Riot Fest 2025 was a sweltering and vital convergence of music and culture in Chicago. Despite the heat, the festival felt less like a corporate event and more like a true community, with a generational handoff of punk rock energy. Performances from legends like Green Day and Blink-182 and new voices like Rico Nasty underscored the festival's rebellious spirit. In a move celebrating its cultural impact, the mayor declared an official "Riot Day.”

Loviet, the rising indie rock artist, talks with us backstage at Riot Fest in Chicago. She discusses her electric live performance, the stark differences between playing in Canada and the U.S., and the brutal, fulfilling process of creating her new EP, The Nighttime Is All In The Timing. She also reveals how a classic Blink-182 song first inspired her to start a band.