Gang of Four, Bad Nerves, Codefendants and more on the second Stage Sunday at Punk Rock Bowling 2025.
Gang Of Four - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
I didn't really know much about Deathtape other than they are a young band, they do a Deftones cover, and they play modern hardcore. When I got to the stage, they were already on, and although the crowd was sparser than for other bands, there was full-on moshing going down. Several of the kids knew the words, and the singer came to the barricade and let them share the mic, and the screams/growls were about as good as it gets. Great set, and I'll look forward to seeing what they do in the future.
Head Cut from Ventura, California, were more alternative/rock than most of the bands booked for Punk Rock Bowling, but they put on a good show. There was some buzz around their drummer, John Crerar, filling in for The Effigies singer (John Kezdy) that had been killed in a bike accident recently. I tracked down a few of their YouTube videos and releases on Bandcamp, and it wasn't bad. Another band to watch.
I'd just seen Codefendants at the morning pool party, but had no problem seeing them again. Sam was till in his flip flops from the pool party, but otherwise the formal attire was still in place. Fat Mike was sidestage for the set in a Jaws T-Shirt (the same one that they had made a NOFX parody shirt from, but this was the actual Jaws design) and during "The Right Wrong Man" (co-written with Fat Mike) they brought him out to sing a verse. Another great set, and I still had a Get Dead show to look forward to back in Detroit when I returned (Sam King's other band).
Bad Nerves
Bad Nerves made my top 50 CDs of 2024, at #15, with their "Still Nervous" CD. That prompted me to see them live on tour with Spiritual Cramp in Detroit at The Loving Touch earlier this year. I've been liking them more and more since that show, and was looking forward to seeing them again at Punk Rock Bowling. By this time in the day, it was getting hot and the crowd was getting big. Bad Nerves had a sizeable pit going and they played a 14-song set that included favorites "Don't Stop" and "You've Got The Nerve", finishing with an older one "Dreaming". They really brought the energy, I didn't quite capture any photos of the jumps, but I'm sure a few will surface from other photographers. Gang Of Four and Frank Turner were the last two bands on the second stage on Saturday, and I was feeling good and planned to stay for at least one more.
Gang of Four is one of the few bands that I wasn't familiar with, and hadn't had the time to listen to properly. I'd heard of them of course, but given that I'm generally Street Punk and Hardcore, I never picked up any of their releases over the years. They started back in the mid-1970's at the time of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and the very beginnings of punk rock. I regret that now, but it was also an incredible experience to see a band like this for the first time, live and up close and personal. Jon King (lead vocalist and founding member) is 70 years old, but has aged far better than most of his contemporaries and put on a show that felt like he was decades younger. I hope this wasn't the last time I get to see them, but either way I was glad to be there. The night was just starting though, with two club shows in my near future, so I headed back to The Golden Nugget to stop in at the room and then try the sushi at RED Asian Cuisine. The room that we booked was incredible (I could write an entire story about the parties we had throughout the weekend), the sushi was amazing (although nothing compared to the music so far), and I was reenergized.
