As warm weather fills the windy city, hardcore and post-emo alternative fans are gearing up to spend their summer getting steamrolled in the most lively mosh pits Chicago has to offer, and what better way to start that off than at no other but Swanfest 2025. Hosted on May 31 by headliner Dance Gavin Dance at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, this stacked lineup featured performances by Glassjaw, Animals As Leaders, The Home Team, The Fall of Troy, Kurt Travis, Left To Suffer, Belmont, and Dwellings during their “Return of the Robot Tour.“

Dwellings, hailing from Sacramento, California, took the stage first with a captivating performance. The festival kicked off at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon while the crowd was still making their way through the doors; therefore, this band did not get the attention I feel they deserved.

Luckily for those who did get to experience their set, it was an intimate and personal performance that had Dwellings fans (such as myself) front and center and screaming every word. Given that it’s a weekend afternoon – it isn’t easy to open up to a crowd that is trying to conserve energy for a nine-hour day of indoor performances – Dwellings absolutely did not fall short of amazing as they came out with exuberant energy and set the tone perfectly for a very Swancore event.

Honorable mention of the evening was their performance of their most popular release “Devices,” which preceded the drop of Little Garden, their sophomore album, and is a great gateway drug if you’re interested in adding Dwellings to your new summer playlist. Find more info about the band and their tour HERE.

If you haven’t heard about Belmont, I highly recommend this band. First of all, if there is a band that I am so excited came out of Chicago that represents the post-emo community – it is these guys. With pop punk-y vocals that are both the perfect mix of clean and scream, drummer and core songwriter Brian Lada is one of the most talented individuals to take the stage.

This band has faced tremendous personal growth and continues to improve themselves day by day. I feel that being apart of a community that cares so deeply about the welfare of others requires a call to action of personal accountability, and Belmont fits the bill of taking the proper courses of action to pursue betterment of themselves and takes the necessary steps to ensure they are on the side of advocacy for those affected by past members. I look forward to seeing the band continue to grow and flourish as they have been.

Some personal favs of the night include “Bowser’s Castle” and “Overstepping,” both songs of which I think capture the essence of Belmont’s hypnotic drum beats and thrashing vocals. You can find more info about them on their website.

Left to Suffer from Atlanta, Georgia, absolutely superseded my expectations for deathcore bands. I’ll be the first to admit – I haven’t always been the biggest fan of deathcore, but this band packs a large crowd with a cult following that draws in some of the biggest indoor pits I’ve seen. At this point in the night, the crowd is starting to move and liven up, and I truly believe there is no better way to get the blood flowing other than some head banging to deathcore. Bonus points because Taylor Barber gave me a fist bump!!

Did I just hear angels singing? Nope, it’s just Kurt Travis coming out and making everyone ugly cry with his voice. Watching his performance live truly made me understand why some people just gravitate towards certain individuals. Kurt’s set was a bit different than everything else on the bill however the only way I could describe him is as the Hozier of this fest. If you’re a fan that values lyricism, Kurt Travis takes the cake of the evening for being thought-provoking and just bouncy enough to keep the party going.

The Fall of Troy took us all down memory lane with songs from Doppelganger, the 2007 emo kid staple and the reason we all turned out the way that we did. I can still so distinctly recall getting berated by my older brother for messing up the co-op play during “F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X” on “Guitar Hero III,” so this was a very surreal experience I feel for a lot of us to hear live.

The band celebrates 20 years of their legendary album and continues to be well esteemed in the progressive rock hall of fame for alternative kids everywhere. Make no mistake, however, despite their age, The Fall of Troy continues to maintain their status of kings for some of the most recognizable and iconic riffs and still was one of the most intense mosh pits I’ve ever been apart of. Their set also featured a surprise performance by Kurt Travis for “Act One, Scene One.”

The Home Team’s performance at Swanfest was absolutely unforgettable. Brian Butcher and the entire band’s stage presence is just so cohesive, you can tell they really are just having the time of their lives up there. We got to see glimpses of choreographed dance moves and the lighting design was just incomparable.

The Home Team is a part of a new wave of sensual indie rock that somehow encapsulates the best of indie rock’s energy and devastation alongside soft and tender vocals that are obsession worthy. If you still don’t know what I mean – check out their song “Loud.”

Looking to fill your summer with a whole playlist like The Home Team? Other bands of this same melodic ingenuity are artists Movements, Loveless, Rain City Drive, and Archers, plus many more.

Be sure to stay tuned for the release of The Crucible of Life deluxe edition on June 13, which features their newest single “Worthy” and more.

OK – let’s talk about it. Swanfest 2025 was not without technical difficulties. Instrumental metal band Animals as Leaders unfortunately had their set cut short after experiencing what seemed to be some sounds issues by no fault of their own. This had the masses waiting for what felt to be almost an hour in between AAL and Glassjaw and really slowed down the flow of the event. The crowd was looking forward to hearing progressive metal at mastery level, sending crowd surfers as early as the first song.

Despite some of the incidents that occurred, Animals as Leaders did not fall short and still put on an amazing and captivating performance that personally I enjoyed thoroughly.

OK, so if I hadn’t already said it, this entire bill was filled with bands that are absolute legends in this community, and it is an essential emo kid rite of passage to be in the Glassjaw pit at the DGD show. Glassjaw’s set went just how I imagined it was performed in 1993 – filled with excitement and performers that truly love doing what they do.

Regarded as one of the most influential bands of post-hardcore, some bands that are said to take note from these guys are Funeral for a Friend, Night Verses, The Movielife, The Color Morale and Letlive. Though their lighting design was a bit underwhelming at times, their stellar performance was truly one that revived my love for this band, and they will be returning to the rotation for a very cool-gal summer.

Dance Gavin Dance. The hero’s of the evening and potentially the largest crowd resurrection I’ve ever seen. Suddenly, our feet didn’t hurt after standing for nine hours, and the stars were in line because this performance was made exceptionally special. Vocalist Andrew Wells brought us all of our favorites in a setlist that did not have one dull moment. John Mess and Andrew Wells dominate the industry as one of the leading power duos for clean and scream vocals with unquestionable chemistry. Will Swan is an absolute superhuman of musicianship, and his craft as the founding member is the mastermind behind Swancore.

DGD ended the night with a rare performance of “Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most” featuring the man himself – Kurt Travis – and of course was a perfect salute to this celebration of music and trailblazers of the post-hardcore community. To catch the remaining dates of the “Return of the Robot Tour,” click HERE for more info regarding venues and ticket pricing.