The first band to play as I arrived at this years Corndogorama was Attractive Eighties Women. Front man Mack Williams (aka Phoebe Cates) made sure to apologize to any parents who happened to bring their kids along right before introducing a song as “for anyone who has ever drank too much beer and woke up the next day with diarrhea.” They also threw frozen corndogs at the audience.

After ignoring what turned out to be the worst act of the weekend [not AEW], I was pleasantly surprised by Can Can. This three-piece relied on a crunchy punk chords with occasional technical brilliance, relentless drumming, and a singer whose mannerisms bounced between aggressive and flamboyant. My notes also included the words desperate, cocky, energetic, sexual, and awesome.

Next up on the second stage was The Goldest. I had heard a lot about them, but this was my first live experience. It was pleasant, sunny indie pop by a capable but ultimately forgettable band. They did manage to regain my attention late in their set with some excellent vocal harmonies, but overall not my cup of tea.

After a short reprieve from the sun, I returned in time for a taste of Club Awesome’s enjoyable pop punk. Next up was Thy Mighty Contract, an admitted favorite of mine. It might be the fact that the last few times I’ve seen them live have been in art galleries or record stores, or it might be they are improving, but I thought they sounded great and only affirmed my lofty opinions of them.

Sealions set on the second stage was their first with a new drummer after months of playing as a duo. I think they have finally found the right balance between live and programmed instrumentation, as the drummer blended in well but notably added to the group’s energy.

Wizard Smoke is the kind of metal band that sacrifices virtuosity for power. They also tended to sludge along rather than go for any sort of excessive speed (at least until the end of their last song). This, along with the epic structure of their compositions, led to a set that included only three songs. It was hard to tell if the five-piece would display any range or variety in a longer set, but they were good enough to warrant another listen.

Hawks followed by Dropsonic both proved why they are praised by their respective scenes, then The Empties played some decent rock music while all wearing black converse (a possible coincidence given the circumstances).

Noot d’Noot played a short but successful set relying on upbeat dance numbers while veering away from some of their spaced out tendencies. Between on and off rain for rest of the evening, I managed to see The Judies act ridiculous on stage while playing very engaging and dynamic pop music. The last band I caught on day one was The Howlies. As far as retro garage rock goes, this is the best I’ve seen in Atlanta. These guys are entertaining and look like they are having a blast the whole time.