Decendents / Circle Jerks / Negative Approach – 2025 UK / European Tour live gallery & review, The Academy Dublin 09.03.2025

An old school night of hardcore punk from South Bay and Detroit, in order of hard to lite.

Negative Approach are by far the most brutal. Black Flag getting into a scrap with Slayer. The stage is packed with Circle Jerks and Descendents gear so there’s no room for them. Brannon rasps his roar and Richardson mostly faces his amp and Lehl. There’s a lot of feedback. Street punk times ten. Filthy.

Circle Jerks are half the original ’79 lineup (Morris + Hetson), an almost original bass with Schloss (’84), and the blindingly brilliant drumming of QOTSA’s Joey Castillo. They’re exactly as you’d expect them to be, except better. Fast, punchy, heavy, humourous. Morris’s banter and storytelling is funny, engaging and entertaining. Castillo’s kit appears to be slowly falling apart. Hetson doesn’t catch any air, but who cares? They’re fucking brilliant.

Descendents are unchanged since ’86. They’re the much lighter end of hardcore, planting the seeds for the whingier brand of Blink 182 “punk”. That aside, they are great, although personally I’d have had the Circle Jerks headline.

Negative Approach photos:

Circle Jerks photos & set-list:

Set-list:
Moral Majority
Letterbomb
In Your Eyes
Stars and Stripes
Back Against the Wall
Behind the Door
I Just Want Some Skank
Beverly Hills
When the Shit Hits the Fan
Under the Gun
Trapped
Coup d’état
Wild in the Streets (Garland Jeffreys cover)
Deny Everything
Don’t Care
Live Fast Die Young
Paid Vacation
Junk Mail
Parade of the Horribles
Casualty Vampire
I, I & I
Leave Me Alone
I Don’t
Beat Me Senseless
World Up My Ass
Wasted
High Price on Our Heads
Red Tape

Descendents photos & set-list:

Set-list:
Everything Sux
Hope
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
Victim of Me
I Wanna Be a Bear
Rotting Out
My Dad Sucks
‘Merican
Clean Sheets
Myage
Without Love
Nothing With You
No Fat Burger
Silly Girl
When I Get Old
Coffee Mug
On Paper
Van
I’m Not a Punk
Thank You
Weinerschnitzel
No, All!
Bikeage
I’m the One
I Like Food
Coolidge
Good Good Things
Feel This
Suburban Home
Smile
______________________________________
Testosterone
Get the Time
Hey Hey
Break On Through (The Doors cover)
Catalina

Photos & words Cormac Figgis