Mosswood Meltdown Festival

Mosswood Meltdown 2024 was a stacked showcase of some of the best punk from yesterday and today. Due to construction at the park, the festival had only one stage and an area for merch and vendors. In the past, the festival has had two stages, one main stage and an amphitheater side stage, but the festival did a good job making the best of the situation by ensuring that acts were spaced out enough for fans to have a rest between sets but also to keep the energy high between sets with plenty of vendors and DJs.

Hot Laundry kicked off Mosswood Meltdown on Saturday with a short, but fiery set. Trap Girl followed and kept the energy high with a beautiful, unapologetic, and angry set. Pansy Division, who I had previously heard of but had unfortunately not yet listened to, were a great surprise. Their unique blend of punk, humor, and anger was both cathartic and incredibly fun.

In the afternoon, Peaches Christ hosted a drag contest, judged by John Waters. Four fabulous acts performed and at the end of the contest, Papi Churro was crowned the winner and awarded with a 500 dollar check. Other highlights from Saturday included Hunx & His Punx. The group, which features beloved artists Seth Bogart (also of Gravy Train!!!!) and Shannon Shaw (of Shannon and the Clams) was a weekend fan favorite.

Redd Kross was the perfect act for Mosswood Meltdown. Their South Bay punk roots in combination with their pop influences ensured that their set was a candy coloured success.

The long awaited B-52s were a wonderful sight to see. In addition to still looking fabulous, they also sounded as good as they sound on the record. They played an hour and a half and didn’t let up on the energy for even a second.

On Sunday, I arrived at the park just in time for Space Lady to play. One thing that makes Mosswood Meltdown such a special festival is the focus on the music culture of the Bay Area, particularly alternative and DIY culture. Just after Space Lady’s set, a man next to me shared that he had seen her performing on a street corner in the Castro in the 1980s and thought it was cool that the festival focused on platforming the niche artists who have helped make the Bay Area what it is. Following Space Lady was Die Spitz, the four-piece punk outfit hailing from Austin, Texas. Die Spitz is one of the most exciting live bands that’s come out in the last few years. They were one of few acts at Mosswood Meltdown that actually got a pit going during their set.

Bush Tetras followed Die Spitz, keeping the grrrl punk vibes flowing, with a 45 minute set of pure rock and roll. Shaking things up a bit, Egyptian Lover performed a DJ set in the afternoon on Sunday, getting the crowd dancing and singing along.

The scorching Oakland sun was unrelenting, and I eventually had to leave the festival partway through Gibby Haynes And The Paul Green Rock Academy due to heat exhaustion, so I unfortunately had to miss Big Freedia, Pure Hell and The Mummies, but despite the unfortunate ending, Mosswood Meltdown 2024 was exceptional as always.