WXPN Welcomes: Fishbone In Your Face 40th Anniversary Tour presale codes

Los Angeles originals mixing ska, punk, funk, and soul, the band marks 40 years of In Your Face with a lineup that leans close to their classic core.

Forty years young, still restless

After decades of member shifts and side projects, recent reunions have sharpened their chemistry and tightened the horns.

What likely gets played

Expect the album spotlight, likely front-to-back, with rippers like When Problems Arise and A Selection, plus staples such as Party at Ground Zero and Bonin' in the Boneyard. The room skews multigenerational: crate-diggers in sun-faded tees, younger skankers up front, and local horn players clocking every break. A fun bit: the group pops a theremin into the mix for eerie swells, and they once popped up in the cult film Tapeheads doing a fiery cameo. Another deep cut of history: the band first gelled through LA's busing program, pulling kids from different neighborhoods into one wild stew. For clarity, I'm projecting songs and production touches from recent set patterns and this anniversary theme, and the night-to-night plan can flip.

The Fishbone Family On The Floor

The scene is friendly and kinetic, more bounce than shove, with a small skank circle near the barricade and dancers posted along the sides.

Checkers, patches, and proper skank form

You will see checkerboard jackets, Doc boots, flight caps, and sun-faded tour shirts from the 90s, next to fresh DIY patches stitched on denim.

Shared history without gatekeeping

Chants tend to be simple and rhythmic, with the room spelling the band name or answering call-and-response before the downbeat. People swap stories about early club gigs and festival war stories, and newcomers mostly listen, then add their first-show takes after the encore. Merch leans practical: black-and-white In Your Face anniversary tees, a bright poster with horn silhouettes, and a table copy of the self-published poetry from the frontman. Between sets, you might hear two-tone classics and LA funk deep cuts over the PA, which frames the lineage without turning it into homework. The culture is inclusive, loud, and grounded in movement, where respect for the groove keeps the floor safe.

How Fishbone Makes Chaos Musical

Live, the vocals jump from soulful croon to a quick, percussive bark, and the crowd often takes the middle lines so the band can punch accents.

Horns hit like riff guitars

Guitars ride sharp, upstroke skank on verses, then switch to chunky riffs when the rhythm section drops into funk.

Grooves that pivot on a dime

Horns act like a second guitar line, hitting the same figures for weight, then peeling off into bright counter-melodies. The rhythm team favors quick changes: a verse in double-time, a chorus in halftime, then a clean stop that snaps into a slap-bass break. A small geek note: they sometimes retune the lower string for extra thump on older numbers, which lets the bass solo in Bonin' in the Boneyard feel deeper than the studio cut. Visuals are bold but not fussy, with saturated colors and tight strobes that track kicks and horn hits rather than wash the whole stage. Even with those layers, the songs remain voice-and-groove first, so every player leaves space when it's time for the hook.

If You Like Fishbone, Try These Live Acts

Fans of Red Hot Chili Peppers will vibe with the shared LA funk-punk roots and rubbery bass lines.

Kindred grooves, different cities

Living Colour appeals to the same crowd that likes heavy groove wrapped in sharp social lyrics and virtuoso chops.

Who else sits in the pocket

If you enjoy oddball rhythm turns and elastic low end, Primus hits a similar nerve live. Ska-leaning fans who want big horn hooks and crowd-ready upstrokes will feel at home with The Interrupters. Put together, these artists echo the blend of bounce, bite, and community at the core of the show. That overlap means your playlist will travel well from one bill to the next.