“You feeling good? I feel pretty good!” shouts age-defying punk icon Iggy Pop soon after bounding onto the stage at Crystal Palace Park in south-east London. With the energy of a dog fresh out of its cage, the 76-year-old American artist is here to headline Dog Day Afternoon, a raucous congregation that hosts 25,000 grizzled punks and their heroes, including Iggy, Buzzcocks, Generation Sex and Blondie, as well as Brighton three-piece Lambrini Girls whose barrage of anti-government rage proves that – if there was ever any question – punk still has its place in 2023.
Judging by the sea of mohawks, leather, pin-badge-covered denim jackets, tattoos, piercings and a whole lot of band t-shirts, it quickly becomes apparent that punk has always been more than just a phase, or even a subculture. For many, ever since the scene’s explosion half a century ago, it’s remained a way of life. And, while most of the crowd are here to relive their ‘70s heyday, some ear-defender-carrying parents have brought their children along, presumably with the hope of instilling their music taste in the next generation.
And who would be better suited to topping the bill than Michigan’s Iggy Pop? In typical fashion, it takes just seconds for his chest to be on show; removing his black waistcoat reveals a body that’s lived a thousand lives and could tell equally as many stories. You have to wonder why he even bothers to put it on in the first instance. Sauntering from one side of the stage to the other and throwing his mic between each hand as he waves at his diehard fans, the former Stooges frontman is on top form.
Backed by a full live band that includes an impressive brass section, his career-spanning 18-track setlist mostly consists of tracks from the band’s iconic back catalogue, including ‘T.V. Eye’, ‘Raw Power’ and ‘I Want To Be Your Dog’, which becomes a snarling highlight. His own solo hits sound just as vital now as when they were released in 1977, too – particularly the anthemic ‘The Passenger’, which the crowd happily chant at the top of their lungs. Similarly, the jangling guitar riffs of ‘Lust For Life’ bring the classic to raucous life.
There’s only time for two tracks from ‘Every Loser’, his most recent solo outing, but they are stellar choices, with the primal ‘Modern Day Ripoff’ sounding at home next to classics. Closing with the one-two-punch of ‘Loose’ and the furious ‘Frenzy’ – two tracks with more than half a century between them – there’s no doubt that Iggy Pop’s title as the king of punk remains unchallenged.
Iggy Pop played:
‘Rune’
‘Five Foot One’
‘T.V. Eye’
‘Modern Day Rip Off’
‘Raw Power’
‘Gimme Danger
‘The Passenger’
‘Lust for Life’
‘The Endless Sea’
‘Death Trip’
‘I’m Sick of You’
‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’
‘Search and Destroy’
‘Mass Production’
‘Nightclubbing’
‘Down on the Street’
‘Loose’
‘Frenzy’