Mosswood Meltdown, Oakland, CA

The grrrls are back and they’re better than ever! July fourth weekend was spent rocking out at Mosswood Meltdown in Oakland, CA. The two day festival, hosted by John Waters, welcomed acts such as acclaimed riot grrrl groups Le Tigre and Bratmobile as well as seasoned punks like The Avengers and Gravy Train!!!!. Saturday’s acts also included Memo PST, Cumgirl8, Morgan & The Organ Donors, The 5.6.7.8’s, Tina & The Total Babes, Quintron & Ms.Pussycat, The Rondelles, ESG and Twompsax.

I arrived at the park on Saturday just as Memo PST were finishing their set and Cumgirl8 was getting ready to take the stage. Cumgirl8 seems to be one of those bands that you either get or you don’t get and I can say with 100% certainty that I do not get it. Their music relies far too much on synths and tireless repetition for my liking. Even so, their set was one of the more popular sets of the day, drawing a larger crowd than some of the later acts.

The festival DJ kept the party going on the field stage between sets, playing everything from The Adverts to Bush Tetras to Headgirl (Motörhead and Girlschool). And yes, he was actually spinning the records. Morgan & The Organ Donors, hailing from Olympia, WA (where they have almost exclusively played for a decade) played the third set of the day at the amphitheater stage. Their unique blend of twangy rock and roll and punchy vocals is the perfect combination for a sunny July Saturday at the park.

The 5.6.7.8’s were a highlight of Saturday with a high energy set of their classic rockabilly songs including “Bomb the Twist” and “The Barracuda.”

Taking a break from the punk and stepping into the funk, ESG took the stage for a wildly entertaining set featuring a classic groovy rhythm section, alien masks, and an audience chant of “E.S.G!” Their set was a reminder that the weekend wasn’t just about women in punk, but pioneering women who have had a major influence on the music industry across the board.

At 8:30, the act we were all waiting for took the stage, Le Tigre. For thousands of young girls and women, myself being one of them, Kathleen Hanna has been nothing short of a paragon of feminism, activism and inspiration. So, seeing her live with Le Tigre was surreal to say the least. She and the rest of the group still sound exceptional. JD Samson’s uninhibited stage presence made the set even more enjoyable. The relatability of Le Tigre’s music as well as their ability to speak to the crowd in a way that conveys a sense of empathy and compassion made for a night of true collective effervescence.

Among the many vendors and tents set up at the festival were Amoeba Records, PM Press, 924 Gilman, Alternative Tentacles Records and Tees4Togo, Kathleen Hanna’s t-shirt company dedicated to providing an education to girls in Togo.

Sunday was packed with sets from Vore!, Warp, Brower, Snõõper, The Teddy Bear Orchestra, The Avengers, Mika Miko, JJ Fad, Bratmobile and Oakland’s own Gravy Train!!!!. Unfortunately, I missed the first two Sunday sets, but got to the park just in time to catch Brower in action. There may not be any cure for the summertime blues, but Brower’s classic groove will have you boogieing the blues away in no time with a sound that is particularly reminiscent of glam acts of the 70’s. If you haven’t heard of Snõõper yet, believe me when I say that you’ve been missing out. They’re funky, noisy, fast, and loud, but most of all, they put on an exceptional show. They are an absolute must-see live band.

The most ridiculous of the weekend’s acts was The Teddy Bear Orchestra: a band of literal teddy bears controlled by machines. As entertaining and enjoyable as this concept could be, I found it to be in poor taste as the “Conductor” (the vocalist and only human) put on a fake German accent and his main character trait was that he hated teddy bears and believed they are the cause of all of his problems. The set was undeniably unique and entertaining, but I would not see it again. San Francisco’s veteran punks, The Avengers, were on fire and they even welcomed members of The Linda Lindas on stage to sing “Teenage Rebel.”

Mika Miko, the beloved all female punk group from Los Angeles got the crowd truly riled up. As an ocean of people surrounded the amphitheater stage, fans began crowd surfing and singing along. JJ Fad was the only rap group at the festival, but it became clear pretty quickly that many people bought a ticket just to see the trio, who was the first female group to be nominated for a grammy. Sadly they only played three songs, and as poorly-versed in rap as I am, I couldn’t help but dance along.

This year’s Mosswood Meltdown was one of Bratmobile’s first shows in 20 years. Their highly anticipated set had one of, if not the largest turnout of the festival. The amphitheater stage was overflowing– literally. Fans crammed three rows to each step into the amphitheater and filled the walkways. Members of The Linda Lindas also returned to the stage with Bratmobile to sing a cover of The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.”

Headliners Gravy Train!!!! was raw, sexually suggestive, loud and humorous. At times, I couldn’t tell if I was seeing a band or a comedy act. I have never before seen a band have so much fun with one another as I did with Gravy Train!!!! While their tunes are catchy, their performance and oftentimes silly content, featuring large inflatable breasts, giant fake joints and endless amounts of confetti, is what made the crowd come alive. They even brought Slash (or at least someone dressed as Slash) on stage to play a cover of Guns ’N Roses “Welcome to The Jungle.” Simply put, they were exciting and fun and they helped to make Mosswood Meltdown a truly unforgettable weekend.

Mosswood Meltdown will return in 2024 on the 6th & 7th July with early bird tickets now on sale here