Photography & Writing by: Shanna Rogers
Wednesday, June 11th at The Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina, was a circus, and not just because the crowd was a madhouse of energy. From toilet paper cannons and ceiling fan toilet paper tornados to balloons and clowns and pure ska punk energy, “The Summer Circus” tour rolled through as a true all around experience that left the crowd skanking and moshing all evening long. Headlined by Less Than Jake, with support from Bite Me Bambi, The Suicide Machines, and Fishbone, not a single moment went by that ska or punk wasn’t filling the air.
Opened by Bite Me Bambi, the show kicked off with a bang. Frontwoman Tahlena Chikami brought high impact vocals that invigorated the crowd from the first note. With songs like “Bad Boyfriend” and “Gaslighter’s Anthem”, it was a bona fide female-empowered ska set, including a shout out by Chikami to the female and nonbinary musicians in the crowd, encouraging them to keep their sound and never stop playing music.
The Suicide Machines took the stage to “Detroit City Blues” by Seven the General, honoring their Detroit roots, and never split from the energy. One massive ska punk explosion after the other opened the pit and the crowds’ mouths in whooping cheers. Frontman Jason Navarro jumped off the stage to hang over the front gate into the crowd to capture and be a part of the pulsing excitement. It was infectious and proved that punk is not dead and will never die.
Fishbone took the stage by storm, with a surprise guest of frontman Angelo Moore’s daughter Cheyenne ForeverMoore, and elevated the already electric energy. The ska, funk, punk, and soul fusion was unique in the way it lit up the stage and kept the crowd enthralled for the entire set. Playing hits from their catalog that span decades, the band commanded the crowd. Watching from the top floor of The Ritz gave me an excellent view of how deeply the room loved the performance.
Then the circus began.
Less Than Jake took the stage to a raucous round of applause, emerging with an energy I can only envy. Kicking off the show with a fan favorite, “Gainesville Rock City”, set the tone for the evening, from which things never slowed down. Energy, energy, and more energy that left the band members leaving no itch of the stage untraversed. If I could bottle the electricity in the room, it’d live forever with the sounds of ska and punk vibrating through the glass.
From toilet paper cannons being shot into the crowd (ultimately attaching to the ceiling fan as a toilet paper tornado) to balloons bouncing above the crowd during a ska-tastic rendition of the Animaniacs theme song and fans dressed as clowns dancing on stage, there wasn’t a moment that this concert wasn’t on theme and a genuine experience. The crowd surfed. They moshed. They screamed and sang and smiled and shouted with glee. And they brought the intensity that makes going to shows at The Ritz one of my favorite pastimes. This show, though, was one of the most energetic that I’ve seen.
Celebrating their newest EP, Uncharted, out now via Pure Noise Records, and a new chapter in the Less Than Jake story, the band played several new songs. Adding to their decades of influence, songs like “Not My Problem”, “Sunny Side”, and “Walking Pipebomb” prove that the band doesn’t and won’t rest, traversing new avenues while keeping the classic Less Than Jake sound. From great guitar riffs to blasting bass and beyond, the new EP shines as an example of evolution while holding true to one’s sound.
This photographer had a terrific time watching the circus unfold. So did the rest of the crowd, leaving with smiles that I hope have yet to fade.
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