NEXT week's double header of US punk rock at Ormeau Park should be quite the knees-up for Belfast's teenage rampagers and middle-agers alike: both Green Day and Rancid broke through in the mid-1990s and have continued to find new fans worldwide ever since.
Billie Joe Armstrong's mega-selling trio Green Day have taken their melodic punk pop all the way from the legendary independent Gilman Street venue in Berkeley, California to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
They have also long been a gateway drug to the gruffer street punk and ska-inspired sounds of Rancid, who also got their start in the Bay Area scene of the early 90s but have not, as yet, been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Both bands have new albums out: Rancid released their excellent Trouble Maker LP a couple of weeks ago while Green Day's so-so Revolution Radio topped the charts last October, but you can probably expect to hear plenty of old favourites too.
Indeed, their Belfast team-up offers the tantalising prospect of Rancid's Tim Armstrong and/or Matt Freeman guesting on Green Day's traditional live cover of their old band Operation Ivy's classic, Knowledge – usually the point where Billy Joe demands that an audience member joins them onstage to play guitar.
If you've ever wanted to be that lucky punter, this is the gig to try and make it happen.
Best get practising, just in case.
:: Tickets on sale now via Ticketmaster.ie
