Circle Jerks helped set LA hardcore's template, while Gorilla Biscuits grew NY's melodic, positive strain.
Two coasts, one blast radius
This pairing lands after
Circle Jerks returned from a long lull to celebrate
Group Sex, with veterans leaning into pace and presence. Expect a tight sprint with
Circle Jerks likely dropping
Wild in the Streets and
Live Fast Die Young, and
Gorilla Biscuits firing up
New Direction and
Start Today.
Who shows up and why it works
Crowds skew mixed: longtime punks in faded tees next to teenagers learning two-step, with pit etiquette strong and people pulling each other up. Trivia heads will catch that
Wild in the Streets began as a Garland Jeffreys cover, and that early
Gorilla Biscuits sessions ran through Don Fury's tiny room. Look for short spoken intros from the CJ vocalist and quick count-offs from the GB frontman, keeping pauses brief and energy direct. Note: song choices and stage details here are educated guesses, not promises. The overall feel is blunt, fast, and friendly, with set lengths built like mixtapes rather than marathons.
Circle Jerks & Gorilla Biscuits: The Living Scene
Style with scuffs and stories
The room looks like a living flyer archive, with old band shirts, cut-off denim, patched jackets, and fresh sneakers all at once. You will hear early-chorus singalongs up front and patient nodding in the back, with folks tagging in and out of the pit so everyone gets a turn. Common chants surface on count-offs, and the loudest moment often arrives when the crowd yells the key line in
Start Today.
Rituals that keep the floor safe
Merch leans toward classic logos, simple fonts, and one benefit design tied to the local scene. Between bands, people trade zine picks and talk about past basement shows, yet the tone stays welcoming to first-timers. Regulars practice the pick-up code, where if someone falls, hands appear from every side and the circle widens to make room. It reads less like costume play and more like a living community that values speed, honesty, and a loud, catchy chorus.
How Circle Jerks & Gorilla Biscuits Make It Hit
Fast, tight, and readable
Circle Jerks play like a coiled spring, with clipped downstrokes and drums that stop on a dime to frame shout-along lines.
Gorilla Biscuits balance bite with bounce, using bright guitar voicings that keep chords clear even at speed. Vocals favor projection over polish, but phrasing is sharp, and gang shouts hit like extra percussion. Many songs sit under two minutes, so transitions matter, and back-to-back count-offs and quick medleys make the set feel like one continuous rush.
Small choices, big impact
Gorilla Biscuits often stretch the
New Direction breakdown a few extra bars so the room can finish the line before the band slams back in.
Circle Jerks sometimes nudge tempos a hair under the original records, letting riffs punch harder and lyrics land clearly. Lights stay simple and bright, with strobes accenting stops and color washes warming the rare mid-tempo tune.
If You Like Circle Jerks & Gorilla Biscuits, Try These
Kindred speed and stance
If you connect with this bill,
Bad Religion will make sense for its tuneful sprint and shared SoCal DNA with
Circle Jerks.
Descendents hit a similar sugar-rush tempo, drawing multi-gen crowds who like hooks with their headlong pace.
Where the crossover lives
Fans of
Gorilla Biscuits often overlap with
Agnostic Front, since both favor brisk songs, pile-on choruses, and an old NYHC sense of community.
H2O speaks to the same positive-charge ethos and call-and-response moments that push the room forward. For a thicker, moodier branch connected by personnel,
Quicksand brings Walter Schreifels's songwriting into a heavier lane without losing clarity.
