Iggy Pop headlines the final day of PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
If punk is dead, nobody told the 10,000 Tokyo-area fans who packed Makuhari Messe for the finale of PUNKSPRING 2025.
The annual, two-day festival — a cornerstone of Japan’s punk scene since 2003 — came roaring back March 29-30 with a lineup that spanned generations, proof that the world has yet to overdose on three-chord fury.
And who better to headline than the unkillable cockroach of rock ‘n’ roll, Iggy Pop? At nearly 78, he’s still shirtless, still snarling, and still commanding the stage like a man possessed.
The crowd became a writhing mass of sweat and delirium the moment he launched into “Lust for Life,” a song partly inspired by an old American Forces Network jingle. By the time he ripped through “Search and Destroy,” the place detonated.
But this was no nostalgia act. This was the ex-Stooges frontman reminding you that he was punk before the word even existed.
Iggy Pop headlines the final day of PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock performs during PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones sports a Heroes Project hat during PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
Before that came a rare set that had everyone buzzing: the Sex Pistols, resurrected with Frank Carter (of Gallows and The Rattlesnakes) taking on Johnny Rotten’s old sneer. Carter channeled the band’s anarchic energy with raw, feral intensity. As the opening chords of “God Save the Queen” rang out, fists shot into the air. The defiance, the venom — it was all still there.
Another military connection: Guitarist Steve Jones sported a hat advertising The Heroes Project, a nonprofit dedicated to helping injured veterans.
Bad Religion gave the day its intellectual edge, with Greg Graffin leading a set packed with razor-sharp political anthems. Pennywise kept the crowd surfers happy with its signature skate-punk fury, while Yellowcard — who admitted to being the least punk band on the bill — brought a blast of early-2000s nostalgia. Thousands screamed along to “Ocean Avenue” like it was 2003 all over again.
Bad Religion performs during PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
Pennywise performs during PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
Yellow Card performs during PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (PUNKSPRING)
The Cro-Magnons perform during PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (Eri Shibata)
The Bonez opens the final day of PUNKSPRING at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, March 30, 2025. (Yoshifumi Shimizu)
Japan’s homegrown punk heroes, The Cro-Magnons, stripped punk down to its essence — no frills, all attitude — and the crowd ate it up. The Bonez, another Japanese band, kicked off the day with a set that can only be described as pure joy: Fans locked arms and danced in circles while singing along.
Scanning the crowd — grizzled veterans in patched-up leather, fresh-faced punks with brand-new mohawks — it was clear: Punk isn’t a trend or a phase — it’s a virus. And once it’s in you, it never leaves.
