11-26 Leftover Crack, Negative Approach, Crazy and the Brains, Killer of Sheep, Plasmid, Pittsburgh @Rex Theater

LoC is always a great set when they come around. Last time we tried to see them the show was sold out when we got there. That was especially unfortunate.

Plasmid - missed them.

Killer of Sheep - Local punks, been playing all the shows forever. Good set.

Crazy and the Brains - I liked the band's getup. Very British post war or something. The singer wore what looked to be a fancy shower robe. Up beat punk rock, not so yelly. I'd like to see this band again.

Negative Approach - I thought they were surprisingly good. They played all the old jams and weren't too boring. That was my thought, this is going to be boring. It was definitely not. I think they were better this show than at This is Hardcore.

Leftover Crack - Well they're getting old. But they still pretty much killed it. Good set, they didn't play Athiest Anthem but they did play the rest of the jams. Gay Rude Boys Unite and the theme song were the high points.

Hi's - Going out to the punk show is always a good time.

Low's - It was very cold.

8-18 Skull Fest 10 Mob 47, Lebenden Toten, Warpath, Blood Pressure, Lacerate, Pittsburgh @Spirit 6PM

We had high hopes for this show, as with most all Skull Fest shows. Unfortunately it was just a bit of a letdown.

Lacerate -Hardcore punk, I think from Cleveland? They were good. I was just getting tuned up at this point.

Blood Pressure - Always good. I thought they were especially good at this set.

Warpath - This band was big at one point. They are very pro queer. All that is encouraged, what is not encouraged is how shitty they were. I believe at one time this band brought it, they no longer do. From New York I think. Disappointment.

Lebenden Toten - This band was awesome. The singer lady has odd moves on stage that are fun to watch. Every song is super fast and yelly. The punks came out for this band, the rest of the set, well, not so much. I'd like to see this band again. They're from Portland I think.

Mob 47 - Old heads playing old style punk. Good set. Wasn't the crowd support that you want to see. Maybe Spirit was a little too big for this show.

Submachine, Like No Tomorrow, Ruin By Design, The Homicides, Sissy Baby Boys, Uniontown @Bar None

I'm always skeptical when I go anywhere in Uniontown. This place was not a shit hole. Actually a very nice place for a show like this.

Sissy Baby Boys - Great band name. Easy going punk. Ramones cover. I like the dude and the chic who sing for them. Good set.

The Homicides - They were actually my favorite band of the night other than Submachine. Good band. Funny band too. I liked it.

Ruin by Design - from DC. They were pretty good too. Fast punk rock.

Like No Tomorrow - This band was the best of the two out of staters. They were a little bit politically motivated, which is a good thing.

Submachine - When doesn't Submachine kill it? Very good set. They didn't play the beer song.

I was happy about the turnout, relatively, and also happy about the drink prices.

8-18 Skull Fest 10, Haram, Lecherous Gaze, Scalpel, Mueco, Probeza Mental, Mati, Beta Boys, Phantasy Lane, Pink Mist, SLIP, Pittsburgh @The Shop 1PM

The early Skullfest shows at the shop are often the best. There was a lot of promise for this one going in. There were supposed to be a bunch of bands on this show. Total chaos as far as that went. More than one didn't play. I did however like the two stage setup, though one of the stages pretty well restricted view-ability.

SLIP - Pittsburgh punk rock for fans of guitars and denim. They've been playing for a few years and are really good. Noisy and fast.

Phantasy Lane - No idea if they played or not. No finding anything of theirs on the internet. Mystery.

Mati - From New York. At the time I thought this band was Probeza Mental. Now I see it's Mati. They may sing all their songs in Greek. Maybe. Good energy weirdo punk.

Mueco - I don't think this band played. They're a D-beat punk band with a banner that I would have remembered.

Haram - Awesome band. They sing in all arabic. Fast and loud, good hardcore punk. Even between songs dude was speaking arabic. The singer has odd body language and is a good front man for a punk band. Awesome.

