originally published here: https://distractedmag.com/2025/06/08/winona-fighter-brings-punk-energy-and-pure-chaos-to-crossroads-nj/

“I f***ing love New Jersey!” shouted Coco Kinnon, frontwoman of Nashville-based punk outfit Winona Fighter, as she paced the stage like a spark about to catch flame. “The last time we were here there was an earthquake. Let’s see if we can cause another one tonight!”

That sense of unfiltered electricity ran through every second of the band’s set at Crossroads, part of their Yes Chef tour promoting their highly anticipated debut LP, My Apologies to the Chef. On a sweltering June night, the three-piece—Kinnon, guitarist Dan Fuson, and bassist/producer Austin Luther—turned the small Garwood venue into a pressure cooker of punk energy and cathartic connection.

The band’s entrance, scored to Bon Jovi’s “Bad Medicine,” was a fitting nod to Jersey rock royalty—and a clear sign they came ready to shake things up. They kicked things off with a warm-up worthy of a demolition derby—Kinnon launched into some playful moshing with her bandmates as the group charged into “You Look Like a Drunk Phoebe Bridgers,” followed by the infectiously punchy “I Think You Should Leave.”

A highlight came during “Attention,” where the crowd, ranging from kids with their parents to older punks, sang every lyric back at the band. Between songs, Kinnon acknowledged the varying ages and backgrounds in the audience with pride, noting how punk has always been a safe haven for anyone who needs one. “We’ve never had a problem at one of our shows,” she said, reinforcing the idea that their gigs are spaces of expression and acceptance, regardless of who you are.

That said, the crowd leaned more toward a high-energy sing-along than a full-blown mosh pit. While a few fans up front answered the call with some light moshing, the real momentum came from the collective voices shouting every lyric back at the band. Kinnon, ever the instigator, made several playful attempts to stir up more chaos—urging jumps, calling for a pit—but the night thrived more on connection than commotion.

Mid-set, Kinnon took a moment to connect. “Who here has never heard of us before?” she asked. One lone hand rose, and she asked if he was enjoying it, to which he replied, “Heck Yeah!” From then on, the man was lovingly dubbed “Guy Who Had a Good Time.”Before launching into their Beastie Boys cover of “Sabotage,” Kinnon called on him specifically: “You’ll know the words to this one. Sing with us!”

The band ripped through their entire album and, in true punk fashion, skipped the formality of an encore. “We’re not going to go hide in a room and wait for you to beg us to come back out,” Kinnon joked. “We’ve got four songs left, and we’re just playing them.” They closed with the feral, fist-in-the-air anthem “Hamms in a Glass,” a track that encapsulates everything Winona Fighter does best—raw, honest, high-octane punk rock with a sense of humor and heart.

What sets Winona Fighter apart is not just their sound—gritty, melodic, and deeply expressive—but their showmanship. Kinnon is a magnetic performer who doesn’t just play to a crowd—she brings them into the experience. The band has carved out a space where anger, joy, awkwardness, and catharsis can all exist at once, and that energy is infectious.

It’s no surprise they’ve recently caught the attention of outlets like Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, UPROXX, and Alternative Press, or that they’ve been featured on Spotify’s Marrow, New Noise, and All New Punk, as well as Apple Music’s Rise and Grind and Negative Space playlists. With a debut album that delivers on all the hype and a live show that feels both unhinged and intentional, Winona Fighter is making it loud and clear: punk is alive, well, and welcoming everyone in.