Girl at the Rock Shows

Day two of the three-day Punk Rock Bowling festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, has come to a close. It was another scorcher where my Midwestern ginger butt seemed to spend more time in the shade than out in the sun but that didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the crap out of some amazing bands but new and old. Much like the first day, we have a lot of bands to go through, so let’s just jump right in?

Full disclosure, my friends and I were a bit reluctant to be out in the sun, so we postponed our arrival a bit but made it just in time to catch Nobro. I have been obsessed with this band ever since I heard their song “LALA.” It was the closest thing I had heard to The Blood Brothers in years, and I was in love. I was afraid that their energy wasn’t going to match what I wanted to get from them, but thankfully, I was wrong. Although it was hot as hell on the pavement of the second stage (where they were playing), they filled the intersection with a fiery sense of energy and had the entire audience moving around.

I’ve seen Spiritual Cramp a couple of times now. The first time, I was a bit turned off by vocalist Michael Bingham’s persona on stage. It came off as cocky, bratty, and, truthfully, just rude. Now that I’ve seen them a couple of times, I know that that’s just part of this band’s schtick and I feel like I was finally able to enjoy their set on Sunday for what it is. Spiritual Cramp has a cool sound that bridges fuzz with surf with new-wave with classic punk with– okay, you get it. They nailed it and proved to me that not only is this band making waves and winning over my heart one show at a time, they know how to throw down at a festival even when it’s roasting outside.

Up next was Codefendents. If you haven’t heard this supergroup, I highly suggest you drop everything and check them out. Their sound is super cool and was perfect for the blazing sun. From the more reggae leaning ska breakdowns to the grittier punk-leaning attitude, Codefendents definitely gained some new fans with the perfection of their set. The fact that the iconic Fat Mike (of NOFX and Fat Wreck Chords fame) joined in for a song was just the icing on the cake.

I know I just saw Laura Jane Grace a couple of weeks ago at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in Saint Paul but that didn’t stop the butterflies from forming as she and her band, “The Mississippi Medicals,” took the stage. I’ll be honest, although Laura sounded great, there’s something about seeing her in a more intimate setting that just hits a bit harder for me. Again, it was a great set on Sunday but, after just seeing her in a much smaller room (and even smaller before that when I had the honor of catching her at the super intimate Cloudland in Minneapolis), it just didn’t do it for me.

Bad Nerves brought a whole new sound to Sunday’s line-up. It was classic in all of the right ways and somehow stopped short of feeling old or dated. There was this unique psychedelic undertone to their songs and something almost Beatles-esque at times that definitely caught my attention and made me an instant fan.

FIDLAR is a festival band. Don’t get me wrong, the times I’ve seen them at traditional venues, they have been great but this band was killer as they played on the mainstage on Sunday. Their surf-rock meets skate punk sound had everyone in the audience bopping around. It definitely helped that the sun had started going on by the time they took the stage but I think that their music had more to do with it. It was a fresh and bright set that gave me my thirty-second wind of the day that I so badly needed.

Gang of Four was one of those wildcard bands on the line-up of this festival if you ask me. Their sound, although super great, has never hit me as punk or even punk adjacent but I was wrong on that. Their more stripped-down sound gave everyone in the audience a chance to breathe before kicking things into high gear for the rest of the night. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of energy that radiated from this legendary band but it just was the kind of energy where all you want to do is stand there, taking it all in, with a giant grin on your face and an ice cold drink in your hand.

Out of all of the bands that I’ve seen in the past couple of years, The Interrupters is one that continues to blow my mind and their set on Sunday was no exception. Not only does this band sound flawless when it comes to performing live, their energy is on point. Although the grounds were absolutely packed by the time they took the stage (the heat had finally broke so it felt like the audience was growing exponentially by the minute), something about their set felt so intimate and as if it was meant for me. Obviously, it was not, but to see a band as large as The Interrupters as a festival as large as Punk Rock Bowling and still feel like you were the only one in the audience is truly something amazing.

I was expecting a full band behind Frank Turner. I mean, come on, it’s Punk Rock Bowling. Not a singer-songwriter of a folk kind of festival, but there he was. Frank Turner in all of his glory with an empty stage behind him. Full disclosure, it took me a second to cozy up to the idea of an acoustic set. With the sun setting, it was finally time to have a couple of beers and I was ready to party a bit and I just felt that I wasn’t going to get the vibe I wanted to an acoustic set. I should have known better. Although definitely more low-key when it came to the sound, Frank Turner filled the intersection of the second stage with a sense of community, love, and energy that was absolutely perfect. Although I didn’t hear all of the songs I wanted to (I mean, I could see this man perform every night for a month and I don’t think I would hear everything I wanted), it was a fun set that was highlighted by another appearance of Fat Mike (this time to accompany Frank on a cover of NOFX’s “Bob.”

Out of all of the headliners on this festival, Sunday night’s closer is the one I knew the least about. It was a set from Peter Hook & The Light playing Joy Division songs. Joy Division was never my band and, truthfully, probably never will be. All that being said, I’m not an idiot and understand the importance and legend of this band and, in turn, understand how big of a honor it was to see Peter Hook (one of the original members of this iconic band) live. The way that the music of Peter Hook & The Light floated through the air was perfect. It created this sense of ambiance that was a nice feeling of calm before we were all dumped back into the chaos of Las Vegas.

We are two days down, one to go. Honestly, I hate that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to get back home where it’s not 100 degrees and where I can’t just go downstairs from my room and make some questionable “investments” but, really, this festival is a trip. It feels like home even though I’m hundreds of miles away from my things, friends, boyfriend, and cats and I’m already dreading having to say goodbye.