Fat Wreck Chords is marking its 35th anniversary with two special live shows in San Francisco that will also help bid farewell to one of the city’s most iconic music venues.
Taking place at Bottom of the Hill on September 25th and September 26th, the celebrations will bring together some of the label’s most influential bands for what promises to be an emotional weekend. The venue recently announced it will close its doors at the end of the year, making these among its final major concert events.
Night one features Face to Face, Get Dead and The Last Gang, while night two will see Lagwagon, Dead to Me and ToyGuitar take to the stage. Fat Wreck Chords has also teased a special guest performance, although no further details have been confirmed. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am PT.
Alongside the shows, the legendary punk label is bringing seven classic releases back into print with a run of exclusive vinyl represses. Fans can expect titles from NOFX, Lagwagon, Strung Out, Face to Face, Propagandhi, Rise Against and more, with several of the records also celebrating anniversary milestones.
Reflecting on the occasion, Fat Wreck Chords said: “FAT and Bottom of the Hill were both founded 35 years ago, so what better way to celebrate than a weekend full of FAT bands at our favourite SF venue? Bottom of the Hill has been a launching pad for so many FAT bands that we want to pay tribute and say goodbye in style.”
Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape also paid tribute to both the label and the venue, describing Bottom of the Hill as “possibly the greatest venue San Francisco has produced” and calling its closure “heartbreaking”. He added that the anniversary shows will be “bittersweet” as the band celebrates three and a half decades with the label while saying goodbye to a venue that has played such an important role in the city’s punk scene.
Fat Wreck Chords has confirmed that more 35th anniversary announcements for other cities will be revealed in the coming months, giving fans even more opportunities to celebrate one of punk rock’s most influential independent labels.
