From the Schoolyard to the Mosh Pit
Words by Matthew O'Brien | Photos by Stephen Boatright
Launching in The Bay Area was kinda like coming from a cute primary school where you were surrounded by familiarity and strong friendships to being blindly thrust into a huge high school and just hoping you find your feet… After months of new introductions and friendly lunch dates, we finally found our people, our cultural and spiritual home stateside, the glorious Oakland, California staple that is the Mosswood Meltdown. A two-day festival celebrating everything punk, love, weird and wonderful, relentlessly returning year after year with a lineup that never fails.
As soon as the gates opened, beers were flowing from the Heaps Normal tent.“I can’t believe this is a non-alc” on repeat from our new friends who were drowned out by sermons from John Waters, the Osees and the one and only DEVO! We had truly been welcomed into this loving community with more than open arms, or rather dragged by the arms deep into the pit and twirled around like it was our first matinee show at Gilman.
As day one came to a close, and in true Heaps Normal spirit, we weren’t done. Continuing the party (or as our Cali friends have come to call a Heaps Normal session - ‘extending the bender’) we rolled over to another Oakland gem, Thee Stork Club. We love this bar, picture a ’70s love den, complete with a back bar made from infinity mirrors, brass roof tiles and limestone rocks that all scream glam, topped off with one of the best pool rooms in the world. Now throw in as many Mosswood revellers as could fit into a sweaty and heaving red velvet band room and you’d get a sense of what our Official Afterparty was like. Gentleman Jesse kicked off to vibes, followed by Giuda keeping the love going until Exploding Hearts tore the roof off the place. Tins were cracked well into the night, some made into ‘Spoiler Makers’, our signature take on dive bar boiler makers, by shots of whisky and mezcal.
Sunday’s gates opened with many smiling, proud faces who had been ‘on the Heaps’ the day before. Not letting the good times go to waste, we dove straight into day two with more ripping bands and a parade of the Bay Area’s finest. Fashion, music, art, poetry, non-alcs supported by your usual favs were all tied in a big rock/n/roll bow.
What a weekend, what a welcome to Oakland. We’re home.
