Live review: Camp Punksylvania: Day 1

Gilbert, PA – 05 July 2024

Welcome campers to the Punk Rock Sleepaway Camp

It’s drop-off day at the punk rock Woodstock known as Camp Punksylvania.  I was a little anxious when I arrived, the new campgrounds, new layout and a fourth stage. I feel much better about this sleepaway camp now that I’ve met some of the counselors and other campers. Ever since we walked through the camp gates and past the skeleton totem things have really just clicked: I’m singing the songs and having fun with all the activities, from circle pits to tattoo artistry. The Riot Squad Media family running Camp Punksylvania do everything in their power to make sure all are welcome, included and celebrated. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the modern punk spirit.

Coffee With Lions kicked the festivities off, not with music but with free beer. While I was disappointed to see only half the band and none of the tunes, the FreeBR was a pretty sweet consolation prize.

The clanking of beers (and kool-aid juice pouches) fed into the surfy Dr Frankensteins Monsters on the WaxPax Stage. Presented by the up and coming WaxPax Records, stage is used loosely here, it’s a converted fairground concession stand. But who cares because that didn’t stop the 3 piece from dropping some tasty jams to get everyone’s blood pumping from the start, imagine The Ventures at CBGBs, but more fun and none of the Hepatitis bathrooms.

The next act to the Wax was One Revived a psychobilly quartet with an upright bass and affinity to Halloween. With racing rhythms and gravel in their throats, the band ripped and roared their way through a top-notch set featuring a guest spot from guitarist Riggs’s daughter, Ripley, and her piercing hardcore shriek that could’ve put most adults to shame. Can’t wait to see more from her in the future.

Opening up the Riot Stage, Suburban Downgrade does what they have done every time I’ve seen them. They tore the fucking roof off. It’s always a blast watching these 3 in any environment because not only were they fantastic in performance but they spent much of the rest of the day dancing their collective asses off to every other band that took the stage. As great as it is to see a band kill it on the stage it is so much more beautiful to watch them grow their scene and community with sincere support.  This weekend proves the punk scene is alive and well, and Suburban Downgrade are doing all the right things to ensure this scene will be around for years to come. 

Speaking of longevity, it’s time for the Main Stage curtain puller DOA.  Having first helped to create the hardcore punk sound, these Canadians have been going for nearly 50 years and after this performance, I don’t believe they have any plans to slow down. With a setlist that ran the gamut of their classic, left-leaning, still sadly relevant catalogue, along with a cover of Edwin Starr’s “War (What is It Good For)” and newer cut “Fucked Up Donald,” about… well… ya know…  the once and future exalted leader unless we get our shit together. The time went fast and the band and fans weren’t necessarily ready for the 30 minute set to end. 

But you know what they say about all good things and endings, besides there were still plenty of great acts to see, so we made our way back to the Riot Stage for veteran Celt-punks Flatfoot 56. If we are being honest, the first thought I had when the band took the stage was “wow, I never knew mic stands could go that high,” but frontman Tobin certainly needed to test the altitude limit to match his Bunyan-esque frame. The Chicago-based quintet roused rabbles and raised spirits. Mandolin and bagpipes were accompanied by bullying drums, distortion-heavy guitars and optimistic lyrics. In light of all that is going wrong in the world, it was something special to experience family spirit and uplifting sound of Flatfoot 56. 

Back to the main stage for the Friday night act I was most looking forward to: The Codefendants backed by Venezuelan post-rockers Zeta. Expectations were far from tempered… and far surpassed. The sharp dressed punk-hop geniuses enthralled the crowd and held them squarely in the palm of their hands from start to finish thanks to a frenetic energy and engaging stage presence while Zeta brought a tropical flare that perfectly fit the sweltering sun. With the audience as jury, The Codefendants delivered a searing testimony to the socio-political climate, sprinkling in elements of the punk, hip-hop  two-tone genres while the Zeta crew in the back upped the ante with spatterings of Afro-Caribbean rhythms that had heads bobbing and asses shaking from start to finish.  This set was absolute perfection and I started to worry that the whole day and the whole weekend were going to be struggling to live up to this performance.

Tasked with the impossible prospect of following this masterpiece up was pop-punk/ska outfit Keep Flying.  If the band wanted to keep themselves from losing its luster in the shadow of The Codefendants they were going to have to come out swinging, they certainly did that, immediately bringing their relatability and musicianship into our ears with bombast. The Smartpunk Records act put smiles across the faces of even the most jaded of punks at the Riot Stage. To close out the first night, 7Seconds headed to the main stage for their distinct brand of positive singalongs.

Quick aside, have a media pass generally gives me access to the photo pit between the stage and the crowd. Having done this for a while I’ve become accustomed to perching on the stage for a couple of songs, but when I walked to the 7Seconds set, I was greeted by a barricade that said “all acces pass members only: all others fuck off,” so in a brief moment of entitlement, I did just that and fucked off to the back of the gathered crowd, feeling validated in my imposter syndrome. It was fleeting, and I’m self-aware enough to know I’m owed nothing but that first track or two from Kevin Seconds and company got lost in my inner monologue temper-tantrum. 

Luckily for me, the set was longer than my knee-jerk bitch-babying and I was able to focus on what I was able to experience being away from the stage. The families who brought their children to share with them the magic of the legends on stage and the scene as a whole, the friends tighter than blood dancing and thrashing along to the community spirit and the new relationships brewing as arms draped around one another to sing along to “Young Til I Die” and the band’s Epic cover of “99 Red Balloons.” Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be part of this scene, even when my own quirks have me feeling like an outsider looking in.

The main stage closed out for the evening, but the night was far from over as many if us were treated to the after-hours glory on the Shadow Stage, a converted storage house at the fairgrounds Camp was held at.

First to the Shadow Stage was viral punk Ian Legge, better known as The Punk Cellist. Exactly as the name suggests, the band takes classic punk songs and creates arrangements of them featuring cello. The highlight of this performance was when Gabe of the Kids In The Pit podcast joined the stage to sing along to the string version of Descendents’ “Suburban Home.” After shredding his bow to a few more classics, the set was closed out and I had an opportunity to chat with Ian.  Dude is an absolute delight and I hope to see him out more often on club tours.

Next up was Radical Operations, who I had never heard of before Camp released set times and I was pleasantly surprised by their rowdy, high energy hardcore.  The Squalors then combined hooligan punk with dancy lines and holy fuck what a great time that turned out to be.  The band secured a special place in my heart closing out their set with the so-far-ahead-of-its-time banger “Whats Up” by 4 Non Blondes featuring a few guests including The What Nows?! frontman Berg.   Veterans The Koffin Kats woke the dead with their outstanding performance of horror-inspired psycho-billy sounds, that kept the energy way up despite the midnight performance.

Final performers, A Day Without Love were the surprise of the night. The trio came out of nowhere (well actually out of Boston by way of Philly) and put on one of the best sets of Day 1. That’s no small feat considering they hit the stage at 1:15am, but the relatability and crowd work coupled with the band’s healthy dose of sweet sounds were like a caffeine enema for those of us lucky enough to catch them.  This is someone I will assuredly be seeing on their next trip to NJ, and I personally can not wait.

I found myself lost in the moment as the stage closed, so much so, that I nearly forgot I was a fucking moron who thought it was a better idea to make the 2-hour drive to and from the event when camping on the grounds was a much better option.  The walk back to my car and the entire drive home, I found myself beaming and singing along to the songs I’d heard throughout the day, internally applauding the organizers and the staff and finding myself ready for the next day’s festivities (but we’ll talk about that next time.).