Record-breaking heat and seven hours of wall-to-wall punk: The Offspring close out a dust-caked all-dayer at Crystal Palace Park, with PUP, Pennywise, Dropkick Murphys and Destroy Boys making sure nobody saves their energy…

Words by Cameron (@aussie_media) | 30 June, 2026

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The last Sunday in June. The end of a week with record-breaking temperatures. In Crystal Palace, stood on a field clearly showing the signs of 3 days of being trampled. Dust flying up from the ground, clinging to skin as if desperate to either be part of the action or get out. Tens of thousands of punk rock lovers ranging from kids in prams, to one lady I saw with a Zimmer frame, and everything in between.

Firstly, I’ve gotta say, this is the best I’ve seen a festival handle any form of high heat. With 2 misting stations in the main arena, 1 hose at the front being sprayed over the crowd, and water being handed out every 10 seconds, this is the most cared for I’ve ever felt at a festival of this size.

Having been to a few of these all “In The Park” festivals, I always feel the opening set is one of the toughest. It’s early, the vast majority of people aren’t there for you, and if there are any tech issues or you come in with the wrong energy, it sets the tone for the whole day.

It seems I don’t share this fear with Destroy Boys. Right out the gate, starting with a compilation of voices from toxic spaces such as Piers Morgan, they came on, stuck a middle finger to the speakers and ripped into their first song You Hear Yes. With the first gnarly chords of Crybaby, people had run in to be part of the crowd and see what was happening on stage. By song three, the crowd had erupted into a combo of mosh and circle pits. Before jumping into their fourth song of the day, Drink, lead singer Alexia Roditis shouts, ‘you don’t get to like rock music and be a fucking creep’, receiving the biggest cheer so far.

Destroy Boys looked like a band that were simply having the time of their lives. Sprinting across the stage, dancing with each other, it’s easy to see why they would be supporting The Offspring. Their sound, style and general attitude to standing up for what’s right feel exactly like the kind of band you’d expect from musicians raised on Offspring. More impressively, with a crowd of such diverse ages, not a single person wasn’t at least nodding along. Mixing from spikey pink riffs that make your parents question what’s going on, to sludgy grunge tunes with pick-clean lead lines, Destroy Boys saw the assignment and threw it back in your face, torn up with a middle finger and a smile.

Imagine this; it’s 2015. You’re 16. Sat in a DT lesson you thought would be fun for GCSE, and you’re on YouTube letting the automatic “Play Next” feature dictate what you’re listening to. As the final cheers die down from the Nirvana Reading and Leeds set you’ve pretty much had on repeat, a raspy yet haunting Canadian voice starts singing about a tour that makes him want to kill his friends. These vocals quickly go on hard rotation, and with every new release, you discover songs that will stick with you through every moment of your life. Even 10 years later, you listen to DVP to hype you up. Now also imagine you have terrible luck with Ticketmaster and have still yet to see them in person. Then, by chance, these four Canadians (who have shaped your life more than they will ever know) are in front of you in a park in Crystal Palace. This, albeit rambly, intro was me yesterday. I was not disappointed.

PUP came out swinging early, walking on to first-starter, which had the crowd jumping before they even set foot on stage. Some may call it cheap; I say bring it on. Ripping straight into their first song, Morbid Stuff, and I think that was the last moment they stood still. After their second song, Kids, they outlined their gameplan for the day. Lead singer Stefan Babcock introduced the band, followed by, ‘we’re gonna do little talking, and as much rocking as possible’. This was only the first of two times that they stopped to talk to the crowd, who were too busy singing along to really notice. As a fan, they did everything I could’ve wanted. They played songs from all but one of their albums, and played the hits. For a stage where not everyone will know who you are, it was perfect.

Clearly I wasn’t the only one who was a spring ready to go for PUP. Multiple mosh pits and our first crowd surfers of the day made it clear that PUP were the best band to take it up to the next level from where Destroy Boys started the day. To end the set, Stefan Babcock spoke again about how grateful they are and that, ‘we only started this band so there would be good music at our friends’ house parties, so this is crazy!’. At that moment, guitarist Steve Sladkowski plays the two-note riff that signals the start of the two songs that 10 years ago introduced me to something brand new. The set ends with the seminal classics If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will, followed immediately by DVP.

PUP‘s brand of ratty punk riffs with Midwest emo-style lyrics, all glued together with catchy melodies shoved forward by a driving rhythm section, caught the crowd in the perfect mood. Under the gleam of the sun, it felt like the festival was truly starting.

As soon as Pennywise hit the stage, it was like something switched in the crowd. By the time the fast riff of Peaceful Day hit, the crowd had doubled, a circle pit 10 metres wide had formed, and the couple next to me discussing babysitting options for their 10-year-old son (they were not quiet; I learnt far too much about their lives) had suddenly left.

With a band as massive as Pennywise, you know what you’re going to get. Neck-snapping riffs, fuck-the-world lyrics, and shithousery on stage that only a band of this longevity can have, or get away with. While their first two songs were marred by a few technical gremlins, with the way frontman Jim Lindberg kept the crowd involved, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was planned.

