If there was only one takeaway to be had from this weekend’s punk rock mini-festival at the Belasco, Fight To Unite, it was that the scene’s strong community is absolutely still alive and well.
Yes, there were several great performances from multiple generations of punk bands across the three stages, but the highlight of both evenings was the way in which the venue felt more like a casual get-together for a bunch of old friends rather than a big production.
In every room, hallway, stairwell and balcony on both Friday and Saturday night, artists and musicians (both those playing and not) intermingled with fans, friends and other longtime fixtures of the punk rock world. And with the first day’s lineup skewing much more modern than Saturday’s 35th anniversary party for Fat Wreck Chords (which sold to Hopeless Records last year), the two nights brought out very different generations and sides of the genre.
Surfbort performs at Fight to Unite.
(Dick Slaughter)
Friday night’s festivities were headlined by the brash and electrifying Lambrini Girls (with members of other great current punk bands like Mannequin Pussy, Destroy Boys and Koyo in attendance), who laid into several fan favorites like “Craig David,” “Big D— Energy” and the singalong “C—ology 101” while keeping with the weekend’s heavily anti-Donald Trump and anti-ICE theme.
Aside from the rebellious English rockers, Friday’s other highlights included one of punk’s most captivating frontpersons with Dani Miller showing why Surfbort is always a must-watch band. Aside from mixing new material from this year’s “Reality Star” (like the minute-long “Hot Chicks Cold Beer”) with hits from previous albums (like “Lot Lizard 93,” “FML” and “White Claw Enema Bong Hit” from “Keep on Truckin’”), Miller’s sense of humor and signature stare were both on full display for the band’s main stage set.
Xcomm performing during Fight to Unite at the Belasco.
(Dick Slaughter)
The youngest band on the bill, the local teenagers in Xcomm, played one of the tightest and highest-energy sets of the weekend on the venue’s basement stage — which was constantly a raucous party for most of the first day before slowing down from time to time on Saturday. Spiritual Cramp also lived up to the hype, with the Bay Area sextet bringing their unique multi-genre blend to the Belasco with one of the most musically interesting sets featuring a synth, a tambourine and a lengthy moment where everyone in the band remained perfectly still for several seconds.
Saturday was a much older (but not necessarily more mature) vibe overall both for the bands and the audience for the Fat Wreck Chords celebration. The headliners in Dillinger Four had to start their set to a semi-empty room as Swingin’ Utters finished up their set in the Belasco’s smaller upstairs room (perhaps the most interesting scheduling choice of the weekend, but not the only one), but remain one of the most well-rounded bands from Fat’s history. From angry mosh pits to self-deprecating jokes about everyone “wanting to see chubby old Midwestern guys play songs poorly” to singalong anthems (“Gainesville” felt particularly appropriate with the chorus of “And it feels like summer in October”), the Minneapolis punks delivered with everything fans could want.
Dillinger Four headlines Saturday during Fight to Unite at the Belasco.
(Dick Slaughter)
Before Dillinger Four and Swingin’ Utters closed out the weekend (a little too simultaneously for many people’s liking), the San Francisco combination of Western Addiction and Dead to Me — who share a lot of DNA, including guitarist Ken Yamazaki playing back to back sets with the bands on Saturday — both brought their own flavors of high-energy crowd-pleasing punk to the festival. Dead to Me’s infectious anthems brought life back to the main stage after some in the audience didn’t know quite what to make of Codefendants, and Western Addiction’s more hardcore stylings worked perfectly in the Belasco’s most appropriate basement stage.
Earlier in the day, more recent local Fat Wreck Chords staples like Jen Pop (of the Bombpops) and the Last Gang filled the room at the upstairs stage, while the aforementioned basement opened with a pair of acoustic sets from Ukulele Hiro (covering hits from Blink-182 to Fugazi’s “Waiting Room”) and Swingin’ Utters’ Darius Koski before it turned things up a notch. The beloved skate punk stalwarts in Teenage Bottlerocket also reminded everyone why they’re still the best thing to ever come out of Wyoming even 10 albums into their career, right before Dillinger Four on the main stage.
Overall, Fight To Unite was undoubtedly a success, both as a benefit show for Siempre Unidos (an organization providing support to families affected by ICE) and as the best option for a punk rock festival in Los Angeles this year.
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