Live review: Camp Punksylvania: Day 3

Gilbert, PA – 07 July 2024

Things just keep getting better

You may as well call the Riot Squad team Vanessa Williams because they sure as shit saved the best for last! The third and final day was a non-stop delight. Gone are the days of flea market takeovers, replaced this year by slide-whistle showdowns, absolute legends of the scene and the best damned performance of the weekend!

From the moment I parked the car and wandered to the WaxPax Records Stage there was magic in the air. See, before the listed performers started, the stage hosted an open mic and as I alluded to earlier I arrived in time for a raucous slide-whistle battle. For the next hour or so there was a Sturgill Simpson cover by a local vendor, an acoustic Taking Back Sunday cover by a pair of attendees, a special appearance by Hobo Houston and then an unbelievable Audioslave cover. I wish I caught the performers’ name because they deserve so much praise for crushing it. Open Mic continued as Weftin of The Chemical Imbalance (and 28,384 other killer acts) made a portion of his TGEFM interview become reality with a cover of his recently dissolved band Fat Chance which then turned into a fun cover of “The Campfire Song Song” from Spongebob.

The open mic closed out with an outstanding two-song performance by Acid Rat, followed by quick performances from Tedd Hazard and Condition Oakland before Hazard and C.O. joined Sweet Anne Marie for a beautiful set of delightful and dreamy indie rock. The Sweet Anne Marie Family Band jokes that they are the preeminent skate punk band of Northeastern PA, but in all honesty, they are on of the best in any genre they choose to play.

20 yards away, Career Mode took its high energy pop-punk karaoke to the Riot Stage. I didn’t really know what to expect from this act, but let me tell you how much fucking fin this was! First of all, it’s a true treat to be able to sing along, in a live setting, to Brand New without all the pedophilia Jesse Lacey brings to the table. More important, though, it was quite a moment, watching Black Guy Fawkes, Jared from the Punksgiving organization and Ray from Diavolo Booking, amongst others, singing along to tracks from New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance and even Taylor Swift.

Closing out the weekend on the WaxPax Stage was melodic punk quartet Old Daggers. Turns out Old Daggers are bound to become a new favorite of mine. Technical and fast, the 4-piece brought me back to that Fat Wreck sound I fell in love with decades ago and I personally can not wait for more from these dudes.

Ska-core up-and-comers The Chemical Imbalance took over the Riot Stage with a manic episode in aural form, a crazed cacophony brimming with messages of self improvement and optimism. Frontman Weftin howled, stalked, crawled, bled and even simulated fellatio while stomping and bounding between the stage and the crowd. From now on, when I think catharsis, this will be the performance I think of.

Up next on the Riot Stage was The Whiskey Bats, a horror and street inspired punk outfit guaranteed to make you hop around. Blazing riffs and choruses about Wolfman and his nards, this quartet checked all the boxes and put on one hell of a show.

Utah’s Racist Kramer followed up on the Riot Stage with a ridiculously great blast of throwback punk jams. With elements of the Epi-Fat sound with Drive-Thru Records’ pop sensibilities, the high-desert four-piece brought as many chuckles as circle pits, adding levity to their technical excellence to give a little something for every member of the crowd. From the first time I ever heard the band, I couldn’t understand how they hadn’t blown up yet, after seeing them live… well, fuck… get in on this because it’s immaculate.

Earlier in the weekend there’d been whispers that Some Kind Of Nightmare had to cancel, so I wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t any music when they were scheduled to hit the Main Stage. I took the hint and used it as an excuse for a rest room pit stop… a decision I regretted quickly when I could hear Bad Cop / Bad Cop performing. Turns out it was just a one-song sound check but Jesus Christ, I panicked major… turns out thinking I was going to miss Bad Cop / Bad Cop while standing at a piss trough was Some Kind of Nightmare for sure (see what I did there?)

I headed back to the Riot Stage for the theatrical antics of Brooklyn’s Mary Shelley. This… this right here is exactly the reason I do everything in my power to never miss an opening act or side stage performer. This set was hands down the most unexpected and greatest performance all weekend. The quartet did not simply perform, they put on a goddamned master class in wowing a crowd thanks to ungodly levels of talent, charisma and storytelling. For real, this was a game-changer, check out the band’s tour dates and get yourself out to one of their shows. You will not regret it.

Punchy and politically-charged punks The Venomous Pinks commandeered the Main Stage and owned the entire crowd. Combining kick-ass riffs with politically conscious lyrics, the Pinks were an absolute juggernaut on that stage. The 3-piece is unapologetic and uninhibited in its commitment to kicking ass and sharing knowledge. Drummer Cassie, took the mic to speak on the genocide in Palestine, sharing her stroy and her thoughts based on her heritage. It was a short moment in the set but it has resonated for weeks since.

