Whip It Good

Well, that’s a wrap on day two of Punk Rock Bowling in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. I still haven’t gotten sunburnt, which, in all honesty, is super surprising. I still have a couple of dollars left in my bank account, and I can still walk. All in all, this weekend is going swimmingly.

I’m not going to sit here and talk your ear off with a long intro. Honestly, I can’t come up with one right now, and I would much rather spend my time outside and people-watching than cooped up in my hotel room trying to find things to say, so let’s just jump into my highlights from Sunday. Much like the post from Saturday, these mentions and snippets from my Sunday are in no particular order:

Destroy Boys – This California band has been on my list to see for a while now, and they definitely left me impressed with their set on Sunday. Not only did they sound perfect, but they also brought a perfect amount of angst and endless energy to the main stage. Vocalist Alexia Roditis was the only performer to climb the scaffolding of the mainstage, and although that has nothing to do with the music, it definitely added that magic touch to an already fantastic set.

Rocket From The Crypt – Who doesn’t love a punk band with horns? Looking back, I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever seen this band perform before, but they sounded absolutely amazing. Their unique brand of punk was chill and a bit slower-paced than some of the other music on Sunday, but it was still full of energy and fun. Seeing this band on Sunday definitely makes me uber-excited about their visit to Surly Brewing in Minneapolis this fall.

Starcrawler – I have seen this band a couple of times now and, although I always thoroughly enjoy them, they’ve just never stuck with me or really stood out in a way. That changed when I saw them on Sunday. Some bands are indoor bands that do best playing small and intimate venues, other bands are festival bands who do best outside with a giant crowd. Starcrawler is clearly one of the latter and their ridiculously energetic set had me sold.

Snõõper – One of the friends I am here with has been talking about this band ever since randomly catching them at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, so I was stoked to finally see what the hype was about. What caught me about this band outside of their fantastic sound was how vocalist Blair Tramel didn’t stand still for a second throughout their set. Blair constantly bounced around, adding an undeniable sense of perfect energy to an already perfect set. That being said, the way Blair’s energy made me feel tired and lazy and the way one of the guitarists had a mullet that puts mine to shame, well, this was one of those bands that I wanted to hate but, at the end of the day, I just can’t. Check out Snõõper, and thank me later.

The Chats – I honestly don’t know why this band wasn’t put on the mainstage, but that’s not my call. The Chats had a massive crowd gathered at the smaller side stage for their set. Having seen this trio a couple of times before, I knew what the audience was about to get, but I honestly think I forgot how much fun this group is. The Chats are one of those bands that really doesn’t care about anything other than giving you a down-and-dirty set, and that’s exactly what they did on Sunday.

Devo – I mean, could I really publish this post without bringing up the headliner of the night? Sure, I’ve seen Devo a couple of times over the past few years, but they never disappoint. Although not a huge fan of this iconic 80s band, they are definitely growing on me because of their live performances. They are fun and truly immersive with the quirky and larger-than-life visuals that come with them. They were a great way to close out day two of this amazing festival.

There’s only one day left of Punk Rock Bowling 2024. I’m super bummed about this but am also ready to get home to a place where I don’t risk a second-degree sunburn by just walking outside. That being said, I’m so ready to get back out there today and experience a final wave of magic before having to go back to my real life.

If you’re out there today, come find me! I’ll be the one wearing black in this sun because, well, we, as the punks, freaks, metalheads, and geeks that we are, just can’t help it. Can we?