For those of us who remember the first Warped, we’re now on the wrong side of the demographics for the Vans Warped Tour 2012. This year, Popblerd braved the sunshine and expensive beer in Mansfield, Mass., for a chance to jack into what’s popular with the coveted 14-to-20-year-old demo, and to see if we should give these new-fangled bands a chance or just yell at these kids to get off our lawns.
We’ll have a handful of features published over the next week on a number of bands, both established crews and hustlers looking for their big break. The bill this year boasted not only the expected assortment of mainstreamo, pop punk, and alt-rock, there was also a pretty big jam-band contingent and hip-hop up-and-comers. No matter what, Warped delivers for the best in people-watching, both on and off the stage.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Jamie and Ian from Lostprophets, and cover their live show and autograph signing. Look out for a feature on them and their return to the States after six years (and one record that wasn’t even released on this side of the Atlantic), with loads of great snaps from our very own UK import, Kara Adora.
Justina also caught our eye, with her who-gives-a-fuck attitude and hot rhymes at the Bring It Back Tour freestyle. We’ll give you a rundown on what she thinks about her haters and what’s next for the hip-hop Joan Jett.
There’s coverage on Rise to Remain; we talked to the lead singer about breaking in the States after success overseas and what bands would make it on his dream Warped bill. We snagged a few minutes with Jimmy from Polar Bear Club, and we’ll be bringing that good stuff to you, as well.
For the pop punk fans out there looking for something new, we have interviews with Mark from Junior Doctor and Dirk and Nick from Ground Breaking Ceremony. And for the tokers in the audience, we have an interview with Wes from The Constellations and a review of the upcoming release from Echo Movement.
Outcome is unclear re: lawn-related yelling; however, we can definitely say that the Warped of today is a well-oiled machine of musical debauchery, and that people of a certain age will always underestimate the need for sunblock.