2 Night of Zero Boys – at 924 Gilman St. – Berkeley, CA

I heard the Zero Boys haven’t played in California since 1982, so when I found out they were playing only two shows in California, over 450 miles away from where I live, I gathered up the road dogs and drove up for a weekend of Frisco fun. (They hate it when out of towners call it Frisco hehe) Anyhow we drove up the night before the first show and stayed in a classy part of town referred to as the Tenderloin or more affectionately known by the locals as “Crackville USA”.

Zero Boys: DAY 1

The next morning we checked out Haight and Ashbury, China Town (yes I bought a hat that looks like Rayden’s from Mortal Combat) and made a stop at the respected establishment “The Lusty Lady”. After a fun filled day we crossed the bridge over into Berkeley to go to Gilman to experience the first night of two of the incredible Zero Boys.

Crucial Cause got the night started.  The start was a bit rocky but immediately they hit their stride and started playing songs off of their “Try Our luck” Ep like “Ridiculously Fast”, “Try Our Luck” and my personal favorite “Junkie”. They also played tracks off the brand new “Blood Money” Ep that is now available now at your local record retailer. They even played some brand new tracks that have a metallic edge to them combined with that great thrashcore sound that Crucial Cause plays so well.

Next up were the great Broken Needle who drove up from our neck of the woods. They opened with the new rager “Trash This Place” and blazed through tons of great LP tracks and a bunch of new songs from their upcoming ep. They really got the kids moving and seeing the kids sing along up there really got me pumped for what was to come in the next few hours.

Next up was ADT who seems to be a staple Gilman band due to the fact that almost every time I have played Gilman they have played with us. Metallic tinged D-Beat that still does not impress me even being on a huge D Beat kick at the moment. They played a set and I occupied my time with the loveliest of all ladies in Berkeley.

Next up was Black Fork. Never heard of them and to be honest did not have high expectations. There is something about the use of silverware in a band name that just does not sit well with me. I was pleasantly surprised when they started playing some well - executed rockin tunes with some angry female vocals that could be likened to bands such as Imperial Leather. The singer had good stage presence and they proved to be an entertaining band to watch.

Next up were the Zero Boys! I was wondering how this was gonna be but expected them to be great due to what I had heard from people who have seen them before. Right away they jumped right in to “Vicious Circle” which was the perfect opener. The crowd went nuts. Paul’s voice sounded exactly the same. That man has not aged in the throat department at all. With only enough time to readjust your junk and wipe the sweat off your brow, the Zero Boys were into “Aphetamine Addiction”. Followed by “New Generation” and “Dirty Alleys/Dirty Minds” and the classic “Civilization’s Dying”. I kept batting away my erection because they were playing their first Lp in their exact order! They kept up the momentum with more Vicious Circle tracks like “Livin In The 80’s”, “Drug Free Youth”, and a personal favorite of mine “Hightime”. They threw in a new one called “Rain” that caused my swollen member to become semi flaccid but all in all it was not bad. They did a few covers back to back, both being of more obscure Indiana bands. One band they covered was Dow Jones and The Industrials and it was pretty rockin. I tracked down some of their stuff online seeing as it would be near impossible to purchase and yes, I downloaded it and you should too. Great synth punk from Indiana. Anyways before I get sidetracked, Zero Boys continued on and I watched as my belligerent drunk friend Robbie caused a scene and we did the most aggressive freak dancing two straight men have ever done. He then proceeded to cover flyers with Tipper’s Gore stickers and thought it was hilarious since people would be tricked into thinking we were playing. Anyway, my attention once again was on the Zero Boys and they closed the set with the great tune “I’m Bored”. I was not bored however. Everyone walked out sweaty and smiling after going nuts for the Zero Boys and their epic set. End of night one and looking forward to night two.


Zero Boys: Night Two

Stayed at a friend’s house, not much sleep but hey I’m young right? Hung in Berkeley and headed back to Gilman for night two.


Due to the weather conditions I was forced to go inside on account of the rain. I knew literally no one and walked in while a band called Nuts And Bolts was onstage. 

Next up were some old dudes who get it, The Stitches. It had been so long since I saw The Stitches and was excited to see them again. I heard they were off drugs and booze, so of course I was skeptical as to how this would adversely affect their performance. I was wrong, they were buzzin and they played a set that might be one of the best I have seen them play. They opened with the opening track on 8 X 12, “Nowhere”. Perfect way to start a Stitches set. It was basically a greatest hits set, with Mike rocking the mic stand with ferocity and style. They played great songs off 8 X 12 like “My Baby Hates Me” and “That Woman’s Got Me Drinking”. They played their great La Peste “Better Off Dead” cover and went through tracks off of 12 Imaginary Inches and various Eps including “Automatic”, “Pick Me Up” (the anthem of road head), “Sixteen”, and closed with the great “I Just Want To Fuck” (a hidden track on the You Tear Me Out 7”) which at one point I was told they would no longer play. A great set from a band that is still great.

Zero Boys, second time around. At this point I’m in zombie mode trying desperately to hulk up for the Zero Boys set. They opened with a new song “Drive In” which if you have not heard it, check out their myspace, it sounds like it could be an outtake from the Vicious Circle session. Nothing better than a band that can still crank out great material. They continued to play tons of newer material that I was unfamiliar with. They played another great new song I did recognize called “High Places” which is another reason why I am excited for their new Lp, which will be out this Fall. The first half of the set was so different from the night before which I guess makes sense but because the crowd was so different it wouldn’t have mattered if the set were identical. Right when I was about to lose hope the drummer did a floor tom/snare build up and they went into “Hightime”. I was overjoyed. Then they repeated the night before by playing back to back Vicious Circle tracks in their order. They played “You Can Touch Me” and “Trying Harder to close out the night. I walked out half asleep and heard an encore from down the street. Yeah I’m a wiener but what it boils down to is that I came to Berkeley, I saw Zero Boys (twice) and I conquered.

- Davey F. -

 

 

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