My day was very long, starting approximately 12 hours before doors, but my excitement for the show was great. When I stepped into the smaller hall, Drones was already on. Their energy was contagious and people were vibing hard, a very fitting start for the festival. At some point, members of the band jumped off the stage and carried on playing, with the vocalist, during one of the last songs, getting a girl up on her shoulders. (7)
The Prestige from Paris, France, was the first to go on the big stage. Heavily Converge-influenced, they were a true revelation to me. Their massive
The melodic punk rock band Worriers, hailing from New York, were on the Anti-Flag/Silverstein tour package so being a part of the festival billing made perfect sense. I wasn't familiar with them prior to the show but the quality of their music shone through the 30' they spent on stage. Definitely a band I will keep an eye on. (8)
My third time seeing Silverstein this year was no different than the previous ones. The Canadians were at the top of their game, perfectly executing old and newer songs, while the fans sang their hearts out. It's no secret that Shane Told is a great frontman, but this time I think the guitars stole the spotlight. Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford put on a show of their own behind Told, dancing together and making faces the entire time. (9)
I missed Tusky but got back to catch a glimpse of Reel Big Fish. I'm personally not a fan of the ska sub-genre, so I got out of the room pretty quickly, leaving the fans dancing and singing along, praising the band. (7)
Culture Abuse was up next in the small stage. I'm very happy to see these guys blow up and attracting a pretty good amount of people. The end of the set found the band handing over their instruments to Gouge Away, who performed a couple songs to a very eager audience. (8)
Despite the enthusiastic crowdsurfers throughout Less Than Jake's set, my opinion on them is the same as Reel Big Fish so I came, I saw and headed back to the small stage for Black Peaks. The Brighton-based outfit took the stage by storm and the packed small hall was very welcoming. I had to leave before they finished to secure a good position in front of Anti-Flag's stage (the only downside of the lack of photopit and a zoom lens), but I really enjoyed their performance. (8)
When an acapella voice resounded in the main hall, clear as a bell, with the call to arms ("You've gotta die for your government/die for your country/that's shit") the entire room responded, screaming the lyrics back. Time had come for Anti-Flag to set Patronaat on fire. The band seemed to be in a good mood, playing all their hit songs. Their show was nothing short of exciting; lots of singalongs, crowdsurfing and bassist Chris #2 jumping. What amazed me though was the genuine concern for the fans. At one point, a girl in the front was injured; upon noticing, the band stopped playing to check if she was alright and their techs got into the crowd and catered for her. During "Salvation", Lauren from Worriers and the brass section of Reel Big Fish joined them on stage. The performance closed with "Brandenburg Gate", during which the drums and bass were set up in the crowd and half the band finished the song among the fans. (10)
After a quick sprint to the small stage, "the motherfucking Cancer Bats" kicked off the after-party with "Gatekeeper". Although the Canadians gathered quite an audience, only few of the kids were brave enough to engage into moshpits. This didn't stop the band from putting on an amazing show regardless, playing fan-favorite songs. During "Sabotage", Chris #2 (who had at that point watched all the bands) joined Cancer Bats on stage. It was great to see kids at the front screaming along to the lyrics and having a good time despite having spent all day in the venue. (10)
At the end of the show, I was quite tired, pretty sore but very content.
Words and pictures by Dearohwell photography
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag |
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| Anti-Flag x Worriers x Reel Big Fish |
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| Cancer Bats x Anti-Flag |
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| Cancer Bats |
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| Cancer Bats |
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| Cancer Bats |
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| Cancer Bats |
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| Cancer Bats |
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| Cancer Bats x Anti-Flag |
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| Cancer Bats |
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| Black Peaks |
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| Black Peaks |
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| Black Peaks |
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| Black Peaks |
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| Black Peaks |
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| Less Than Jake |
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| Less Than Jake |
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| Culture Abuse |
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| Culture Abuse |
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| Culture Abuse |
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| Culture Abuse |
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| Culture Abuse |
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| Culture Abuse x Gouge Away |
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| Culture Abuse x Gouge Away |
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| Reel Big Fish |
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| Reel Big Fish |
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| Reel Big Fish |
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| Reel Big Fish |
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| Reel Big Fish |
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| Silverstein |
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| Silverstein |
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| Silverstein |
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| Silverstein |
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| Silverstein |
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| Silverstein |
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| Silverstein |
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| Worriers |
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| Worriers |
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| Worriers |
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| The Prestige |
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| The Prestige |
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