PUNK ROCK HOLIDAY 1.8: The summertime punk party!
WARM-UP DAY
And so that’s it. Another edition of the best punk holiday is here. And we are ready to start this 5-day journey into punk rock! Eight years, it seems unbelievable now, to be still here, in this festival, that changed, of course, but is still the same in spirit and in the heart. And so let’s do it!
We arrived early in the morning, just to be there and, you know, enjoy the chilly river and start to say hi to all the people that we know and meet every year in this beautiful valley.
Drink, swim, hi, drink, and it’s already time for the first band. This year, the first band on stage are the Ducking Punches from the UK. That means some good British punk rock, the best way to start!
Union 13 is a hardcore/street punk band from L.A., who play together since 1992, and they are here in Tolmin for the first time. They sing in Spanish and English, and the singer. Edward, is so powerful and charismatic that, fuck yeah, it was a great show! They ended with a beautiful cover of ‘Roots Radicals’ in Spanish.
It’s time for Dog Eat Dog, and they gave us a great show with their mixed sound of hardcore, ska, punk and whatever fits well in the song.
Back to the main stage, after some chatting with bands and friends, to see Hladno Pivo, Croatian punk band, or well, can I say ‘combat punk’? Yes, I think I can say that. Anyway, I really like them!
A couple of Slovenian bands to warm up the night: Happy Ol’ McWeasel, folk Celtic punk band which always delivers a great show. And Elvis Jackson, for sure, one of the most loved Slovenian punk bands. Both of them played well and they were pure entertainment.
Reaching the end of the first night, let’s move with some rock psychobilly with The Living Ends. First time for them in Tolmin and they didn’t disappoint!
Closing the night, the almighty The Vandals! Completely crazy, funny, irreverent and at the same time technically perfect. Nothing to complain, I like them and they played all my favourite songs, from ‘Anarchy Burger’, ‘My Girlfriend’s Dead’ and ‘I Have A Date’.
It really started with a bang!
DAY 1 – TUESDAY
Another sunny day here in Tolmin! And even if it’s always hard to wake up, let’s be ready for the official starting of the festival. This day brings along Dead Neck, The Menzingers, Comeback Kid, No Fun At All and Mad Caddies.
Before I start talking of the day, I just wanted to thank the Dead Neck guys for the nice chatting and all the gifts. You don’t know them? Well, check ‘em out!
Going around and talking I missed some of the beach stage bands, but, hey, there’s also the festival life! I have time to see Kreshesh Nepitah, Slovenian hardcore band, and A Time To Stand, really good punk rock for the happy hour.
It’s time to go on the main stage because The Menzingers are ready to start. A great show for the band from Philly, not the first time in Tolmin, and I hope not the last. It’s always a pleasure to listen to some actual punk rock.
Another drink and I’m ready for a couple of hardcore sets. Let’s start with Comeback Kid, Canadian melodic hardcore band which really rules! One of the best bands I’ve seen.
Then, it’s time for Terror, and even if they are very good musicians and they paved the way in the hardcore scene, there’s something in their sound that doesn’t catch me. Sorry guys!
Classic Sweden punk rockers No Fun At All hit the stage and the kids went mad! They presented some new songs and they played some good old tunes! What else do you want! Pure energy.
Mad Caddies were the headliners of the first day and they have been incredibly funny, energetic and made everyone dance with their mixed sound of ska, rocksteady and punk. They didn’t want to leave the stage, we didn’t want them to leave. Hope they will come back soon!
DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY
Yo! Still here, in Tolmin, fresh and alive, more or less. Heading to the beach stage from the beginning, for a good refreshing swim, and of course, for some punk rock! Starting with a bunch of good bands such as Bates Motel, Neutral Bombs, Skin of Tears and Charlie Bit My Finger. Four acts, one after the other, to start the day in a really good way.
The second part of the beach stage sets are a fast descent into punk rock: Almeida, Pink Flamingos, The Murderburgers and Chaser, who put up an amazing show.
No time to lose, let’s go back to the main stage for one of the most admired bands of the moment: The Bombpops! I really enjoyed their simple punk rock, their funny exchanges between them on sweating and fuck Americans!
It’s time for a drink – hey, I’m on holiday, don’t judge me – while we wait for Voodoo Glow Skulls the Californian skacore band, which has been a true revelation for me. What a blast! Really, you can’t stop dancing and jumping with them.
H2O hit the stage. And well, they fucking know how to do a show. The setlist was amazing, classic NY hardcore, nothing to prove! It’s always a pleasure to watch them live.
After, another classic Swedish melodic hardcore band, Satanic Surfers. Rodrigo is back on drums, he still sings, and everyone is happy. A good show is granted! A lot of good old songs, some new tracks and a perfect ending with a stage diving!
