“Lift Each Other Up”: Punk, Politics, and Secularization at Christian Festivals
Christian Punk: Identity and Performance
Edited by Ibrahim Abraham
Bloomsbury Academic: pp. 137–73 (2020)
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the Chicago-based Christian Celtic-punk band Flatfoot 56, analyzing their performances in secular venues and at the Christian music festivals Cornerstone and AudioFeed. Arguing that Christianity and punk are inseparable to the band’s identity, the chapter analyzes their approach to religious communication in songs and from the stage. The chapter also addresses the evolution of Christian music festivals and the tensions around youth-focused niche forms of Christian music, such as punk.
In particular, I discuss Flatfoot 56’s performance at AudioFeed 2017, which took place late on Sunday, July 2. Their setlist that night included the following songs (on the left is a Spotify playlist with the studio versions of these songs, in order):
Stutter
Loaded Gun
The Rich, the Strong, and the Poor
I Believe It
Knuckles Up
Penny
The Hourglass
Hoity Toity
Medley: You Are My Sunshine, This Land Is Your Land, Dirty Old Town
Same Ol’ Story
Ty Cobb
Brotherhood
I’ll Fly Away
[Encore:]
Chinatown Jail Break
Warriors
Amazing Grace
Flatfoot 56 always choose a theme for their performances at AudioFeed (and, before that, for their official performances at Cornerstone). The bandmembers dress up, bring props, and devise games to play with the audience related to the theme. They announce these themes in advance; devoted fans also dress up in costumes according to the theme. The theme for 2017 was “classic video games,” and members dressed up as Bowser, Donkey Kong, Link, and Mario. Halfway through the concert, they put one audience member in an inflated bubble, divided the rest of the audience in half, and then instructed us to play Pong, bouncing the giant bubble (with a fan inside) between the two different sides of the audience.
There are many live clips of Flatfoot 56 online; they take a very permissive approach to fan recordings. There is even a full-length audience video of the AudioFeed 2017 set. If you’ve never seen a Flatfoot 56 gig, you are in for a treat.