BROOKLYN, NY – Freak Out! Fest, a music festival celebrating queer, trans and gender-fluid identities in punk music, gathered nearly 20 bands for a weekend of punk and related musical stylings. From the opening acts to the closing notes, band members explicitly discussed their own struggles and triumphs with gender identity, and how it influenced their music.
Ralph Lahens (left) from Brooklyn and Steven Amore from Troy at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Festival-goers form a mosh pit at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Manhattan's Lower East Side on Sept. 26.
Jahnny Vommit of Heavy Negatives performs at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
An attendee to the Freak Out! Fest's opening night show at Silent Barn in Bushwick, Brooklyn, on Friday, Sept. 25, shows off his collar, which reads "Hail Satan."
Charlotte of the band Bitchtits performs on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
An attendee wears a vest with a patch reading "Eat vegetables / Ride bikes / Be nice / Hail Satan" on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
Freak Out! Fest merchandise for sale on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
Opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
Matthews from Queens, Peter from the Bronx and Olivia C. from Brooklyn on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
Attendees wait for the next act on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
An attendee's hat on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
Opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25.
Shortly after the first act completed its set on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25, a fire broke out in an upstairs apartment, forcing an early end to the night and a rescheduling of later events at the venue.
Shortly after the first act completed its set on opening night at Silent Barn on Friday, Sept. 25, a fire broke out in an upstairs apartment.
Anika Pyle (of Chumped) performs with bandmate Dan Frelly at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Manhattan's Lower East Side on Sept. 26.
Anika Pyle (of Chumped) performs with bandmate Dan Frelly at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Freak Out! Fest merchandise for sale at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Manhattan's Lower East Side on Sept. 26.
Singer/songwriter Daphne performs at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Singer/songwriter Daphne performs at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Attendees at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Attendees at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
The One Handed Bandits perform at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Seb from Westchester at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
An attendee at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
The One Handed Bandits perform at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
T-shirts from ABC No Rio for sale at Saturday's matinee show on Sept. 26.
Pages are posted to the walls of the venue as part of the exhibit "Making Room: Cultural Production in Occupied Spaces" at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Heavy Negatives members Jahnny Vommit (left) and Trevor Riot before their set at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Adam Brkka (left) from Brooklyn and other attendees at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Festival-goers form a mosh pit at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Attendees take photos and video at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Festival-goers form a mosh pit at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Heavy Negatives performs at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Heavy Negatives performs at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Calder Putnam of The One Handed Bandits after his set at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Attendees at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Calder Putnam (left) and Joshua Russell of The One Handed Bandits at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
(from left) Emma Rock from Brooklyn, Ralph Lahens from Brooklyn and Steven Amore from Troy at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Attendees form a mosh pit at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Jahnny Vommit drops to the floor after completing her set with the Heavy Negatives at Saturday's matinee show at ABC No Rio on Sept. 26.
Freya Wilcox & The Howl perform at C'mon Everybody in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn during the Sunday matinee show on Sept. 27. The original venue for Sunday's shows, Silent Barn, was unavailable following a fire on Friday night.
Freya Wilcox & The Howl perform at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Festival-goers sing along to music performed by Freya Wilcox & The Howl at C'mon Everybody on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Freya Wilcox & The Howl perform at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Freya Wilcox & The Howl perform at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Freya Wilcox (center) and CJ Dunaieff (right) of Freya Wilcox & The Howl with Guglielmo Remandi (left), who filled in on bass at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Amie (left) and Teddy of Possum at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
(from left) Jesse Jacobsen, Jon Good, Danielle Kolker and Jesse Sternberg of Out of System Transfer at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Out of System Transfer performs at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
The Sunday matinee show at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Adult Mom performs at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Adult Mom performs at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Nova Wolf (left) from Brooklyn and Elina Shnayderman from Queens at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
Cati Bestard (left) from Brooklyn and Francina Ribes from Spain at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.
(from left) Bruce Hamilton, KT McManus, Steph Knipe and Olivia Battell of Adult Mom at C'mon Everybody on Sept. 27.