Wiretap Records’ Attention Fest 2022 was a mega hit with the bands and their fans, and we were so thankful to welcome its return!
Held at Hanger 24 in Irvine, we hadn’t seen an Attention Fest in a few years thanks to COVID, so it was back with a bang (and some rain) this year!
ATTENTION FEST 2022
Hangar 24
Orange County
October 22, 2022
Families and music fans brought their lawn chairs to this free, all-day event. In addition to watching all the fantastic bands, concertgoers were able to play ping pong and corn hole, enjoy bird watching in the giant birdhouse, and partake in some delicious beer and food from the Hanger 24 brewery.
The Rundown Kreeps, Taken Days, Upper Downer, and Bristol to Memory opened the show before the light rain began, although it wasn’t enough to scare fans away. Luckily for us the light water mist from the sky came and went so the show went on without hesitation. No umbrellas or tarps were necessary, but they were on hand just in case.
Codename: Rocky hopped on stage to do their ska thing, but with a few surprises; an additional trumpet player named Luis Beza, formally of Suburban Legends, and a fill-in drummer, Matt Smith from The Skank Agents.
With only two practices under their belts, these guys slipped in perfectly while they played songs off their latest Wiretap Records EP including “Blueprint,” “Silos,” and “Post Prescription.” The Codename guys also played many fan favorites including “My Boss Sucks,” and the crowd came together to sing in unison for the song “Oh Lonely Nights.”
Wiretap Records band Mercy Music from Las Vegas was up next. Calling their music “sad bastards power pop,” the trio sang songs like “Fuck Me Anyways” and “Overjoyed.” This got the cold, wet crowd moving excitedly. With very little banter, the band went straight into one song from the next like a playlist of your favorite Mercy Music songs. Co-front-man Jarred Cooper hopped around the stage like he had hidden frog legs under his black skinny jeans.
Between the last two bands, fans used this time to meet and greet each other. Because of the relaxed environment and backstage area, it was easy to catch bands from throughout the day walking by. We saw many selfies and conversation being had about music and families.
Last but not least, the day turned into night and the festival’s headliner took the stage.
The Last Gang hit the stage with smiles on their faces and you could tell they were as happy to be there as we were to have them. Starting with “Gimmie Action,” front-women Brenna Red’s deep scratchy voice penetrated our ears with awesome female led vocals and punk guitar riffs. The band told the crowd that drummer Robert Wantland hadn’t played with them in almost six months due to the band being on tour and Wantland’s schedule conflicts. On this night, the band was literally back together.
This Fat Wreck Chords band hopped into “WFTW” which is short for “We Fucked the World,” and on into “Believe in the Poet.” The families with young kids had shrunk just a bit by now since the clock was approaching midnight, and the low temperatures were starting to set in, but that didn’t stop people from continuing to rock out on the comfortable lawn of the viewing area. “Sing for Your Supper” got the crowd moving to keep their blood warm as everyone enjoyed the atmosphere.
Attention Fest 2022 was a great time that had a fantastic mixture of bands. Wiretap Records founder Rob Castellon told us that all of these bands may not be on the Wiretap label, but just as in the name, these are a list of bands we need to pay attention to.
