Garage rockers collect toys at Bottom of the Hill afternoon barbecue
The latest edition of the Bottom of the Hill's venerable Sunday afternoon barbecue shows features a Christmas toy drive and performances by local garage-punk favorites Hot Laundry, So What and the Seagulls.
Reviving a '90s tradition of regular Sunday matinee concerts at the venue, the regular weekend shows sponsored by Sierra Nevada, JuneShine canned cocktails and local show promoter RWS Presents provide free barbecue for attendees on the Bottom of the Hill's back patio in addition to a diverse array of bands.
In the space of a few short years, Hot Laundry has risen to become a popular act on the local garage-rock scene. Fronted by pint-sized spitfire singer Janette Lopez, the band matches the vocal harmonies and sass of legendary girl group the Shangri-las and the high-octane R&B of Ike and Tina Turner with the blistering proto-punk guitars of Detroit heroes the MC5. Flanked onstage by back-up singers Ileath Bridges and Gena Serey with matching tassled/spangled outfits and tandem dance moves, Lopez and her vocal support provide the visual focal point for the group's entertaining live show that is powered by founding guitarist/songwriter Grady Hord and the rhythm section of bassist Casey G. and drummer Arun Bhalla.
While Hord was writing material intended for the band as far back as 2017, the sextet didn't make its proper recording debut until the release of their EP Shake Slide Twist in 2021. In addition to building a following around the Bay Area with their regular club appearances, Hot Laundry provided one of the highlights to the Mosswood Meltdown in Oakland that same year.
It didn't take long for Hot Laundry to follow up with its first full-length album early in the summer of 2022. Packed with catchy, fuzzed-out groovers like "Work It" and "The Dance," Pawn Shop Gold manages to capture the kinetic punch of the group's live show. This afternoon gig at the Bottom of the Hill that will also serve as a toy drive for the San Francisco Fire Department Sunday will feature support from Oakland's So What. Playing what the band describes as "hard bubblegum," the group combines elements of British glam, proto-punk and power pop into an original sound.
Anchored by lead guitarist/singer Jason Duncan and bassist Omar Perez (who also serves as one of the busiest DJs in San Francisco, founding popular club nights Popscene and Leisure), the group has been a Bay Area fixture for over a decade. Heavily indebted to the music of '60s British chart-toppers the Equals -- the group has even served as the backing band for the Equals' lead singer Derv Gordon for shows on both coasts -- and unsung UK glam rockers the Jook, So What released their first single in 2014 on Grazer Records. Late in 2016, they put out their debut album Hard Gum on Bay Area imprint Just Add Water Records. So What recently announced it would be reteaming with Gordon for a West Coast tour in February that will include a date at Thee Stork Club in Oakland.
Fronted by British punk veteran Jon Brooder, San Francisco garage-rock quartet the Seagulls open the show. Raised in South London during the 1970s, Brooder found inspiration in '50s rock, Motown, rock steady, British pub rock before the initial wave of UK punk rock took hold of his imagination. He would end up playing bass in the Clash-inspired late '80s punk band Lightning Strike, which played CBGBs after relocating to New York and managed to score a record deal with RCA.
Though the band only managed to release its debut album before getting dropped by the major label, the experience whetted Brooder's appetite for making music and his desire to live in the U.S. He would move to San Francisco in the early '90s, eventually working with the bands the Hairdressers and the Music Lovers, an indie-pop project led by fellow Brit songwriter Matthew Edwards. It was in the latter band that Brooder met keyboard player Isaac Bonnell.
The two musicians would start the Seagulls in 2012, building on their shared experience to play a mix of covers and original music that nods equally to roots-minded songwriting, punk energy and a bluesy swagger that recalls legendary British pub-rock band Dr. Feelgood -- who the Seagulls have been known to cover from time to time. Rounded out by longtime drummer/singer Geri Vahey (who played in the bands Skint and Mom's Favorite Vase) and Tony Velour on bass, the band managed to ramp up its activity in the past few years despite the pandemic.
After releasing the holiday tune "Spirit in the Air" in December of 2019 before COVID shut down the planet, the Seagulls have put out a pair of EPs (recorded both live and in the studio) and several digital singles, with some of the material addressing the stark new reality of sheltering in place and missing human interaction. The band also played a steady string of outdoor shows in San Francisco and at Winters Tavern in Pacifica as businesses gamely tried to operate amid new COVID protocols, providing a bit of relief for people starved to for live music hoping for a brief moment of normalcy.
The Seagulls trekked to the UK last year, playing a series of gigs in and around London. They celebrated the long-awaited release of their album This Time Next Year this past spring. Packed with catchy rockers like opening track "Big Bad Beautiful World" and "Sunday Afternoon Drinking" and ska-tinged tunes "Hold On" and "G'is a Drink Woodcock," the bracing effort is a fine encapsulation of the energetic party the band delivers onstage.
More recently, the group has been performing new tracks written since the release of the album live in addition to putting out a new music video on YouTube for "G'is a Drink Woodcock." Brooder also made a solo trip back to England where he played a handful of shows with a variety of musicians and friends during his visit. One of those friends, guitarist "Soho Steve" Crittall, lent his skills to several live shows and recording sessions as he visited to San Francisco for an extended stay. Currently a member of the Black Bombers and Alvin Gibbs and the Disobedient Servants, Crittall has previously played with such notables as the Godfathers, the Selector and UK Subs. While the guitarist has since returned to England, the band has welcomed new bass player Nate Fink (Open Doors, Greg Hoy and the Boys) to the current band line-up.
Hot Laundry, So What and the Seagulls
Sunday, Dec. 10, 3 p.m., $12-$15 ($3 off at door with new unwrapped toy)
Bottom of the Hill