Jawbreaker fans were granted a boon this year, when Riot Fest announced the emo/pop-punk outfit would reunite to headline this year’s festival some 20 years after breaking up. Some folks are a bit anxious about the reunion show, which is fair—how well would you get along with coworkers after a decades-long hiatus? Not that being in a band is like work—that is, unless it is. But the point is, an impromptu show at the Ivy Room in Albany, California last night suggests those fears are unfounded. Pitchfork caught wind of the gig, which saw Blake Schwarzenbach lead Adam Pfahler and Chris Bauermeister through “The Boat Dreams From the Hill,” “Condition Oakland,” and “Chemistry.” That is, after he’d dropped a little Keats on everyone:
West Coasters will have at least one more opportunity to see Jawbreaker before Riot Fest kicks off—the band is playing with Nuisance and Monsula on August 12 at San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop the day after its documentary, Don’t Break Down. Excuse us while we react to the news.