Los Angeles-based femme grunge-punk band Cherry Glazerr brought gritty guitar riffs, funky bass-lines and unapologetically empowering lyrics to SF State’s campus Thursday night in Jack Adams Hall.
Frontwoman Clementine “Clem” Creevy, a 21-year-old guitarist and vocalist, started the group when she was 15 after Burger Records discovered her solo work on Soundcloud in 2012. She was joined on stage by the band’s drummer Tabor Allen and bassist Devin O’Brien. Creevy has made quite a name for herself in the indie-rock world since she came onto the scene through her new wave sound and her outspoken stance on sexism in the music industry.
“When it comes down to it, they’re really the only things I’m passionate about. I’m passionate about music and passionate about feminism,” Creevy said. “That’s been how I felt since I took women studies when I was 17, and it changed my life.”
The Depot, the campus music venue run by Associated Students, Inc., invited Cherry Glazerr to be a part of its “Get Live” concert series after SF State student and Depot manager Joaquin Vasquez-Duran emailed Creevy about a Facebook post she made in July in regards to sexism she experiences as a female musician.
“The amount of sexism that my band and sound engineer/tour manager face on the road is simply unreal sometimes. It’s outrageous. We walk into a venue, and people look the other way. They treat us with open hostility. They ignore us, call us names,” Creevy wrote in the post on Cherry Glazerr’s page on July 31, after the band finished touring for their latest album, “Apocalipstick.”
“I read an article about Clem complaining about the rampant sexism that she dealt with in the industry, and I was so moved and so touched and very upset,” Vasquez-Duran said. “I wanted to hear that it’s not like that [at SF State], and we do things here differently…and wanted to showcase that.”
About 400 concertgoers showed up to the gig to support Cherry Glazerr and the two opening bands, Headjamz and Honey First. Headjamz is an SF State-based garage rock band. Honey First, an indie band, played their first show on Thursday night, after being a band for only three weeks.
“Tonight was insane,” said Jin Lee, the frontwoman of Honey First. “It was so much fun!”
In the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, the crowd got rowdy. Before the show began, the crowd was informed no moshing was allowed in Jack Adams Hall, a rule that was blatantly disregarded by the end of the night. The crowd turned the end of Cherry Glazerr’s set into a free-for-all in the pit of the audience, fueled by angst, endorphins and the lo-fi sound Creevy’s guitar produced.
Creevy looked possessed on stage by the music, the crowd, the spotlight — it all took hold of her as she thrashed around the stage under pink lights and belted out her pro-femme songs.
“My first time here [at SF State]! I loved it; I loved the show,” Creevy said. “It was a lot of fun and it was a party.”
