By now, you should have seen our Day 1 recap from Punk Rock Bowling 2015. After Rancid finished their incredible set, the DyingScene crew split up to cover a number of the club shows. I had the pleasure to shoot the show at The Bunkhouse that night, featuring Laura Jane Grace (of Against Me!) and Frank Turner. I am a huge fan of both artists and I had been looking forward seeing them at a more intimate venue.
The Bunkhouse has both an indoor and outdoor stage. The main acts took the outdoor stage after the festival was over, and the crowd hoped the rain would hold off long enough for us to have our punk rock afterparty. Laura Jane Grace was accompanied by Against Me!‘s drummer, Atom Willard, for a set that included many AM! favorites. LJG talked with the audience, giving some context about why/how she wrote some of the songs, and absolutely killed the show. Those of you who were at PRB last year may have seen Against Me! on the main stage, and I honestly can’t say which way is better. I love a great Against Me! show, but the stripped down rawness of an acoustic set was the perfect way to end such an amazing day of friends, bands, and punk rock.
Frank Turner is truly one of the most gifted modern-day songwriters out there. He has such an ease about him – I could listen to him talk for days. The anticipation is high for his upcoming album, but in the meantime, he treated the crowd to a lengthy set spanning his career and a few covers. Those of you who have read his new book know he likes to play songs such as “Ballad Of Me and My Friends” in smaller settings, and this show was no exception. Most notably, in addition to his original songs, he was joined on stage by Bad Cop/Bad Cop‘s Stacey Dee to cover NOFX’s “Lori Meyers,” a last-minute decision between the two that ended up being a highlight of the night. He closed his set with his cover of Queen’s “Somebody To Love,” which is a personal favorite (both versions). In my opinion, there was no better way to end Day 1 of PRB 2015.
Check out the full gallery from this club show below!