I Don't Want to Grow Up

Monotonix fall down go boom (by John Anderson)

By the time Sunday rolled around, Waterloo Park looked like a deleted scene from The Road Warrior: Bandanas shielded faces from clouds of brown dust, leather jackets were the dress code, and packs of wild dogs roamed the grounds. It looked sort of like End Times, which probably means Fun Fun Fun Fest was a success.

Some highlights:

Invincible: The Detroit rapper gave us a taste of her new project with Motor City beatmaker Waajeed, and there's no doubt she's what the rap world needs right now. Forward-thinking lyrics, insane rhymes, full composure.

Monotonix: I have no idea what Ami Shalev was singing about or if they even played more than one song, but this Israeli trio breaks down the fourth wall and then some. The crowd moved locations with the band no less than three times, caught Shalev when he jumped from a Yellow stage pillar, then propped him up on a drum kit above their heads for 10 minutes. This is how you avoid passing out from too many tall boys at 4pm.

The Gories: Probably would have sounded better in an actual club, but Mick Collins still has the fire. That cover of Suicide's "Ghost Rider" was a great idea.

Kylesa: The double-drum/double guitar force that is this Savannah hardcore quintet has produced some hits and misses, but latest LP Spiral Shadow is perhaps its most fully realized vision. Growler/guitarist Laura Pleasants was her own force on the mic, and when she soloed, all eyes were on her.

Floor: Possibly the loudest band at the fest. Sweet, sticky doom metal that penetrates earplugs, fillings, and frontal lobes. Also possibly the only band that didn't ask us to put our "hands in the air."

Big Freedia: 'Nuff said.

Polvo: A 30-minute set seemed too short, but Polvo's exploratory guitar tangents and free jazz reconstructions were a nice change of pace. With a new album in the works, hopefully they'll return for a longer set and maybe - ahem - play some "early stuff."

The Descendents: There was some grumbling about how these SoCal punks weren't an adequate fill-in for Devo, but after 30 years, they have their sound down to a science, and still have a sense of humor, so it's sort of an even trade. C'mon, they covered "Uncontrollable Urge."