On Saturday, September 12, the great Iron Lung and Planet on a Chain were set to play 924 Gilman and I was stoked—I love both bands and I thought they were a great pairing. I wasn’t familiar with the three openers—San Francisco’s Surprise Privilege, Oakland’s Totalna Tama, and Bay Area’s hip-hop artist Grand Invincible—so I arrived early to check them out.
I walked in for the final couple songs of Surprise Privilege. They were fun, weird, kind of spastic, and clearly having a good time. On the drive to Berkely I checked out their most recent release, 2006’s Hard Listen, and I dug it’s straight ahead fast punk rock, especially songs “All I Want is Money” and “Peachy Fucking Dick.” Great opening act.
Next up were Oakland’s Totalna Toma. They were totally different from Surprise Privilege, and in a good way. One of the cool things about tonight’s lineup was how eclectic the bands were, no two sounded alike. Coming in with some keyboards, Totalna Toma were the more vampy, a little-Clashy rock ‘n’ roll. I noticed they all seemed to be wearing really tight jeans—which, cool for them, what mattered more was when their lead singer did a cool shout out for people to check with their friends who are immigrants. I support that, good looking out. They were fun and they ripped. Nine songs, I dug “Reality Asylum” and “No One Laughs Last.”
Grand Invincible came out next, and they were cool. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hip hop act at Gilman, much less in the middle of a punk lineup, but it was cool. Like I said, I wasn’t familiar with any of their music, but it was laid-back, chill, reminded me a little bit of Atmosphere, one rapper and his DJ. Good tonal change before the headliners.
Planet on a Chain were up next, and they were angry, tight, and loud! I’ve seen Planet on a Chain a few times before, but they sounded absolutely amazing tonight. They ripped through some of my favorite songs, including “The Keeper and the Kept,” “Ritual Routine,” “Boxed In,” “We All Fall,” and “Culture of Death.” As usual, Dave, their lead singer, was an absolute psycho on stage, in the best way. He’s always looking maniacal, and his jumps and leg kicks are classic hardcore images, evidenced by their LP covers on 2022’s Deprogram and 2023’s Boxed In.
They all sounded great, especially their drummer Mo, who just pummels away at his kit with power and glee. Great set, worth the price of admission alone. I chatted with vocalist Dave by their merch table after the show, and I learned he flew in from Texas just for this show. I was amazed, just for one show, one and done, he was leaving the next day, but I was grateful they played and could make it happen.
Same for the final act of the night—Iron Lung. The band has roots in Oakland, as well as Reno, Nevada, and I read online they’re now based out of Seattle, Washington. Wherever they hail from, they absolutely crushed it. Before playing drummer and co-vocalist Jensen Ward said the crowd was going to get the “raw” Iron Lung, and if there were long pauses it was due to him having to catch his breath. There didn’t seem to be much lag at all, as Jensen along with guitarist and co-vocalist Jon Kortland gave it their all, blasting through their set, playing songs from across their discography, ranging from 2004’s Life.Iron.Lung.Death to 2025’s Adapting//Crawling.
Jon and Jensen make up Iron Lung, always have, I imagine always will, and when they play, they face each othe—They aren’t the only powerviolence two-piece to do this, but they might be among the best. At Gilman they set up along the edge of the stage, and they just went for it. I saw them at a skate park for Sacramento’s Speedfest a few years ago and that was wild as everyone just circled around them as they played. I imagine they might prefer it that way, but they didn’t mention it. Loud, aggressive—Their songs about human failure through the lens of sterile medical technology could not be more needed in 2026. After the show Jensen was more than kind, hanging out and chatting with several audience members after Iron Lung’s set.
Overall, it was a great night for the 150 or so folks who showed up. Every band sounded great, each sounded different, and the crowd was cool and into it. There’s a reason 924 Gilman is about to celebrate their 40th anniversary—They know how to do it, all D.I.Y., but it can’t be taken for granted. If you’re in the Bay Area and into punk and alternative music, you have to roll out to Gilman—There’s nothing like it!
