Polish me off, Chrome. All photos by Joshua Rotter.
By Joshua Rotter
Chrome makes me think of those metallic-plated bicycles that kids ride around on. It also reminds me of the same-name rock band that formed in San Francisco in the late '70s. Promoter Bill Picture (Trans Am) managed to meld both elements together at monthly rock night Chrome at the Gangway.
Showcasing DJ Dirty Knees (Trans Am, Charlie Horse) and special guest DJs including March’s Metal Patricia, this metal night gets gear heads banging with heavy favorites like Bad Company’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and Motley Crue’s “Too Fast for Love." It’s like a metal hall of fame with something old and something newer.
Headbanging purists might divide the genre into two phases: the early years with bands like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath and the later, new wave of British metal (NWOBHM), led by tougher, harder acts like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead. But I chronologize it differently: BRHCO and ARHCO, before Rob Halford Came Out and After Rob Halford Came Out, which finally brought the genre out of the closet.
ARHCO also opened the doors for more gays to admit an affinity for metal’s fast and furious riffs and shrieking vocals – what some have sought out at SOMA bars for years – in between the heavy doses of Kylie and Whitney at most gay clubs.
This night was no less fag-friendly. But whether the boys - like the rocker chicks in furs and Union Jack tank tops heshing on the tiny dance floor in back - were actually interested in the music or the mustached, bearded, and tatted bike messenger types in attendance remains to be determined. Remember, getting hard watching Tommy Lee get head doesn’t make you a metal head.
Chrome
Third Saturday of the month, 9 p.m.–2 a.m., $3
The Gangway
841 Larkin, SF
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