Hello everybody, and welcome back to the No Skip Show! Today, we bring you each band from day two of the annual Pittsburgh pop-punk festival, Four Chord! If you haven't seen any of our interviews from the fest or the write-up for Four Chord day one then go check those out! It was an absolute honor to be invited to Four Chord for media and written coverage, let's hope we get to do it all again this year so we can keep bringing you the best insight right from the middle of it! Now let's dive right into each band of the day.

1pm - Mallory Run

As per a kind of tradition it seems, another local Pennsylvanian band would open up the festivities for day two! My only issue with this is they could have definitely played longer than they were given, but that is ultimately how it goes for festivals. That didn’t discourage the Erie, PA natives however, starting off the day strong with a very upbeat, catchy, all around groovy time. Being one of the biggest local emo bands it's no surprise that they would put on an awesome performance for the little people that showed up that early in the day, sounding great and playing just as amazingly. What crowd was there vocalist Dan made sure to warm them up for the day, giving off great crowd work for the small amount there. The one good thing about the small crowd is you could pick out plain as day who was a Mallory Run stan, making the early set time much more worth it as it shows just how committed fans are for their set. I applaud the band, and set, for giving it their all, really making it feel just like how it would if they were touring on a regular show!

1:30pm - Runt

Moving on to the second band, one with a very unique sound and presence, all the way from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is Runt! This band provides a very young and fresh perspective to the fest, seemingly being relatively new, at least to the fest circuit itself, but still put on a great performance regardless. This set was certainly a different change of pace for the day, leaning more folk punk than any other band in the day. Cellooooo, sorry upright bass, was an instrument I never thought I’d see at a festival, especially a pop-punk/emo one, but it was crazy to see especially when the player started standing on it while simultaneously playing it. They may not have been the exact vibe for most attendees already present but they had a great charm about them and didn’t let the lack of a crowd ruin their set. I enjoyed what they had to offer as it was the most unique set and sound of the night. We even got to ask them more about their sound later in the day with an exclusive interview, check it out on our socials if you want to learn more about “freak folk” as they describe it!

2:05pm - Like Roses

Now onto one of the newest hot, up and coming, female fronted, emo bands from the bay area of California! Not to discount the first two openers, but Like Roses really kicked the energy up and pace into gear for the day. They were the first band to really draw the crowd in for the early hours, starting the stretch of absolute banger bands in the lineup for day two. The crowd definitely seemed to really be into their entire set, getting the first moshing of the day going with a great mix of upbeat, fast paced jams, but also featuring calm, chill, breaks to catch your breath. Like Roses had an amazing performance through and through, absolutely kicking ass, most likely celebrating their recent signing to Hopeless Records the very same week they played the fest!

2:40pm - Sincere Engineer

Following right after Like Roses, the third female fronted band on Four Chord, from Chicago, Illinois, would be Sincere Engineer with their very good, traditional, solid, female fronted, punk sound. Their entire set had great energy and crowd interaction the whole time, drawing more people towards the stages. The crowd was with it the entire time thanks to the fast-paced, upbeat, jamming performance and music. The vocalists sounded great and gave a stellar performance, adding to the already fantastic set. I’m a sucker for female fronted punk/rock/hardcore/etc bands but Sincere Engineer proves that it is more than just the gender that makes the sound.

3:15pm - Deathbyromy

The fourth and final female fronted band of the festival comes next in the lineup in the way of DeathbyRomy, which has a very different vibe and genre compared to the rest of the fest, something like baddie rock or grind core. The lead vocalist sounded pretty cool but I will admit the performance was hit or miss, it just wasn’t up my alley compared to everyone else. The crowd seemed to relay this as they were hit or miss on activity depending on the song, compared to the activity from the few bands before them. However, the band did manage to get some moshing going, which is always a good sign.

3:50pm - Koyo

Long Island, New York hardcore sucka!! Award for rowdiest band of the day so far would go to these homies, being blessed for the time of day it was, but the crowd really fucked with them the whole set! Front man and lead vocalist, Joey, is an absolute real one, exercising great banter and crowd work with those there. The crowd seemed to feed off his energy and relay it back, moshing through the whole set and even having the first crowd surfers of the day. The energy wasn’t the only kickass part, they sounded absolutely astonishing the whole set, probably one of the best times I've heard Joey of any of the shows I’ve been to so far. They did their due diligence to play an even mix of their hardcore bangers but also the more emo ballads they’ve been putting out recently. It is always a genuine pleasure to see Koyo regardless of where it's at, how many people are there, and how they sound, the shows are just always a blast!

4:25pm - Punchline

If you thought we were done with the locals of the fest, you are sorely mistaken. Pittsburgh locals, and the largest local emo band of their era, Punchline would go on to keep the energy from Koyo running along. In fact Punchline are the largest local band to play Four Chord this weekend, and even ever since inception! Maybe that’s why the crowd was really into it the whole time and kept the vibe moving, but it also could be because the band gave an amazing performance all around. They sounded awesome the entire set and made sure to be very wholesome and kind to the crowd, showing their appreciation over the years. With this they played a good mix of older and new tracks to showcase the love through every era, hitting us with every upbeat, catchy, jam-packed song they could think of in their short time. Great legends throughout the scene, Travis even going as far as to name them the Pittsburgh version of the band Cartel.

