Here’s five punk rock festival must-sees

The Warped Tour is for the kids, but what about their punk rock parents and elder siblings? Well, we have Punk Rock Bowling, one of the biggest throwdowns of the year for the pre-emo set.

The fest, which runs Friday through Monday at various venues downtown, including an open-air main stage across from the El Cortez, seems to get bigger annually, boasting more than 60 acts this year (see the full lineup at www.punkrockbowling.com). That's a lot to choose from, so here's a top five of acts not to be missed:

Municipal Waste (Friday, Las Vegas Country Saloon): "Can you survive the ultimate chug? Or will you choke, then puke on the rug? Or will you last this beer-bonging task? Intoxicate! For the final blast." That just might sum up this weekend, which gets started right with party thrash barley pop terrors Municipal Waste, who will unleash the festival's most raging set of drinking songs. Candidates include the previously quoted "The Inebriator," "Beer Pressure," "Covered in Sick/The Barfer," "You're Cut Off" and of course, "Born to Party." Think D.R.I. with cirrhosis.

The Templars (Saturday, Bunkhouse): These Long Island, N.Y., skinheads espouse the value of open minds and closed fists. They disavow the racism that infects certain subsects of their scene, favoring gruff, blue collar, egalitarian Oi! as callused as the hands of their working class heroes.

Cockney Rejects (Saturday, main stage): A late substitute for Sham 69 after that band canceled because of family health issues, these Brit punks gave Oi! its name and became notorious for shows that were like soccer riots with guitars. Fighting and English football form the grist of their best, most bruise-blanketed jams, which are largely the byproduct of raw throats, bloody knuckles and severely overtaxed adrenal glands.

GBH (Sunday, main stage): GBH (short for grievous bodily harm) is what the name suggests: a series of sonic kidney punches in the form of drunk and disorderly punk rock fast enough to cause windburn. Their 1982 debut, "City Baby Attacked By Rats," is a hallmark of venom and velocity where metalheads and dudes with mohawks bond by spilled blood.

The Avengers (Sunday, Las Vegas Country Saloon): In two short years during their initial run, from 1977 to 1979, San Francisco's the Avengers imprinted female-fronted punk rock like a flame-scorched branding iron sinking into its flesh. "We are the leaders of tomorrow. We are the ones to have the fun," sings equally idealistic and antagonistic frontlady Penelope Houston on "We Are the One." "We want control. We want the power. Not gonna stop until it comes." It hasn't come. They haven't stopped.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.