Spokane's Hardcore Scene Is Fighting Back Against ICE

Following the Spokane 3 verdict, which saw anti-ICE protestors convicted of federal conspiracy, the city's hardcore music scene turned out to Crucial Times Fest. Organized by 221 Press, the event brought together bands from as far away as California, and helped raise over $2,000 for Spokane-based groups providing aid for immigrants and refugees. 221 Press founders Brett and Rose Noble spoke to us about the need for the festival.

A shocked city reckons with guilty verdict of Spokane 3

Activists, community members, officials and onlookers were horrified about the First Amendment implications of the convictions. But they vowed to keep fighting.

RANGE MediaAaron Hedge

"We are living in crucial times," Rose told us. Addressing the guilty verdict, she says the city has since felt uneasy. "Some of those folks were arrested," Brett said. "They put their lives on the line."

Crucial Times Fest was a gathering of bands like the youth rockers of Iabsorbyourstatic and Portland-based Lab Rat, whose members called out ICE on camera and spoke to the importance of community. Also on the bill was Downcast from Goleta, CA, who formed in the 80's and reunited in 2015 after about a 10 year hiatus. "We felt it was time to get back out there and express ourselves a little bit more politically," lead vocalist Kevin told us.

Spokane-based It's A Setup's frontman Hayes Noble (son of Rose and Brett) took time during their set to address the dangerous precedent of the verdict. "In these tighter-knit communities, they're able to pick us apart from the top down," he told us. "It's hard to be a punk in mid-sized cities in America," Brett says. "It's these second cities and smaller towns where punk rock is always in its truest form," Hayes adds. "You can do this anywhere, and you should do it everywhere."

This is our mini documentary on Crucial Times Fest 2026.

Crucial Times Fest

23 hardcore and punk bands. A benefit for immigrant aid and benefit. Spokane, WA

221 Press