5pm - Drug Church

Now, moving right into the heaviest band on the bill for day two, all the way from Albany, New York! It was an absolutely stellar performance from both the vocals and instruments. Patrick, the vocalist, is amazing with amping the crowd up and getting them moving, heavily encouraging the crowd to get up and surf. Putting them directly in the middle was genius as it was a much needed pick me up for the rest of the night, being very fast, energetic, and just amazing performers overall. I went as far as to say the set was just as good as the Spirit show we got to attend on Halloween, but not as consistent or packed with crowd and crowd energy however. But, they still had everyone moving and jamming the entire set with lots of moshing throughout. Patrick also took time throughout the set to show just how humble and grateful he and the band are to be invited to the fest and for all the fans who showed up. 

5:35pm - The Wonder Years

This day seemed like a good mix and back and forth for the local bands. The first day they all seemed to be in the first half but day two had them spread out a little more, which is very nice to keep that local culture alive. While Philly may be on the opposite side of the state it's still in the state so that’s local enough, and who wouldn’t want to claim these legends? Vocalist Dan is a legendary performer and singer, his voice is so unique and always sounds great, really making that classic, straightforward, banger pop punk his own. But, the band also did absolutely amazing the whole set, sounding stellar, even from high up in the bleachers where I was taking a water break. That did allow me to get a great perspective of the crowd though, The Wonder Years looking like the first band of the last half of the day to really draw everyone towards the stage. I mean being as focused on the fan interaction and participation as they are, it's no surprise everyone wanted to be involved. They did a great job to keep everyone active, moshing, interacting with each other, and of course playing everything you could ask for. 

6:20pm - Face To Face

Hailing from Southern California, Face To Face kept the ball rolling with the energy, although initiating a tiny break compared to the other performances around their set. But, that didn’t stop the crowd from moving and grooving along the whole time. The vocalist kept it straightforward and fast-paced, sounding amazing the whole time with the band and production sounding just as great. Spanning around 30 years as a band they did a great job on balancing playing a bunch of their older songs, while introducing some newer tracks to keep it fresh. 

7:05pm - Say Anything

Starting the ending stretch of California bands, not including Jawbreaker, for the night was a very entertaining but surprisingly great set from Say Anything. You can tell the lead singer was giving it his all, and sounding pretty decent while doing it. They did a great job of warming up the crowd for the headliner stretch however, putting on a good performance the whole time. In between songs was probably the best part as the singer was noticeably drunk and heckling the crowd, making the set ever so slightly more fun. I will say he was good with the crowd interaction and keeping everyone entertained and interested in the set. The band played great and the energy really picked up towards the end, setting the stage for the last three bands of the weekend.

7:50pm - Alkaline Trio

Absolute California scene legends, it made a ton of sense why they closed out the second stage as they absolutely deserved it. Afterall, they drew the whole damn stadium in, the crowd was into every song from the beginning. I mean when you’re the sharpest dressed from the whole weekend and sound as amazing as they did it just makes sense. They played great every minute of the set, showing that they are very much still going strong even after such a storied career. Just to prove why they are the veterans, they managed to initiate a solid amount of surfing in the night after a small dry spell hit the last few bands.

8:35pm - Jawbreaker

This performance was as monumental for its significance as much as it is for how it sounded and felt, this only being the band's second tour in just 30 years of existence! The NYC vets put on an insane act featuring that nice and classic punk sound, having an amazing set with an outstanding performance, making it feel way more than just a legacy act. It was a good breather for surfers and rowdiness as it was more for the old heads, but the whole crowd still enjoyed them overall. Being the oldest band of the whole weekend of course there's going to be a little disconnect but that didn’t stop the band from being great with the crowd work, interaction, and generally being funny and chill the whole time. 

10pm - AFI

A fire inside is absolutely what everyone felt as soon as AFI took the stage, putting on an absolutely fire performance as soon as they stepped on the stage. The early 2000s California legends had some nasty level stage presence, like I’m telling you oozing fucking vibes. The vocalist was stellar throughout the entirety of the set with his insane voice and awesome crowd work, the band playing insanely well and crisp behind him, with the production of the set as on par with everything else involved. The crowd was into it from the very first song, probably the most alive they’ve been since the middle of the day. I mean if you’ve ever played Guitar Hero or listened to the radio in the early to mid 2000s to hear the glory of Miss Murder then you shouldn’t be shocked as to why they closed out day two, like it really is a 50/50 between them and Blink for best headliner of the weekend.

Who do you think was the best headliner of the weekend? Who was the best band overall, or who was your favorite? With 14 bands each day, that's not even including the preshow too, 28 in total there’s a lot to choose from and debate over. At the end of the day the experience is always the most important thing that counts, and we certainly had a blast and hope to do it all over again this year! As always, thanks for reading and happy listening!