10 Moments From Mosswood Meltdown's Wild Punk Picnic With Iggy Pop And Bikini Kill

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OAKLAND — The 17th twelvemonth of Mosswood Meltdown astatine Oakland’s Mosswood Park brought pinch it a parade of free-thinking freaks connected shape and successful nan crowd that descended connected a punker’s picnic paradise for its yearly outing of 20 bands complete 3 days past weekend. Hosted by nan pencil mustachioed creation movie icon John Waters, it began pinch a “pre-party” that exploded pinch main-event power courtesy of lo-fi indie stone heroes Pavement, on pinch Wednesday and Vivian Girls connected Friday night. The main fest lineup, topped by underground legends Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill, brought chaotic euphony pinch a connection of unity among generations of punks to nan tree-lined stages surrounded by a metropolis that knows really to propulsion a good-time rager while staying deathly superior astir its philharmonic taste. Here are 10 moments that stood retired astatine this year’s fest.

Saturday

The Fadeaways guidelines retired early

Performing Saturday successful Mosswood Park was a homecoming for Japanese revival rockers nan Fadeaways. It was hardly a twelvemonth agone that they played a guerilla-style group by nan show entranceway for a crowd of unsuspecting caller fans. Going from crushed level to being introduced connected nan main shape by Waters was a bucket-list achievement. “Their aggravated leaps successful nan aerial punctual maine of a throwback ricocheting tear-gas canister landing successful a crowd of ICE agents,” nan fabulously filthy big told nan crowd earlier bringing them up. When they took nan stage, nan set wasted nary clip exploding into a searing 10-song group led by “That Girl” and including a screeching screen of nan Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie.”

Snooper and its puppeteers of chaos

Performing its 3rd group astatine nan show since 2022, this Nashville four-piece set has quickly go a staple of this fest acknowledgment to a larger-than-life-size puppet show and an electro-shock power that helped it rumble done an early group connected nan Field Stage Saturday. Frontwoman Blair Tramel fto nan productivity of her paper-mache puppets made for nan show lucifer her highly caffeinated caterwaul connected songs for illustration “On nan Line” and “Long Way,” wherever blown-out guitar tones, glitchy thumps and shrieking vocals took Saturday’s decibel level unapologetically into nan red.

The Spits performing connected nan Amphitheater Stage

The Spits went afloat throttle

The sunken Amphitheater shape was a reliable spot to spot thing if you didn’t show up to drawback a spot astatine slightest 20 minutes early (or conscionable climb a tree). But sweating successful nan sun to watch a set for illustration nan Spits, different Mosswood favorite, was worthy pre-planning to get into nan pit. The four-piece from Kalamazoo, Mich., hilariously fought pinch nan all-pink crippled show backdrop of nan stage. Entering successful sleeveless denim vests backed pinch a hailstorm of instrumentality samples and maniacal Vincent Price laughter, nan set intelligibly wasn’t playing immoderate games arsenic nan members pounced connected nan crowd pinch 26 songs performed astatine breakneck speed, pinch dirty, piston-pumping rhythms connected “Spit Me Out,” “Rip Up nan Streets,” “Bring” and “SK8.”

Mannequin Pussy extremity pinch a large bark

Blissfully ferocious and ne'er short connected words from nan stage, frontwoman Missy Dabice didn’t get to opportunity arsenic overmuch arsenic she wanted to betwixt songs owed to nan brevity of a show set. But aft a well-received group afloat of songs disconnected 2024’s “I Got Heaven” and 2019’s “Patience,” Dabice still near room for immoderate fiery parting words that embodied nan reside of nan play earlier wrapping things up pinch nan band’s seething conflict outcry “Loud Bark.” “Don’t hide to observe nan beauty of life while successful each activity successful move fighting against fascism successful each conception of this country, bully night!”

Otoboke Beaver drummer Emi "Leo" Morimoto.

Otoboke Beaver’s fury lights a fire

This quartet from Kyoto, Japan, put nan Mosswood crowd successful a stranglehold astatine nan Field Stage and didn’t fto up erstwhile during its full group of math-rocky, manic, candy-colored fury. Even if you had nary thought of nan meaning down opus titles for illustration “Don’t Light My Fire” aliases “I Am Not Maternal” aliases “Hey Where’s nan Thank You?” sung mostly successful Japanese, its joyous hell-raising power near a lasting belief pinch nan crowd. You couldn’t thief but grin watching nan members shred arsenic an inflatable, beaver-shaped soul conduit bounced astir nan mosh pit while they did their champion to sound for illustration a satanic car shed band.

Iggy Pop headlining Night 1 of Mosswood Meltdown.

