Fleeing the Scene @ Fraternal Order of Eagles Clubhouse

If the torch is being passed, this group of young punks seems more than ready to carry it. Photo: Sarah Clark

Concert

This show was proof that punk isn’t dead — the next generation is just getting started. Lots of the members of these bands have yet to even graduate high school or are fresh out, but they brought the energy, attitude, and sense of community that local punk shows should be about. If the torch is being passed, this group of young punks seems more than ready to carry it.

That sense of community was almost overpowering at times. Between the chaos and fun, there were emotional moments and messages about anti-fascism, equality and supporting one another. It felt less like a group of separate bands sharing a bill and more like a group of friends supporting each other and the community they’re building together.

The setting made the night even more fitting. The show was held at the clubhouse of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a nonprofit organization built around values of peace, prosperity, gladness and hope. A room full of young punks taking over the clubhouse for the night may seem like an unlikely pairing, but it worked. Different generations and different groups shared the same space with mutual respect and one common goal: having a damn good time.

DNR (DO NOT RESUSCITATE), a three-piece hardcore experimental punk band from Utah County, opened the show and immediately set the energy level high. Speaking openly about anti-fascism and their opposition to ICE, these teens gave a powerful and talented reminder that the younger generation has a voice and isn’t afraid to use it.

PoGoStiX, a pogo punk band from Salt Lake City, admitted they didn’t know what to expect from a show in Pleasant Grove, but quickly realized it would be one they’d remember. Vocalist Rich Evans summed up the night: “This is the most fun at a show I have had in years. The Salt Lake punk scene could learn a thing or two from Utah County kids.” It was a sentiment shared by the rest of the band, and one that captured the energy in the room.

Utah County three-piece Baghead absolutely conquered the stage. Looking like they walked straight out of SLC Punk! with a ’90s grunge-punk energy, they were talented, chaotic, and ridiculously fun to watch. The members switched roles throughout the performance, but one of the best moments came when they brought a kid up to sing a cover of Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” It sent the whole building into a frenzy of fun and laughter.

Headliner Fleeing the Scene is a punk band from Utah County made up of teenagers who haven’t even graduated high school yet, but they already rock harder than plenty of bands twice their age. Their anti-fascist message wasn’t just something they brought to their performance, either. Outside of their set, they were some of the kindest and most supportive people in the room, cheering on the other bands and showing that the community behind punk matters just as much as what happens onstage.

For a scene that’s constantly hearing some version of “punk is dead,” nights like this make a pretty convincing argument otherwise. These kids aren’t trying to recreate someone else’s punk scene. They’re building their own: loud, political, supportive and full of the same chaotic fun that made people fall in love with punk in the first place. The torch may be passed, but it isn’t going out anytime soon. —Sarah Clark

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