By Jason Schreurs
Punk Rock Bowling is celebrating 20 years of debauchery in the desert on May 25 through 28. Headliners such as Rise Against, NOFX, Suicidal Tendencies, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are sure to draw fervent crowds of punks in Vegas, but here are 20 other must-see picks from the main festival stage and the abundance of club shows.
Festival Stage Picks
Sure, there are a lot of larger names on the PRB lineup, but one smaller band making a ruckus with their high-octane punk sound and over-the-top live show are Moscow’s exiled darlings Svetlanas. Said to be banned in their homeland for their anti-government messages, the rumor is that listening to their music can get you locked up in Mother Russia. The chance to watch vocalist Olga lose it during tunes like “I Must Break You” and “KGB Is Dead” makes their set one worth catching.
After several years on hiatus due to what can only be considered incredibly bad luck—such as having their entire van and all their equipment stolen in 2014—Oregon bluegrass punks Larry And His Flask are sure to inject some pep into the PRB festival stage lineup. Known for their rambunctious, hyper performances and “Slayer on strings” sound, Larry And His Flask will be the perfect relief from yet another street punk band.
Teeming with melodic hooks and vocals, Texan garage punks The Marked Men are always a must-see at every festival they play. Their appearance at PRB is sure to be a bouncy, fun time with countless opportunities to sing along, hug your buddies, and dance a jig or two. Just don’t overextend those crowd-surfing privileges. With their last album, Ghosts, released way back in 2009, catching The Marked Men on a festival stage is a rare treat.
Widely regarded as one of the original purveyors of grunge punk, Los Angeles legends L7 have seen a resurgence in the past few years after a long-awaited reunion in 2014. More relevant than ever, the band’s grimy, grungy classics such as “Pretend We’re Dead,” “Shit List,” and “Shove”—featuring sneering lead vocals from guitarist Donita Sparks—have never sounded better. L7 will bring the noise to the PRB mainstage!
Despite receiving mixed reviews on their most recent headlining reunion tour, El Paso post-hardcore stalwarts At The Drive In always thrive on a festival stage. Finishing off Monday night with what should be an explosive set—and led by the one-of-a-kind stage moves of spastic marionette vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala—At The Drive In are this year’s answer to Refused.
Backed by one of the most solid trios of punk musicians in existence right now, Laura Jane Grace has confidently led Florida’s Against Me! into the pantheon of truly amazing bands. Whether they’re playing earlier material from their gruff, genre-defying debut album, Reinventing Axl Rose, or more mature material from the new lineup’s two albums, 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues and 2016’s Shape Shift With Me, an Against Me! live show is pure punch from start to finish and a crucial rallying cry for marginalized punk fans.
A Los Angeles punk rock institution, X formed more than 40 years ago. Led by enigmatic vocalist Exene Cervenka and guitarist John Doe, X are undoubtedly one of the biggest coups for this year’s PRB lineup, making their first-ever appearance at the festival. Those in the front row singing along to X tunes such as “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene” and “I’m Coming Over” will very quickly claim scene-vet status.
The PRB crowd for Norwegian rockers Turbonegro will surely feature members of their Turbojugend fan club from the far reaches of the world. Those not sporting a Turbo vest—or kutte—from their own hometown need not worry, though, as the Turbojugend are probably the most welcoming musical gang this side of the Juggalos, and the music of their namesake band is at least 100 times better. Watch the pit open up wide during “Prince of the Rodeo.”
Steve Ignorant & Paranoid Visions Present: Crass Songs ’77–‘84
U.K. crust punk originators Crass were known for their spectacle of feedback and screaming through an anarchist lens and are still, to this day, considered one of the most influential punk bands ever. So, when Crass cofounder Steve Ignorant took to the road performing Crass songs in 2007, the band’s dedicated fan base took notice, despite the absence of their other cofounder Penny Rimbaud. They now perform under the moniker Steve Ignorant & Paranoid Visions, and Crass fans at this year’s PRB can expect a set of classic anarchist punk from the band’s seminal first four albums.