Iggy Pop’s eternal lust for life

Iggy Pop’s expertise to enactment shirtless and ferocious astatine 79 goes beyond technological explanation. One tin only presume he’s made a woody pinch nan devil that he’ll ne'er extremity performing. That seemed OK pinch nan packed crowd that watched him header Saturday night, rolling done each nan Stooges and solo classics that made him nan king of nan underground. He kicked disconnected his 18-song group pinch “T.V .Eye” and continued ripping into “Raw Power and “I Got a Right” earlier anyone successful nan crowd had a chance to drawback their breath. With nan Los Tropicanos backing set down him, Iggy’s power was transferred done nan players who bolstered his catalog of Detroit-bred proto punk pinch tight precision and nan correct magnitude of stumbling sleaziness. Though he ended nan group successful a cage from “Wild One” to “Mass Production,” it’s clear that he’ll ne'er beryllium confined and that should springiness america each a spot of other dream for ourselves.

Sunday

Peaches Christ performing connected nan Field Stage astatine Mosswood Meltdown.

Peaches Christ sings pinch punk pride

The occurrence connected shape for Day 2 of nan fest started early by a battalion of resistance queens led by Peaches Christ. She sauntered connected nan shape pinch electrified greenish and purple hairsbreadth and Vivienne Westwood-style chic to execute a screen of nan Sex Pistols’ “God Save nan Queen.” Showing nan existent rainbow colors of nan punk segment has ever been an important facet of Mosswood’s ethos and arsenic a staple of nan fest, Christ compelled everyone successful nan crowd to singing large and proud arsenic she and her squad each took turns performing classics from nan canon of mosh pit hits including “New Rose” by nan Damned and “Add It Up” by Violent Femmes. Following her was chap queen Kochina Rude who came retired dressed arsenic Pee-wee Herman to execute nan Germs’ “Lexicon Devil” earlier stage-diving into nan crowd. Between flamboyant showmanship and a beardown committedness to nan vocals connected reliable songs for illustration Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized” (slayed by Trixie Carr) nan LGBTQ community’s tone was connected show passim nan set.

Frankie and nan Witchfingers

Casting a spell connected nan crowd pinch their crisp synth-laden aggression and bouncy ‘80s creation punk rhythms, Frankie and nan Witch Fingers arrived pinch a bang successful nan precocious day sun. With a guitar hiked up to his clavicle, frontman Dylan Sizemore convulsed pinch power that saw nan powerfulness of each chord electrify his bones during nan jam-heavy “Conducting Experiments” while nan hit conception of drummer Nick Aguilar and nan neon green-haired bassist Nikki Pickle kept nan crowd bouncing and magnetized nan attraction of eyes each astir nan fest. The champion crowd surfing of nan time came acknowledgment to a seasoned, white-haired fest attendee successful a motorcycle helmet who was getting tossed astir for illustration a white-water rafter. The caput cogwheel was decidedly a smart idea.

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of nan Return of Jackie and Judy execute connected nan Field Stage astatine Mosswood Meltdown.

The Return of Jackie and Judy revive nan Ramones

It’s 1 point to execute a group of screen songs, but it’s different point to play tunes that guarantee nan vibe of an full show is covered arsenic well. “I dream you for illustration nan Ramones ‘cuz that’s each we’re playing,” said Carrie Brownstein of Sleater Kinney. Alongside SK bandmates Corin Tucker, Toko Yasuda and “Portlandia” co-star/“Saturday Night Live” comedian Fred Armisen, nan quartet formed Ramones tribute nan Return of Jackie and Judy. From nan thunderous opening chant of “Blitzkrieg Bop” (“Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!”), nan all-age crowd strapped successful for a roller-coaster thrust of leather-clad punk classics that had everyone shouting along. Brownstein did a bully occupation of gathering nan infinitesimal pinch some joyousness and reverence, astatine various points talking to nan crowd astir nan enduring tone of nan songs arsenic good arsenic dedicating “Rock-n-Roll Radio” to L7 bassist Jennifer Finch, who died Saturday.

Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill performing connected Sunday astatine Mosswood Meltdown.

Bikini Kill passes nan torch

The full vibe astir Sunday was fueled by female empowerment acknowledgment to riot grrrl godmothers Bikini Kill. Throngs of young girls successful Day-Glo punk garb and look overgarment mashed against nan barricade to spot nan roots of revolutionary aggression travel crashing done nan chords of classics for illustration “Carnival,” “Alien She” and, of course, “Rebel Girl.” But frontwoman Kathleen Hanna was conscionable arsenic stoked to spot them having a bully clip successful beforehand of her. “I can’t hold to unfastened for you successful 10 years,” Hanna said to animate each nan woman bands yet to shape successful nan crowd successful beforehand of her. Giving a shout-out to female-fronted young bands for illustration Bitchfit that played 1 of nan astir awesome ground-level sets of nan play was a lukewarm and fuzzy torch-passing infinitesimal that summed up nan logic a show for illustration this is still truthful captious to nan endurance of punk culture.

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