THE CRIMINALS (last SF show!)

The Criminals: You know you're a punk rock force to be reckoned with when Jello Biafra DJs your final show. That's what we're dealing with, people -- pure Bay Area punk from 90s. The Criminals formed in Berkeley after short-lived punk bands Blatz and The Gr'ups crumbled. Raging their way through Gilman, dirty basements, up and down the West Coast, and even landing a spot on the Lookout Records roster, The Criminals made ears perk up with aggressive energy. Stories from the band's heyday include tales of singer Jesse Luscious swinging his mic to purposely hit front row kids, licking fans' faces, spitting in the most punk rock fashion, and of course having Billy Joe Armstrong engineer their album. Like many actual punk bands of the era, they just didn't give a fuck. The music was the kind of fast and dirty stuff that you could make fuzzy young memories to -- like drinking behind an all ages club, or ditching school to drive around Oakland with no real purpose. The Criminals are akin to the Bay Area punk scene they descended from, and fans of that specific sound (think Crimp Shine or any other mid to late 90s Gilman devotees) will be stoked to get one more chance to see these boys all grown up. But that doesn't mean you're going to be treated to a laid back old man punk show, The Criminals stay true to their roots despite the 15 years since they played their "last show" at Gilman. Expect sweat, spit, and perhaps a little hatred -- and like with all real punk shows, the unexpected.