Michael Bingham, of Spiritual Cramp, at PRB’s Fight To Unite. photo by kim moenich
Just as I predicted in my preview, Punk Rock Bowling definitely made up for dissing us back in May with the simply stellar lineup for their benefit fest, Fight to Unite. The stacked board had bands from all over the world whose common theme was their desire to overthrow the authoritarian class that is currently oppressing peoples all over the world. Curated by the Stern Brothers, of veteran punk band Youth Brigade, Fight To Unite was a benefit for the local Los Angeles organization, Siempre Unidos LA. A portion of every ticket sold went to the organization, which provides food, medical care, legal fees, and more to families torn apart by the current administration’s war on immigrants.
Day One Headliners, Lambrini Girls, embodied the spirit of Fight To Unite. photo by kim moenich
The fest was held in downtown Los Angeles at the historic Belasco Theatre, which was celebrating its one-hundred-year anniversary. There was a main stage, but then there were also two other, smaller stages, one upstairs in the mezzanine and one downstairs in the basement (making it a bit of a challenge for the photographers, but such is life!). Day one had a ton of bands that were new to me, starting with Mermaid Island. Los Angeles-based Mermaid Island have only been around a few years (four to be exact), but they play like they were born to be in a band together. Even better, they have Canadian roots, so it comes naturally to them to give a big F you to all of the oppressors in the good old US of A.
I quickly ran downstairs to catch the next band, The Chapel, after saying I was going to stay upstairs the whole show, and I’m oh so glad I did. Wow! The Chapel are a quartet of well-dressed punkabilly gods, who, from the first note, had the amazed crowd on their feet. I was dancing as much as I was taking photos, and I can honestly say that was one of the most fun sets I’ve seen in recent memory. That’s the beauty of Punk Rock Bowling shows- they are going to bring in bands you’ve never heard of but will instantly fall in love with, and The Chapel was no exception!
Other really fun new-to-me bands were all female Doll Riot and Madam Bombs. At a time when I’m becoming more and more cognizant of male-dominated fest lineups, Punk Rock Bowling showed that they aren’t about that life. There was only one band on the main stage that didn’t have a female member, and most were female-fronted. Both Doll Riot and Madam Bombs were incredibly talented and really fun to watch. While I’m not sure of their exact ages, the trio in Madam Bombs are either still in or just out of their teens, but you would never know based on their skills and stage presence. They have a sound that’s all their own, seamlessly blending genres but maintaining a uniquely punk sound. Doll Riot, another Cali band, combines raw energy with anger at the political system to produce lyrics and sounds that will have you pumping your fists in the air. If you’re looking for some fresh sounds and want to support a female-fronted scene, I strongly recommend you go check these bands out.
One of the bands I was most excited for the first day was Generacion Suicida. I had heard about them for a while but had never gotten a chance to see them, and they were certainly worth the wait. Despite the lyrics being all in Spanish (which is totally rad, by the way, and just reinforces my desire to really learn the language), I found myself getting lost in the music, feeling the angst and frustration in the songs. Their drummer (a woman, Kiwi Martinez) was mesmerizing to watch, and the whole band had an energy that was hard to contain. They are definitely a band to watch out for, and check out their new album, “Hombre Nuevo," out now on Vitrol Records.
I ran into some old PRB friends who told me I had to check out Gottlieb. Only a few years old and having gone through a bit of a lineup rotation, the current iteration of the Los Angeles-based punk band, “with a capital P," has a message they need you to hear. With songs like “White Vans”, about ICE vehicles, and “Pipe Bomb” (you can figure that one out), these guys talk the talk, but more importantly, they walk the walk. Singer and band founder, Andrew Pescara, has attended numerous ICE protests, often getting tear-gassed and shot with rubber bullets. The results of those experiences come through in his anger and onstage (and in the crowd) presence. These guys have my vote for massively influential new artist, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from them.
Surfbort has never been on my radar, for reasons unknown, but I was certainly glad that was remedied this weekend. The Brooklyn, NY, group brought the party and the fans were there for it.
I have to say each time I see Spiritual Cramp, they grow on me more and more, and this time was the nail in the coffin. I truly can’t wait until they go on tour with Dropkick Murphys in a few months and I get to see them over and over. It’s going to be an absolute madhouse when they come to Boston!
