Battleship (Last Show), 21 Grand, 7/22/07

Oakland has lost its most chaotic band

Oakland’s Battleship is no longer. Singer Aleks and guitarist are both moving away, leaving a pretty big void in Oakland’s punk rock scene. Battleship was probably the only punk band in the East Bay that wasn’t either: A. a crusty, Discharge ripoff, or B. An angular, no wave dance-punk band. (For East Bay music scenesters, those types of bands are you only two options now, so if you want to hear something different, start your own band now!!!)

For me though, I loved Battleship because their live show was almost a revival of the greatest live band to ever exist, Behead the Prophet No Lord Shall Live. Seriously, if Battleship had a violinist and Aleks was more open with his homosexuality (ZING), their shows would be time portals to Seattle/Olympia, between the years 1996 and 1998. They would’ve been regulars at the Capitol Theater and the Velvet Elvis.

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Lightning Bolt, 12 Galaxies, S.F., 4/10/07

“What day is it? Tuesday? It’s Lightning Bolt day.”

I’ve been waiting to see Lightning Bolt since “Wonderful Rainbow,” but back in those days the band’s shows were practically secret. I’d find out about a warehouse show the following day, which would be followed by comments like, “Oh man, you didn’t know? It was such a great show!”

This time they advertised the show in the Guardian and I bought my tickets online — $10 each, with fees. I arrived a little late to the show and discovered a line in front of 12 Galaxies that stretched around the block. It was not for tickets to the Lightning Bolt show, but will call. I could’ve pulled a “I’m a journalist and need to get inside right now!” especially since I was sporting a camera bag and a microphone stand, but I was afraid to be rejected and embarrassed. So I waited around a 1/2 hour to get inside.

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