Queers bring ‘wanna chew your bubblin gum’ pop punk to Billings Sunday
Pop punk legends The Queers are in Billings June 7 for a performance at Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. Formed in New Hampshire in the early 1980s, the pop punk group gained minor recognition for their bubble-gum-chewing booze-fueled pop punk style until their breakup shortly after, but didn’t reach much mainstream success until frontman Joe Queer reformed the band in the 90s. They released their first official album for Lookout! Records, “Love Songs for the Retarded,” produced by Ben Weasel of Screeching Weasel.
Admitting they started the band as a joke, Joe Queer recalls only liking two bands when the Queers formed, Black Flag and the Ramones. Following in the style of the Ramones, with peers such as Screeching Weasel and The Muffs, the Queers influenced most pop punk bands to come.
They perform with opening acts The Mansfields, a Colorado Springs Clash/Ramones-style group (the band has a lousy cover of “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” in their repertoire) and all-female indie pop rock group the Hot Toddies, of Oakland, Calif., and Wyoming female-fronted punk rock group The Front.
The concert is an early one, with doors opening at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $12 at the door, or are available for $10 in advance at the venue or online at www.1111presents.com.
