Sound and Fury 2026 Kickoff Show Brings Cold World to The Belasco

Sound and Fury just announced a kickoff show the night before the main festival and this lineup is stacked. Cold World, Big Boy, One Step Closer, Crush Your Soul, and The Difference are taking over The Belasco in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday, August 14th, 2026. If you're already planning to be in LA for the weekend, this is how you start it right.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 1st, at 10am PST. There's a presale happening tomorrow via email signup at soundandfury.la. I'd get on that now. This is going to move.

The Lineup

I'll be real, Cold World headlining a Belasco kickoff show is a statement. The Wilkes-Barre hardcore legends have been a Sound and Fury staple for years, playing the 2023 and 2025 editions. They're not currently listed on the main 2026 festival lineup, which makes this potentially their only Sound and Fury appearance this year. If that's the case, this room is going to be absolutely unhinged.

Big Boy brings that San Jose energy every single time. They've been tearing it up at Sound and Fury since 2023 and are already confirmed on the Saturday lineup for the main festival. Getting them on the kickoff bill too means double the chances to catch them this weekend.

One Step Closer is another Wilkes-Barre crew, and honestly, their trajectory has been something to watch. Their 2024 record All You Embrace pushed their sound into emo and grunge territory, and as of March they've been back in the studio working on new material. They're also on the main fest Saturday lineup. There's something cool about them sharing a stage with Cold World here too. Singer Ryan Savitzki grew up in Wilkes-Barre getting into bands like Cold World and Title Fight through older kids in the scene. Full circle.

Crush Your Soul is the project launched by Mindforce frontman Jay Petagine, and they've been on a tear. Their debut full-length Ice Water dropped earlier this year and it goes impossibly hard. They played Sound and Fury 2025 and now they're back for the kickoff. Like Cold World, they don't appear to be on the main 2026 festival lineup, so this might be your shot.

Rounding out the bill is The Difference, a California hardcore band that fits right into the SoCal world Sound and Fury was built on. Solid addition to an already heavy card.

The Bigger Picture

If you're not familiar with how Sound and Fury does it, the kickoff shows are a whole thing. Every year, the festival puts together a run of shows at DTLA venues the night before the main event. The Belasco has hosted these in the past and it's the perfect room for it. Intimate enough to feel dangerous, big enough to pack a real crowd.

The main Sound and Fury 2026 festival runs August 15th and 16th at Exposition Park. The lineup this year is massive. Wave one brought Angel Du$t, Obituary, Incendiary, and reunion sets from Carry On and The Rival Mob, plus a special Saves the Day set. Wave two added Have Heart, Drug Church, Fiddlehead, Chat Pile, End It, Full of Hell, Sunami, Weekend Nachos, and a whole lot more. It's a ridiculous bill.

Weekend passes for the main festival are available now.

Don't Sleep on This

Five bands in a room like The Belasco on the night before one of the biggest hardcore festivals in the country. Cold World potentially playing their only S&F set of the weekend. Crush Your Soul fresh off a new record. Two Wilkes-Barre bands sharing a bill with real history between them. This is the kind of show that sets the tone for the entire weekend.

Sign up for the presale at soundandfury.la today. General on-sale is Friday at 10am PST. Grab tickets before they're gone.

Cover photo via Ticketmaster