Back on the Riot Stage, The Galaxy Has Eyes took over. The alt-punk outfit were immediately eye-catching with the band’s matching yellow shirts and bathing suit clad frontperson Kyra. The aesthetic was quickly overshadowed by Kyra’s growl and vocal range. The upstarts won over the crowd with charisma and skill of more seasoned musicians.

Skating Polly kept the crowd energy high on the Main Stage with their genre-bending brilliance. Blending grunge, pop, art-punk and noise the trio beat the heat with their own cool. It’s so hard to not enjoy seeing the next generation show off their skill sets. Returning to the Riot Stage, ska-punk quintet PWRUP brought the fun and revelry by interspersing humor into the stage banter between ass-shaking anthems. 

I first fell in love with Diesel Boy around 25 years ago. Sadly, by the time I’d really found my way to the band they’d stopped touring the East Coast, so out of all the amazing acts this weekend, I was most excited for their performance. They did not disappoint. Performing a strong mix of tracks from across their career, the four piece seemed to  show no signs of rust. Dave Lake and company had a blast on the stage and that translated into the crowd. 

The 100⁰ degree day and my old age meant low blood sugar levels and the need to hydrate took me back to the car for a quick dinner of 2 ham sandwiches from the cooler, a pop tart and 2 water bottles. The dinner break caused me to miss much of Tired Radio but what I was able to get back for was impressive, passionate and fresh-sounding.

Bad Cop / Bad Cop returned to the Main Stage, this time for a full set. What a god damned inspiration they were! From the moment these four rockers took the stage, the crowd was captivated and charmed by their stage presense and musicianship. The quartet wasn’t able to attend last year due to unfortunate circumstances, but my Christ did they make up for it tonight. As a father of young girls, fuck just as a human, it was an empowering experience to watch these rad ladies tear through a flawless set and make the world a better place with every song. The high energy set was an absolute masterpiece that we were all lucky to witness.

The What Nows?! were the final band of the weekend to grace the Riot Stage. The sick ska punk set featured a minimalist brass section, an electric uke and a double shot of lively merry-making.  On top of their burst of social consciousness and revelry, the band deserves extra credit and a gold star for the way frontman Berg and guitarist Austin pulled double duty handling main stage security and sound. If the crowd wasn’t already well over the moon, things went a bit more bonkers when members of Fat Chance came out for a mini reunion.

Less Than Jake then took the stage to close out the Main Stage for 2024.  LTJ have done the near impossible, being a ska band with a tenure, and performances like this guarantee the Floridians will never be without growth in the audience.  As soon as the first chord of set opener “Last One Out Of Liberty City” kicked in, the pit was filled in like a wholesale club’s can of sardines.  With nary a movement possible, the crowd had no choice but to join in the fun.  And join it they did. I felt the crowd energy feed into my own and reignite the fire that used to burn, bringing me back to ‘99.  The thing that has always made Less Than Jake so impressive in my eyes was the way they can own a crowd, but tonight I realized the audience is not in the subservient role I previously thought, they are in a partnership with each person in the pit and the show is greater than the sum of its own parts. The band ran the gamut of their discography, including the standards; “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts,” “The Science of Selling Yourself Short,” “Dopeman” and “Gainesville Rock City.”  The show was proof that not only could LTJ curate a set from all over their voluminous discography but that they could still put together a transformative show. 

After Less Than Jake closed down the proper portion of the show on the Main Stage, it was time for the Shadow Stage to step into the spotlight with a trio of great performances. Unfortunately, Sammy Kay wasn’t able to make it out (you can find more and help here), so the festivities instead kicked off with Black Guy Fawkes.  The emotionally charged acoustic set was magnetic, attracting everyone to the stage, captivated by the heartfelt and raw sound. There was a Taylor Swift cover, there was a quick duet with  Linh Le of Bad Cop / Bad Cop and best of all, there was an uplifting performance from one of the best to do it.

Poli Van Dam and her band were next up and the former member of The Bombpops needed no time to make a big impression. In addition to performing a few songs from her former act, Poli performed a haunting cover of the aptly titled Nirvana track “Polly” and closed out her set with some Leftover Crack. Her performance was bright and brash and a stark reminder that sometimes the parts are greater than the sum, in the case of Poli Van Dam being on her own musically has made her exponentially better.

Finally, to close out the festival, Escape From The Zoo, brought the ruckus.  The folk-punk, ska, crust amalgamation were top notch start to finish. They were loud, they were fast, they were perfection. It was organized chaos in full harmony as the chorus became scripture and the crowd shouted along to the Gospel of EFTZ. When the crew closed out their set with a medley of hip hop classics performed by EFTZ and members Of the crowd, we were sweaty, we were spent and we were smiling as the moments Imprinted on our collective and personal psyches.

That’s what Camp does to make itself a home for each of us… And really, isn’t that the point of  music and community, the ability to attach itself to a memory and return our soul to that moment for decades to come?