Jean Scene 2023: ‘Jean’erating a Successful Screamo Show

by Alex Bennett

The noisy neon chamber known as the Mr. Roboto Project briefly became home to screamo lovers and artists alike on one fall weekend. The screamo festival known as Jean Scene Fest took place right here in Pittsburgh on the evenings of October 13th and 14th. As the weekend approached, between traveling and tickets, my friends and I prepared for a weekend of two-stepping and ringing eardrums.

As someone newer to the scene, I was especially excited to attend this festival. I’ve been listening to screamo for a few years now but attending shows is not something I have always had the time or budget for. This year, however, I made the decision to attend two different screamo festivals, this being the first of two. The bill for this set was packed, featuring some of Pittsburgh’s favorites like Mime Etiquette, More Than Adequate, Morning Dew, VYLTS, Kicked in The Head by a Horse, and Leonardo Decapitated. They were joined alongside some of the East Coast’s best like Pyre from Philadelphia and Eyelet from Baltimore. However, the bill would not be complete without the inclusion of the band Hundreds of AU featuring members that were predominant in shaping the screamo genre back in the early 2000s. This was the band I was especially excited to see— it’s not often that you get to see a band composed of members from Saetia and You & I, both of whom are now long broken up.

I found myself at this festival enthralled by the experience that each of these bands had to offer. The first day was a unique journey, blasting right into the evening with Mime Etiquette in face-painted fury in what was, unfortunately, one of their last ever live performances. Emo band Times Tables brought a heavy fifth wave ‘mathy’ emo sound to the stage which was promptly juxtaposed by some sweet deathcore from A Kiss Before Dying. Traveling through the evening, I was captivated by the way the shadowy screams of mt.ida immediately gave way to the melodramatic, almost post-hardcore screamo by Pyre. The energy these bands brought to the cloudy Pittsburgh evening was impressive to say the least.

Day two met, if not exceeded, my expectations. One notable performance came from S.A.C., short for Shoot All Cops, who played a super hardcore almost metal set that blew me away. Just when I found myself recovering from their set, Passion Play, a ‘chaotic hardcore’ band from Rhode Island, was up next with a substitute vocalist that still brought, well, passion to the way they played. Day two finished off with Maryland screamo band Eyelet, who gave a performance that I can only describe as a metamorphic experience. Okay, I may be exaggerating— but I am very grateful to have been able to see such a great emoviolence set full of songs I’ve spent the past year listening to.

While I could go on waxing poetic about each and every band’s unique style and energy, I think the experience of Jean Scene Festival can best be summed up as “the feeling of being bashed and bruised with a smile.” I found myself, friends, and strangers alike getting beat up and broken not just by the flying of fists and spin kicks but by the emotional atmosphere that comes with a good screamo show. Mr. Roboto Project’s Jean Scene Festival was one for the books and I am grateful to have such a welcoming and passionate atmosphere in which to enjoy my favorite type of music.