$18 adv., $20 door. 21+
In 1977, The Avengers established themselves as one of the US's preeminent punk bands. Fusing incisive guitar hooks, explosive rhythms, and adolescent venom, the group forged some of the most in-your-face songs of the era. Classics like "We Are the One" and “The American in Me” earned them a spot opening for the Sex Pistols at their final performance at Winterland, as well as a dedicated following that has only swelled during the subsequent years. The number of musicians that count themselves indebted to the sneering indictments of vocalist Penelope Houston and the eviscerating chords of guitarist Greg Ingraham cannot be overstated.
While much has been written about The Avengers in the past four decades, rock critic Greil Marcus puts it succinctly, "The word I always come back to is mystical, and that remains almost theirs alone."
The Avengers lineup = Penelope Houston, Greg Ingraham. Hector Penalosa, David Bach.
Very Paranoia
Very Paranoia is a San Francisco unit operated by four veterans of the Psychic Wars. This band embodies what is, and will always be, crude, raw mechanical violence. Its deafening sound has been shaped by the cult-artists and underground characters found in the multiple sub-genres that have caused hearing loss throughout the history of rock ‘n’ roll.
"Hatched in 2017 via an assemblage of FLESH WORLD, MALLARD and BLANK SQUARE personnel, WARP’s from-the-hip attack immediately streamlined The Bay’s skulls, prompting sudsy devotion across spiked and freaked schools alike, a vibrant punk band operating amidst all the scooter-share inhumanity. The damage spills from the central screaming dual-guitar tangle, a riff tract neighboring the elegantly bruised and dynamic Agnew / Baiza axis, exerting too much power for the troposphere. Rhythms twist and barrel depending on need, always leaping forward, propelling each taut composition into realms unthinkable from count-off. Tika’s smarm-centric vocal steering — wonderfully absurdist and unreservedly pissed — offers exactly the sort of punky exfoliation so very needed in these days of constant cringe. Real punk from America’s cruelest town. WARP: San Francisco’s Last & Only Rock’n’Roll Band." — Mitch Cardwell