Concert Recap: JimFest 4 - Hooligans Live, Jacksonville, NC

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the short time since starting Dead Noise, it’s that I’m extremely lucky to live in an area with such an active and tight-knit local music scene – from the moment I’ve first gotten acquainted and involved with interviewing bands from around the Jacksonville, NC area, every band and artist I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with has been nothing short of personable, friendly, and supportive. There’s also no shortage of eclectic talent in the region either, with each band having a very specific sonic identity, whether it falls under the umbrella of hard rock, nu-metal, or deathcore.

Hooligans Live serves as a great hub for local musicians in and around Jacksonville, NC, providing a space for local bands to gain exposure by opening for the touring acts that come to the venue, as well as having the occasional headlining shows of their own, but there’s no better event than the annual JimFest, taking place every January. I always love catching up with local musicians at Hooligans, whether they’re playing with another band or supporting from the crowd, but this yearly festival feels like a full-blown family reunion in the best way possible.

This year’s JimFest marked the event’s fourth anniversary, and the two-night event had a stellar lineup for both days. Once again, the annual weekender put the sonic diversity of this insanely talented community on full display in the most celebratory way imaginable.

Night 1

The first night of JimFest 4 was kicked off by Shallow Signals, an alternative hard rock band from the Wilmington area who filled in for Scars Remain after the Charlotte-based hard rockers had to withdraw from the bill due to an injury. For a short-notice replacement, Shallow Signals put on a fantastic performance to start the night and showed that they were fully prepared for the moment. Their mix of mellow mid-tempo pacing and hard-hitting riffs kept the audience engaged, with their new single “Sink or Swim” being one of the many high points of their set. With such a stacked lineup, it can be difficult to figure out which band should be the first one on stage, but Shallow signals was the perfect band to get the show started.

Next to the stage was Dovecage, a pop-punk quartet from Charlotte. Bringing a high-energy and lively performance with songs like the fun set-opener “Bang My Life” and the brand new “Bittersweet Goodbye,” along with the amusing banter from vocalist Kiara Carol, the band made the most of their time on the stage and looked like they were having as much fun as the crowd was. Also worth noting was that it was guitarist Pavel Gabulle’s first show with the band, and one would’ve guessed he’d been with the band since day one with how well he performed. Closing with my personal favorite song of theirs, “Divided Minds,” it’s safe to say that they made a mark on the Jacksonville community as a new regional favorite and a band to keep an eye on. 

Up next were the local icons in Mortal After All, who put on the electrifying performance fans have come to know and love. 2023 was an eventful year for the band, between new music and a lineup change that saw the addition of not one, but two replacement vocalists in the form of Mel Babson and Gabe Perez, but they’ve been able to adjust to everything that’s been thrown their way and thrive despite the circumstances. Their headlining Christmas show was a great example of how far they’ve come, and JimFest 4 showed them continuing to ride the momentum that they’ve had since the middle of last year. A surprise in the setlist was a cover of Palisades’ “Sick of the Attitude,” which was a fun way of showing off the vocal dynamic the band now has. I’ve been lucky enough to see Mortal After All live quite a few times with their old and new lineups, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that JimFest 4 was one of their best performances with the current lineup and I’m incredibly proud to see them continue to get better and better with each show.

The second-to-last band of the first night was With Clarity, an alternative hard rock band from Raleigh. To put things bluntly, this was my first time seeing them live, and it definitely won’t be my last – the quartet put on an engaging performance both musically and aesthetically, and the crowd was in the palm of their hand from the moment they started playing. Frontman Blake Matthews’ energy, along with the band’s incorporation of electronic elements in both their music and their stage presence, made for an exhilarating show all around, and one can hope it won’t be long before they return to the Jacksonville area. 

