Back in the mid nineties ska punk was king in Hawaii. Bands such as No Doubt, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Toasters, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Reel Big Fish, and Fishbone all performed sold out shows in Hawaii. Unfortunately the genre’s popularity waned and the number of concerts on Oahu plummeted. Fortunately BAMP Project brought Los Angeles based band The Interrupters to The Republik, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Formed in 2011, Aimee Interrupter (vocals), Jesse Bivona (drums), Justin Bivona (bass), and Kevin Bivona (guitar) have released three albums. For the past year they have been touring behind Fight The Good Fight and it’s lead single “She’s Kerosene.”
At close to 10 P.M. the band opened up their set with “A Friend Like Me.” It was obvious Hawaii fans were hungry for some quality ska, the entire club was bouncing. Followed by “By My Side” it was obvious the theme of the set was “unity;” sticking together through thick and thin. The setlist was a survey of the band’s entire catalog. Highlights included “Take Back The Power,” “White Noise,” “Good Things,” and their tribute to San Francisco’s punk/hardcore scene. The tribute included snippets of Metallica’s “Sandman,” Green Day’s “When I Come Around,” and Rancid’s “Time Bomb.” While the crowd was singing in unison to “Time Bomb” the band slammed into Operation Ivy’s “Sound System.” Following “On A Turntable” the band barely left the stage and returned for their encore. Kevin Bivona announced it was his rock n roll fantasy to play “Free Bird.” The guitarist began the song and quickly the band began the final crescendo of the song. It was obvious Aimee Interrupter was not interested and guided the band into “Got Each Other,” “She’s Kerosene,” and finally “Family.”
This was the band’s final show of their current tour and it was obvious they enjoyed themselves as much as the capacity crowd. It was also clear fans are eager for ska punk to return to Hawaii.