Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011: Day 3 (Part 1)

Davila 666



I was a little disappointed in Davila 666's set. Coming from Puerto Rico, with six members and very catchy garage-punk songs in tow, one would think it would all add up to a great set. Yet it never rose above standard garage rock standards. They lacked a certain energy to them that I had seen with other bands, like they were performing just due to commitment and couldn't wait to get off. At least they pulled off a great cover of "Hanging on the Telephone".







Ceremony



I had no idea about Ceremony's reputation when I saw them, but I learned it fast when they started playing. Immediately setting the tone when their guitarist came out in Prince like attire, their lead singer proceed to climb the stage, singing from the banner that hung on the side as if it were completely normal. He then spent the rest of the stage stocking the stage or jumping into the crowd, always bring this intense insanity to the band's performance, which went well with the fractured hardcore that was being produced by the rest of the band. Ceremony's performance was probably the most intense thing I saw during the whole fest; ugly yet creative hardcore matched by the band members' commitment to their sound.





Nobunny



I have waited ages to finally see Nobunny in person and his Sunday set was everything I had hoped it would be. He came out in his underwear and proceeded to get more perverted from there, making constant remarks for his need for "bunny love" and sticking the mic down his underwear at one moment as well. Still, as wrapped up as Nobunny is in his own devious little world, he never forgets about the songs and he played a garage set as good as a garage set could be when you're front man is wearing a bunny mask. The crowd was just as wild as Nobunny was onstage, thrashing and dancing around to songs in a less than adorable, but still enjoyable manner. It was a wild, slightly surreal, garage rock set. It was Nobunny in person, and it was great.





Zero Boys



The Zero Boys might be old, they might be out of shape, but it was awesome to see them perform on Sunday. Truly under appreciated hardcore legends that deserved more than what they got in punk history, their reunion show proves they deserve their place in the hardcore legacy halls. Paul-Z still had the same sense of energy and humor he had as a 16 year old making those songs, and it came out in the set. Paul-Z even jumped into the circle pit during the last song (how rare is it for a band to even engage with the crowd at all). It didn't feel like nostalgia, but like a great punk band playing all their old hits. The Zero Boys may be under appreciated, but for the 40 minutes they were on stage, they were the heroes they were always destined to be.