Down South Showdown Returns in ’18

The next International Playboy-themed gathering, billed as the Down South Showdown, brings four nights of tried and true rock ‘n’ roll to Atlanta. The first three nights, January 18-20, beckon local and touring acts to the usual home base of such proceedings, the Star Bar. A Sunday, Jan. 21 rager at the EARL caps off a stacked weekend featuring nearly 30 bands.

Each nightly lineup offers a variety of punk rock offshoots, such as Antagonizers ATL’s anthemic street punk, Gunpowder Gray’s take on classic heavy metal and Rod Hamdallah’s roots-minded garage rock tunes. That’s just a very brief rundown of some of the local acts playing a fest that called on rockers from far and wide.

The main attraction, however, reunites both the Heart Attacks and Beat Beat Beat to co-headline the Star Bar on Saturday. Both bands and their members’ more recent projects (Biters, DINOS Boys, Predator, Shocked Minds and so on) are due lots of credit for shaping Atlanta’s punk rock reputation, making the city an ideal host for such an event.