Riot Fest 2026 kicks off with Bratmobile, Fleshwater and Rise Against on day one

Riot Fest 2026 opened in Chicago with a first day that mixed punk history with newer names. The lineup included Iggy Pop, Gwar, Bratmobile, Rise Against, Fleshwater, Teen Mortgage and JMSN, as the festival marks 21 years of existence.

Teen Mortgage was one of the early standouts. The two-piece opened by shouting "Fuck Donald Trump" before playing a single chord, then filled out its sound with octave distortion and heavy whammy work on guitar, covering ground normally handled by a bassist and second guitarist. The songs stayed simple at the core, gritty and loaded with hooks.

Fleshwater brought dreamy, atmospheric melodic rock with female lead vocals that still turns punishingly heavy. The set moved from lush clean guitars drenched in reverb and delay to abrasive passages that point back to the band's hardcore roots, with vocalist Marisa picking up a third guitar on some songs.

Bratmobile, one of the founding bands of the Riot Grrrl movement, formed in Olympia, Washington in 1991 and rarely performs these days. Their surf-tinged garage-punk set became one of the most talked-about moments of the afternoon, a reminder of how much the group shaped feminist punk.

Hometown act Rise Against reportedly delivered one of the strongest performances of the night. The band's earliest Chicago shows date back to 1999 at the Fireside Bowl, back when the project was known mainly as Dan Precision's follow-up to 88 Fingers Louie, before Tim McIlrath joined. Day one photos were shot by Mary Sunde, with a review by Brian Nielsen published at Dying Scene.