“I wrote this next song,” NOFX bassist/vocalist/mastermind Fat Mike announced midway through the California punk outfit’s Saturday night Fun Fun Fun Fest set, “before they named this festival.”
Only a complete asshole would make such a pronouncement in the hometown of the Big Boys, whose song “Fun Fun Fun” inspired the gathering’s moniker. But NOFX made a career of being size 12 dicks. It’s their schtick.
That might explain why they received one of the worst sound mixes of the weekend, with little of Fat Mike’s bass present, more of drummer Erik Sandlin’s floor tom than necessary, and vocals rendered almost an afterthought. Not that those gathered before the Black stage cared. Hits like “The Moron Brothers” and “Fuck the Kids” had the throng gleefully crowdsurfing and shouting along tunelessly.
Ironic, that, since tunefulness remains one of the 32-year-old band’s strong suits.
NOFX is tuneful like Blink 182. That’s the problem: Virtually anything wrong with punk’s commercial end can be laid at their feet. This is punk minus all threat and aggression, melody a nagging “nyah-nyah-nyah!” Punk’s supposed to be obnoxious, but NOFX defines obnoxious same as frat boys on a bender in Juarez.
That made it all the more tragic when guitarist El Hefe stepped forward to sing the set’s true highlight, “Eat the Meek,” a punky reggae anthem that’d make the Clash proud. “Why must we stay where we don’t belong?” he asked in the plaintive refrain. Then another ridiculous punk-pop tune got uncorked lest we think NOFX might have substance after all.
This article appears in November 6 • 2015.
