Pop punk has gotten a bad name over the last few years, and maybe deservedly so. Wimpy pop bands with mohawks have tried to ruin it for everybody. Back in the 90's there were a ton of great punk bands with great melodies and harmonies. The lyrics were usually funny, and you couldn't help but sing along on the choruses. Bands like Screeching Weasel, The Mr. T Experience, Pink Lincolns, and The Parasites ruled the day. Pop punk was not a dirty word. With this in mind, people from all over the Midwest and South converged on Louisville, KY on June 20, 2014 to see two of the all time greats; Sloppy Seconds and The Queers.

The show was at Diamond Pub and Billiards, a big complex with a separate concert hall. It was a big room capable of hosting bigger rock shows. This show was also the kick–off of Sloppy Seconds' brief east coast tour. Be My Doppelganger from Evansville, IN started off the night with a solid set of meat and potatoes punk rock. Local rockabilly favorites Vice Tricks were up next. Their singer/guitarist is a dead ringer for a young Mike Ness and they feature a sexy Betty Page–esque stand–up bass player. Both bands did a good job of warming up the crowd.

Queers' main man, Joe King, and his frequently rotating cast of side men started their set, as usual, with "No Tit". It was pretty refreshing to see so many people singing along to something so politically incorrect. Joe loves to introduce his songs like this, " 'You're Tripping' , motherfucker", or, " 'Ursula Finally Has Tits', motherfucker", or 'I Only Drink Bud', motherfucker". I'm not sure what it is, but there's something endearing about being called a motherfucker by the great Joe King. The Queers played nine songs from their Love Songs for the Retarded LP, which turned 20 this year. (You should own this album.) The also did a handful of songs from Don't Back Down. They threw in a cover of Screeching Weasel's "Cindy's on Methadone", and closed with the Ramones' classic "Sheena is a Punk Rocker". Joe King is an underrated guitar player and an ageless wonder. The Queers consistently deliver great live shows.

Sloppy Seconds is a study in contrast to The Queers. Sloppy doesn't tour often, and has had the same four guys for more than 15 years. What they do have in common, is great song writing about juvenile subject matter. Sloppy Seconds opened with two songs from their More Trouble Than They're Worth album; "You've Got a Great Body But Your Record Collection Sucks" and, "Why Don't Lesbians Love Me–". "Blackmail" was the first of ten songs from their classic Destroyed LP, Which is an amazing 25 years old. (You should own this album, too.) Singer, B.A., teased the crowd that they were going to play something new before breaking into "I Don't Wanna be a Homosexual", probably their best known song.

B.A. is definitely the visual focal point of the band. He's a rotund man with bleach–blonde hair and lots of jewelry a–la Mr. T circa 1985. At some point in the show he usually takes off his shirt; however, it didn't happen this night. He's also a master of between song banter, not that the band stopped often. They raced from song to song, barely slowing to take a breath. My favorite B.A. story was one he told about he and Bo, the bass player, driving to New York to see the Ramones. This led to "You Can't Kill Joey Ramone", from their most recent Endless Bummer album.

The band, from Indianapolis, IN, was in fine form on this night. The crowd was eating from their hand. There's a real sense of camaraderie among Sloppy Seconds fans. It's as if we have a great secret that we're hesitant to share with the world. We know that in a parallel universe Sloppy Seconds is huge while Blink–182 toils in obscurity. The band seemed to genuinely appreciate the love from the fans, and fed on it. By the time B.A., Steve, Bo, and Ace finished with the Sex Pistols' "No Feelings", the crowd was hoarse and satisfied.

I only have a couple of complaints. I did not think the sound was all that great. It was very loud, but a little muddy with too much bottom end. The security also seemed overzealous and unnecessarily violent. This seems to often be the case with non–punk clubs. We saw Sloppy again the next night at a great punk dive in Cleveland, OH called Now That's Class. It sounded great and the security was virtually nonexistent. The band played another spirited set, and B.A. took his shirt off. All was right with the world.

The set lists:
The Queers
1. No Tit
2. You're Tripping
3. Wimpy Drives Through Harlem
4. Hi Mom, Its Me
5. I Hate Everything
6. Granola Head
7. Kicked out of the Weebelos
8. Ursala Finally Has Tits
9. Noodlebrain
10. Born to do Dishes
11. Like a Parasite
12. Love, Love, Love
13. Cindy's on Methadone
14. Another Girl
15. I Only Drink Bud
16. Punk Rock Girls
17. Monster Zero
18. See ya Later, Fucker
19. Debra Jean
20. Fuck the World
21. This Place Sucks
22. Sheena is a Punk Rocker

Sloppy Seconds
1. You've Got a Great Body, but Your Record Collection Sucks
2. Why Don't Lesbians Love Me–
3. Blackmail
4. I Don't Wanna be a Homosexual
5. The Mighty Heroes
6. Come Back Traci
7. You Can't Kill Joey Ramone
8. 15 Minutes or it's Free
9. The Horror of Party Beach
10. Kill the Trendy
11. Can't Slow Down
12. Janie is Nazi
13. This is Your Brain on Drugs
14. Shut Up and Pour Me a Drink
15. Your Sister
16. I Want 'em Dead
17. Take You Home
18. Ice Cream Man
19. So Fucked Up
20. The Pop my Dick Song
21. If I Had a Woman
22. Human Waste
23. Veronica
24. No Feelings