First time at BA
When hardcore youth gathered at New York City’s CBGB in the late 1980s, the air was filled not only with sweat and flying sneakers, but with a fresh, positively charged energy. Gorilla Biscuits emerged right from the heart of the Manhattan scene as a vital response to the darkness and nihilism of the underground era. While others relied purely on aggression and destruction, these Lower East Side kids brought something hardcore desperately needed: unyielding optimism, infectious catchiness, and anthemic melodies capable of uniting thousands of fans into one massive, leaping moshpit.
Their name—derived from a slang term for Quaalude sedatives—might have started as a joke, but the music on their self-titled 1988 7-inch EP and the landmark 1989 full-length Start Today was dead serious, laser-focused, and razor-sharp. To this day, Start Today stands as the definitive holy grail of the youth crew and straight edge hardcore movement. Who could ever forget the iconic trumpet introduction opening New Direction? Tracks like Cats and Dogs and the title track Start Today forged the blueprint for an entire era: lightning-fast tempos, sharp guitar riffs crafted by Walter Schreifels, driving basslines, and Anthony "Civ" Civarelli's unmistakably urgent vocals.
Gorilla Biscuits accomplished the near-impossible: blending raw NYHC energy with an incredible songwriting instinct and a message centered on personal responsibility, friendship, and perseverance. Despite releasing only one full-length studio album, their lasting impact on the global alternative, punk, and metal scenes remains monumental. Band members would go on to form foundational acts like Quicksand, Rival Schools, and CIV, yet the pristine legacy of Gorilla Biscuits has remained completely untouched by time.
Live, Gorilla Biscuits are an unrestrained hurricane that instantly erases any distance between the stage and the crowd. Their performances aren't about passive watching; they are about community, endless stage dives, and thousands of voices screaming lyrics that haven't lost a single drop of their potency over thirty-plus years. Get ready for the loudest sing-along the historic fortress walls have ever witnessed.
