Two San Francisco punk bands gained notoriety over the weekend after staging a show on a crowded eastbound BART train during the Friday night commute. The members ofFalse FlagandSurprise Privilegesaid pulling off the stunt on Friday, Jan. 6 was unexpectedly easy.
“We just paid our BART fee and walked on,” Cody, the bass player for the latter outfit, told The Chronicle on Monday, Jan. 9, as the bands reconvened to survey their feat.
The bands, which have been playing around the Bay Area for about a year, estimate that at least 300 fans made it onboard for the guerrilla-style concert. The show was organized with a hastily produced flyerposted on Instagramand was originally scheduled to run through the round-trip journey from the 16th StreetMissionStation in San Francisco through the Dublin/Pleasanton stop. But the crashing riffs and crowd-surfing were shut down by BART police at the FruitvaleStation in Oakland after the train stalled whenone of the doors became obstructed.
Punk show on BART Train going to SF Police just kicked everyone off and shut everything down
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The groups, who managed to play six songs each using a portable generator, said they weren’t exactly inconspicuous lugging their equipment on the back car of the train, but somehow managed to make it work.
“We got plenty of looks because we were carrying a bunch of drums and bass,” said the False Flag bassist who goes by the name Pretty. “Most smart people wanted to get the f— away from us.”
BART officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Punk show on Bart cutepic.twitter.com/bEmV9MyE3G
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Last summer, Surprise Privilege and False Flag similarly played an impromptu show in the middle of Golden Gate Park that saw kids moshing in the fog-filled woods.
“We have been trying to play more unique spaces to make the scene more exciting and refreshing,” said Cody, who did not disclose his last name.
“We’re sick of venues,” added theFalse Flag guitarist known as Strong, noting that they want their shows to feel more like special events than standard-issue rock concerts.
The post-adolescent bands, which both have recent releases available for purchase onBandcamp, said they have no interest in following in the corporate footsteps of Bay Area music icons such as Metallica and Green Day because, well…
“Who?” said Cody.
他们补充说,更多的unconventional live events are imminent and will drop hints on their Instagram accounts as to what comes next as part of a DIY movement they call Real Bay S—.
“We’re not planning on stopping,” said Pretty.