SEPTEMBER 4th, 2022
PUNK IN DRUBLIC
Review by Metallic Barbie
Photos by Peter Ruttan
Have you ever wished for nostalgic punk bands to coalesce in one area all at the same time while you have endless access to beer and local food trucks? Look no further! Had you attended Punk in Drublic at the Tradex hangar in Abbotsford on Sunday of the Labour Day Weekend, you would have had your wish come true. Pairing craft beer and punk bands that span from 1977 to present day, the festival set the stage for full-on debauchery.
The day began with local beer tastings from the likes of local brew houses Yellow Dog, Five Roads, and Container, to name a few. After draining the provided monikered tasting glass, Rest Easy, a blended Vancouver and Washington State group, got the music started and christened the stage.
Modern Terror picked up the torch from there, local punks who have been destroying the scene almost 10 years and running. While Teenagse Bottlerocket was advertised to be on the docket, fans were instead greeted by ska punk veterans Voodoo Glow Skulls, who delivered their own cocktail of on-point off-sidedness.
Next up was Strung Out, the heaviest of the line-up, known for their melodic punk prog/metal fusions. Crunching out riffs more akin to the rock genre, the band caresses the speedy, lyrically-heavy punk world with a cactus vest all while dropping energy bombs on par with the crowd.
PUP (aka Pathetic Use of Potential) ventured west from Toronto to dick-punch festival goers with a lengthy set including tunes from their Juno-award winning album Morbid Stuff, like “Free at Last” and “Kids”.
Sub-headliners Descendants have been smashing faces since 1977 and this day was no different. Exploding with “Everything Sux”, “I’m the One” and “Silly Girl” to name a few, vocalist Milo Aukerman, guitarist Stephen Egerton, bassist Karl Alvarez, and skin man Bill Stevenson delivered to the hungry masses exactly what they were craving.
Closing out the night to great anticipation, Fat Mike (vocals/bass), Eric Melvin (guitar), Erik Sandin (drums), and El Hefe (guitar, trumpet) aka NOFX, geared up and stormed down on the crowd with a combination set of both music and comedy. No one was safe with jokes about Pakistanis, Mexicans, and the trans community with Fat Mike self-identifying as “trans-parent”. All was in good fun, and NOFX crushed tunes at their namesake festival, wildly loved as the anti-sell-outs (since they have never been signed to a major label).
“Fuck the Kids (Part I)”, “I Wanna Be an Alcoholic”, “72 Hookers” and “Linoleum”/“Linewleum” were just some of the bangers set off by NOFX and for those of the crowd still standing – it was an intimate show with all the sweat and smells of a high heat outdoor festival.
Either fast and furious or playing the long game, most of the vest-wearing, patch-proliferating knuckleheads were able to survive a day of drinking that started almost 10 hours before the end of the show, but it was clear: Abbotsford needed more practice.
Like Fat Mike said at the front end of the set: why wasn’t this bitch set up to happen in downtown Vancouver?
Gripe as I do here and there, that’s truly the biggest downfall and likely the biggest impediment to this festival being even close to full: it was impossible to get to without driving which forced a good many to either stay sober (sacrilege!) or leave their cars overnight, which wasn’t allowed. So Punk in Drublic – for future reference – get your shit together and host this thing somewhere more drunken user friendly.
Modern Terror picked up the torch from there, local punks who have been destroying the scene almost 10 years and running. While Teenagse Bottlerocket was advertised to be on the docket, fans were instead greeted by ska punk veterans Voodoo Glow Skulls, who delivered their own cocktail of on-point off-sidedness.
Next up was Strung Out, the heaviest of the line-up, known for their melodic punk prog/metal fusions. Crunching out riffs more akin to the rock genre, the band caresses the speedy, lyrically-heavy punk world with a cactus vest all while dropping energy bombs on par with the crowd.
PUP (aka Pathetic Use of Potential) ventured west from Toronto to dick-punch festival goers with a lengthy set including tunes from their Juno-award winning album Morbid Stuff, like “Free at Last” and “Kids”.
Sub-headliners Descendants have been smashing faces since 1977 and this day was no different. Exploding with “Everything Sux”, “I’m the One” and “Silly Girl” to name a few, vocalist Milo Aukerman, guitarist Stephen Egerton, bassist Karl Alvarez, and skin man Bill Stevenson delivered to the hungry masses exactly what they were craving.
Closing out the night to great anticipation, Fat Mike (vocals/bass), Eric Melvin (guitar), Erik Sandin (drums), and El Hefe (guitar, trumpet) aka NOFX, geared up and stormed down on the crowd with a combination set of both music and comedy. No one was safe with jokes about Pakistanis, Mexicans, and the trans community with Fat Mike self-identifying as “trans-parent”. All was in good fun, and NOFX crushed tunes at their namesake festival, wildly loved as the anti-sell-outs (since they have never been signed to a major label).
“Fuck the Kids (Part I)”, “I Wanna Be an Alcoholic”, “72 Hookers” and “Linoleum”/“Linewleum” were just some of the bangers set off by NOFX and for those of the crowd still standing – it was an intimate show with all the sweat and smells of a high heat outdoor festival.
Either fast and furious or playing the long game, most of the vest-wearing, patch-proliferating knuckleheads were able to survive a day of drinking that started almost 10 hours before the end of the show, but it was clear: Abbotsford needed more practice.
Like Fat Mike said at the front end of the set: why wasn’t this bitch set up to happen in downtown Vancouver?
Gripe as I do here and there, that’s truly the biggest downfall and likely the biggest impediment to this festival being even close to full: it was impossible to get to without driving which forced a good many to either stay sober (sacrilege!) or leave their cars overnight, which wasn’t allowed. So Punk in Drublic – for future reference – get your shit together and host this thing somewhere more drunken user friendly.