Philly F/M Fest Brings the Nostalgia

The second annual Philly F/M Fest musical lineup brings me back to the early days of high school. South Street was still cool (though I was not), flannel wasn’t ironic and combat boots and mini skirts seemed like a really good idea – they looked so good on the cast of Empire Records.

Anyway, I’m super-stoked for musical acts like The Descendants, X, The Dead Milkmen, Hub City Stompers and The Suicide Machines (which are all playing at the Red Bull Riot Fest on Saturday September 24 at Penn’s Landing’s Festival Pier), but there’s something for everybody, from metal and indie rock to electronica and hip hop.

The four-day festival features over 100 musical performances and documentary film screenings at more than fifteen indoor and outdoor locations, mostly centered around Northern Liberties and Fishtown (although World Cafe Live, the Trocadero, and the TLA made it in there, too).

Attendees can pay per event or purchase an all-access four-day pass for $80.

Further fueling my South Street nostalgia (though a bit before my time) is George Manney’s Meet Me On South Street: The Story of JC Dobbs, which features archival photos and video documenting the legendary rock & roll bar’s role in Philadelphia’s 1970s arts subculture until its closing in 1996. The documentary airs Saturday, September 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Invincible Pictures Sound Stages, 1600 N. 5th Street and is $8 without a pass. Trailer below:

The Philly F/M fest will run from Thursday, September 22 to Sunday, September 25. This year is expected to draw 25,000 attendees, up from last year’s 13,000. Click here for the full schedule and line-up.