Nothing Sux When Descendents Play In Wallingford, CT.
It’s a Thursday night in February in Wallingford, CT, and even below freezing temperatures couldn’t stop locals from showing up to see Descendents and Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls co-headlining at The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Even hours before doors opened, lines were already wrapping around both sides of the venue as crowds sang and danced together in preparation for the night ahead.
Before the two headline acts, we were treated to the incredible openers, NOBRO, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The all-female garage punk band literally bounced onto the stage, already smiling and laughing before getting the night started with “Where My Girls At?” They continued powering through an absolutely non-stop run of pure chaotic party energy as they jammed through the tracks “Marianna” and “Don’t Die” (lovingly dedicated to their first tour vehicle, a 2004 Toyota Sienna), before wrapping up the night with “LALA.” As NOBRO says on their website - “NOBRO are just getting started. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
The crowd was so pumped up from the energy of the first act, they barely had time to settle in before the first headliner of the night, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, made their way onto the stage. People were packed in tight against the barricade, already screaming, welcoming the English punk and folk artists with cheers.
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls opened their set with some heavy hitters in “Try This at Home,” “Nevermind The Back Problems”, and my personal favourite, “Photosynthesis.” He took a break between songs to educate the crowd on some of the many traditions of punk rock by first instructing on the basics of a circle pit, and later on a “wall of hugs,” a play on the metal standard, the wall of death. Before launching into “Be More Kind,” Frank took a long moment to remind everyone of the song's origins. He explained that, despite being in a difficult place both personally and globally in 2016, he firmly believed that there was a fundamental lack of kindness and empathy. There was not a single soul in the room who didn’t connect with this message.
This style continued throughout the show, whether it was reminiscing on previous endeavors during “I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous” or telling everyone that no one was too cool to jump and dance in the crowd before “Four Simple Words.” The crowd danced, moshed, and crowd surfed throughout the entire show, and Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls encouraged this with a near giddiness. They were definitely having just as much fun as the crowd, if not more. If I had to pick the single most consistent element of Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls’ set, it was the constant emphasis on finding connection and community within music.
Then, finally, Descendents made their way onto the stage, and the crowd erupted one final time. This band, more than any other of the night, was the epitome of energy, with most of their songs being less than 2 minutes. They absolutely hit the ground running and did not let up for even a single second. They opened the night with “Everything Sux,” and barely even gave themselves time to catch their breath before speeding into “Hope” and then “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up.”
In fact, refusing to grow up was a common theme of the night, with every band on the lineup sharing the same ideology - that being old meant nothing at all. True to their punk roots, Descendents refused to stray from political commentary as Milo Auckerman shared his unbridled opinions and spun into “‘Merican.” All of their songs carry the same sense of dry humor and bitter self-awareness, as well as an undeniable timelessness. With themes ranging from love to angst to frustration, the band has an amazingly intentional way of knowing exactly what everyone else has been trying to say this entire time. Even after over 40 years, Descendents are as authentic to themselves and their genre as they were on day one.
