KILLING JOKE (May 24, 11:59 p.m., Bunkhouse outdoor stage) If David Yow fronting Flipper doesn’t get you Downtown Friday night, this groundbreaking, industrial- and goth-flecked English post-punk act—formed in the ’70s and reunited in the 2000s—should.
Punk Rock Bowling 2019
DRUG CHURCH (May 24, 8:15 p.m., Bridger Stage; May 26, 5:30 p.m., second festival stage; ) Folks who caught these upstate New Yorkers’ PRB 2017 set still swear by it, and November full-length Cheer further expanded the band’s post-hardcore sound.
FLAG (May 25, 8 p.m., main festival stage) You know a fest’s stacked when a previous year’s headliner returns to play earlier in the night (before Rancid). Catch original Black Flag frontman Keith Morris leading the hardcore icons through their beloved early material.
F*CKED UP (May 26, 5:50 p.m., main festival stage) The punk-boundary-pushing Toronto six-piece returns to PRB for the first time since 2010 (when it took place at Sunset Station!) with a trove of quality material off October album Dose Your Dreams.
REFUSED (May 26, 8 p.m., main festival stage) These arty Swedes—who previously headlined PRB and are setting up Descendents this time— are best-known for 1998 LP The Shape of Punk to Come and for their intense live sets.
THE MURDER CITY DEVILS (May 26, 10 p.m., Bunkhouse outdoor stage) The Seattle garage-punks’ barnburning 2015 PRB set got interrupted by lightning, so pray for clear skies. Also, arrive early for quality openers like Mexico’s Le Butcherettes and London’s Shame (the latter of which also plays the main fest Monday).
DIRECT HIT!(May 26, 11:55 p.m., Downtown Grand’s Citus Pool) Dig deeper into these Wisconsinites’ sharp pop-punk tunes and you’ll discover some ambitious, conceptual craftsmanship.
THE HIVES (May 27, 7:55 p.m., main festival stage) The Swedish quintet emerged during the early-2000s garage-rock explosion, but its over-the-top live antics—directed by frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist—have kept it festival-relevant.
THE SPECIALS (May 27, 9:15 p.m., main festival stage) How better to close an epic weekend than skanking and singing along to “A Message to You, Rudy” and “Monkey Man” with the English 2 Tone godfathers, making their PRB debut?
PUNK ROCK BOWLING May 23-27, punkrockbowling.com.
Outdoor Festival Doors 2 p.m., $155/fest, $63/day, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.
Club Shows Times & prices vary, Backstage Bar & Billiards, Bridger Stage, Bunkhouse Saloon, Double Down Saloon, Downtown, Fremont Country Club.
