Punk Rock Raduno 2 – Bergamo, Italy

It took me some days to recover but here I am spending a few words on the latest edition of the Punk Rock Raduno.
If last year’s edition had been fine, this year the organizers gave their best, creating an exceptional festival, planned down to the last detail.
The Raduno has involved the entire city of Bergamo (bars, park, hostel, shops) by pounding it with acoustic punk from early afternoon (Matt Dee Crack, The Gamits, The Travoltas) and then moving to Edonè for electric concerts.
The festival began on Wednesday, July 12, with the acoustic of Mr. T Experience’s mythical Dr. Frank at Goisis Park. Unfortunately I was not there and I can not add much, but just watch the videos on the web to understand how intense and engaging it was, as was the overwhelming New Bomb Turks concert the next day!
The Punk Rock Raduno for me starts on Friday, July 14th. Because of work I miss the opening concerts of Proton Packs and School Damage, as well as all the acoustic afternoon around Bergamo, but I can arrive in time for the Lone Wolf, with Merel Bat Bites (voice) and the good Ivo on drums. They make a light but very funny and catchy pop punk, then they leave the scene to La Crisi. I admit I belong to the famous Ramonescore genre and they aren’t the maximum to me, but the audience reacts well and is involved!
I want to spend a few words on the positivity of their presence since with them, as with other bands, space has been given to different realities within the punk scene, often charged with being narrow. Here the hardcore, as well as the rock ‘n’ roll or the bubblegum punk melted together perfectly, showing that different realities can coexist.
After them the Peawees. The presentations are superfluous and they were a blast on stage, performing in full Dead End City! The Peawees range from punk to rock ‘n’ roll with great naturalness and are stage animals, especially the frontman. A great concert!
It is the turn of Dr. Frank (Mr. T Experience), accompanied by Lone Wolf. What a show! The Doctor comes on stage already drunk but who cares when he performs an amazing concert! He is involved, the public is involved. What else to say? Perfection! Among the tracks I remember Even Hitler Had A Girlfriend, Ba Ba Ba, Dumb Little Band, Semi-ok, She’s Coming and many more!
DJ Set and we go to sleep at an embarrassing time and wake up too, too soon. But we are ready for the long Saturday that is waiting for us.
It starts early with the acoustic of the Travoltas at the Bergamo Hostel. Bad Religion’s Sorrow in acoustic. Chills.
Back to Edonè. From 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm, there are on stage Ratbones, Honey and Low Dèrive, but I can not enjoy them much because of a very heavy hangover. I also admit I know very little about the three above mentioned bands but what I hear is good!
I recover or I try to do it and it’s time for Pale Lips, a women’s group from Canada. They make an interesting rock ‘n’ roll but the concert is a little quiet. But I liked them and I hope they will go far. The next two groups are Priceduifkes from Belgium (read it as you like) and our Chromosomes.
I had already heard The Priceduifkes live: nice sound and interesting and catchy tracks. On Break Stuff, one of my favorite songs, the good Simone Riccobelli (Riccobellis) is called to sing and the audience goes mad! Nice group and beautiful show! On the other hand, I had never heard The Chromosomes live but only on record. And I was positively amazed! The three are good on stage and make a punk I like. Fast and fun, with no smudges. Good!
Apers’ turn has come!
Kevin eats up the stage: he entertains the audience with funny anecdotes and involves it as a true frontman must know how to do. And he knows it perfectly.
They make so many Apers classics including Every Day Is A Rock And Roll Day, Friday Night Killed Saturday Fun, I’m Totally Barzotto For You (with Simone Riccobelli singing), Mozzarella No More, Jamie Oliver, Sunshine + Riccobellis’ Cover Drunk And High sung by Roby Riccobelli!
But as if it were not enough, the Dutch quartet is reached on stage by John Jughead, the founder of Screeching Weasel! Get Off My Back drives the audience crazy! They never disappoint … A great show!
After them, Retarded, with a reunion on the occasion of this festival, go on stage. They start with the new tracks then go on with the old ones that send the audience into a frenzy!
Then the legendary Nikki Corvette! She shares the stage with her Italian band, the Romeos, and performs a great concert. I remember Girls Like Me because she calls on stage several girls from the first rows to dance with her and What Do I Get, a Buzzcocks cover, which I love! A myth, I love her!
The show ends with the Travoltas: I admit I don’t know them well, but they are fun. First of all, because you see these muscular musicians in a vest so you expect an Agnostic Front style hardcore concert, but the frontman has a Nek style voice (I quote the Massoneria Ramonica blog because it  described them perfectly and made me laugh for 5 minutes), all pop and chorus! The audience reacts very well, they put together a great concert!
In addition to all this, between one concert and another, a small stage was set up next to the main one where several bands from Monster Zero Records alternated in acoustics: Kevin Aper who also made a couple of Queers cover, The Bat Bites with Andrea Manges, Midrake, Dee Cracks, Chris Polecat with John Jughead.
They even made a moving acoustic version of Sloppy Seconds’ You Have A Great Body But Your Records Collection Sucks! Tears!
Concerts finished, everybody dancing to the notes of great punk classics!
On Sunday we leave early in the morning and we say goodbye to this great Raduno, already awaiting the third edition!
A perfect organization. The great guys of Edonè made us eat and drink even when we could not articulate a meaningful sentence. A great staff, thank you!
Thanks to the organizers for giving us an amazing festival: they managed to involve the entire city of Bergamo and its small realities, they brought big bands and organized everything to the last detail. It felt like being a single, big family, even if we had met 5 minutes before. People from all over the world, literally: I met Russian, English, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, Austrian, and American people who came specially for this event (to let you know the extent it has reached and I hope it to increase).
Thanks, you made us feel at home! And thanks to all the old and new friends I’ve met, punk is especially this: friendship, sharing, music and lots of beer to drink together! Until next time!

Live report by V.P.
Translation by E.C.