Forever Deaf Fest launched in 2018 to get people to come out for heavy music during the year’s coldest months. Though the mini festival has featured bands from near and far, it’s consistently focused on homegrown talent, and subgenre matters less than whether an artist is doing something original and can bring it live. Forever Deaf VI takes place at Sleeping Village, with pre- and postfest shows a few blocks away at Live Wire Lounge. The night kicks off with Chicago iconoclasts We Weren’t Invited, who springboard from punk and hardcore into a wild mix of sounds (caustic funk-metal, lo-fi grunge, melodic postpunk) that could seem at odds if they didn’t all come from the same band. Black Cross Hotel are a local supergroup (with members of the Atlas Moth and Stabbing Westward as well as musician and producer Sanford Parker), and their self-assured blend of postpunk, goth, and alternative rock feels ready for a stadium show. Their spooky 2022 album, Hex, is steeped in horror-movie worship. Earthy, folky Chicago doom band Huntsmen take the stage next, followed by yet another local group, thrashy sludge trio Lair of the Minotaur. Mid-Michigan’s Flesh & Blood Robot, who combine death metal, hardcore, and grind, go on just before the headliners: hardcore punk legends Integrity. Formed in Ohio in the late 80s and based in Belgium since 2003, they’ve launched generations of punk and metalcore bands with their dark, aggressive music and obsessions with esoteric spiritualism, and last year they released All Death Is Mine: Total Domination, a collection of rarities, covers, and unissued material from the past seven years. Its sinister rock ’n’ roll highlights the talents of blistering guitarist Domenic Romeo (owner of the A389 label), who played with the band from 2014 till 2023. Integrity have gone through a dizzying number of lineups over the years—front man Dwid Hellion is the only constant member—but they remain an absolutely crushing powerhouse.
Forever Deaf Fest Integrity headline; Flesh & Blood Robot, Lair of the Minotaur, Huntsmen, Black Cross Hotel, and We Weren’t Invited open. Sat 3/29, 6:30 PM, Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, $40, $33 in advance, 21+
