Ok, so admittedly, we’re a little behind in posting this, but with the 2 year anniversary of Punks in Vegas upon us, we’re feeling nostalgic. We asked some local bands and members of our staff what their favorite shows of 2012 were. Take a look back at the best of 2012, and post on our Facebook to tell us what your picks are.

Patrick “Pulsar” Trout (Local show promoter and bass player for Ministry of Love)

Off With Their Heads – Dec. 1, 2012 at The Bunkhouse

Awesome show with an amazing response from the crowd. It’s one thing to have 100 people packed into a bar, it’s another thing entirely to have them singing along to every word.

Stick To Your Guns – March 22, 2012 at The Sanctuary

Insane amount of energy at this show. STYG is one of the most sincere bands in hardcore and this show was inspiring.

Screaming Females – Oct. 3, 2012 at The Beauty Bar

Quite possibly my favorite band in punk rock today.

Joshua Cohen (Candy Warpop)

1. Screaming Females – Oct. 3, 2012 at The Beauty Bar

2012 was a wild year for my band with many great opportunities and opportunities-in-disguise. One of the highlight shows we played was in support of New Jersey punk trio Screaming Females. It was a warm  fall evening and the electricity in the air seemed to rise above the smell of urine and Downtown excess that typically populates the air behind the Beauty Bar. Screaming Females played a powerful set which, in one fell swoop, put to shame most contemporary so-called punk bands. Leading the way is the gigantic voice of bandleader Marissa Paternoster, with vibrato wide enough to throw a labrador through.

Also in top form that night were personal favorites Deadhand. I just about cracked a rib when I heard their deliciously-irreverent Eric Clapton cover.

2. The Melvins – Oct. 23, 2012 at The Las Vegas Country Saloon

The Melvins put on the perfect show. I say this with all due caution, but seriously it was magnificent. The sound that night in the Country Saloon was pristine, capturing the full spectrum of THAT sound. You know the one, the one that King Buzzo and company do so very well. The Vegas show was one of the last in their 2012 tour which saw performances by the trio in each state in the union, so naturally the band was tighter than a very tight thing.

The Melvins show was also one of those shows that everyone attended. I couldn’t swing a dead cat in the place without hitting someone I knew with said cat. With many cases, I was left with one thought: “So-and-so likes The Melvins? They must be cooler than I realized.”

3. Fish Circus – Jan. 15, 2012 at Bikini Bar

Penny Pibbets and her LA-based band of no-gooders put on one of the most punk rock shows of the year before all the confetti had been swept up from the previous year. And this without a guitar in sight. It is a vain effort describing their sound, but being familiar with Penny’s show Absinthe certainly helps put things into context, albeit a really fucked one. Fish Circus gatherings are few and far between, but they deliver the goods each time. We had the pleasure of playing at their record release in 2011 and Penny fronted our band for Beatles Tribute Night, but this was something else. There was nudity, spinning wheel things, nudity, and fuck all I don’t remember much else. Go buy their CD and let it comfort you in that creepy uncle sort-of way until the next time they assemble under one roof.

Emily Matview (Punks in Vegas Founder)

Matt Skiba, Laura Jane Grace, Joey Garibaldi – May 26, 2012 at the Beauty Bar

I’m a huge Alkaline Trio fan, so even though I had already bought tickets to see Good Riddance that same night, I sold them and picked up tickets to see the Trio frontman as soon as his Punk Rock Bowling club show was announced. The initial announced was under the vague “Matt Skiba and Friends” moniker and stayed that way until moments before the show. Former Skiba tourmates (and split-sharers) Chuck Ragan and Kevin Seconds were already announced for a show the next day so it wouldn’t be them.

But Against Me! were playing a show in Vegas that same night, opening for The Cult. Against Me! and Alkaline Trio are longtime friends and frontwoman Laura Jane Grace is no stranger to the acoustic setting (she played acoustic on the Revival Tour in Vegas just a few months prior) so even though I tried not to get my hopes up I was still keeping my fingers crossed. She was finally officially announced on Twitter just hours before, sandwiched between Old Man Markley bassist Joey Garibaldi (playing a fun set of originals and covers) and Skiba (who played an all-too-short set of Trio favorites) and the buzz quickly spread through all the fans in town. Her set was one of the best I’ve ever seen, mixing up old favorites and new tracks. There are a lot of good shows in Vegas but the PRB club shows end up being special in that they are filled to capacity with super fans who know every word,  and in this instance picking up the harmonies and backing vocals on tracks like “Walking is Still Honest” and “Reinventing Axl Rose.”

