Culture: Punk Island 2015, Staten Island, New York City

 

(Drivebycuriosity) -  Punk is still alive and kicking. Yesterday lots of punks pilgrimaged to Staten Island, an island south of Manhattan & one of the 5 boroughs of New York City, to celebrate themselves, their culture, their music and the start of the summer. As in the years before my wife and I took the ferry from Manhattan to attend the annual "Punk Island", a free of charge rock festival (punkisland).

About 100 bands played over 10 hours on 7 stages (!). They delivered a broad spectrum of styles, even that all focused on the rough realm of punk. You could hear pop, hardcore, brass, violines, metal, funk & much more. I guess the program showed the state of art in the current punk scene.

We enjoyed not only the powerful music and the show, we also indulged into a beautiful summer day on New York´s water front in company of lots of nice people.

My favorite band was Absinthe Rose (absintherose). Kimbo Rose, the front woman, made clear that punk can be beautiful. I liked her rough songs as much as her appearance. And the singer/guitarist delievered all the popular poses rock concerts are famous for. Wow.



                    Powerful Group Dynamic

The audience was part of the fun. So many happy joyful people! There were lots of tattoos, colorfully designed hair and much more to see. A congenial part of Punk Island - like every rough rock event - are the very dynamic group dances where the people jump into each other while creating a powerful group dynamic.

Btw The place  offered also a georgeous look onto the Manhattan skyline and the ships on the harbour water.

I hope the tradition will continue. 


PS: Thanks to all the bands and organizers. Thanks also to the security guards and cops who took care that the event was nice, peaceful and pleasant again.