Entering its ninth year, MKE Punk Fest as quietly grown from one or two glorified local shows to become a full-fledged festival. In 2017, the event made the move from spring to late summer, and this year’s installment will now include a total of six shows in three venues over the course of six days in late August and early September.
MKE Punk Fest will unofficially kick off with an August 24 “Before Party” at Bremen Cafe, before formally starting at Quarters on August 29 and continuing on until the September 1 finale (also at Quarters). Those shows will bookend a pair of shows at The Local in Walker’s Point on August 30 and August 31. Oh, and there will also be an After Party at Quarters on September 6. Before it’s all over, a total of almost 60 bands, solo artists, and comedians will perform.
Individual show prices range from $5-10. Four-show weekend passes are just $15. Here’s who’s performing:
Saturday, August 24 – 8 p.m. @ Bremen Cafe (Free)
11:45 p.m. — Hi/Jack
11:00 p.m. — Beaker
10:15 p.m. — The First Rule (Kenosha)
9:30 p.m. — Rhetoric Vendetta (Lake Geneva)
8:45 p.m. — VexNation
8:00 p.m. — Atheists And Airplanes
Thursday, August 29 – 7:30 p.m. @ Quarters ($5)
11:45 p.m. — Jacob Green & The Grit (Beloit)
11:00 p.m. — Victims Of Symmetry
10:15 p.m. — Fake News (Madison)
9:30 p.m. — Widacre
8:45 p.m. — The Royal Blue (Appleton)
8:00 p.m. — The Sketchballs
7:30 p.m. — TBA (Comedy)
Friday, August 30 – 7 p.m. @ The Local ($10)
Main Stage
12:50 a.m. — Full Shred Ahead (Kenosha)
11:40 p.m. — Desiring Dead Flesh (MI)
10:30 p.m. — Walk Among Us (IN)
9:20 p.m. — Army of Cretins (Kenosha)
8:10 p.m. — Stay Up All Night & Fight (IL)
7:00 p.m. — Slaughter Party (Kenosha)
Side Stage
12:15 a.m. — The Night Howls
11:05 p.m. — Man Random
9:55 p.m.— Cuss
8:45 p.m. — Stalones
7:35 p.m. — Murder Generation
Acoustic Stage
9:40 p.m. — The Spite Brothers
9:20 p.m. — Noah Green (Madison)
9:00 p.m. — Josie Spoons (Kenosha)
8:40 p.m. — PAX
8:20 p.m. — Locust Acoustic Technician
Saturday, August 31 – 6 p.m. @ The Local ($10)
Main Stage
11:50 p.m. — Voice of Addiction (IL)
10:40 p.m. — El Escapado (TN)
9:30 p.m. — Some Kind of Nightmare (CA)
8:20 p.m. — Tiger Sex (NV)
7:10 p.m. — Houston & The Dirty Rats (NJ)
6:00 p.m. — Size 5’s
Side Stage
11:15 p.m. — Garbage Man (Sheboygan)
10:05 p.m. — The Red Flags (Madison)
8:55 p.m. — Cherokee Astro (Sheboygan)
7:45 p.m. — The Women
6:35 p.m. — Peach Vomit (IL)
Acoustic Stage
9:40 p.m. — Tryingtogetby
9:20 p.m. — Mike Defendant & Katrina Jo (OH)
9:00 p.m. — No Horse (IL)
8:40 p.m. — Old Wolves (Genoa City)
8:20 p.m. — Squid (Sheboygan)
Sunday, September 1 – 6:30 p.m. @ Quarters ($5)
10:00 p.m. — Four it All (IL)
9:15 p.m. — Schmoolio (Madison)
8:30 p.m. — Courtesy of Tim (Madison)
7:45 p.m. — False Flag Renaissance
7:00 p.m. — Floor Model
6:30 p.m. — TBA (Comedy)
Friday, September 6 – 8 p.m. @ Quarters ($5)
11:45 p.m. — Billy Dreamer
11:00 p.m. — Moth Light
10:15 p.m. — The Unitaskers
9:30 p.m. — Dirtbike
8:45 p.m. — Ardeidae
8:00 p.m. — The Mushroom People