What felt like very much a homecoming show, Bay Area indie punks Ultra Q rocked the historical East Bay punk venue 924 Gilman for the first time in five years on May 18. As the venue presents itself as extremely DYI, volunteer ran, and known for its most famous rules - No Racism, No Sexism, No Homophobia - only bands not signed to major labels are allowed to play there. Ultra Q has found themselves on a variety of labels - Uncool Records, DCD2 Records, Royal Mountain Records - the band is currently on their own independent label Gargoth.
The night kicked off with a Mt. Eddy song (the band's former name) "Doze Off" from the band's 2017 debut album Chroma - a collection of teenage-angst, high school memories, punk aesthetic and more. Continuing with additional notable Mt. Eddy songs including "Menial", "Orange" "I Luv Robert Smith" and "Zombie," the crowd quickly heated up as the moshing began - lost cameras, phones, shoes coming off, crowd surfing and ruining yourself in the pit - just the way 924 Gilman is intended to be. As the setlist approached "Working Title", a group of young women formed a circle in the middle of the pit, began singing the lyrics to each other, holding hands and took control of moshing.
"Hi we're Mt. Eddy... We're also Ultra Q." - Jakob Armstrong
Ultra Q songs such as "Peace Of Mind", "Meet In The Middle," "Beep Boop," and "What D'ya Call It" overtook the crowd with thrasing guitars from Enzo Malaspina, bombastic drums from Chris Malaspina and wise words from the bass boy Kevin Judd - "Make sure you guys are taking care of each other in the pit. Don't be doing any bad shit." The night continued with chaotic energy as Ultra Q blasted through more hits - "redwoood", "Waiting", "VR Sex" and an exclusive performance of Enzo's song "The Week" - in which the "baby" of the band encapsulated illuminating vocals, swaying melodies and calming acoustics.
As Ultra Q alternated between themselves and Mt. Eddy throughout the show's entirety, they wouldn't let us leave without hearing ultra fan-favorites such as "Lovely" - the crowd pleaser that had everyone ascending and chanting lyrics. But it was the ultimate beloved track "Chroma" that provides extreme nostalgia through Jakob Armstrong's captivating vocals, jazz melodies and all-too-relatable lyrics. The song remains a generational stamp of time for not only the East Bay, but all across the world. But Ultra Q wouldn't leave us with "Chroma" as the last song of the night - they know better than that. Their encore song was "So Very Emo" hailing from the band's 2023 album My Guardian Angel. The night concluded perfectly with hugs, smiles and ripped clothing.
ULTRA Q
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