Punk or Treat All Ages Halloween Show

Submitted by the Event Organizer

PUNK or Treat All Ages Halloween show at the famous Gilman Brewing. Support local bands!

Join us for an all ages PUNK or Treat Halloween show featuring 3 local Bay Area bands, Define Desperate, Pretty and Pissed, and Darling I’m dying as they open for underground LA punk band Mermaid Island!

Wear your costumes and have a spooky time

Mermaid Island has been brewing chaos in the underground LA punk scene since fall of 2022. Founded by Canadian vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Alex MacDonald, the band quickly became known for their high-octane performances. Based on building and protecting the DIY community, Mermaid Island is about connecting with each other in real life, and creating more space for charged, purposeful aggression.
“It was always about the shows. We have as much fun playing for no one in our lockout as we do for a packed crowd.” says MacDonald. The band solidified their presence in the LA scene before ever setting foot in a studio. They tracked most of their debut album live off the floor in two days, holding onto the same energy that keeps their shows magnetic. Mermaid Island is creating a space where people feel inspired to pick up their own instruments. “We just want to play shows with our friends so we can remember what joy feels like on this shit show planet.”
Mermaid Island’s sound blends high energy punk rock with early 2000s pop-punk, heavy east-coast Canadian influences, melodic vocals, and folk-tinged chord progressions.

Darling I’m dying is a post-hardcore/emo band formed and fronted by Poyraz (PZ) Cagdas Ates.
He is a Turkish American student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a multi-instrumentalist who has written, recorded, and produced all of Darling I’m dying’s music.
After relying on heavy music to get through many difficult experiences, Poyraz created Darling I’m dying in hopes to give that outlet to others as well. The songs are often dialogues between two characters played by Poyraz and his dear friend Xandy Daskalakis. They discuss real situations that PZ has battled or witnessed, in an attempt to shed light on genuine experiences exhibited within the youth culture in the Bay Area and beyond. With a deep belief in respect and community, Poyraz continues to love and support those around him, in hopes that with a large enough following he can support close friends and family who need it, as well as positively impact the Bay Area and beyond.

Pretty & Pissed is a rock collective of rejected music students playing different styles of music from covers to originals. Playing in the local Bay Area scene as well as many protest events, the band uses their voices to bring together a community away from the madness of school, society or wherever they feel they don’t belong.

Self-proclaimed Bay Area “Fake Emo” band Define Desperate seeks to turn cliché high-school experiences into sharp and cutting emo tracks that drip with sarcasm, overplayed teen angst, and romance. Drawing inspiration from the 2010s emo revival and the recent post-emo scene, the boys put their own spin on familiar sounds with a simple but honest flair.

PUNK or Treat! Mermaid Island with Darling I’m dying, Pretty & Pissed and Define Desperate
October 30th at 6:30 pm
Gilman Brewing
912 Gilman St., Berkeley, CA 94710
$15
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/punk-or-treat-tickets-2002585867237

PUNK or Treat
Date: 10/30/2026
Gilman Brewing

Cost: 15
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Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.