When I woke up on Saturday morning, it took me a while to process the day ahead. Eleven hours at Sonar. I took a deep breath, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and rolled out of bed. I was drained from the night before, and I’d only gotten my feet wet. I arrived at Sonar a little after 1:00. I ran into a couple I met during the Flamingo Nosebleeds’ set. They were eating pizza and drinking Slurpees with the same glazed look I had. The girl had only gotten three hours of sleep and blisters on her feet. She took one last slurp and then went inside.
The setup remained the same as the night before, except the hamburger stand moved into the alley. The only way to get to the alley was through the back of the lounge, which was up three steps. A security guard had to get my food. This was a minor hiccup, but it was slightly annoying. They should have had one stand inside and one in the alley. The burger was decent; hot and fresh with melty cheese.
Before we get to the music, I have a confession to make. After the Beatnik Termites’ set, I went to the lounge to see Deep Sleep. I went to a vacant corner of the bar, where I promptly fell asleep. I woke up to a middle-aged woman offering me a brownie. It was delicious…I think. Thank you.
I moved around more on the second day trying to see as many bands as I could. Here are the ones that made the biggest impression.
- The Beatnik Termites: The Beatnik Termites are technically a punk band, but not really. Electric doo-wop would be a much better term. Simple songs about the joys and fears of teenage romance played at maximum decibels. Their set was a ton of fun.
- Zapoteks: These guys weren’t on my radar until I met the drummer backstage. We had a conversation about cricket. I still have no idea how to play it. It’s interesting to note that most bands on the bill had a distinctly American sound and sensibility. The Zapoteks were British, and they sounded like it. The riffs weren’t slow, but they weren’t delivered in a rapid fire pace either. The singer had a Cockney affectation, and they whooped like a pack of soccer hooligans. It was a nice change of pace.
- Blacklist Royals: Fast tempo + big choruses + ‘50s retro vibes = Awesome band.
- Teenage Bottlerocket: The first headlining band of the evening. Teenage Bottlerocket were four superballs let loose. They jumped, ran and hit their guitars with a childlike zeal. The crowd responded by slam dancing and stage diving.. Kids ran up onstage and dove into a pulsing sea of humanity. It got dicey a few times, but nobody got hurt. When the band and crowd are feeding off each other, it always creates magic.
- The Smoking Popes: The crowd was drained after Teenage Bottlerocket, so it took a little while for them to warm up to the Popes, but the more relaxed atmosphere suited the band. One of the things that I admired about their set was how unpretentious it was. They got onstage and they played their songs. Again, there was no disconnect between the band and their audience.
- Less Than Jake: The headliners. Less Than Jake are really good at what they do. They have fun songs and tons of energy. However, my tolerance for ska is limited, especially when I am exhausted. I stayed for half their set and decided to beat the crowd. They brought it though, and they are worth seeing live. I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t 1:00 in the morning.
Overall Thoughts: The main thing I took away from Insubordination Fest was the feeling of community. Everyone was there to have good time and support each other, which is the complete opposite of the average corporate rock fest. If you are a fan of punk rock and have never experienced it, grab a couple friends and be prepared to mosh.
Author’s note: I would like to personally thank Chris Thacker of Insubordination Records for hooking me up with VIP passes.