis to its attendees. “Gonerfest has become a rite of passage,” says Goner Records co-owner Zac Ives. “It allows us to showcase our city and celebrate our little part of the music world in front of an extremely wide audience.” More than 1,000 tourists make the pilgrimage to Memphis for Gonerfest, which culminates in a substantial economic impact for its city. Gonerfest attendees eat at locally-owned restaurants like Payne’s BBQ and Cozy Corner, drink Goner-inspired beer brewed at Memphis Made, and visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Graceland, and the National Civil Rights Museum.
Festival goers can also plan on seeing Marked Men, Chubby & the Gang, Sweeping Promises, Ibex Clone, CIVIC, The Cool Jerks, Bill Orcutt / Chris Corsano, The Courettes, C.O.F.F.I.N, Alien Nosejob, Dippers, Virvon Varvon, Cheater Slicks, Lewsberg, 1-800-Mikey, TV Repairmann, Vintage Crop, The Smog, Laundry Bats, and Turnt.
