Girl at the Rock Shows

All good things must come to an end and the ending of Punk Rock Bowling 2025 was a perfect one albeit sad. Like I mentioned in my previous posts about this year’s festival, Punk Rock Bowling is a home away from home for me. It’s full of amazing music and like-minded people who just love punk music and the sense of community that comes with it. Although I was excited to get home, I didn’t want to leave and having the last day of the festival being so amazing made it even tougher to say goodbye.

My Monday started with Bad Waitress. The angst that this Toronto-based band brought to the stage was the perfect energy to walk into. This band is one of the few on the line-up that I really didn’t know anything about prior to their set at the festival but I quickly realized that this is a band to keep my eyes on.

If I’m being quite honest, Bar Stool Preachers wasn’t even on my “watch list” for the festival. Due to the amazing layout of this festival, you can see literally every band perform as there is no overlap between bands so I had no excuse not to check them out and I am so glad that I did because they ended up being one of my top sets of the weekend. The energy that this band brought to the stage was insane and although it was the height of the unbearable heat of the day when they were playing, I stood there completely in awe throughout their set and was left wanting so much more.

Angel Du$t brought a hardcore element to Monday’s line-up that definitely caught my attention and my heart. I had heard Angel Du$t before and was definitely excited to see what they were all about, but was not expecting the level of intimidating angst that they had. Their sound, like their stage presence, felt severe and almost menacing in a way, but it was perfect.

Leftöver Crack was up next and I truthfully don’t know what I thought of their set. I’m not super familiar with this band but do have an ex that was obsessed. I never got it. Whenever he would put on their music, I would tune it out because it just didn’t hook me. The band definitely hooked me on Monday but I don’t know that I liked it. I did like the chaos and electricity that the band brought to the stage but, stylistically, their unique sound was just a bit too all over the place for my personal taste. That being said, it was clear that people were excited for the chance to see this legendary band and definitely left the stage satisfied.

I was so bummed when I missed Bridge City Sinners the other night in Minneapolis so was overjoyed that I had a chance to redeem myself by seeing them on Monday. Without a drummer and with a unique neo-folk sound, Bridge City Sinners definitely stood out on the line-up due to their sound but the energy and overall vibe fit in just right with everything else that had happened throughout the weekend. From optimistic tracks about how it’s okay to not be okay to darker and more pessimistic tracks, Bridge City Sinners’ folksy sound was the perfect change-up to the day.

When I posted that I was going to be covering Punk Rock Bowling and asked people who I could not miss, the band that got tagged the most was Riverboat Gamblers and I instantly understood why when they kicked into their set. Their energy instantly had me hooked and I loved the way their sound was as bright as the sun shining down on us but with that classic angst that comes from a solid no-frills kind of punk band.

There were a lot of true legends on the line-up for Punk Rock Bowling this year and one of those bands was The Damned. The Damned are one of the few long-running bands that still has majority original members and that just added to the thrill of seeing them perform on Monday. Although one of the oldest bands, The Damned sounded great and brought as much energy, if not more, than the younger bands that had performed earlier in the day.

I love ska music so, of course, it was an absolute treat to see The Pietasters perform next and hearing their ska meets soul sound float through the Las Vegas air hit perfectly. I’ll be honest, by the time The Pietasters took the stage, I was starting to drag. It had been a long weekend already and the heat was really starting to get to me but the more laid back approach that The Pietasters takes with their music made for the perfect little breather.

Next on the mainstage was FLAG. Although I know why they weren’t billed as Black Flag, this set was essentially a Black Flag set and there’s nothing you can say to me that will change my mind on that. The entire set was Black Flag songs (other than the closing song which was a cover of Richard Berry & The Pharoahs’ “Louie Louie”) and it was truly a dream come true and a check off the bucket list that I never thought would be checked.

Much like Sunday had Frank Turner performing solo, Monday had Amigo the Devil taking the stage all alone. Although he joked about it at first and walked onto the stage to Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself,” Danny Kiranos didn’t struggle at all to catch the massive audience. With his banjo and his signature murderfolk styled songs (yes, that’s a real thing and the best way to describe his folk sound mixed with his dark lyrics that typically revolve around serial killers and death), I loved that there was a light feeling to Amigo’s set but that there was still more than enough energy in the air to keep me going until the final act of the night.

What band got you into punk music? For me, it was Social Distortion. There was something about Mike Ness’ gritty vocals that drew me in. The energy that radiates from this band kept me there and I was absolutely thrilled that they would be the final act of this amazing festival. The band fit twelve songs into their one hour set. That obviously was not enough but I got to hear some of my favorites including “Story of My Life” and “The Creeps.”

Although I definitely never wanted Punk Rock Bowling to end, I’m glad that this was the way it closed out. Like the rest of the weekend, every band that performed brought a different sound to the air but brought the same kind of angsty energy that helped keep me going even though I was exhausted, hot, and so ready to get back home.