Images: Rancid, Cockney Rejects, Hepcat, Street Dogs, Old Man Markley, The Beltones, American Heist, American Werewolves
The Punk Rock Bowling 14 midway point was upon us and the weather decided to do a little rebelling of its own, replacing the calm breeze of the previous day with oven-baked hotness. The crowd was undeterred, however, as the only day show to sell out boasted British oi! pioneers Cockney Rejects (filling in for a canceled Sham 69), the always fun yet seldom touring Hepcat, and of course headliners Rancid! In what is surely a quest to make me feel old, my favorite band from middle school is celebrating their 20th year together this year and frontman Tim Armstrong used the occasion to wax nostalgia, about both Rancid’s tour history as well as Operation Ivy (whom he said played Vegas in the late 80s at a desert show, something I would have killed to see if only I was out of grade school at the time). The nostalgia dripped into the band’s setlist as well, with the foursome sticking primarily to songs from their much beloved first four records. When not indulging the crowd with hits like “Radio,” “Roots Radical” and “Ruby Soho” they were making use of the communal atmosphere to bring out a special guest – Armstrong’s Transplant bandmate Skinhead Rob to rap on later track “Red Hot Moon” from the band’s 2003 release Indestructible. Rancid always puts on a good show and this was no exception, with Armstrong’s constant jump-and-twirl motion contrasting with bass player extraordinaire Matt Freeman’s stoic stance and lightning fast fingers leaving the audience in awe, particularly during the ever popular solo on “Maxwell Murder.”
Rancid was fantastic but the highlights of the day for me were the back-to-back sets from Street Dogs and Old Man Markley that came midway through the day. While I generally prefer a smaller show, Street Dogs’ commanding working class anthems are practically tailor-made to be sung on a huge stage in front of hundreds of fans like this, everyone pumping their fists and singing along with vocalist Mike McColgan. But if big stages aren’t your thing we also got a portion of the set with McColgan closer to the crowd – first against the barrier before diving deeper to sing three classics from the band he previously fronted – Dropkick Murphys’ “Do or Die,” “Get Up,” and “Never Alone.” Nothing against current Murphys’ vocalist Al Barr, but I’ve always been more of a McColgan man so I couldn’t have been happier with that blast form the past.
Between pool parties, club shows and festival appearances, California bluegrass punks Old Man Markley have had more punk rock bowling appearances since the festival became a multi-day event than anyone else, and they remain a joy to watch. It’s also fun seeing the crowd of rowdy punks often times unfamiliar with the band go from trepidacious scowls at the sight of a banjo, fiddle, upright bass and washboard to joyfully smiling in a now-dancing pit to the band’s catchy tunes, including “For Better For Worse,” “Party Shack” and excellent Screeching Weasel cover “The Science of Myth.” My only complaint? Their set was so good that it made me realize how ready I am to hear a new record from these guys!
-Emily Matview
Photos by Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/
and Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens
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