“It’s Saturday night and we’re in a church…let’s have some fun!”

On an otherwise unremarkably mild November evening in our nation’s capital, I climbed the steps of St. Stephen Church in Columbia Heights. A hugely anticipated event for the city’s punk scene was about to unfurl, and so of course I ran into some familiar faces who perform in local bands, like American TV and Sick Move. Dillinger Four famously holds a very sparse touring schedule, due to other life commitments — and also hey! it’s none of your goddam business — and so the last time anyone in DC had a chance to catch the raucous foursome live was more than six years ago.

Before the midwestern heavyweights came on stage on Nov. 23, Paint It Black, a gaggle of aging punks from Philadelphia led by vocalist Dan Yemin, showered us with their trademark ’90s-inspired melodic hardcore sound. Yemin, formerly of two iconic bands (Kid Dynamite and Lifetime), injected righteous and  indignant energy into the crowd and succeeded in getting us aptly prepared for the main event.

Stream Dillinger Four’s setlist from their Nov. 23 show at St. Stephen Church on Spotify:

Beyond its traditional duties of housing a liberal-leaning and inclusive Episcopal congregation, St. Stephen is also an iconic and very significant institution in DC’s rich musical history. Ian MacKaye attended services here growing up, and The Positive Force movement started organizing out of St. Stephen in the mid-’80s, leading to dozens of benefit concerts (featuring power houses like Minor Threat and Bikini Kill), which has ultimately cemented this house of worship into the annals of DC punk legend.

But playing loud punk rock within the walls of this ecclesiastical venue wouldn’t stop the ever-irreverent Paddy Costello, bassist and one of the vocalists for Dillinger Four, from poking some fun at the expense of little baby Jesus. After some initial technical difficulties, and right before blazing into their opening number, “Let them eat Thomas Payne,” Paddy gleefully shouted “It’s Saturday night and we’re in a church…let’s have some fun!”

The guys of Dillinger Four, certainly not spring chickens, and touring to celebrate 30 years since the band’s inception, left it all on stage — tirelessly tearing through their numbers and engaging in (mostly) one-sided banter with the audience, during a savage set that clocked in at just around 45 minutes. Mad props to drummer Lane Pederson’s skillful dexterity; he kept throwing his sticks up in the air during breaks in the songs, and caught them, I’d wager, a good 30-35% of the time.

Over their decades-long career, the Minneapolians have circumspectly crafted their sound and brand, borrowing elements from their ’80s hardcore forebears and blending them into the catchy yet unclean punk pop tunes that helped create the genre’s acoustic tapestry during the mid 90s and early aughts. Their studio productions are mostly unfiltered and low on erroneous effects, leading to a seamless transition when listening in a live setting. Ultimately, this brand self-awareness has led to a cult following that reliably translates to sold out rooms for D4’s untamed (and rare) live shows. 

The band showcased tunes off each full length album of their surprisingly non-prolific career (only four studio releases), but they mostly pulled from their first record, Midwestern Songs of the Americas, and their third (and arguably, most successful), Situationist Comedy. Keeping a tight grip on the evening’s momentum, they flawlessly transitioned from mid tempo gems like “Doublewhiskeycokenoice” to faster and harder-hitting bangers like “Noble Stabbings!” Noticeably absent from the set list were whiplash-inducing tunes like “Who Didn’t Kill Bambi” or “Hand made hard times handed back,” but Paddy wasn’t interested in fielding requests.

Stream “Doublewhiskeycokenoise” by Dillinger Four on YouTube:

Most of Dillinger Four’s banter focused on church jokes and self-deprecating humour, fitting for their trademark style of providing easy-going and witty, yet heartfelt, commentary about the general state of things. However, Paddy did deliver some rare poignancy when, right before blasting into “The Great American Going Out of Business Sale,” he made a remark about how the lyrics in the song (specifically, about Klansmen storming a conference hall downtown) didn’t feel, and I am paraphrasing here, “so fucking ironic in 2024.”

All in all, Dillinger Four did not disappoint for the sold-out audience packed in St Stephen church on this barely chilly Fall night. They executed, as was widely expected, their songs in perfect fashion, and their pure punk party energy created the perfect atmosphere for (the Lord’s House-appropriate) dancing and merrymaking. 30 years later, I think it’s safe to say that D4 is still one of the most pure and entertaining live punk shows out there. 

It’s Saturday night. I am in a church. And goddam, I am having a fucking blast.