Canadian psych-punk band Wine Lips headlines the Bottom of the Hill
Toronto garage-punk outfit Wine Lips brings songs from its new album Super Mega Ultra to San Francisco when they headline the Bottom of the Hill Tuesday night.
Started in 2015 by songwriter/guitar player Cam Hilborn and drummer Aurora Evans, the group quickly established a local following with their kinetic songs and ferocious onstage energy. The band released its self-titled debut LP on indie label Fried Records two years later and toured extensively, including an unexpected trip to Hong Kong and China in 2018.
Wine Lips built up its fan base with the release of their sophomore effort Stressor in 2019 and its follow-up recording, 2021's explosive salvo Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party. That album -- their first for Canadian punk imprint Stomp Records -- saw even broader exposure thanks to rave reviews and the licensing of kinetic opening track "Eyes" for use in numerous films, television shows and video games.
The band kept up its hectic touring schedule, visiting the Bay Area twice in the last couple of years for both a headlining show and a slot supporting local punk legends the Avengers at the Rickshaw Stop last May. Earlier this spring, the band unleashed its latest album Super Mega Ultra to another round of enthusiastic press coverage. Keeping the foot on the gas even more than previous releases, the new album blasts off at a furious pace that doesn't let up until the sudden downshift at the bridge on "Fried IV." While a few songs like "New Jazz," "Seratonin" and album closer "Cash Man" take a more languid, psychedelic approach, the bulk of the record maintains a blistering pace fueled by Hilborn's charging riffs and sneering vocals.
For this return to San Francisco, the current four-piece touring line-up of the band takes the stage at beloved landmark nightclub the Bottom of the Hill Tuesday. The band is joined by current tour partners the Macks, a like-minded Portland, OR-based quintet that just released its fifth album The Macks Are A Knife. Sacramento psych-rock outfit the Snares open the show. Wine Lips and the Macks also play Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz Wednesday night.
Wine Lips with the Macks and the Snares
Tuesday, May 21, 8:30 p.m., $17-$20
Bottom of the Hill