Smoking Popes and Off With Their Heads drew a sizable and enthusiastic hometown area crowd at The Bottom Lounge for the Midwest Simmerfest on November 12, 2022. It was a weekend jam-packed with shows and mini-fests at nearly every, if not every, punk rock venue in the city of Chicago and probably quite a few in the suburbs.
Smoking Popes, comprised of the brothers Caterer: Josh, Matt and Eli, along with Mike Felumlee, headlined the show with a reliably robust performance. The band jammed through a set list that included, “Simmer Down,” “Midnight Moon,” “No More Smiles,” “Rubella,” “Megan,” “Need You Around,” and “I Know You Love Me.” Picking a show for this Saturday night entertainment might have understandably been hard for more than a few in the local punk community. However, it appeared those at the Bottom Lounge were quite satisfied with their choice.
Off With Their Heads, made up of Ryan Young, Kevin Rotter, and Kyle Manning, played with intensity during the night’s penultimate set. The trio tore through an angsty set list leaving some in the crowd looking emotionally exhausted, in the very best way.
Limbeck is a group out of Laguna Niguel, CA. The band – Robb MacLean, Patrick Carrie, Justin Entsminger, and Jon Phillip – gave a boisterous performance as it ran through a set list including, “Honk + Wave,” “Home (Is Where the Van Is),” “Kooks,” “Everyone’s in the Parking Lot,” and “In Ohio on Some Steps.” This crowd gave the guys from the Golden State a very warm welcome.
The Color Fred, made up of Fred Mascherino, Stephen Angello, Keith Gibbons, and Monte Holt kicked off the festivities. The West Chester, PA, group elicited smiles from the crowd as its members marveled with delight at the fog machine. I don’t know if fog machines have been a regular part of their shows or not but I would hazard a guess they might be in the future. And though the band members were, at times, obscured by the fog, the music easily cut through to the attendees’ ears during a very fun set.
More photos below!
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