Red Bull Sound Select’s #30DaysInLA festival went in a heavier direction on Thursday night with Vancouver punk quartet White Lung.
Like any good punk show, White Lung’s tour finale came as a blistering whirlwind of raucous, mosh-inducing storm. Frontwoman Mish Way-Barber and company drew primarily from 2016’s stellar Paradise for 40 minutes of fast, heavy fury.
Less punk, however, was the trio of entitled dude bros that shoved and assaulted people in the front because they wanted their spots and were too lazy to arrive early. Fortunately, one of the aforementioned bros repeatedly hollered at Way-Barber for a high five, only to be denied. Stay classy, Los Angeles.
Although Way-Barber thanked the crowd for coming out on a Thursday night, the prevailing state of mind was to party like it’s the last Saturday before the apocalypse. Now that President-elect Donald Trump has proven that we are living in the darkest timeline, each night just might be our last, so why not?
Goth-folkster Nicole Dollanganger dazzled at last year’s #30DaysInLA in support of Grimes, and her return this year came as a much-welcomed surprise. For half an hour, Dollanganger juxtaposed unabashedly dark and brutal lyrics delicately cooed, while her backing band rocked with black metal wickedness. The idiosyncratic sound obliterated hearts and banged heads in equal measure. A wicked cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Helena” elicited yelps of delight from fans in the front that were attending primarily (or solely) for her set.
Now in its third year, the #30DaysInLA has cemented itself as not only a must-attend event loaded with a diverse array of forward-thinking talent, but a trusted tastemaker. Case in point: several attendees revealed before the show that they weren’t really familiar with any of the bands on the lineup. Their reason for attending? Simply that it’s #30DaysInLA, and they were able to grab tickets before the event sold out.
As if the stacked lineups and cheap tickets weren’t amazing enough, Red Bull Sound Select deserves extra props for their commitment to swag. Upon arrival, I received a Valfre tote bag and a donut decorated to look like a pug (Dollanganger is a noted pug enthusiast). The donut looked almost too adorable to eat, but once I took a bite, I realized it just might have been the best I’ve ever tasted.
Words and photos courtesy of Frank Mojica