Lambrini Girls didn’t just explode onto the scene a few years ago; it was a brutal takeover, and they have continued to show that they are here to stay. They absolutely owned the Belasco, and they had the crowd bowing to their every whim. That same weekend, Sex Pistols played a show during which their new singer attempted to call for an all-female pit during a particular song and ended up in verbal beef with a man-shaped pile of human trash who felt it was his right to be in any pit that was happening near him. When singer Phoebe Lunny ordered the “cis white men” out of the pit, the dudes of Punk Rock Bowling understood the assignment and stepped the hell to the side. It was truly a beautiful thing to behold to so many “girls, gays, and theys”, as Phoebe stated, absolutely demolishing that dance floor.
Day Two had such a stacked lineup for Fat Wreck Chords 35th birthday that I knew I was going to miss a few great bands, but that’s par for the course for PRB shows anyway! My day started at the main stage with San Diego locals Se Vende. Yet another gem who had, until now, escaped my view, I quickly became obsessed with this quartet, who have you longing for the days of your angst-ridden early college years of the mid-90s. I was feeling Jawbreaker and Fifteen, Crimpshrine and J Church, all rolled into one, and it was melting my cold, cold heart. I immediately went and bought their entire discography from Bandcamp, and you really should too. Hey guys, come to the East Coast, and I promise to come to every show!
If you asked me to guess what label the Brooklyn-based foursome, Make War, were on, it would take me about a nanosecond to say Fat Wrecks. These guys are the embodiment of the Fat Wrecks sound, poppy punk with a smidge of poppy emo thrown in, self-deprecating lyrics and weirdo music videos. Having said that, they also have some strong opinions as LatinX men, and that can be heard in their often very politically charged songs. I have to say, I was pretty in to them, and immediately bought their last album, which came out in 2024.
The next few hours were a melee of running up and down and up and then partway down and then back up and then all the way down and then back up again! I don’t care what else is happening; I will follow Sam King and Ceschi everywhere they play. Codefendants absolutely destroyed the house in one of the most electrifying performances I’ve seen from them, and I’ve seen quite a few. Ceschi was absolutely on fire, and Sam was definitely enjoying the ride.
I popped in upstairs right quick to check a song or two by Nerf Herder (the lighting up there was horrendous, as were my photos!), before running back downstairs to see Sam King one more time with his band Get Dead. The cramped basement of The Belasco was the perfect setting for Sam and the boys to do their thing, and I saw so many friends I met at the NOFX final shows in the Get Dead crowd, that it felt like a homecoming of sorts. And Get Dead gave us all exactly what we needed!
Loved Nerf Herder, hated the lighting… photo by kim moenich
Dead To Me, whom I haven’t seen in over a decade, was just as much fun as I remembered. While we haven’t gotten a new album from them in a decade, maybe this show will be the impetus they need to crank out some new tunes and give the people what they want!
Teenage Bottlerocket came to kick ass and take names, but they’ve already forgotten what yours was. Ray promised me some good jump photos this show, and he definitely delivered, giving us at four high kicks. Unfortunately, the one I was positioned perfectly for was interrupted by a fellow photographer who chose that exact moment to walk in front of my list. Thanks, guy. I’ll remember that. But Bottlerocket managed to put a smile back on my face with their silly antics and kickass tunes!
Much to everyone’s chagrin, the OG’s Swingin’ Utters were scheduled to play on the small upstairs stage at the same time that Dillinger Four was playing downstairs. Even D4 commented that they thought the organizers got it wrong when they scheduled D4 to play the main stage instead of Swingin’ Utters, and we all agreed. Dillinger Four put on a killer show, of course, but it sucked to be missing Swingin’ Utters just to get the D4 pics! It really was a great setlist from Dillinger Four, though, and the crowd was extremely excited throughout their set.
The saddest part about losing Punk Rock Bowling this year was that it has become a gathering place for our punk rock family. Fight to Unite may not have seen quite the crowd of a typical PRB fest, but the lineup was great enough to draw many of my punk sisters and brothers from around the country to spend a weekend in LA enjoying great music for a great cause. Thank you, Sean and Mark, for not just bringing us together, but for always fighting for what’s right. We’re all incredibly fortunate to be a part of this community, and this weekend showed us just how true that is.
