Images: Punk Rock Bowling Day Two feat. Refused, Murder City Devils & more May 24, 2015 at Fremont East

“We told a lie once. We said we were dead. But Refused is fucking alive!”

Refused were the festival’s second day headliners, and they braved a lightning storm, risking their lives (and the possibility of gaining superpowers), to bring us live renditions of classics “Refused Are Fucking Dead,” “The Refused Party Program,” “Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine” and new song, “Elektra” on a stage drenched by rain.

Frontman Dennis Lyxzén thrashed around on stage for the band’s hour long set, screaming without restraint while the rest of the band appeared as silhouettes thanks to some excellent stage lighting. The fans that stuck it out during the storm couldn’t have been singing with any more passion when shouting the words “We don’t have the patience” back at the band.

The highlight of their set was, of course, “New Noise.” It’s the band’s signature song for a reason, with tension ramping up to a fever pitch during the long intro, and when Lyxzén finally howled the question “Can I scream?” to the rain-soaked audience, the crowd proved they could, screaming those words right back with the intensity you’d expect from fans who’ve waited 17 years to hear that song live.

The band hasn’t lost a step during their time apart, likely due to the members’ continued work in bands like The (International) Noise Conspiracy. In fact, watching them made me realize Lyxzén’s time fronting that band clearly had an impact on his performance, as there was a heavy dose of rock n roll swagger, especially evident when playing new tracks like “Françafrique.”

And Refused weren’t the only band with swagger on Punk Rock Bowling’s second festival day. Surely they had to up their game when they found out they’d be following The Murder City Devils?

The garage punk band are the definition of showmanship, staying in perpetual motion from the moment they came out to a soundclip of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” and tried their best to ignore the booming thunder in the distance. Spencer Moody is one of the best frontmen I’ve seen, and his on-stage microphone swallowing antics had the crowd in a frenzy, with one couple swing dancing so hard they nearly knocked the teeth (and precious beer) out of the mouths of various bystanders.

But after dedicating “Hey Sailor” to Turbonegro and their navy of Turbojugends, the band was forced to take a break due to the electrical risk involved in so much water and lightning coming down on the stage. There was plenty of anxious chatter amongst MCD and Refused fans, wondering if the storm would really pass in time for the band to stay true to their promise of returning for more songs (it did).

That rain maybe should have come about an hour earlier, as Turbonegro certainly seemed the most prepared for it that day, in their Village People meets Donald Duck ensembles. I say that in the most loving way possible, because the band, while not one I listen to much on my own, is always a good time at PRB, this time covering Cheap Trick’s “Hello There” for the powerpop fans and “TNA (The Nihilistic Army)” for their own followers.

Former Dead Kennedys’ frontman Jello Biafra also brought out his own legion of fans for his inaugural PRB performance, and you can easily see why he draws so many to him. Yeah, the songs are great, but what really sells them is Biafra’s charisma. Between tracks like “California Über Alles” and “John Dillinger” the man looked like he was having so much fun, flocking around the stage like a punk rock Julie Andrews  – and it was a joy to watch.

But my passion lies more with the melodic hardcore produced by A Wilhelm Scream, the band I would have been pressed up against the barrier for if I wasn’t photographing the show. Getting to see them twice in a year is quite a treat, and the band was obviously very excited to be on the main stage, taking time to express how awesome it was to be sharing the stage with legends. But not too much time, because their set was short and they needed to tear through “The Horse” and “The King is Dead” with frontman Nuno Pereira pushing his mic into the crowd from the barrier.

The Muffs are another longtime favorite of mine, and they had a more stoic stage presence than any before of after them. They’re also PRB veterans, and I was happy to finally see them graduated to the mainstage this year. I would say their set’s highlight was hearing frontwoman Kim Shattuck’s wonderfully scratchy voice on “Kids In America” (originally by Kim Wilde) and “Agony” but really, it was Pears guitarist Brian Pretus’ nervous and very sweet proposal to his girlfriend during the band’s set that stood out (she said “yes!”).

Speaking of Pears, they’re my pick for PRB 2015 rookie of the year (you can collect your trophy next time you come through town guys – a high five). The band puts so much passion into their songs and performance, and after entering to the theme to “Family Matters,” frontman Zach Quinn never stood still – bouncing around the stage like a rabid madman, like no one should in weather so hot and humid. “Sycophant” is a PIV household favorite, and it was great hearing that Go to Prison track live, but for the PRB crowd, the pit grew largest during the band’s gruff cover of Ramones’ “Judy is a Punk.” People walked away from their set excitedly asking “who were those guys?” and based on the long line at their merch booth immediately following their performance, I think they deservedly made a few hundred new fans that day.

Get Dead, who last played Vegas opening for A Wilhelm Scream, dedicated their set , which included a cover of “Pre-Medicated Murder” to No Use for a Name frontman Tony Sly. They played just minutes after Vegas rookies Eliza Battle debuted a new, fuller lineup with Sal Giordano (TheCore.) on bass, freeing up Chris Bitonti to play lead guitar live. If you like Lucero and Gaslight Anthem, you should definitely be giving this band a listen.

Later: An Utters last show! A dude brings his own guitar to the pit! And lots of green lights!

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/