The headliner of night one was none other than the epic local hard rock act To Begin Anew – much like Mortal After All, I’ve seen To Begin Anew live more than most of the other local bands in this scene, and this was one of the best shows I’ve seen them play. Their setlist alone covered all sorts of ground, from fan-favorite singles to deep cuts to new tracks to previously unreleased songs that nobody outside of the band even knew existed. On top of that, the band had a few special guests on stage for different songs, all of which were former members of the band, and the whole set made for one big family reunion. Fun fact, TBA bassist John Kennedy is the man who puts JimFest together every year, so the whole event wouldn’t have happened without him. Being a huge fan of this band, it was great to see all of the members again both on and off stage, and there really was no better way to close the first night of the festival than with them.

Night 2

There was a very clear musical contrast between both nights of JimFest – while night one had a lot of hard rock and alternative acts, night two was much heavier. The first band to play was the Rockingham-based deathcore group Wither the Fallacy – full disclosure, I couldn’t make it to the venue in time to see their set, but having seen them at Mortal After All’s Christmas show, I have a hard time believing their JimFest performance consisted of anything less than crushing riffs and brutal screams. They had an awesome set in December, and I’m sure it was the case with their JimFest set as well. 

I made it to Hooligans right as Ethyrium was soundchecking on stage, and the death metal crew brought the heat like it was nothing. It’s a miracle vocalist Tom Verbos had any voice left after screaming nonstop for the entirety of their set, and it was also fun to see Mortal After All drummer Dillon Kling join the band onstage, as well as former vocalist Sam Friant (who’s also the current vocalist of A Shelter for Holly) during my favorite song of theirs, “Falling Forever.” This is the first time I’d seen Ethyrium since they opened for Ice Nine Kills in 2019 with their old lineup, and the current incarnation of the band sounds like they’re on a whole new level. Look no further than their new single “Frayed and Singed,” which hits just as hard in a live setting as it does in the studio.

Next was Creedmoor’s own Headtrip Trauma, who’s energy and onstage enthusiasm was at an all-time high from beginning to end. Leaning into the heavier side of nu-metal, it was easy to hear how the band was influenced by legends like Korn and Slipknot while cultivating a sound of their own. Vocalists Jason “JDawg” Harris and Peter Diani stepped onto the stage covered in fake blood (I hope it was fake anyway) and immediately ripped into songs like “Spiral,” “Nu Breed,” and the newly released “Anesthetic,” and their overall stage presence was insane. They finished their set even stronger than they started it by having John Kennedy onstage to help play a cover of the Slipknot classic “(sic),” which left the crowd on a crazed buzz while they waited for the next band to start playing.

The Raleigh-based deathcore quintet Attracting the Fall was the direct support of the night, and if there’s one word I could use to describe their set, both sonically and visually, it would be “dark.” This is probably expected with a deathcore act because of how heavy the music is, but the stage show matched that darkness because the lighting was pretty minimal for a significant amount of their set. The lighting was a photographer’s nightmare, but it worked well with how the music sounded and the type of overall aesthetic the band was going for. Nonetheless, they sounded great and put on a great show.

Ending the second night, and JimFest 4 altogether, was Death of Uriah, a beloved local mainstay here in the Jacksonville area, playing favorites like “Death of Celebrity,” “Scarab,” and their trademark rendition of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff.” While they were moved as the headliner a couple weeks before the event because of the original headliner falling through, it made perfect sense to have Death of Uriah close the show – not only is guitarist Chris Vance a local legend of the scene, but there’s just no such thing as a boring Death of Uriah performance. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like or what mood you’re in beforehand – if you don’t have a good time watching a Death of Uriah set, you’re doing something wrong.

All in all, JimFest 4 was a great success and a super fun reunion with so much local and regional talent all under one roof. I had such a great time at the first night of the previous year’s festival that I made a point to make it to both days this year, and I’m so glad I did. I’m already looking forward to JimFest 5 next year, and I can’t wait to see how stacked that bill is going to be. This eastern NC music scene is so saturated with talent that every show has something new to offer, and I’m so happy to live in a place where the local scene is thriving like this. Massive props and thanks to John Kennedy and the Hooligans Live crew for putting on another awesome event, see you at the next one!

Thanks for reading! If you liked this article and want to keep up with more from me, feel free to subscribe