Bad Copy

After a long day of working outside in the sun, a show is 100% what I needed that evening. To tell you the truth, I was so tired I almost didn’t go. There was a part of me that just said, “You know, you are really tired. Just skip this one so you don’t get sick or something.” I was really glad I fought my exhaustion. My roommate and I both went and he was kind enough to drive. The wonderful San Francisco traffic was actually not so bad and we got there in record time. The theory was that everyone was already watching the sportsball game, so nobody was actually driving at that moment. We got off the freeway and this practically SF native turns to me and says, “Jen, are we going the right way?” I look at him and roll my eyes. He has been here so many times and brags about how he knows SF so well cause he grew up there and he is asking me to look at my GPS? We were about 10 blocks away. We got out of the car, I set up my camera, said hello to all the friends, and then finally went inside.

SF locals Dirty Denim started the show with some stylized 60s garage rock, fused with horror themes and riot grrl energy. The trio ferociously played through their set and kept the audience entertained and dancing. It took me a second to figure out where the tambourine was coming from, but when the singer started stomping super hard I realized she had it fashioned to her shoe somehow. It was a pretty impressive thing to do in heels, if you ask me.

Lately, everyone has been talking about DFMK. This four-piece from Tijuana, Mexico are the talk of the town, and rightfully so with the performance they bring. I watch this band every chance I get because they are not only a sight to see, but they’re also crazy talented. They can only be truly described to someone by physically taking a person to see them play. So many hardcore bands bring energy, but DFMK will melt your face off. Jumping drummers and flying kicks are just the tip of the iceberg.

toyGuitar has become a local favorite of mine. They are fun to watch, full of catchy dance Pop Punk tunes, and all around talented band. The four piece hasn’t been playing as much recently, so it was a real treat to get to see them play! They’re basically a super-group made up of members of other super-groups; this band always knows how to get everyone dancing. To the band’s surprise, a circle pit opened up towards the end of the set. They shrugged and said “thanks?” and the pit continued into the next song.

I was melting after this set, so I stepped outside the venue to get some air. Somehow, last week at Thee Parkside I didn’t notice the giant phallic building that now stuck out of the city skyline. It was blasting some sports thing on a screen at the tip. The whole tip is a wrap around screen. Yup. I could not help but rage laugh at the ridiculous thing. I stormed back inside just in time for Nothington! I squeezed my way in next to the other photographer and was able to get up nice and close.

I look over and fellow Bad Copy writer Kevin Skalba was right next to me! We chatted it up as we waited for Nothington to start. I had missed them at Punk Rock Bowling, so I was pretty stoked to see them. Nothington won’t be playing for awhile; in April the band announced on their Facebook page that they would be taking a indefinite hiatus. This is really sad to many long time San Francisco and East Bay punks who have loved this band so much.

Nothington really brought it hard for this set. I’ve seen them several times and they are usually pumped to be up there rockin’. However, this time, the band was armed with a former bassist they had not played with in a while. The dude nailed it! They all did. Nothington sounded amazing and they totally knew it. The packed room was screaming along with every word. It was beautifully bittersweet.

Check out the gallery of the show below!