Culture: Punk Island 2016, Governors Island, New York City

 

(Drivebycuriosity) -  Punk is still alive and kicking. Last weekend lots of punks pilgrimaged to Governors Island, a green island south of Manhattan,  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.

 

About 70 bands played over 7 hours on 8 stages (!). They delivered a broad spectrum of styles, even that all focused on the rough realm of punk. You could hear pop, hardcore, brass,  metal, funk & much more. I guess the program showed the state of art in the current punk scene - pure Rock`n Roll.

My favorite band was Manic Pixi ( manicpixi     bandcamp ). Kat Hamilton, the front woman, has a good voice with a wide vocal range which allows her to perform a perfect mix of melodic with raucous parts. Her interpretation of Curt Cobain`s  "Heart-Shaped Box" ("Hey wait I've got a new complaint") is one of the best Nirvana covers I know. The show was as manic as the group name promises. 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.

We enjoyed not only the powerful music and the show, we also indulged into a beautiful summer day in the company of lots of nice people. Governors Island belongs to the green lungs of New York City. The ferry from Manhattan is very cheap  (just $2) but commutes only twice in n hour, the last back at 7pm,  and on a sunny day there is a long queue for going back.


I hope the tradition will continue. 


PS: Thanks to all the bands and organizers for the nice, peaceful and pleasant event.