Ceremony @ Gilman Street 5/28/11 (punk)

Posted Jul 4, 2011, by Conor Crockford.

Ceremony was unstoppable that night, and so were a lot of the bands. This wasn't your average fun, fast pop punk night, kids - these were loud, angry, white noise hardcore bands - Punch, Nails, Iron Lung. The catharsis was gripping that night - It had been raining all damn day, and I had been walking around, getting soaked, getting pissed listening to Ceremony.

Sean and Joey gave me a ride, and we listened to Odd Future on the way over. It felt weirdly right, passing over the Bay into this dirty little warehouse that I loved. We parked, immediately started drinking. I didn't have any booze, but I did take a swig of bourbon, so I felt it shake through my body, felt good. The first two bands I skipped, Negative Standards sounded too metal for my tastes.
But man, was Punch awesome! The band launched into a hardcore thrasher, while this short haired female lead singer screamed as if for vengeance. Ringing fell into my ears, but I stage dived and moshed in ectasy with everyone else. I liked Iron Lung a lot too, the drummer kept insulting people, and he was pretty funny.
But Ceremony – Ceremony was brilliant. Frontman lead singer Ross Farrer held the audience's total attention, screaming “Into The Wayside” with raw power, wrapping himself in the cords of the microphone that was his only voice, ripping his shirt to pieces. The guitarist was dressed in perfect glam rock mascara and leggings while wailing on his guitar. This is a band at it's peak.
The show over, and exhausted, I got back into the car for San Francisco, after another night of the punk rock scene, always in shambles, coming together.