Punk Rock Bowling 2021 – Legendary – Sunday, September 26

Table of Contents

PUNK ROCK BOWLING – CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY

MAIN STAGE

Devo | Lunachicks | Murder City Devils | All | The Schizophonics | The Last Gang | Babe Patrol

MONSTER STAGE

Municipal Waste | The English Beat | Riverboat Gamblers | MDC | Bridge City Sinners | Crazy & The Brains | The Twits

CLUB SHOWS (BACKSTAGE BAR & BILLIARDS)

Punk Rock Karaoke | Toys That Kill | Infamous Stiffs | Raptors

Punk Rock Bowling accelerated to the finish on Sunday! I started the day off at The Twits… when I got to the Monster Stage, there was a young boy playing the drums (really well). I wasn’t familiar with The Twits, so I thought maybe one of the band members let him play the drums while they were doing their sound check. After he finished his shredding, I saw the other band members walk out onto the stage and I immediately realized this was a band comprised of young, talented musicians. It was awesome!

Next I saw Crazy & The Brains, this was my first time seeing them. Before the band started, the lead singer was relaxing in an office chair on the middle of the stage. He seemed very relaxed and just wheeled around while everyone else in the band got ready to perform. I wasn’t sure what to expect (music-wise), and I was pleasantly surprised once they started. They were really fun and it just goes to show you that even the bands that go on earlier in the day at Punk Rock Bowling are spectacular! You can’t miss a single band at Punk Rock Bowling because you never know when your going to see your next “favorite band”!

Over at Punk Rock Bowling’s Main Stage was The Last Gang, I love them! You need to be ready during every moment of the show because you never know when their bass player is going to go leaping into the air. Their singer Brenna has a great voice and also plays a sexy, road-worn telecaster to really fill out the band’s strong, catchy sound.

Bridge City Sinners were getting ready down the side road at the Monster Stage. Again, I wasn’t super familiar with this band, only heard songs by them a few times. They had a gypsy look/vibe… there was a stand-up bass player, a banjo player, a steel guitarist, a violin player, and the singer also played what I think is a mandolin. Also, I should mention, their banjo player (Clyde) has a super mullet! Not to be out-groomed, the steel-guitarist had some pretty outstanding “chops” and bright green patches in his hair. I guess you have to be pretty talented to own this eccentric look, and they definitely are!

The Schizophonics are a small 3 person band that plays like a full-sized rock band. The guitarist/vocalist, Pat Beers, is like a talented Tazmanian Devil. He was all over the place while singing and playing the guitar. He jumped and landed on his knees so many times I thought for sure he was going to be crippled by the end of the show. Half the time he’s playing the guitar, he’s doing it with one hand, which seems impossible because he playing what sounds like one complex riff after another! Amazing!

MDC was one of those bands I’ve wanted to catch for a long time (and honestly I didn’t think I’d see them live). I can relate to a lot of their political views, I wonder if that makes me a radical left lol. “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” – MDC are blunt and outspoken critics that are unafraid to speak about problems within our current political climate with their music.

ALL was next to go on at the Main Stage. The band is comprised of original Descendents members Stephen Egerton (guitar), Karl Alvarez (bass), and Bill Stevenson (drums). They had a huge crowd, made up of All loyalists. They put on a great show! I especially like all the crazy faces Stephen makes when he plays and the wide smiles of drummer Bill Stevenson!

Back at the Monster Stage was one of my all-time favorite bands, Riverboat Gamblers. Lead singer Mike Wiebe is a tall slender guy and when you see him performing live, you realize he must be related to a family of acrobats. Mike’s voice was a little scratchy today, not sure why, but I assume he’s wearing it out by giving his all on every stage Riverboat Gamblers grace. It’s easy to talk about Mike, but Riverboat Gamblers is comprised of several superstars! Fadi El-Assad (guitar), Ian MacDougall (guitar), Rob Marchant (bass), and Ian Walling (drums). Riverboat Gamblers was definitely one of the best bands of the day. They are super energetic and they get the crowd very involved. They started out by bringing a young fan onto the stage to sing with them and the kid did great! It was very fun to see. Then, a member of the Casualties was brought onto stage and sang with them for a song. To finish off their great performance, the singer got into the middle of the pit and got everyone to kneel down and bounce up when the music went on, creating an eruption in the pit!

English Beat had a very notable performance as well. They sounded amazing and had the whole crowd dancing with, each other. They are, in my opinion, the best ska around and definitely helped shape it into what it is today! Then, The Lunachicks played,d they were absolutely amazing! The three women in the band came out dressed up in 80s attire and the drummer had on cool boxer shorts. They put on a great and inspiring performance that was very entertaining. They are a very talented band and one of my favorites from the weekend!

Municipal Waste closed out Punk Rock Bowling’s Monster Stage. They had one of the largest pits I saw all weekend and got everyone very excited for the Main Stage’s headliner, DEVO. DEVO was absolutely awesome! They played fun videos before and during their set of them from when they were younger. They played in their iconic jumpsuits and classic red DEVO hats for parts of the performance. All of my favorite songs by them were played and they had probably one of the best setlists; every song was great and the crowd loved it. Every band came out to watch DEVO because… how could you not! It was a great opportunity to see DEVO perform and they did not disappoint!!

Overall, the festival was absolutely amazing and we can not wait to come back in May!

– Madison Mairs
13 Stitches Magazine