It must be the coffee.
Actually, it’s always the coffee that does the trick.
“There’s a coffee truck right over there. If you’re like us, you’ll have five cups before our set. That’s how we get everything done these days.”
With that, Milo Aukerman and company began a three-song wallop of pop-punk classics (“Suburban Home,” “Everything Sux,” and Hope”) to close out the first day of Punk Rock Bowling. (Yes, we got “Coffee Mug,” but that was towards the end of the set). The Descendents’ discography-scaling set, which included everything from 2016’s “On Paper” to that eponymous track from 1985, and everything between was a fitting end for day two of the festival. The night before that, it was Rancid who brought down the proverbial house with singalongs galore—especially during “Radio.”
Punk Rock Bowling celebrated its 21st birthday on Memorial Day Weekend in Downtown Las Vegas. And while the festival was finally old enough to drink, it was buttoned-up logistics and smooth transitions between bands (yep, all 120 of them) that were a cause for celebration. PRB’s two-stage lineup meant no bullshit, all music–throughout a 48-hour blur of “Sex and Violence,” spilled alcohol, shoulder-to-shoulder club shows, and pure, unadulterated punk bonding.
NEW BLOOD
Historically, Punk Rock Bowling organizers have been adamant about making sure that a large portion of its lineups consist of burgeoning talent. This year was no different; punk `n’ roll newcomers Turbulent Hearts and eclectic Los Angeles quartet Informal Society kickstarted the festival with deft, high-energy sets that set the precedent from acts in the same league to follow. Seattle trio The Drowns gave us a dose of its melodic punk flair, shrouding us in “Eternal Debate” while Fat Wreck Chords stalwarts The Lillingtons put festival goers in a “Rubber Room” (with guitars instead of pills, thankfully). It was a physical set for UK post-punk act Shame—especially for bass player Josh Finerty. He jumped off drum risers and performed some impressive acrobatics (hard-hitting backflips, bridges) all while holding down the low end. And though some may consider him an outlier, Made J—garbed in a flashy red suit—proved to a small crowd that rock `n’ roll is, indeed, alive and well.
THE MIDS
Thankfully, this year’s punk rock bacchanal was supplemented by gorgeous weather, and festival goers turned out in droves midday to catch sets from acts like Swedish punk vets Perkele, Glam rock vets Faz Waltz, Baltimore rockers Ravagers, no-frills, straight forward UK punk rockers Grade 2, and many more.
It wasn’t uncommon to see festivalgoers hovering between stages, as logistics made it possible to see every band on the bill throughout the entire weekend, Highlights include a pedal-to-the medal set by New Jersey PRB alumnis Night Birds, where liquids onstage and in the crowd became an indiscernible cocktail of beer, sweat, and perhaps blood. The group paraded through a no-frills set, which included numbers like the surf-inspired “Pull the String” and the breakneck strumming of “Bad Biology.” It was the perfect compliment to the weather. Teenage Bottlerocket has become a local favorite over the years, and the Wyoming-born act left fans satisfied with a set that ran over five minutes on the second stage, and they blessed us with a nice cover of “Blitzkreig Bop” to even things out. “Woah, you all knew that one somehow,” singer/guitarst Ray Carlisle said over a wall of feedback. “I knew you would.”
Pure Noise grunge-punk rockers Drug Church stole the show at the festival’s intimate second stage where frontman Patrick Kindlon jumped and controted his lanky body as his bandmates riffed through the feedback-ridden “Unlicenced Guidance Counselor” and the heavy chugs of “Strong References.” Kindlon’s originally earth-green shirt was soaked with sweat by the end of the band’s set, but the sizable crowd didn’t seem to mind, as they sang along to the driving chorus of “Weed Pin.” “I’m here. You’re here. We’re here having a great time together, and that’s all that matters right now,” Kindlon said during the ruckus of the aforementioned song. It was a sentiment that carried through the duration of the festival.
BONAFIDE LEGENDS
As always, PRB was an assembly of some of the genre’s elite—from past and present. The Damned was a fantastic representation of the sentiment. As one of the pioneers of U.K. punk, the quintet played the role of ambassadors of it for the weekend by performing a set that spanned its entire discography, beginning with “Love Song.” “We’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of this album, that’s 40 long years,” singer David Vanian said, adjusting his trademark black gloves as the band launched into “Machine Gun Etiquette.” It was a true celebration, and as the band wrapped up its parade of hits including “Smash It Up,” “These Hands,” and “Neat Neat Neat.” “Happy Christmas, everybody,” Vanian said as the band finished with the latter. “You just made an old man feel younger.”
While The Damned’s sentiment was celebration, Flag used its set as a platform for politics. “Alright, everyone. Let’s make it clear. We’re here to make fuckin’ friends—not fight,” singer Keith Morris said before launching into the disarray of “Fix Me.” Morris—dreadlocks now hanging below his knees—led an all-star iteration of Black Flag consisting of Chuck Dukowski, Bill Stevenson, Dez Cadena, and Stephen Egerton. It was nearly an hour of glorious punk fury, and Morris played ringleader, rallying the group through “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie,” “Depression,” “My War,” and more. And though it was Flag’s third appearance in six years, a positive reaction is ample evidence for the timelessness of the tunes.
Though somewhat outcasts on the PRB lineup, The Hives and The Refused proved that that they were just at home as any other band on the bill. Both bands were dressed to the nines, wearing white tuxedos or slim fit suits, respectively. “We’ve been dressed for Vegas this entire tour, and we’re finally here, so let’s make it count,” frontman Pelle Almqvist of the hives said. They partied like they were in Vegas, too; dressed in sharp white tuxedos, Almqvist and company gave us a dose of rollicking rock `n’ roll, beginning with the rambunctious “Come On.” The Refused, on the other hand, spent a majority of their set addressing political issues. “There’s a war on women happening not only in America, but the entire fucking planet, and we shouldn’t take that shit,” frontman Dennis Lyxzén said. He jumped, shimmied, and swung his mic through the duration of the Swedish bands’ set–proving that yes, punk can be pretty, too.
English ska legends The Specials closed out the festival, and though the mood would be elevated later on during hits like “A Message to You Rudy” and “Rat Race,” the band kicked things off on a political note. “Warning! Warning! Nuclear attack!,” Lynval Golding shouted at the start of “Man at C&A.” And as things picked up, the message became clear: If a bunch of punks were gonna go out that night, they were gonna go out dancing.
– Ian Caramanzana
Photos from previous Punk Rock Bowling Festivals by Anthony Constantine, Lawton Howell, Aaron Mattern and Emily Matview
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