POPTHOMOLOGY PRESENTS PIZZA FEST 2014, DAY TWO PHOTOS & REVIEW: HIGHLINE, SEATTLE, WA. 8/15/14

(THANK YOU to photog/writer AJ Dent for this monster coverage of the punk party that is Pizza Fest Day Two! HERE is Day One if you missed it and don't forget to come back to see even-more-monster Day Three!)

We can all agree that due to Pizza Fest’s furlough in 2013, last year was full of tears and void of meaning. Thanks to the work (and pizza cravings) of Wheels Capponi and many others, though, I found myself at the Highline on Friday all set for the returned feast.

Walking in to the choice tunes of DJs Sloppy Jo and Dyl Widdit started it off perfectly. Boxes of Big Mario’s were stacked high, everyone already had a drink in hand, and La Luz merch was not-so-inconspicuously laid out on the back table. I had come to the right place to party.

I fully admit I had no idea that Christopher Byrne of Sharkie would actually be wearing a shark costume through the band’s set. After my eyeballs got used to that hilarity, I sunk into the dudes’ synthiness like the fourteen-year-old I am at heart. I mean, their tracks are fast-paced indie-pop gems titled things like “Cocoa Puffs” and “Hugs & Kisses” and “Braille Poetry”. Of course I’m gonna get into that. The guys were all smiles onstage, too, and that always makes for a good time.

The feel-good waves were kept at a high by the next band, Acapulco Lips -- one of my favorite Seattle groups by far. Surfy riffs, clap-alongs during “So Long”, and An Instrumental About Weed: count me in. Every time. Together, these four create that real-deal can’t-look-away chemistry that’s equally rare and important. You’ll find yourself doo-wopping with them one moment, and air-guitaring along the next.

OK, Underworld Scum. You had me grinning like mad and laughing outright like an idiot. Rad, ridiculous, riotous -- what else could we expect from this Misfits cover band? They crushed every single song like the beer cans landing on stage through their set. It was the most interactive I’d seen the crowd yet that night, and the guys played, like, a dozen songs straight! It was nuts and a shit-ton of fun. Such killer costumery was on-point as well. You just can’t go wrong with these weirdos.

 Big Eyes is one of those bands that I’ve meant to see all year, and the timing never worked out. Their performance at Pizza Fest made it totally worth the wait. On top of the dancy drums and breakneck-speed bass, Kate Eldridge’s voice really socked it to me. I didn’t even know the lyrics, yet found myself defiantly fist-pumping and hair-tossing with each punky chorus. Since that night, I’ve been devouring 2013’s Almost Famous like it’s my last mental meal. Delicious.

 Based out of Portland, The Shivas are badasses, each and every one. They douse rock and roll with sugar, sweat, and yearning sighs, making it impossible to escape your own instant love for them. “You Make Me Wanna Die” is just one flytrap-catchy example. Several people told me these four are their new favorite Pacific Northwest group, and I can feel that. They make me want to find a magma lake on the sun and surf it.

So, I’m in love with the fact that the last act of the night was a big ol’ pizza-y punchline. Billed as the Black Olives, La Luz played up the part of a mysterious Australian band, complete with sunglasses, all-black outfits, and warbly accents. The four ladies covered the whole floor in dark surfer rock and drunken dancers. Thanks to their lovely, lickety-split sounds, the second night of the fest was a wrap, and a tonal triumph at that.