Want a Halloween-weekend show with more distortion than candy corn? Berkeley's Gilman Brewing has you covered.
The show
Punk or Treat is an all-ages Halloween show on Friday, Oct. 30, at Gilman Brewing, 912 Gilman St., the brewpub next door to the famous 924 Gilman club. The Gilman District listing says three local bands open for underground LA punk band Mermaid Island, with an event window of 6:30 to 11 p.m. The East Bay Express lists the music at 7 p.m. Tickets are on Eventbrite.
The bands
- Pretty & Pissed formed in a rock band class at Cal State East Bay. It's a nine-member collective that rotates three to five players on stage. Bassist Sehar Khan, who books the band, put the show together.
- Darling, I'm dying is a post-hardcore/emo band led by Poyraz Cagdas Ates, who started writing songs for it in 2024. Most members come from jazz, so expect improvisation. "No two are alike," Ates told the Express.
- Define Desperate is a Bay Area quartet that has been making self-described "fake emo" since 2023.
"People don't know how good we are," Khan told the Express. "But I can make a pretty convincing argument to venues to let their patrons experience us before we become famous."