Show Review: Crazy and The Brains, Lollirot, Skorts, PMFD, Soji at Punk Island 2024.
June 8th, 2024.
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Punk Rock on an island rock
June 9th, 2024
Yesterday we popped out from under the sewer to scamper along to Randall’s Island for Punk Island 2024. It was an incredibly long crawl up the East Side River in broad daylight, across Ward’s Island Bridge, to the Harlem River Event Area. Our little rat feet could only shuffle so fast, it took more than an hour. But it was well worth the journey. We arrived under blue skies into a Rock and Roll oasis. We did not see, nor cover, all the incredible acts playing, only a small portion. So here’s our recollection of Crazy and The Brains, Lollirot, Skorts, PMFD, and Soji.
We came up upon Crazy and The Brains shouting “I’m a punk rocker yes I am!” to a crowd of dancing bodies. It was their second to last song. For the last number, they let it all hang out. It took its time, it was a celebration of the music they could conjure up. A tenor saxophone carried the melody like a flaming torch, with guitars providing danceable rhythm and drums banging out a reliable beat. Think Viagra Boys with a more rap lyrical sensibility. It was over much too soon, leaving us wishing we had caught more of the set.
We were present for Lollirot’s opening notes. This power trio ripped. Their bassist/frontwoman took off a shoe to be more nimble with the pedal switching. For one song she screamed “I want to be your boyfriend”. She also had some powerful words about community to say before their song “delicate”. Make no mistake about their music, though. It could be delicate, but it was punk rock power through and through. At one point they pulled out a cover of Nirvana’s Aneurysm. An incredible deep cut.
Across the field we caught the ending of Skorts’s set, they featured two vocalists singing in harmony over growling basslines. It was a spaced out effect perfect for an open field. It was hot, with the temperature topping out just under 80 degrees and this band was an audible heatwave. You felt yourself swaying and melting to their sound. Their last number was triumphant, a mid-tempo groove that could have been stoner rock if not for the flying voices lifting the whole number skyward.
We had never seen or heard Pop Music Fever Dream before this, and a fever dream it was. From the get go they threw themselves into their music without abandon. “It never ends, it never ends, it never ends” their frontman shouted for one number. A single bass note shook the ground under a storm of guitar feedback. Coincidentally, a strong breeze blew in during their set. The noise was hypnotic, we called it crisis-core. At one point all of the guitarists lifted their instruments up behind the heads, like some kind of ritual.
The sun was high for Soji. and this band cooked. They shredded their instruments and their vocal chords. Bass often joined in on their guitarist's manic riffage. Their set rumbled and erupted like an active volcano. A vortex of moshers formed a cyclone in front of the music. Limbs were liberated. Fuck landlords.
That's all we documented. We apologize if we didn’t catch your band's set. There were so many, but our numbers at RCR are small...for now. We saw a bunch of familiar faces, community was strong. We daydreamed a bit about how we could possibly cover all the incredible acts of the day, it would take an expansion of the Rrrat Pack, more vermin getting involved. We have an open call for contributors at all times. If you want to get involved, write to us at rrratcitywriters@gmail.com! Until next time, Punk Island. Make sure to connect with these bands to see their future shows!
