Top

GBH – Outernationals – D.A.D.T. – UESP – at Jerry’s Pizza – Bakersfield, CA

June 18, 2010

GBHJerry's Pizza & Pub in Bakersfield is a small pizza parlor that at first glance, appears like a typical pizza parlor that consists of booths, beer taps, arcade games, red and white checkered decorations, and televisions which undoubtedly showcase sports games on a regular basis. Downtown Bakersfield's pizza joint witnessed a relatively normal Friday as business was good, and the booths inside were filled with people enjoying several slices of pizza. Unlike its more usual business days however, Friday evening brought on a surge of Punks who were quickly becoming the only types of characters found inside the restaurant. GBH was set to perform and headline at Jerry's Pizza & Pub that night, and since the band holds a prestigious place in the realm of Punk Rock, it was easy to realize that Bakersfield's entire "Punk population" was present and cramming the pizza parlor quickly and with enthusiasm.
GBH at Jerry's Pizza
Several bands joined GBH and played throughout the day starting from 5pm, but when 8pm made an appearance, the restaurant finally began to see a wave from the Punk community in large numbers. Among the bands that played, Upper East Side Punks, Don't Ask Don't Tell, and The Outernationals most vividly stood out and performed alongside GBH to provide Bakersfield a Punk experience like Central California has never embarked on before.
GBH
The performances of the event that day took place deep inside the dark and obscure basement of the pizza parlor. Upon arriving inside, one had two options to choose from: Stay inside the pizza parlor, eat, and socialize, or make a left upon entering and walk down a flight of stairs into a large basement and step into the abyss. It was your choice really.

Sometime after 8pm, Upper East Side Punks, or UESP, began to perform for a growing crowd. The band consists of a few members of the punk band, Riot Kids, and as the band's set began to progress, UESP proved to be versatile in their sound as they played several songs that maintained the aggressive tendencies of hardcore punk, yet also played songs that delivered a genuine street punk influence. The band performed a 30 minute set and within that time, successfully captured the attention of the audience at Jerry's Pizza & Pub.

Locals, Don't Ask Don't Tell (D.A.D.T.) performed after UESP, and performed for a larger audience that augmented the hype surrounding the band's music. It was clear that D.A.D.T. had the greatest amount of crowd support as the floor was filled with tremendous numbers of fans who were constantly shouting words of praise to the band. The band performed music that was rowdy, sloppy, and as reckless as Punk rock was meant to be. With a pure street punk sound, the band annihilated the basement as its music raged throughout the short set and boosted the audience's excitement and anticipation for the night, ultimately going on to demonstrate that they truly were a crowd favorite.

The Outernationals were the prelude to GBH and made a bold preliminary set with their diverse sound. The New York natives included a variety of genres in their music and intermingled them to provide a performance that was both skilled and impressive. From Ska, Punk rock, Hip Hop, and Alternative rock, all the several influences that The Outernationals diligently incorporated into their music proved to be a move worth the effort. The audience seemed both fascinated and into the music as the band changed sounds frequently and with talent. The Outernationals' ability to combine different influences to produce a clever sound ultimately caused the band to be the most memorable and unique performance of the night.

GBH, who dropped "Charged" from their name circa 1984, released "Perfume And Piss" this year via Hellcat Records, and have embarked to play several shows, including this year's Vans Warped Tour, to proceed the release of their latest album. The Bakersfield show was one of several California stops for the band, and it rapidly proved to be a show of epic proportions. GBH made their way onto the stage inside the basement and began to play a little after 10pm. GBH, which hails from the United Kingdom, are prominent for their role in building up the UK82 scene and are therefore considered to be Punk veterans, opened up a show that was packed with fans and explosive from start to finish. The energy the band generated on behalf of the audience was intense, and within the first 5 minutes of the band's set, the basement was already humid and the walls appeared to be bleeding sweat. The people who were at the front of the stage and in front of the band were losing their minds as they crawled and jumped on top of one another as GBH's music conquered their every will. The basement was so full and overflowing with people, that the flight of stairs also held people who watched the show from their positions there. The show had barely begun and it already appeared as though the band had been playing for hours.
GBH photo
As the audience's energy continued to increase song after song, the band's own performance also showcased strong vigor. GBH played a majority of the songs from their debut album, "City Baby Attacked By Rats", including "I Am The Hunted", "Sick Boy", and most obviously, "City Baby Attacked By Rats". GBH played over an hour and performed for a variety of songs from most of their albums. Near the end of the band's set, "Big Women" and "City Babys Revenge" were played before finally finishing up the set and the night. Once the band ended their time on stage, the audience screamed and attempted with great effort to acquire an encore, but it soon became known that Jerry's Pizza does not allow encores to be done in their venue. Everyone walked up the slippery stairs and either cured their drunk munchies with pizza, or strictly walked out to head home.
GBH in Bakersfield
Bakersfield's claim to fame consists of being known for existing in the middle of nowhere, and also of being a farming community, and while both facts would make one believe that only urban settings can produce great shows, the city of Bakersfield dominated the night and proved that its Punk community is fiercely holding its ground and representing well for Central California Punk Rock. GBH's showcase at Jerry's Pizza & Pub achieved a large audience, a chaotic atmosphere, and an overwhelmingly exciting night. Not many pizza parlors can say they support Punk Rock and embrace it the way Jerry's Pizza does, and with that kind of attitude, it's no wonder that such a show was able to blow up that night. If GBH can cause a city like Bakersfield to reach levels of energy like it did that night, there's no telling who and what else GBH can conquer and prompt madness on.

 

-Stephanie M.-
Big Wheel Senior Staff Writer
and
-J. Moncreif-
Big Wheel Photographer

More photos of the show can be seen HERE
 

Check out more coverage of the stops GBH made out west:


 

                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews

 

Bottom