May 2025
These days are strange times for punk. With the Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival hosting the event for the 25th year, the long weekend of shows, parties, bowling, poker and complimentary events at the nearby Punk Rock Museum, feels like an annual victory lap, especially considering that many of the older band members tell stories about physically fighting to survive as punks in unfriendly environments. The scene at Punk Rock Bowling is beyond taking itself too seriously and instead feels just plain fun. While year after year the sheer friendliness of the crowd is clear, this year’s music festival seemed to be on another level.
It was quite the contrast to the scene described by Mike Ness of Social Distortion during the band’s headlining set, where he talked about the group’s early shows in Vegas where he and his friends would most likely end up in a fight when they went out in public because other groups in the city were offended by colored hair and ragged clothes.
With a day long music fest, hotel pool parties and lots of late night club shows taking place throughout downtown Las Vegas each Memorial Day Weekend, Punk Rock Bowling brought a mix of old and young groups to the stages. And if anyone is concerned that the mohawk gluing, beer swilling, swimming pool circle pitting faction of the crowd is growing cranky in their advancing age, the fest’s three days of swatting around oversized beach balls, hoisting up attendees in animal masks to crowd surf, and singing along to the bands onstage would quell those worries. In fact the only outwardly intolerant behavior throughout the weekend seemed to be when someone in a t shirt with SS bolts printed on it rightfully got a couple fists to the face as he received an escort by security to the exit in a video making the rounds. (Not to mention Keith Morris and Dez Cadena’s vocals on Flag‘s rendition of a couple Black Flag songs in the background giving the whole series of events a fitting old skate video vibe.) In short, the fest didn’t take themselves too seriously aside from the single occasion that called for it.
With each headliner – Cock Sparrer, Peter Hook & The Light, and Social Distortion – having been active in music since the 70’s, it’s to be expected that the crowd here is older. Though there were plenty of parents bringing their kids.
Highlights of the festival were an energetic set by The Interrupters, Frank Turner‘s upbeat and comedic run through which included a version of the NOFX song “Bob” with Fat Mike making a guest appearance on the harmonica, The Adicts‘ circus like set with elaborate costumes, members of Youth Brigade bringing their kids onstage during their set, and without a doubt the most searing moment of the weekend was Peter Hook & The Light going silent toward the end of their set of Joy Division songs and the crowd collectively repeating the chorus to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” before the band picked back up for a few climactic final notes.
Listing the notable performances would be redundant, and as odd as a few moments might be, 2025’s Punk Rock Bowling Festival was another epic year. Now to give our livers and sunburnt skin some time to recover…
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