With Winona Fighter photo gallery

By Chloe Kowalyk 
(Image above: Winona Fighter on stage; photo by Chloe Kowalyk)

On Sunday (June 1) the Canadian rock group – and nostalgic symbol for early 2000s adolescence – Simple Plan, took the stage at Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B with We The Kings, Winona Fighter and Losers Club. 

It was a night fit to satisfy any late Generation X, millennial or early Generation Z pop punk fan, with emo anthems like “I’m Just a Kid” by Simple Plan and “Check Yes, Juliet” by We The Kings as highlights of the night. 

The night opened up with Losers Club, a group hailing from Rochester, who define themselves as having no genre … but they fit the punk rock bill. 

Losers Club struck the first bolt of initial electric energy into the crowd, jumping on stage, proving themselves not to be underestimated as the show’s first opener.

Clearly happy to be on the stage with massive smiles, Losers Club blasted upbeat tempos and vocals that had a similar angst to the lead vocals in Simple Plan. 

Losers Club’s use of that iconic emo twang was perfect to prime the audience for the punk acts to come. The entire set was animated and exciting, and left myself and the rest of the crowd excited for what was to come.

Winona Fighter climbed onto stage next. I was ready for the set to be thrilling, but I hadn’t really prepared myself for how well the group would command the stage, making it seem like the group has performed together for decades. 

Winona Fighter rocks. I mean they really, really rock. 

Lead singer Coco Kinnon came out wearing a crewneck that said “Metal” in electric blue lettering – and honestly, that’s a great way to describe them. 

Winona Fighter is metal — and not by genre per say, but by the way they perform their shows. 

A Winona Fighter set isn’t a still, motionless, stand-at-the-mic-and-sing type of deal. 

Instead, the performance is injected with lively punk rock flair. Kinnon runs across the stage as she sings, interacting with her bandmates during their songs. 

She jumps and kicks and bangs her head back and forth as she launches lyrics out into the harbor. 

Kinnon walked out onto platforms to get closer with the crowd, egging them on to sing along and scream with her, tossing her blonde hair forward and she opened her mouth as big as she could. 

Streaming Winona Fighter’s music gives you a burst of energy, but it is nothing compared to seeing them live. 

The energy Kinnon brings in front, and the fast-paced, yet skillful jams of the rest of bandmates Dan Fuson, Austin Luther and hired drummer Steve Mascarello (because Kinnon plays drums on their recordings) are what make Winona Fighter, well, Winona Fighter. 

It’s a well-crafted dynamic of punk rockers who know how to punk rock. 

After the first song or two, Kinnon removed her “Metal” crewneck to reveal a black long sleeve top from The Noise, an online heavy and alt music publication. 

The shirt said, “I BROUGHT THE NOISE AND ALL I GOT WAS CROWD KILLED,” a reference to intense, intentional harmful moshing. 

Shockingly, I didn’t see much moshing in the crowd, but I did see headbangers and fingers bent into the “rock out” hand sign lifted high in the air. 

The set included all songs from their newest album, “My Apologies to The Chef.”

Although Winona Fighter was opening for this show, they are currently headlining their own tour, the “Yes, Chef Tour.” The group played this show as part of that tour which includes venues and festivals across the United States. 

Winona Fighter has been garnering significant attention, with a current estimate of 95.7 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, and those fans are extending into the physical scene as well. 

I ran into one fan who had come to this show specifically for Winona Fighter. He had bought his ticket back in February after hearing the group announced a show in Buffalo. 

Winona Fighter is one group you wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing live. 

If you missed it, you missed out. 

When talking to Kinnon for the preview of this show, she told me to tell others not to write them off, and I’m glad I did just that. 

We The Kings took the stage after Winona Fighter as the audience roared. 

A beaming orange sunset lit up the back of the stage as the group played some of their top hits to an audience that sang the lyrics right back. 

A particularly wholesome moment was when the band taught the crowd a dance to their song “I Feel Alive” that their children had come up with.

The choreography consisted of a squat and a jump, as well as an imitation of the wacky waving inflatable tube men found outside stores, prompting the audience to wave their arms around in an unpredictable fashion.

A way for the band’s children to remember them while they are away from home on tour, it was heartwarming to see a majority of the audience participate in the dance, despite the jokes among both the band and the crowd about sore knees that come with getting older. 

This set a fun juxtaposition of a majority of the crowd reliving their teenage years at a show while in their 30s or 40s. 

However, We The Kings seems to transcend generations, as many young children sang along with them. 

The most memorable part of the set by far was their live performance of “Check Yes, Juliet.” 

A song that marked my middle school years and found itself on playlist after playlist, it was incredible hearing the song live. 

The crowd was lively, jumping and holding each other as they screamed the lyrics back and forth. 

We The Kings provided such a high-energy performance, and truly gave the audience the dose of nostalgia they were seeking. 

When headliner Simple Plan made their entrance, it was like the entire crowd all seemed to lock in at the same time, eagerly waiting for the music to start.

A dark stage with few glowing lights dimly lit the crowd and surrounding grass as the “Star Wars Main Theme” blasted on the speakers. 

A short time later, the group walked out and the crowd erupted in cheers. 

The group played classics as fans sang along to every word, proving themselves to be louder than the band at some points.

Simple Plan also made great use of audience participation. 

After opening the show with the usual asking Buffalo if they were ready to party, the band played a mashup of “All Star” by Smash Mouth, “Sk8r Boi” by Avril Lavigne (who they are also touring with) and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, a Bills Mafia favorite and sure way to get any Buffalonian up and moving. 

Simple Plan, who are from Montreal, discussed how they always felt at home in Buffalo with the city’s welcoming atmosphere. They also joked that Buffalo parties are the best, because they can’t remember them (and by their definition, that’s what makes for a really good party). 

To quite literally get involved in the crowd, one member of the band crowd surfed, making it a goal to high five as many of the audience members as possible. He seemingly floated across the top of the crowd and I watched as he extended his arms to fans, high fiving and interacting with as many people as possible. 

It’s clear that Simple Plan loves their fanbase, and it seems like a source of encouragement for the band.

The group also played a variety of their own songs, such as “I’m Just a Kid” and “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?” the theme song for the iconic show of the same name. 

“I’m Just a Kid” was a crowd favorite, as many concert-goers wore the band’s merchandise that had said “I’m Just a Kid” with the word “kid” crossed out and replaced with “adult.” 

The audience swayed and danced almost in sync to the memorable rhythm of the song. 

However, the audience exploded with energy when the recognizable first riff of “What’s New, Scoob-Doo?” started.

Amid the chaos of such a recognizable tune and staple of early 2000s cartoons,  people dressed in Scooby-Doo costumes danced onto the stage as the audience screamed the lyrics louder than the band. 

As the set came to an end, the group launched several brightly colored beach balls into the crowd as they played a game of keep it up. 

The descending darkness of the sky allowed for a gorgeous glow of stage lights that emphasized the neon coloring of the beach balls, making for a truly gorgeous view as Simple Plan rocked the stage. 

As the show concluded, the venue was filled with the sounds of people talking about their experience at the show, with childhood memories listening to the bands and favorite parts of the set.

Simple Plan left the awestruck fans with a promise that they’ll always return to Buffalo.