The last set of the night is on the Berlin based band The Beatsteaks. Well, even if I really like their attitude and a couple of songs, their sound has become something more rock and electronic than the proper punk rock of the beginning (as the famous 30 seconds songs, played uncountable times four years ago). Anyway, even if they are not my cup of tea, I still enjoyed their show, and I sang with them on the covers of ‘Roots Radicals’, ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘Ace of Spades’.
DAY 3 –THURSDAY
Another day is here and we are still alive! I went to the beach just in time to see my new Italian friends, The Enthused. Great job guys, you gonna go far, I hope!
After their punk rock, some fast sets with Spoilers, Snareset and then I missed a couple of bands because I really wanted to talk with This Is A Standoff singer! But I went back just in time to see the two Spanish bands: Crim and Adrenalized. That has been great, you know, good melodic hardcore, drinks, and a chilly river. And after the last swim of the day let’s go in front of the stage for This Is A Standoff! Oh yes, they are what you can expect from a hardcore band. I’ve really really enjoyed them. Powerful, incredibly true in their lyrics and as a band. For sure, one of the best sets of the holidays.
Talking about perfect music techniques, on the main stage, Mute were starting their set. What strikes me most was how the drummer/singer was able to do tricks with his drumset without losing a vocal. Really, really a surprise.
And then, it’s finally time for me to see one of my favourites of this festival: Bad Cop/Bad Cop. Oh, I really loved them. Their perfect mix of punk, feminism, attitude and catchy chorus makes them a must of a live show! I went a little bit crazy with ‘Womanarchist’ and ‘Victoria’. All their set was great and I hope I will have the chance to meet them again.
Moving forward to the next band. The Lillingtons. From a simple punk rock they moved on a more complex sound which is really well played but, I don’t know, they are a bit stiff on stage and, in my opinion, they must have lost some energy along the way.
The next two sets are something I was really waiting to see: Talco and Lagwagon.
Starting with the Italian patchanska band, I have to say that despite being a bit out of shape, all the band members gave their best to deliver a great show. Even if they didn’t played ‘Bella Ciao’ (shame on you guys!), they made us dance and sweating as fuck. Their best moment was ‘La Ballata dei Banditi.
And then it’s time for the headliners of the night, Lagwagon. They started the set with Joey playing in acoustic, and then, well, then there’s not too much to say, because after all these years, they are one of the best punk bands around. They played ‘Let’s Talk About Feelings’ entirely, plus some good classic songs such as ‘Violins’, ‘Alien8’ and ‘Falling Apart’. The show ended with everyone up on stage cheering and singing together!
DAY 4 – FRIDAY
It’s really the last day? No guys, please no. well, if it’s true, let’s enjoy every single moment of this Friday! Starting of course with some bands on the Beach Stage such as Mental Strike, Young Hearts and Trash Candy. And let’s drink some more between one set and the other!
But one of the most expected bands on this stage were Nothington, for one of their last shows before breaking up. And they didn’t disappoint. They put up a great show, the perfect way to conclude the beach stage sets.
On the main stage, let’s start with three melodic hardcore sets: Rebuke, Adhesive and Misconduct. Well, all three bands are from Sweden, and all three deliver a great show, kids are warming up with their songs and some started a mosh and a circle pit.
My favourites were Misconduct that, a part from starting the set with the Star Wars soundtrack, they talked about unity, ecology and society, all with the great energy of a hardcore set!
Another great band which I really wanted to see were Authority Zero. After many changes in the band, they have finally found an equilibrium, and they spread energy all over around with songs such as ‘Broadcasting To The Nations’ and ‘Mexican radio’. Amazing band and a very good show!
It’s time for The Lawrence Arms, a band which I prefer to listen to sitting down with a drink. I don’t know very well their songs and music, but anyway, I enjoyed the show, and the charismatic presence of Brandon.
We are almost at the end, and we are all waiting for the legendary Bad Religion! I think that everyone knows their songs, everyone sings along with them and I can’t resist, I have to go in the middle of the mosh and sing along song such as ‘Fuck You’, ‘American Jesus’ and ‘21st Century Digital Boy’. And then, maybe you heard that they are celebrating 30 years of ‘Suffer’. Well, they played the entire album in 25 minutes! Amazing! One of the best concerts of my life. After all this years, they still rock!
Even if it’s hard to continue after a show like that, there’s one more thing to do… the Karaoke with Pigs Parlament! It’s the moment when everyone is free to sing, party, and have fun! And so, I lost my voice, and before dawn, we went to sleep, tired but happy, as every year.
So guys, if you haven’t been to Punk Rock Holiday yet, buy your tickets now and see you next year for the best punk party ever!
