Live Review: Insubordination Fest
Posted 07/13/2010 05:45AM by Stephen Harris as Show Review
Day 1
On the weekend of June 25-26, I had the pleasure of attending the fifth Insubordination Fest in Baltimore, MD. For all things sweaty, PBR-fueled, and punk, this is the festival to go to. With over 60 bands spread out over 2 days, I wasn’t able to see nearly half the bands that played, but what I did get to see was enough to last me for a while
When I first arrived at Sonar in Baltimore, I was greeted with 50 or so odd punk kids sitting in front of the venue. While it may have looked deplorable to Baltimore’s more ‘normal’ population, it let me know that I was among my people, and that we were going to have a good time. The venue was set up nicely, with three stages of varying size. While the largest stage was in a huge (and well air-conditioned!) room, none of the sets were lacking in intimacy.
Dear Landlord kicked my weekend off with their blazing brand of rough-edged pop-punk. They were only able to play a 20 minute set because of strict time lines (which were followed with surprising efficiency), but they blazed through a ton of songs and got the crowd going off, stage diving, and singing along with every word.
After Dear Landlord, there weren’t any bands that I was dying to see, so I just decided to see small portions of other bands that were playing. Kepi Ghoulie played an entertaining acoustic set to fill in for some bands that couldn’t make it. He played a Hank Williams song, and his bass player was a hot lady, so it was a happy discovery. Somehow, unknown Noise By Numbers got to play on the main stage, and they were awful. The crowd wasn’t into their combination of a punkier but less compelling Bayside, and the singer was horribly off-key. Their spot on the main stage could have been filled by a myriad of other better bands. Next, I made my way to the smallest stage to see the young melodic hardcore band Protagonist. Their songs weren’t anything special, but they had tons of energy. I don’t particularly enjoy their recorded output, but they put on a fun show. Next was Iron Chic, a post-Latterman project who have been getting quite a bit of buzz in the punk community. They’re known for their tight, complex punk anthems, and their live show did not disappoint. They hit every note perfectly and even pulled off a cover of Green Day’s “She,” which everyone went ballistic for. They should have been on the main stage.
After this I wondered around some more, with Fear of Lipstick / The Creeps / The Hextails / The Homewreckers all blending together. No offense to these four bands, but punk music gets homogeneous far too easily. Figure out some way to set yourself apart or don’t bother picking up your instruments.
Before The Copyrights began playing, I kept hearing people whisper to each other stuff like, “Hey, let’s go early and get a good spot for The Copyrights.” I wasn’t a huge fan, but I figured I might as well give it a shot. While their music still doesn’t thrill me, they put on a fun show, and most people were going absolutely crazy. I guess I’m missing out on something great, but I still don’t get it.
American Steel closed the night for me in a grand fashion. The crowd was a little smaller, but no less subdued (because most people were super-drunk at this point). They played tightly, showing themselves to have been working on their craft for a long time. They bummed me a little bit by playing mostly older stuff (their newest album Dear Friends and Gentle Hears was one of the best albums of 2009), but they were awesome nonetheless. After this stellar show, I went home to rest my weary feet.
Day 2
I returned the next day, this time with my wife in tow. She isn’t a big fan of any of the bands playing, but she is a big fan of spending time with me, so it was a win-win for both of us. Or it was, until we found out my name wasn’t on the guest list as promised by the promoters. Fortunately, through a fortuitous encounter with a security guard who wanted a shot of vodka, we were able to get in just in time to see Off With Their Heads, who tore through their set with ardor. The crowd loved it, I loved it, and even my wife loved it. Behind their gruff exterior, they have a molten power-pop core that comes out even stronger in their live show
After this we checked out The Max Levine Ensemble who didn’t live up to the hype and turned out to be more annoying than good. So we hopped over to the main stage to watch The Huntingtons and their awesome Ramones impression. They were fun and gave me a nostalgic feeling for way back when Tooth and Nail Records was actually a label worth paying attention to.
Next, I was finally able to see The Menzingers, whom I’ve been obsessing over for the last few months. They played on the medium stage to a crowd who piled on and sang along to every word while the band exuded passion, emphasis, and intensity. Their live show lived up to the hype and I know now not to miss them if they ever come back through town. Chamberlain Waits, their newest full-length, is amazing, and they should be blowing up anytime now.
Things kind of blurred together after this point. The Methadones played alright for a bunch of old guys, but I didn’t know one song by them, so we were just bored. Teenage Bottlerocket was another band doing a Ramones impression, but still managed to get a huge reaction from the crowd. Their use of dynamics and banter between songs give them the air of a much more experienced band, and I’m going to be sure to see them again next time they come to town. A ton of people left after Teenage Bottlerocket, which sucks because while the The Smoking Popes are a little more sensitive than the other bands playing, they put on a great show and proved that a little variation in songwriting goes a long way. I’m really glad they’re back together and touring. Less Than Jake closed the fest, and they were everything they were expected to be: raucous, loud, and fun. They were in an old-song mood but didn’t hit many notes off of Hello Rockview, my personal favorite. So while it was an energetic show, it didn’t make me feel like I was 12 years old again.
During their set, Less Than Jake asked the crowd if they were having more fun here than at Warped Tour, and the crowd erupted in the affirmative. I have to heartily agree. Punk rock is alive and well en masse at festivals like this, where it has died or at least gone into hiding on Warped Tour. Any fan of real punk should make it a point to make it to fests like Insubordination Fest sometime soon. Otherwise, you’re missing out on something that we all thought went into hibernation a long time ago.
Comments
Fishers, Indiana
Well I'm gonna check out Off With Their Heads pronto. You had me at "molten power-pop core."
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