The Great South Bay Music Festival Still Rocks Eighteen Years Later at Shorefront Park, New York 7/23/26

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Rockstar Culture in Concert Reviews // 0 Comments

▣Shorefront Park | Patchogue, NY ▣Thursday, July 23rd 2026
▣Photographer/Journalist: Arianna Conti

The Great South Bay Music Festival ran for its eighteenth year from July 23-26 in Patchogue, New York. Overlooking the Patchogue Bay and Fire Island, Shorefront Park provided gorgeous views and a beautiful night out for all attendees on the first night of the festival. Proud to be on Long Island, local businesses had stands on the grounds, catering everything from licensed cannabis dispensaries to all different cuisines. Five Towns College held one of the performance stages, and News 12 Long Island made an appearance as well.

One of the only groups featured on July 23 that isn’t from New York; Cartel features a more melodic style of new wave punk. Fronted by Will Pugh on vocals, Joseph Pepper and Nic Hudson on guitar, Kyle Adams on drums, and Jeff Lett on bass; the group had an overwhelming number of fans flooding the barricade for a considerably early set. They opened their set with a couple of songs from their 2025 EP, Deadbeat Drags/Shirts & Skins, teased an unreleased song, and opened pandoras box to Chroma (2005), the album that garnered majority of their fame. Truly encapsulating those early 2000s male vocals, this was a perfect way to kick off the evening.

DEADLANDS, fronted by post-hardcore powerhouse Kasey Karlsen, is a Long Island local that has been on the metal scene for roughly four years. Joining her on stage were David Dunshire on guitar, Andrew Gaudio on drums, and Coltin Little on bass. Proud to be female-fronted, DEADLANDS played King for a Day, by Daisy Grenade, which Karlsen is a feature on. Despite the humid conditions, her ability to metal scream without hurting her voice is admirable, as is her stage presence. Constant headbanging, running around, and hyping the crowd to mosh are all feats. Although their sound seemed to be rooted in chaos, their coordination set a great example for rising bands on the metal scene.

Truly a bunch of down-to-earth guys from Bayside, Queens, Bayside has been on the scene for 25 years. Bringing nothing but good vibes and authentic sound, Bayside doesn’t have a single gimmick about them to set them apart, and that’s what everyone loves about them. Singer and guitarist Anthony Raneri’s connection with guitarist Jack O’Shea was definitely the highlight of their set. Rocking on a white Explorer, O’Shea’s all white appearance provided a much-needed contrast from everyone else in black, while being the backbone of Bayside’s electric sound. Joined by Chris Guglielmo on drums and Nick Ghanbarian on bass, the band ebbed and flowed from acoustic driven emo to electronic punk. Most of their set consisted of their self-titled album Bayside (2005), which most fans sported tour shirts of.

Formed in Stony Brook (another Great South Bay sponsorship), Koyo formed in 2020. Joey Chiaramonte, Stephen Spanos, Salvatore Argento, Harold Griffin, and TJ Rotolico label themselves as LIHC (Long Island Hard Core). True dudes from New York, they all sported some New York sports team/Stony Brook piece of merchandise, symbolizing their grittiness as well as their power as a unit rather than looking the exact same. Full of energy, Chiaramonte rallied everyone on stage during the first song to thrash around, and the crowd loved it. Often hanging off of the edge of the stage to sing with the crowd, or pass the mic to someone at the barricade, Koyo made everyone feel like they were a life-long fan. Incredibly vibrant and charismatic, fans lingered after their set before migrating to The Used.

The Used closed night one of the festival, and everyone was in attendance. Parents and their children, couples, long-term friends, the main stage was a place for everyone to find enjoyment. Vocalist Bert McCracken cracked jokes between every song, at one point asking the crowd to boo them rather than applaud. Guitarist Joey Bradford ripped every solo; it was impossible to look away from him. Bassist Jepha and drummer Dan Whitesides led the instrumentals for a birthday interlude to two fans up front, in addition to playing fan favorites such as Buried Myself Alive, I Caught Fire, and Blood on my Hands. Right before closing their set, McCracken invited nearly 20 fans on stage to be with the band during one of their originals and closed the night with a cover of Smells like Teen Spirit.

Check out our contributor photographer, Arianna Conti photos now!