Where PUP made the decision early on to play as many songs as possible, Pennywise wanted to have more of a conversation. As I said, when you see a band like Pennywise, you expect almost a comedy set with music in between. From starting chants of Pennywise, to getting the crowd to boo Donald Trump, to directly pointing out people telling them to mosh harder, Pennywise made you feel part of the performance. After playing about eight of their own songs, including the mega hit Fuck Authority, they went on to discuss bands from their home town and bands they love, leading to a medley of covers from Black Flag, Sublime, NOFX and The Descendents, before settling on a cover of Do What You Want by Bad Religion, which the crowd lapped up.

Later on in the set, they led everyone into a punk rendition of Stand By Me. Essentially, this was lead singer Jim Lindberg saying the lyrics, pointing the mic to the crowd, then blasting the chorus 50BPM faster. Again, it made you feel part of the performance, and clearly it worked as the crowd followed every command given to them. To close the set, Noodles from The Offspring joined them on stage for a rendition of Bro Hymn that had people on shoulders and crowd surfing, all singing along.

I’ve seen Pennywise live a few times at Slam Dunk, where they have the closest thing to a residency a festival can have, and while I may not be able to name more than the big hit songs, they are always one of the most fun live bands to see. After 38 years in the game, they show no sign of slowing down, especially in the right hand.

Dropkick Murphys, to me, have always been a fun band. Nothing more, nothing less. Not a bad thing, but when I saw they were main support for the day, I was a little surprised.

Before today, I could name you one Dropkick Murphys song, and probably be surprised at two I did know but didn’t know were them. However, as the sun rested on, then slowly sank behind the trees overlooking Crystal Palace Park, the most variety of instruments I’ve ever seen on one stage at the same time hit the stage, singing songs of liberation, anarchy and fighting power. It was perfect.

As I said, I didn’t know a great deal about Dropkick Murphys, and from the little I did know I assumed they were a fun, sing-and-get-drunk-with-your-friends band. What I wasn’t expecting were some of the most politically charged lyrics ever, accompanied by a mandolin, bagpipes, a flute, or all three. The crowd always felt on the brink of something big. By the time they had powered through The Boys Are Back, The State of Massachusetts, Who’ll Stand With Us and Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya, it felt like I was accidentally invited to a secret party. Everyone was dancing, singing along and pushing each other in a pit. I was surrounded by people who were entranced by the music emanating from the stage.

As Dropkick Murphys closed out their set with the seminal classic Shipping Up To Boston, it’s clear to see why they have been going for, as the singer stated, 30 years. This was never as obvious as when the camera pans over the crowd, showing just 100s of kids on shoulders clapping and singing along, or simply throwing up devil horns with big, gleaming, dust-stained smiles. I came in not knowing anything about DKM. I leave feeling ashamed of myself for not knowing more.

After seven hours of music, it was time for the main attraction. The blue sky that had remained a mainstay of the day was now covered by a patchy layer of pink-dappled clouds catching the last remnants of the sun. It was just about dark enough that when the lights went for The Offspring to take the stage, it actually made a difference.

Everything that can be said about The Offspring, their longevity, their star power, and the reason that so many people have gathered to see them, can be summarised in the fact that the first three songs they play are Come Out And Play, All I Want and Want You Bad, and there was still another hour and 15 minutes of wall-to-wall bangers. At no point in the set did it feel like it was slowing down. Even between songs, the onstage banter between lead singer Dexter Holland and guitarist Noodles kept you engaged. It may have been somewhat scripted, but it felt real. Even when they did a bit about a spontaneous cover of Crazy Train (featuring an onstage appearance of a vibraphone, cop that Dropkick Murphys), or a rendition of In The Hall of The Mountain King, or even a punk rendition of Love Story by Taylor Swift, it felt real.

Throughout the set, they had an array of inflatables on stage. From two electrified skeletons touching the top of the stage lights, to four wacky inflatable versions of the kid from the music video of the song that is arguably their biggest hit, Pretty Fly For A White Guy. When they played it right before leaving the stage for a quick change and rehydration, they knew people had come here to hear this song. Halfway through the song, dropping it right down, they did the classic game of which side is louder. Normally, this gets an eye roll, but they knew this would get an eye roll and joked around on stage as they did it. Again, this back and forth just felt like we were watching them on stage in a small club and made the huge crowd feel like an intimate show. As the set closed, I felt satisfied that they had come out, ripped up the stage and played the biggest songs.

Then, the encore of You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid and Self Esteem (only interrupted by a crowd-led chant of ‘It’s Coming Home’, spurred on by Dexter Holland sporting an England shirt) made me realise just how many incredible bangers they have.

One of the biggest things you notice about The Offspring is how they all look like they’re having the time of their lives. It may be that for them, this is another Sunday, albeit in a different country, but for us it was something that people had been gearing up for all year, and they made us feel worth it. Nothing I can say about the songs. These songs, so well known through years of Kerrang, Scuzz and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, feel like I’m back discovering something new all over again. Sure, Pretty Fly For A White Guy was No.1 when I was born, so it’s not exactly like I was there, but I was. For 90 minutes in a dusty, sun-baked park, I was there. And that’s all I can say.