Ancient Rage, Mortal, Piss Mist, Aggravated Assault @ Pussy Palace
- Hectic
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
August 17, 2025
Pussy Palace
Oakland, CA
This was my first visit to the Pussy Palace, a punk house on 34th Street in West Oakland, just a block south of the beautiful 580 freeway. I don’t know how the place got its name (and certainly didn’t mention it to the wife), but it was a cool community party with all ages and genders in attendance.
The house has been gaining a reputation for some great backyard shows, held once a month on Sunday afternoons. Plus the awesome Cat-a-Comb basement record shop (more on that later).
I was selling Nefarious and Hellhunter records all afternoon at 1234 Go and Econojam records in Oakland, and later at a Record Swap at Faction Brewing in Alameda, so by the time I arrived at the “Palace” I had missed the opener, Aggravated Assault. Their new album from earlier this year The Order Of Chaos sounds pretty good from what I’ve heard though. Next time.
There was a decent sized crowd along the side yard and in the back yard where the stage was. A very Oakland mix of mostly young punks and metalheads, a few old folks like me, and even some rock and roll moms with young kids wearing protective headphones.
Piss Mist was a song or two in when I arrived. Hardcore punk with a bit of metal thrown in. I believe the name references that feeling on your legs when you are wearing shorts and don’t quite hit the urinal at the correct angle after a few too many beers? They were high energy, though they had a couple of unfortunate technical issues with the guitarists’ sound cutting out. Still a good set and they got the crowd going.
In between sets I went to see Gabriel, one of the Palace’s residents and proprietor of the new Cat-a-Comb records. You enter through a portal of sorts in the side of the house, where a window used to be, and find yourself in a basement / storage room that he has made into quite a cool record shop. He’s just starting to build up the inventory, with a few bins of records, a rack of t-shirts, and a bunch of CDs and tapes. Plus a hangout space and big jar of free weed.
The selection Gabriel has put together in Cat-A-Comb Records is actually really good, with most of the inventory coming directly from bands that have stayed at the house after local shows or played there. He is also getting releases from local independent labels like Tankcrimes, Carbonized Records, and my own Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest Records. Definitely check it out if you catch a show there.
With the sun beginning to set, the mood changed as San Jose, CA based death metal outfit Mortal took the stage. I recognized Mikey Herrera also of Trencher on Bass, but otherwise this band was new to me. They played a ferocious set, the sound wasn’t perfect being outdoors but the band was great. I hope to see them on a death metal bill in a venue like the DNA Lounge soon.
The headliner was Ancient Rage, playing their local Oakland hometown as a kickoff to their first ever European tour, which started a couple of days later. I’m a big fan of this band’s blend of punk rock and “street metal”, so much intensity live and they do not disappoint. Hopefully their tour goes well, I have no doubt they will be received well by European rockers and metalheads.
Check out the show next month at the Pussy Palace on Sunday, September 28, 2025 featuring In Shame, Semuta, Beach Master, Hazzards Cure, and Echo Death.
You’ll have a good time, I guarantee it.
–Hectic
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