Rancid @ Sweden Rock Festival 2023-06-09
5/10
The fact that Americans in general are useless at punk is quite amazing considering they invented the whole thing. Sometimes I have a feeling that all the US college punk bands like Green Day, Good Charlotte, The Offspring, Limp Bizkit, NOFX etc. are actually one band alternating between different rubber facemasks because everything sounds the same. Rancid is no exception. Everything follows the same formula – the same speedy riff accompanied by vocals with the same intonation and then a singalong chorus. To be a bit wild and crazy one song in ten uses a backbeat. Add a stupid green mohawk or some cool face tattoos and all the skater kids will love you!
Don’t get me wrong – Rancid do their thing well. It is just that their thing is rubbish. I kind of like their attitude towards things though, especially with them being Americans. But you can combine that attitude with good music and I’d rather listen to Rage Against The Machine any day of the week.
How a nation that gave us bands like Ramones, The Germs, Bikini Kill, Television etc. can’t do any better than this is a mystery.
Who: Rancid
Where: Sweden Rock Festival
When: 2023-06-09
Rate: 5/10
