|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
So Long and Thanks for All the Punk
Final Shows at Punk in Drublic
September 5, 2024 by Kevin Gomez
The rumors had been swirling for a while, and finally just over two years ago, front-man Fat Mike (Burkett) announced that NOFX was finally calling it quits after four decades.
Further details revealed a worldwide farewell tour across the globe, with most shows being full festivals known as Punk in Drublic. In 2023, as promised, NOFX announced they would be ending it where it all began – Los Angeles.
The band got its humble beginnings in the San Fernando Valley of California, playing backyards and dive bars.
Originally founded by lead singer and bassist Burkett, Eric Melvin on guitar, and Erik “Smelly” Sandin on drums, it would be a few years of guitarists before the classic lineup everyone knows today was finalized when Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta joined as lead guitarist.
For nearly a decade the band would tour relentlessly, putting out solid albums and slowly building a loyal fanbase before really coming onto the scene with 1992’s “White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean.”
But, it would be their next release that truly immortalized them as punk icons: 1994’s “Punk in Drublic,” featuring iconic singles “Leave it Alone,” “The Brews,” “Don’t Call Me White,” and the punk rock anthem, “Linoleum.”
There’s no real reason for the band’s breakup, other than Burkett saying “I don’t enjoy it like I used to,” and wanting to pursue other opportunities. There’s no animosity amongst the four bandmates, and each stop seems to have been genuinely special for the band and fans alike. There have been heartfelt moments captured between band members. Burkett has repeated that these last shows are really everyone’s last chance to catch the band live, and they won’t be like the Rolling Stones or KISS, coming out of retirement.
When these last shows were announced, it always seemed so far away. Yes, NOFX is going away forever, but we still have so much more time with them. And yet, here we are now, just one month away until we have to say goodbye. Well, in true NOFX fashion they are going out kicking and screaming with a loud bang.
Earlier this year the full schedule and lineup was announced: a full weekend farewell Punk in Drublic in San Pedro, CA (okay, well, at least Los Angeles County). Friday, October 4th will feature Dropkick Murphys, MxPx, Bouncing Souls, Buzzcocks, Sick of it All, The Last Gang, and more.
Saturday, October 5th will be Descendents, Less Than Jake, Lagwagon, Strung Out, Get Dead, and many more. The final NOFX show will be Sunday, October 6th, headlined by good friends Pennywise, The Vandals, Subhumans, Fishbone, Codefendants, and a “surprise band” whose identity has only been revealed to be the British Union Jack flag.
Turns out we can’t even say “See you all at Oki Dogs” (Germs lead singer Darby Crash’s final words on stage, and made famous again as a lyric in the NOFX song, “Whoops, I OD’d.”) as Oki Dogs just closed down its original location.
This is just another reminder that nothing in L.A. lasts forever. Not even NOFX.
TO FOLLOW
SID 240904 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
