Punk’s Not Dead, It Just Drinks Better Beer: Punk in Drublic Comes To Richmond

May 18, 2018 | Events, GUI Podcast, Interview, News, Reviews

On May 12th, the Punk in Drublic festival planted it’s flag in the Bon Secours Redskins Training Center for a day of drinking, music, and sunburns. By noon, droves of VIP pass holders were already beginning their trek into the beer soaked brainchild of NOFX’s Fat Mike. Goal posts on either end of the field were reminders of the location’s vastly different fandom in the late summer.

As temperatures approached 100 degrees, crowds descended on the football field-long row of brewery tents pouring samples into taster glasses provided by the event. With the first band playing at 3 pm, we had hours to fill up on free samples of countless varieties of beer and cider. Unfortunately, shade was a rare commodity at the event. To be fair, no one could have foreseen the near record breaking temperatures so far in advance. Still, most of the crowd seemed in good spirits.

After applying a solid foundation of booze, the audience welcomed The Last Gang to the stage. They had been a band in some shape or form for around 10 years, but this California punk trio only recently signed to Fat Wreck Chords. A few seconds into the first song, it was apparent The Last Gang found the perfect fit at Fat. Driving harmonies, playfully raspy vocals, and a rhythm that begged for a bounce around the dance floor, I wrapped myself in an auditory blanket of 90’s punk rock nostalgia. Brenna, Sean, and Robby were nice enough to sit down with us after their set.

Listen to “GUINTERVIEW – THE LAST GANG (PUNK IN DRUBLIC TOUR) – FISH MUSH” below.

Pick up “THE LAST GANG “KEEP THEM COUNTING” below.

Next up was the always energetic Mad Caddies playing songs with influences across the spectrum of Ska, Punk, Reggae, and New Orleans Jazz. Crowd dancing reached a manic level due partly to frantic energies of the horn section tearing across the stage.

Mad Caddies guitarist Sascha Lazor sat down to talk influences, Guns and Roses, and weird beer.

Listen to “GUINTERVIEW – SASCHA LAZOR OF THE MAD CADDIES (PUNK IN DRUBLIC TOUR) – ONE WEIRD BEER” below

Pre-Order “THE MAD CADDIES: PUNK ROCKSTEADY” here

One of my personal highlights of the day, was seeing The Interrupters for the first time. I dare you to listen to “She’s Kerosene” without dancing around in your chair.

They did not disappoint. The Interrupters tore through an energetic set that sent the smiling crowd into fits of dancing and singing. They looked sharp, played tightly, and rocked Richmond’s faces off.

Pre-Order “THE INTERRUPTERS: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT” below.

As the day cooled down, the music did anything but. Next to the stage, was legendary Bad Religion! I can safely say their set was easily best of the day. For a band that’s been around since the 70’s, they haven’t missed a beat; playing full speed ahead California punk with a ferocity that is unrivaled.

After a few songs, the singer Greg Graffin let the electrified crowd know we were gonna hear “Suffer” in it’s entirety. 24 minutes later as  “Pessimistic Lines” finished, I was nearly in tears.  The Bad Religion set was ironically a religious experience, and worth the price of admission alone.

Pick up “BAD RELIGION: SUFFER” below

After 8 hours of beer, sun, and punk rock, the nearly exhausted crowd stood cheering for the final band to play. The sun began to set as NOFX took the stage to squeeze out every ounce of sweat and energy we had left.

Fat Mike joked they were the “second best” act of the evening (Bad Religion was the first), picked on the crowd, and even made some references to Richmond’s hometown darlings Avail. NOFX proceeded to rip through the last set of the evening as fans crowd surfed, pitted, and joined in with thousands of their newest friends in a sing along to every song.

NOFX bid the screaming audience goodnight, and I looked around to notice something truly special about the crowd. Huddled together and singing along was an audience of drastically different-aged fans. Newly 21 year old kids were singing with old punks shouting every word. Men with knee braces bummed smokes off guys their kids’ age. I heard all the complaints about this tour before critics even had a chance to see it for themselves. “Craft beer isn’t punk” or “It’s a punk show! Tickets should be cheap!”

Ultimately for me, punk was always about the music and community. The Punk in Drublic Festival had both in spades. You can argue all day about nuances of the punk ethos, but at the end of the day, punk isn’t dead; It just drinks better beer. Do yourself a favor, and catch the Brockton, MA show (5/19), Pittsburgh, PA show (5/20), or if at all possible Camp Punk in Drublic in Thornville, OH.

Check out pictures from Punk in Drublic in Richmond, VA 5/12/18. For all of our pictures from the day, click here

Geeks Under the Influence is a trademark of Michael Bickett. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.