Two years ago, Louisville’s LDB Fest turned out to be the last big hardcore festival before the pandemic hit. Local heroes Knocked Loose played a surprise headlining set, and the videos from the show were nuts. Next year, LDB Fest will return; it’s coming to Louisville’s Art Sanctuary 3/11-12. The festival’s bookers have just announced this year’s lineup, and while it doesn’t have big-name headliners like Knocked Loose or Turnstile, it does feature a huge number of this moment’s most vital hardcore bands.

Since the LDB Fest lists its lineup alphabetically, it’s not totally clear which bands are headlining. Honestly, that’s one of the cool things about it. There are no heritage acts on the lineup; it’s all bands that are currently out there and tearing things up on the DIY circuit. My guess, though, is that Incendiary, Drain, God’s Hate, King Nine, and Mindforce will be way up near the top of that bill.

That bill also features a ton of other bands who are worth going out of your way to see, including Year Of The Knife, Magnitude, Restraining Order, Sunami, No Pressure, KOYO, MH Chaos, Queensway, Age Of Apocalypse, Gel, Ingrown, Rain Of Salvation, 200 Stab Wounds, Pain Of Truth, Stand Still, Vatican, and Undeath. You can find all the relevant info here.