Every PRB needs at least one notable old-school British punk band to up the Oi! quotient. And while bands such as Discharge and The Exploited, both featured in previous years’ lineups, might be slightly larger names, our money’s on GBH—also known as Charged GBH—to deliver the extra crush. Formed in the late ‘70s and known for circle-pit-inducing tunes such as “City Baby Attacked By Rats” and “Sick Boy,” GBH’s set on the festival stage will be a sweaty mess of lukewarm beer and spiked jackets.
Club Show Picks
What better band to begin highlighting PRB’s vast club lineup with than Gainesville, Florida’s own Hot Water Music? Supporting a new album on Rise Records, Light It Up, the bearded men who always sound like they’ve gargled sandpaper and Epsom salt before every show will surely deliver another heart-on-sleeve, chest-pounding performance. No confirmation on whether their fallen brother Chris Wollard will return to the fold—Wollard bowed out at Gainesville’s FEST last year due to health issues—but if not, the rest of the members will surely truck on and do him proud.
Leading a rallying cry for troubled times, Strike Anywhere return to PRB with the chant-alongs and extreme pogoing made famous in their anthemic melodic hardcore sets. Led by dreadlocked vocalist and acrobat Thomas Barnett, the Richmond, Virginia, five-piece are one of the most energetic live punk bands and always leave their crowds with a huge perma-grin plastered across their faces. Apparently, revolution feeds the soul.
Featured on a stacked lineup with the focus on Hot Water Music and Strike Anywhere, San Francisco melodic punkers Dead To Me will be able to just do what they do best: bomb through a killer set of hook-filled precision punk. Vocalist and guitarist Jack Dalrymple writes lyrics that cut through the mix with poignancy, and what other band can boast that they have a member named Ken Yamazaki? (Well, besides Western Addiction. See below.)
Headlining a club show that will appeal to old-school punkers and skate rats alike, hopefully vastly underrated ‘80s hardcore legends Zero Boys will play the majority of their seminal 1982 album Vicious Circle. With their recorded output in the ‘90s and a self-released album in 2014, Monkey, Zero Boys have kept their chops mega-tight through the years.
Punk for skaters, by skaters, San Jose’s The Faction are probably best known for featuring skateboarding legend Steve Caballero in their ranks as a bassist and vocalist throughout the years. Their rare performance at PRB carries on the festival’s fine tradition of putting skate punk into the clubs. Watch the crowd go totally radical when The Faction launch into “Skate and Destroy,” but be sure to check your old-school Powell-Peralta deck at the door.
It’s not like PRB needs to earn any more punk points this year, but landing Massachusetts ‘80s hardcore band The Freeze on a club lineup that already includes Zero Boys and The Faction is worthy of at least a few more. Known for their biting lyrics and driving melodies, The Freeze are probably the best dark-horse pick of PRB’s club shows. Here’s hoping they play at least a few tracks off their 1991 Taang! Records classic Misery Loves Company.
Although they’re playing the side stage of a club show lineup that culminates with mainstays Lagwagon and Dillinger Four, San Francisco serrated hardcore punks Western Addiction consistently blaze through live sets that are not to be missed. Featuring killer riffs and screams akin to early Black Flag or Circle Jerks, never disappoint. Pro-tip: Be ready to literally catch vocalist Jason Hall at some point during their set.
Texas power-punkers Hagfish are reuniting for their first PRB appearance since 2015 and will surely lay waste to a club show featuring support from fellow Texans Radioactivity. With their live performances few and far between in recent years, Hagfish will play classic tracks from their ‘90s output, including their 1995 London Records major label experiment …Rocks Your Lame Ass.
It makes perfect sense that Jeff Burke and Mark Ryan’s other hyper-speed project, Radioactivity, would make a club show appearance with their main band The Marked Men already heating up the festival stage. Pairing up with Hagfish makes Radioactivity’s show one of the most anticipated of PRB’s club offerings, if only to see how fast these guys can attack their instruments—and with such precision!
What would Punk Rock Bowling be without a performance from Youth Brigade, led by festival organizers the Stern brothers? Shawn, Mark, and company will be supporting the club show’s headliners, and notorious showstoppers, T.S.O.L., but Youth Brigade are the quintessential band to see at PRB, bringing the whole festival full circle. Adam will be returning on bass after a 10 year hiatus.
Come on, dude, you know you want tickets to this shit! Pick ‘em up here right now!
