The kids moved from room to room like swarms of locusts. When a band finished their set, they would move on. Some went to the main room to hear Kepi Goulie, others moved to the lounge for Protagonist. Others were content to float from room to room, sampling a band and then moving on.
I regret to say that going to festivals every summer had become routine, both as a fan and as a journalist. The ritual never changes. A list of bands is announced, you decide what bands to see and then you sweat it out in a stadium for nine hours. Insubordination Fest was an entirely different animal. Even though I consider myself a fan of punk rock, I had marginal knowledge of the bill and had only been to Sonar once. The weekend was an adventure, and it was a helluva lot of fun.
Friday:
I arrived at 6:00 and drank it all in. Sonar’s main room functioned as both the main stage and the midway. The club stage was devoted to bands of a Canadian persuasion, and the lounge had the look and feel of a basement punk show. Although Insubordination Records is known for pop punk, almost every subgenre was represented. Here are the highlights
- The Night Birds: The Night Birds were on the main stage as I arrived. The songs were short, simple and had a lot of screaming.
- Old Wives: Canada isn’t really known for punk rock, which is why a Canadian stage was a stroke of genius. Old Wives continue the classic punk rock tradition of sweaty dudes and a foxy bassist. She had glasses and wore an Iron Maiden t-shirt. I spent the majority of their set trying to remember facts from the Canada unit of my sixth grade social studies class. In the immortal words of the great philosopher Wayne Campbell, she could wail.
- Flamingo Nosebleed: The lounge stage was my favorite in terms of atmosphere because it reminded me of all the great basement shows I’ve been to. There was nothing between the crowd and the band. I only caught the last song of Flamingo Nosebleed’s set, but they got the crowd going. They even managed to start a four person mosh. Oh to be fourteen again.
- Noise By Numbers: Noise By Numbers reminded me of Jawbreaker. After three lightning fast punk bands, the slower pace was refreshing. Their songs were incredibly melodic and had huge choruses. When the lead singer hit high notes, you could see the veins in his neck. That’s commitment.
- The Hamiltons: The Hamiltons packed the Canadian room. I bumped into the same girl about seven times to keep from blocking the door. That was annoying, but they won me over with their cover of The Ramones’ “Judy Is a Punk.” When they tore into the riff, I looked over at the girl, and she was singing along. The Ramones are the common thread of punk rock. No matter what subgenre is your favorite, it all comes back to those three chords.
- Fear of Lipstick: I’d seen these guys on YouTube, and I made a point of seeing their set. The crowd left the room en masse after The Hamiltons, so there were only about 25 people in the audience. It was their loss, because Fear of Lipstick played one of the most dirty, energetic, sweaty and passionate sets of the weekend. Canadians are usually so nice and polite, but Eric Dagle had a lovely snarl in his voice. The Johnny Ramone-style strumming was even better. Their hands pounded the strings so rapidly that it seemed like a blur.
- The Copyrights: Another highlight. Big riffs, big choruses and a ton of energy. The stage diving began with this set. I preferred to watch it from the safety of backstage.
- American Steel; I shook Rory Henderson’s hand as he walked offstage. It was covered in sweat. These guys had the unenviable task of warming up the crowd before The Queers and they rose to the occasion. The heavy power-pop influence of their music slowed the pace a little bit, which made them the perfect lead-in for The Queers.
- The Queers: Like The Ramones, but a little bit more California surf-inspired. The Queers didn’t say much, just pounded it out for an hour and closed with “Rockaway Beach.” It was a fitting end to the first day.
Tomorrow: Day Two