Bang Bang: One year on
By SecondFavouriteSon /Aug. 17, 2017 / Comments
Last Friday marked exactly one year since the release of "Bang Bang", the explosive lead single that signalled the start of Green Day's Revolution Radio era. The 12 months that followed have contained interviews, tours of 3 continents, and a lot of messing about with puppets, with one prevailing message: Green Day are BACK.
Fans were ecstatic about the release from the moment news broke at the end of July, though the band's teasing of new material had already been going on for some time. By the 11th of August 2016, we were all ready and waiting - some of us more impatiently than others - to hear the first new music from Green Day since December 2015.
And we weren't disappointed.
Every fan will have a slightly different memory of the first time they listened to the song, whether they heard it on the radio or went straight to their favourite streaming service. For me, the defining moment came just after the guitars explosively kicked in, when some slightly over-excited dancing led to my headphones becoming disconnected and the internet radio player closing. It was at this point, as I was scrambling for the headphone jack while simultaneously trying to open Spotify, that I realised just how awesome that first full listen was going to be.
Since then, the band has released a lyric video and a music video, the latter directed by Tim Armstrong, frontman of recent support band Rancid and Billie Joe's bandmate in 'Armstrongs'. The song has also become a live staple, with one particular performance at the 2016 American Music Awards drawing attention from the media when Billie Joe Armstrong started a chant against US president Donald Trump.
It's undeniable that, even at Green Day's regular, lower profile shows, Bang Bang has stood out as an explosive moment. Indeed, no song of theirs has ever called more for pyrotechnics, and the production team hasn't failed to disappoint. Between the explosions, fast pace and hard-hitting punk lyrics, the song never fails to draw a great reaction from a crowd of new and old fans alike.
If Green Day have started the Revolution Radio era as they mean to go on, then we're in for many more explosive moments yet.
To read more about Bang Bang, head over to our 'Year of RevRad' feature on the song, and stay tuned for the next instalment on 'Outlaws'.
Do you have any personal Green Day memories from the past year? Check out this news post for details about how to submit them for our RevRad era recap zine.
Fans were ecstatic about the release from the moment news broke at the end of July, though the band's teasing of new material had already been going on for some time. By the 11th of August 2016, we were all ready and waiting - some of us more impatiently than others - to hear the first new music from Green Day since December 2015.
And we weren't disappointed.
Every fan will have a slightly different memory of the first time they listened to the song, whether they heard it on the radio or went straight to their favourite streaming service. For me, the defining moment came just after the guitars explosively kicked in, when some slightly over-excited dancing led to my headphones becoming disconnected and the internet radio player closing. It was at this point, as I was scrambling for the headphone jack while simultaneously trying to open Spotify, that I realised just how awesome that first full listen was going to be.
Since then, the band has released a lyric video and a music video, the latter directed by Tim Armstrong, frontman of recent support band Rancid and Billie Joe's bandmate in 'Armstrongs'. The song has also become a live staple, with one particular performance at the 2016 American Music Awards drawing attention from the media when Billie Joe Armstrong started a chant against US president Donald Trump.
It's undeniable that, even at Green Day's regular, lower profile shows, Bang Bang has stood out as an explosive moment. Indeed, no song of theirs has ever called more for pyrotechnics, and the production team hasn't failed to disappoint. Between the explosions, fast pace and hard-hitting punk lyrics, the song never fails to draw a great reaction from a crowd of new and old fans alike.
If Green Day have started the Revolution Radio era as they mean to go on, then we're in for many more explosive moments yet.
To read more about Bang Bang, head over to our 'Year of RevRad' feature on the song, and stay tuned for the next instalment on 'Outlaws'.
Do you have any personal Green Day memories from the past year? Check out this news post for details about how to submit them for our RevRad era recap zine.
