Matt Friction of The Pink Spiders performing at The DNA Lounge in San Francisco, CA. January 25, 2019. Photo Credit: Jared Shameless.
The Pink Spiders
w/ Get Married, Interro
DNA Lounge
San Francisco, CA
January 25, 2019
Photos and review by Jared Stossel
On a cold Friday night in San Francisco, just a couple of weeks ago, one of San Francisco’s few remaining independent venues, the DNA Lounge, was having quite the busy evening. Downstairs in its main room, a rave was occurring. Loud thuds of bass and kick drums fill the air while sweaty patrons, dressed to the nines in rave attire (some wearing attire that didn’t exactly suit the cold weather), huddled outside in front of the venue’s 24-hour cafe.
Upstairs, however, pop-rock music was king for the evening. Fans ventured up the steps to the secondary venue hosted by the DNA Lounge, a stripped down room that is more suited for up close and personal performances. That Friday evening would play host to The Pink Spiders, a “power-pop”/rock and roll band from Nashville that were once a rising force within the alternative rock community, owning spots on the cross-country Vans Warped Tour, securing airplay on national radio shows and Total Request Live (that’s TRL for those of you that watched MTV back when it was all about music), and releasing three successful records (they now have a fourth out, entitled Mutations, which dropped last year.)
The show featured two opening acts: a local band by the name of Interro which brought more of a classic rock feel to the evening’s festivites, and Get Married, a Bay Area punk-pop five-piece that has been taking the country by storm. With a regimen of non-stop rehearsal and touring (including a tour this March that will show them touring the entire month with only one day off), Get Married proved themselves to be one of the most solid and well-rounded acts on the entire bill, even given The Pink Spiders a bit of a run for their money. I can attest to the fact that I have seen Get Married before, back in 2016 when they opened up for Cute Is What We Aim For at Rickshaw Stop. It’s amazing what focus and dedication to your craft can do, because three years later, Get Married are proving themselves to be a promising act in the world of punk and pop-rock. Don’t sleep on them.
Armed with a nearly twenty song set list, as well as a few shots of Jagermeister (some of which were provided by fans throughout the show), The Pink Spiders brought forth a solidly entertaining hour and a half performance, showcasing material both old and new from the band’s collective catalogue. Fan favorites like “Little Razorblade” and “Hollywood Fix” brought back fond memories of the music scene that was present a little over ten years ago, while songs like “Black Dagger” and “Capital F” made appearances from the Mutations album. Everything they played was received well by the crowd, all the way down to the impromptu cover of “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer.
By the time the bands’ ninety-minute set was finished, the crowd started to spill back out into the cold San Francisco evening. The downstairs crowd may still have been raving, but everyone who attended The Pink Spiders clearly left fully satisfied, in a way that only rock and roll music can provide.
The Pink Spiders Set List
Teenage Graffiti
Easy Way Out
Sleeping on the Floor
Black Dagger
Nobody Baby
Penny-Ante Avenue
Soft Smoke
Gimme Chemicals
Still Three Shy
Adalae
Hollywood Fix
Trust No One
Here Comes Trouble
So Dumb
Capital F
Say It Ain't So (Weezer cover)
Little Razorblade
Alone Together
Modern Swinger