Lecherous Gaze - Awesome band. The singer wore some weird glasses and face wrap. It was odd and cool. Heavy guitar screaming punk rock. Very good set.

Beta Boys - I don't think they played.

Pink Mist - I don't think they played.

Probeza Mental - Good band. I thought they were Mati when Mati played. I actually like Mati a little better. Still, decent band.

Scalpel - I don't know if they played or not.

So, as you can see my review of this show is a mess. I didn't know any of the bands real well, but there were a few gems through the day.

10-10 MDC, Elected Officials, Unreliable Narrator, Pittsburgh @Belvederes

I was pretty stoked to see MDC. They have some great songs that I still enjoy listening to. Belvederes is normally a great place for shows, but this place was empty as fuck. Maybe 25 people paid.

Unreliable Narrator - This band is ok. Kind of noisy and a little bit fast. Weirdo punk.

Elected Officials - Not bad. Not great. Lady singer who was the best part of the band. I'd see them again, and I'll listen to some of their stuff sometime. They're touring right now with MDC I think.

MDC - They pretty much disappointed me in almost every way. I don't know what I expected really. The sound was pretty bad. The song selection maybe was ok. They played the big songs towards the end like John Wayne was a Nazi and Chicken Squak and Corporate Deathburger, and even though I really like many of their songs on recording, they sucked tonight live. I guess the punks must know about MDC in 2018, because they stayed the fuck home for this one.

HI's - cheap beer, Elected Officials

Low's - Just about everything else.

8-17 Skull Fest 10, Proletariat, F.U.'s, Sadist, Submachine, Red Threads, Pittsburgh @Cattivo 830PM

We went to this show directly from another Skull Fest jammer. We wanted to get there in time for Submachine, because they're cool, but that didn't happen. Missed Sadist too.

Red Threads - Missed them.

Submachine - Missed them.

Sadist - Missed them. They sound wonderfully loud and noisy on recordings.

The F.U.'s - They were playing when we walked in. They're a bunch of old heads. The show was good, I enjoyed it. A bit of an easier sounding punk from a time long long ago. Good energy, good crowd.

Proletariat - This band is odd. I didn't listen to them too much beforehand. They're more of a new wave punk band. Good energy. I like the way the singer moves, a little bit weird.

Another good day at Skull Fest. We didn't end up at Donnies Leather Central even though it sounded like it might be a good time. Or an awful time also.

8-17 Skull Fest 10, Cro-Mags, Annhilation Time, Protes Bengt, Drug Lust, Reason of Insanity, Killer of Sheep, Pittsburgh @Spirit 5PM

This was the show of the weekend to go to if you could only pick one.

Killer of Sheep - This band has been playing out forever. Same type of stuff. I like the band, fast punk with some Pittsburgh punk heroes.

Reason of Insanity - We were eating pizza during this band. Gotta get it somehow.

Drug Lust - Killed it. I don't think this band had played for a few years, but they killed it. At one point early on in the set the singer ripped apart the barrier between the drunks and not and the pit exploded for a second. It was hype. I'm sure security wasn't pleased, but no one cares. Raging hardcore punk.

Protes Bengt - This band shares members with Mob 47. Old timers playing really really really fast and short hardcore punk. I really liked the set. At one point the singer said they just played 40 songs, and with another minute they'll make it 44. They did. Rager.

Annihilation Time - This band brought all the punks out of the woodwork, and for good reason. They fucking killed it. One of the best punk shows I've ever been to. The pit was on, the singalong was on. They made fun of the overzealous security. Pretty much everything about it was great. Grooving hardcore punk rock.

Cro-Mags - NYHC legends. They didn't necessarily fit in on the fest because they've taken a more hardcore lean than punk, but they played all the hits and the crowd responded pretty nicely. Jon Joseph is an old timer and a legend and he's still an awesome front man. Great headliner to a great show.

Hi's - Everything
Low's - Not a damn thing.