Drawing on classic names as well as new torch bearers, the ethos and spirit of punk swarmed the K Bridge for an all day affair celebrating a scene that's been vital to New York since its inception. Three stages were crammed onto the site and with a tight schedule, it was tough to see a lot of the acts, but every band was rocking and ready to leave their mark.
Lambrini Girls played the middle stage at 5:00 and instantly launched into their anti-fascist punk anthems with scratching guitar hooks and thundering bass that delivered a blown-out sound and had the crowd jammed in tightly as the trio pulverized their set. Diving the crowd in half, the band entered the audience and instructed everyone to get low to the ground before encouraging a massive pit so everyone could let out their pent up aggression that has been brought on by the government and also called for chants against ICE and the NYPD.
Over on the main stage, Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr chilled things out a bit with his nostalgic hits that had the crowd reminiscing with glee. Marr's iconic guitar sound roared with luscious chops, his riffs swelling with fervor as he delivered the classics and his take on vocals was a lovely surprise. As he crushed into "How Soon Is Now?" the entire crowd lit up and his stuttering start to "This Charming Man" was another major moment of total joy. Legends The Damned were up next and their old school swagger and hints of Glam Rock reinforced their status as all-time greats and the crowd was living for every moment.
If there was an outlier for the festival, it was clearly Jack White. Of course he's a generational talent and one of the best live performers ever, but at a Punk festival, he seemed out of place and amidst a sea of hardcore tshirts and mohawks, it wasn't the typical crowd you'd expect at one of his shows either. When Jack hit the stage, it almost seemed as if he also knew that he wasn't quite like the rest of the acts on the line-up and therefore needed to make sure he left his mark to prove he was worthy of everyone's time. Within seconds of shredding on his guitar, the entire crowd was enthralled with the show and White was ready to rage as hard as he could, busting away through ragged, Hard Blues riffs of maximum rock and roll. His entire backing band hailing from Detroit, they were collectively channeling their hometown hero and festival headliner's Proto-Punk licks of fuzzy chords that rocked like dynamite and had the venue leaping with excitement. Tearing into classics from across his career, his solos were electrified moments of pure guitar insanity, White wielding his instrument like a battle axe as he tore across the stage as he annihilated tracks like "Ball and a Biscuit" with brutal force and almighty control. His ability to lead his band through such a seismic performance takes incredible talent and watching White bring his raw energy to such raging, barn-burning tunes is never something to miss. Every time White takes the stage, something magical happens and his passion for his craft makes him such a magnetic performer that it's impossible to resist his blazing eccentricities that pull you in with gravitational force. Never letting one song totally fade out, he rang each note to the max and carried on like his life depended on it. Before the end of the set, a mosh pit opened in front of the stage, fully bringing the roots of the festival to the most unassuming set, but ensuring Jack White's place and role as an ambassador to sound.
Swinging the pendulum all the way back to the genre's origin to close out the night, the Godfather of Punk himself, Iggy Pop, made sure things went out with an absolute bang. Immediately ripping off his shirt the moment he stepped out on stage, Pop wasted no time in proving why he's the legend he is and commanded the crowd with singular showmanship behavior, prancing and dancing all over place, his leathery skin beaming in the lights while a vein snaked its way through his chest. Pop looks like he has truly lived his life in the way that every story and rumor suggests, but his energy remains unmatched and for over an hour he bopped all over the place and led the audience through massive anthems that had the place spinning. "T.V. Eye" was a pumped up jam and the place erupted, everyone jumping along, fists up in the air, and pure glee lighting up people's faces from the railing to the sound booth. Dishing out hits from the Stooges, "Raw Power" was another pummeling tune that got the pits to open up and after a few more from his band, Nick Zinner, his guitarist for the night, revved up the riff to "The Passenger" which brought out even more positive energy and when we go to the "la la la la la" portion of the track, everyone was fully committed to the moment. As if things weren't already at new level of enthusiasm, the rollicking drum fill that opened "Lust for Life" launched things to the stratosphere and the entire place went bonkers. With everyone collectively losing their minds to the total thrill of one of Pop's most banging and incendiary tunes, it was an all-timer of a moment and a legendary number that will be replaying in my mind for quite some time. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" was another humming tune that lashed out with more metallic grooves and plodding rhythm, bringing out collective headbangs while Iggy hopped down to the railing to rev up the crowd while getting up close and personal with those who'd braved the day to get to the front for one of the biggest icons in Punk. For over 50 years, Pop has been delivering performances that have continuously earned him the reputation as one of the best singers and frontmen to take the stage, his personality and antics unparalleled not just within Punk, but within music as a whole. There's only one Iggy Pop and Under the K Bridge, he rocked like the legend he is and without question made the day of everyone who was watching along.
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