All Photo Credit: Rich Moreland

Punk in Drublic 2024 – NOFX FAREWELL

Rich Moreland·August 25, 2024

Punk in Drublic 2024
Featuring NOFX, The Interrupters, Circle Jerks, Adolescents, Real Mackenzies, Get Dead, Descendants, Face to Face, Flatliners, Codefendants & Choke
August 10 & 11, 2024
Fan Park ICE District, Edmonton, AB

How do you even begin to sum up a two-day punk festival featuring 11 acts? 2400 photos later, and a mild case of heat stroke, I’ve finally been able to collect my thoughts enough to lay down some words.

These two shows were incredibly special. Over NOFX’s 40-year run – 15 studio albums and 16 EPs, they have written an absolutely staggering catalogue of music enjoyed by punk rockers across several generations. These shows were a celebration and the end of this incredible career. Day one consisted of Get Dead, The Real McKenzies, The Adolescents, Circle Jerks, The Interrupters, and was capped off with a nearly 2 hour set from NOFX.

The festival was essentially held in a parking lot which made the 28° weather feel much hotter. But people held out and had a fantastic time. The crowd was so energetic that during NOFX’s set on the first night, the crowd actually broke the barricade and it took nearly half an hour to fix it. Being an all-ages festival people who have enjoyed these bands since their formative years were able to bring their kids and some even bring their grandkids.

One highlight of the first day for me was the Circle Jerks who I didn’t know featured Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. I got to see The Interrupters for a second time, who always put on a super energized performance. Amy Interrupter is an absolute force on the stage, constantly interacting with fans, bouncing all over the stage, and pouring her heart into every performance.

Day 2 lineup consisted of Choke, Codependents, the Flatliners, Face to Face, The Descendants, and another completely different set from NOFX. Many of the people in attendance had two-day tickets and you could tell there were definitely some that were feeling the effects of the day before. It was another super hot day but at least there was a little bit of a breeze to make the heat a little more manageable.

Both days were nine-hour days in the blistering heat and my God – I’m really grateful for security making sure that I stayed hydrated as I came in and out of the photo pit. I didn’t try any of the beers from the craft beer festival so I can’t really comment on that portion.. but I do know it only took place until 3 PM, which left some people upset that they had unused beer tickets that they were unable to redeem.

Choke is a band that I have seen in small-town Ontario a handful of times in Legion Halls, and small DIY venues as part of the growing punk scene in my early 20s. Finally seeing Face to Face kicked ass, the Flatliners was a ton of fun, and for both the NOFX sets, the people were emotional and so was the band. It’s got to be hard to walk away after a career like that.

Getting to hear all of my favourite songs plus some rarities, culminated with their grand finale Saturday night – all 18+ minutes of the decline – a veritable masterpiece, and an insanely long song for a punk band lol. Culling down the photos to a mere 30 per day was extraordinarily challenging. Also challenging was just shooting in the daytime in such bright conditions. I shoot in the dark – that’s what I do. It’s a shame we won’t see NOFX again but I’m sure myself and everyone else is grateful for all the years of insanely energetic shows, beers pummeled, and memories made. Thank you Fat Mike et al for being the bridge to my love for metal, and fun beefy riffs – and such a big part of my formative years musically.