Abelia on the outdoor stage at Plus Fest 3 hosted at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The return of Denton music festival Plus Fest 3 celebrated the exuberant sounds of math rock, mathcore, midwest emo, indie and more – giving stages to fringe sounds that paint the outer edges of the music scene tapestry.
This year’s 2-day installation hosted at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio last weekend was the first Plus Fest since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic halted production to continue the series until now. The inaugural event was held at Killer’s Tacos in 2018, and then at BackYard on Bell in 2019. Both venues are now closed.
“We want to create a kind of counter culture community,” said Danny Laake-Sprague, the mastermind behind Plus Fest. “We’re a lot of nerds being nerds about super complicated music.”
Tia Culbreth of Abelia brings high energy to the stage with her bandmates for a special reunion set at Plus Fest 3. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The fest featured 30 bands from all over the country (and one international band from Japan), with 15 bands playing on each day of the event.
Photos and videos in this article show just a slice of 4 bands from the lineup: Abelia (Dallas, TX), saturdays at your place (Kalamazoo, MI), the silhouette of nude (Tokyo, Japan) and Snooze (Chicago, IL).
“We’ve taken more chances with more out of town bands,” Laake-Sprague said.
Artists not pictured include TRSH (Springfield, MO), Via Luna (Kansas City, MO), Dwellings (Sacramento, CA), AnimalJam (Fort Worth, TX), Not Nearly (Pheonix, AZ), halfsleep (Denton, TX), Terra Collective (Denton, TX), Mylets (Austin, TX), Islands of Pear (Houston, TX), Medians (Tallahassee, FL) and more.
Kalamazoo, MI-based band saturdays at your place on the indoor stage at Plus Fest 3. Photo: Jessica Waffles
saturdays at your place fans sang every lyric at full volume back to the band on stage. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Gabe Wood of saturdays at your place not only plays drums but also sang lead vocals on many of the songs. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Esden Stafne os saturdays at your place had playful banter with his bandmates during Plus Fest 3 at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The electric energy of the crowd stood out at this event, as attendees were actively engaged with each set that took the stages.
Many fans knew the lyrics to some of the touring acts’ music, showing that BLVR Booking was able to reach its desired audience.
Plus Fest has grown in size each year it’s been put on, and this year’s event was packed with music lovers in what mostly seemed like the younger demographic. It looks like younger fans are leaning into heavier music, more alternative styles, and creating a kind of resurgence of the early 2000’s vibes (in regards to midwest emo music blowing up lately).
High-energy kicks on stage with saturdays at your place matched the energy of the eager crowd. Photo: Jessica Waffles
A little hover moment with saturdays at your place guitarist Mitch Gulish. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Gabe Woods on stage at Plus Fest 3 in Denton, TX. saturdays at your place will be back through North Texas in Dallas on November 25. Photo: Jessica Waffles
“I quit my job to be here!” Mitch Gulish said on stage at Plus Fest 3. Photo: Jessica Waffles
So what’s next for Plus Fest?
There’s already a Plus Fest 3.5 in the works, which will take place close to South By Southwest 2024 – as bands are leaving the Austin area and get a chance to swing up to North Texas to be on the coveted Plus Fest lineup in Denton.
There will also be an unofficial SXSW event down in Austin that week – called the Math Rock Homies Showcase, hosted at Spiderhouse Ballroom.
the silhouette of nude is a band from Japan that came through Plus Fest 3 while on their US tour, captivating the crowd on the outdoor stage. Photo: Jessica Waffles
the silhouette of nude brought their flavor of instrumental dark rock to the stage at Plus Fest 3. Photo: Jessica Waffles
It’s been four years since the silhouette of nude has come to the US, and their set reverberated the sound they’ve harnessed together. Photo: Jessica Waffles
the silhouette of nude featured a bass guitarist that played in quintessential math-rock style. Photo: Jessica Waffles
“Destroy It, Create It, Share It” with the silhouette of nude. Photo: Jessica Waffles
In June 2024, Plus Fest 4 will be back in Denton, and Laake-Sprague is determined to make it another one to remember.
“We have some bucket list bands in the works, so keep an eye out for that,” he says.
At the end of the day, Plus Fest is a remarkable event that reminds one of the simple pleasures of enjoying music with people who are deeply appreciative of the art that comes from focused disciple in the trade.
“Anybody that wants to be a part of a community [should come],” Laake-Sprague encourages. “There’s no mystique to the bands, it’s super chill and approachable. Most of them hang out among the crowd and watch other bands. We’re here to share community.”
Snooze from Chicago, IL on the indoor stage at Plus Fest 3 hosted at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Every member of Snooze left it all on stage at Plus Fest 3. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Snooze has gained a following for their happy, heavy math rock sound. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The filled-out crowd at Plus Fest 3 kept up the vibe with Snooze at Plus Fest 3. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The lineup at Plus Fest 3 celebrated math rock bands like Snooze, giving a place for fans to geek out to complicated instrumental elements. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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