On May 9, 2026, Feral!Cat?Red! opened BITCHFEST IV with the live debut of their EP, Made For The Weapon, Beg For The Silence. They went first. A three-piece with a brand-new record gets the opening slot of a multi-band festival and either sets the tone for everyone who comes after or gets steamrolled by them. They set the tone.
The Recap, From The Band
Here is how the band described what happened, in their own words:
BITCHFEST IV, opening with the debut of Feral!Cat?Red!'s EP release added haunting noise that set the tone for the charged and energetic Fest. Vocals during the performance switch and almost intervene each other throughout tracks, clean and delicate or harsh screams from each member of the band. The three piece's chemistry and comradery between the members welcomed the crowd to understand the band's dynamic and the desire for connection through emotion.
The Vocal Handoff
The detail worth sitting with is the vocal handoff. Not a single screamer with a clean backup. Not call-and-response. Three voices that pass the lead between them inside the same track, sometimes layering, sometimes cutting across each other. Clean and delicate from one mouth, then harsh screams from another. That is a hard arrangement to pull off live, especially as a three-piece where every member is also playing.
The EP was tracked at the Boars Nest with Andy at the board, and sits inside a longer record the band released titled How Do You Know When You Are Old Enough To Know Better. The title alone earns a moment. It is now up on Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify. The band's own listening recommendation is Bandcamp or Apple Music.
The detail nobody outside the merch table saw
Throughout BITCHFEST IV, audience members kept stopping by the Feral!Cat?Red! booth and leaving Post-It Note sketches. Drawings. Reactions. Things they wanted to say back to the band. By the end of the festival the table had a wall of them.
The Sticky-Note Wall
The band pulled the kid-friendly ones for a photo and held the rest back, which is its own kind of editorial discipline. You do not get a sticky-note wall from a polite crowd. You get one when the audience wants to give something back.
What's Next
Feral!Cat?Red! plays Aces High Saloon (1588 S State St) on June 19, 2026, opening for Jenny Don't And The Spurs (Portland cowpunk) alongside Cosmic Kitten (San-Pedro rockers). Doors 8PM, show 9PM. 21+, $20 at the door. If the BITCHFEST reports are accurate, the openers are why to show up early.
Find Them
- Bandcamp: feralcatred.bandcamp.com
- Apple Music: Feral!Cat?Red!
- Spotify: the EP
- Instagram: @bandferalcatred
- Facebook: Feral!Cat?Red!
Photo credit for the BITCHFEST IV set goes to Thea of Dark River Photography.
The Salt Vault · Community · Feral!Cat?Red! · BITCHFEST IV · 2026-05-09
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