Day One of my second ever Punk Rock Bowling, which is only sad because it’s been going for 25 years, which means I’ve missed a lot but I’m trying to catch up. The festival is in Las Vegas, off Fremont Street. There are two stages (bands do not overlap) and 42 bands! Yesterday I caught all 14!
Band 1: Revolt Chix were a great start. They are female fronted and full of energy. I loved their song, Never Give Up.
Band 2: Terror Attack are involved with Punk Rock for Change. Hardcore locals got the crowd going. It was fun to see the field go from empty to full so quickly and early.
Band 3: Shitfire is going down as my favorite surprise of the day. Tons of energy, a musical vibe that brought me energy and a lead singer who filled the space and shared it with the band.
Band 4; Bullshit Detector has an angry sound with a harsh voice that captures attention. You made us like this is a great song for an audience singalong.
Band 5: Maid of Ace include four sisters. Big nod to sisters who can be in a band together for so long and sound great. The energy from the drummer is wow. Loved, Stone Cold Killer
Band 6: Civic is a band from Australia with a more paced, sharper edge.
Band 7: Lambrini Girls are a favorite of mine. I saw them recently in Minneapolis. They have power and a great sound. The show yesterday was very much in line with what I saw at First Avenue last week.
Band 8: Up Chuck changes the pace in a great way. They modernized the old school punk political sound. You could feel the bass from a mile away. And drummer who can also sing like that – in Spanish? Wow.
Band 9: Youth Brigade came on to remind us of what old school nazi hating punks sounds like. Nostaligc and still on their game!
Band 10: The Adicts are an old school band that I never saw because if I had seen the Droog Army back in the day it would have changed my life. Turns out I’m still a big fan on Clockwork Orange.
Band 11: Cockney Rejects – most blasts from the past. And they opened with a solid reminder that punk is about fighting fascism. Love the music, love the accents.
Band 12: Power Trip is bringing a Texas metal twinge to the stage. The classic metal hair swing is always fun to see.
Band 13: Bouncing Souls own the bouncing name. They got the crowd jumping. The guys next to me sang along to every song – full voiced. Just made me love the experience more to see such adoration.
Band 14: Cock Sparrer did not disappoint. We’d been listening to them on and off from the drive from Portland. They played some new music; I really like Hand on Heart.
Mostly Minnesota 