2026 and there seems to be some discord within the US punk fraternity. The cause... Donald Trump. The now annual 'Punk in the Park' Festival, a travelling festival that features many of the luminaries of the early '80s hardcore scene has run into controversy. It would appear that the owner of the festival organisers Brew Ha Ha, one Cameron Collins had made financial contributions to Trumps presidential campaign. The Dead Kennedy's,on the bill when the storm broke, have stated that they will play whilst other bands, notably Ipswich ex-pats, The Adicts have pulled out.
Ex-lead singer, Jello Biafra has been trading insults with his former bandmates since an obscenity trial in 1986 resulted in the band splitting. He offered another sideswipe at Klaus Fluoride and East Bay Ray in the San Francisco Chronical this earlier this week over their decision to play.
Jello Biafra
Dead Kennedys, the incendiary San Francisco punk band that once made a career out of skewering American power, are facing blowback from their former frontman after deciding to play a music festival tied to a major donor to President Donald Trump.
This week, the band confirmed it would honor previously scheduled appearances at the 2026 Punk In the Park festivals in Pittsburgh on April 18 and Vallejo on May 23, despite learning that the festival’s promoter, Cameron Collins of Brew Ha Ha Productions, contributed to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
“We’ve become aware that the owner of Brew Ha Ha Productions, the company behind Punk In The Park, made financial contributions in support of the Trump administration,” the band wrote in a statement posted Tuesday, Feb. 24. “Our first reaction was to cancel our upcoming appearances. However, we do not feel it would be fair to our supporters who have already purchased tickets & made plans to attend these shows.”
The band added, “Dead Kennedys have always stood firmly against authoritarianism, racism, and fascism. That has not changed. After these scheduled appearances, we will not be participating in future Punk In The Park events.”
The decision did not sit well with Jello Biafra, the band’s original singer and lyricist, who left the group in 1986.
“They’re taking the money $$$, and THEN pulling out? The real Dead Kennedys would never have let this happen in the first place,” Biafra said in a statement to Stereogum. “One more sordid reason I don’t ever want to play with them again.”
The comments highlight long-simmering tensions within one of punk’s most politically outspoken acts.
Formed in San Francisco in 1978, the Dead Kennedys built a national following with blistering critiques of American conservatism, including the 1980 single “Holiday in Cambodia.” The current touring lineup is led by original members East Bay Ray and Klaus Flouride. Ron “Skip” Greer has served as lead singer since 2008.
Collins’ political donations first drew scrutiny last year, prompting several bands to withdraw from Punk In the Park dates.
The Dropkick Murphys announced in 2025 that they would no longer participate in the festival, writing, “Punk Rock and Donald Trump just don’t belong together.”
Other acts, including 8 Kalacas and Naked Aggression, have also dropped off select 2026 bills.
In a prior statement posted to Instagram, Collins said his political views “don’t neatly fit into a single box or party affiliation” and emphasized that the festival does not donate proceeds to political parties.
He added that he has “never censored or restricted a band’s message or voice.”
The Vallejo festival in May 23, at the Solano County Fairgrounds, is also set to feature the Adicts, the Exploited, Nekromantix, Manic Hispanic, Codefendants, N8NOFACE and Sissyfit.
Anyway, here is a late recording from a more unified period of time, for the Dead Kennedys that is, which is a brilliant set recorded in Rhode Island that features material from all of their studio albums up to that date. Never a duff record was made.
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