Bomb the Music Industry – Aug. 20, 2012 (house show)

Bomb the Music Industry put out my favorite album of 2011 and I have been dying to see them live for years. They had one show at the Bunkhouse before I had started listening to them and it seemed like it was going to be another situation where a band plays here once while relatively new and then never comes back. So I was elated when they announced they were finally playing a show in Las Vegas, and an intimate house show right down the street from my own place of residence. I was feeling a little trepidation that the cops might show up and shut the whole thing down before it even got started but luckily that never happened and a crowd of enthusiastic fans packed a tiny backyard and sang with lungs full of dust. BTMI announced their hiatus right around the time of the show and while they are still continuing to play shows as of this writing the idea that they might never come back makes it all the more sweet I had this opportunity to see them.

So Many Ways, Last Call, Alaska – July 7, 2012 at Yayo Taco

Last Call and Alaska are two of Vegas’ best bands, but if you read this site then you probably already know that. But Chicago’s So Many Ways, once labelmates of LC on Mightier Than Sword, were more of an enigma when this show came up. I had enjoyed what I heard from them but as talk of their above average live show started pouring in I wondered if they could live up to the hype. They did. And then some. The pop punk band plays with an enormous amount of energy, using the entire landscape of Yayo Taco as their stage – from the normal floor spot near the glass doors to the table tops and eventually outside on the roof of their van. No one really knew what to expect but everyone walked away raving about the band and the performance.

Andy Harrison (Surrounded by Thieves)

The Aquabats at Viva Ska Vegas – April 28, 2012 at the Henderson Events Pavilion

It had been so long since I’d seen them and it was a nice change of pace to see everyone just having a good time instead of getting all rowdy and pumped up. I love ska kids.

Swingin’ Utters – June 15, 2012 at The Bunkhouse

I’d tried to see Swingin’ Utters for years and years but it never worked out. Finally I got to see them and all I could do was smile the whole time and sing the songs. Not a huge turnout, but to me it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

Authority Zero – Sept. 12, 2012 at the Silverton Pool

I’ve never been a big Authority Zero fan and I may like this one cause we opened the show, but when I saw them do a sound check I was blown away at how bad ass these guys are and how good they are. The show was great because it was outside and the weather was awesome and everyone just got along. It could have been being outside that made everyone get along because I’ve seen AZ at the Cheyenne Saloon, and there was just a tougher guy type feel to that show.

Sean Romulus and Kenny Bean (GUTS)

1. Blink-182 – Sept. 29, 2012 at The Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool

Sean – Honestly, out of all the times Blink has come to Vegas, this was my first time seeing them. They’ve been my favorite band since 4th grade and it took me over a decade to finally see them live. Ken bought the tickets in advance to make sure of it, as long as I covered the TBS/TAYF10 tickets. And, damnit, it was awesome. There could’ve been better/more opening acts but it was enough. Felt like I was 15 again.

Kenny – Everytime I see Blink, I remember why I love them so much. Awesome band and they actually looked sober this time so the set sounded awesome.

2. New Found Glory (Sticks and Stones Tour) with The Story So Far and Seahaven – Nov. 27, 2012 at Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip

Sean – I was extremely pumped for this show. The year before was amazing with the Pop Punk’s Not Dead Tour but NFG playing Sticks front to back was just incredible. There aren’t many shows or bands where kids from every corner of a scene come together and shout lyrics in unison with that kind of energy. At least that’s how I see it every time they come through town. And seeing The Story So Far, being that one band that’s reigning over the new school was just as awesome.

Kenny – This show was super fun. Sticks and Stones is my favorite NFG record so I was pumped. and TSSF was awesome.

3. Warped Tour – June 20, 2012 at The Luxor Hotel Parking Lot

Sean – One day where you can see a handful of your favorite bands/artists while sweating and slow-roasting in 100+ degree weather? Hell yeah. I can’t remember all that I saw but I remember Every Time I Die putting on a better show then when I saw them last. Title Fight was awesome, caught a glimpse of I Am The Avalanche. I’m just going to name all the bands I got to see again, or for the first time: Fireworks, Transit, Man Overboard, TBS, The Ghost Inside, FYS, Make Do And Mend. Boom, cool and going to do it again this year.

Kenny – Warped was sick. I Am the Avalanche was my favorite part of the entire day. The Ghost Inside was insanely good and Kris Roe and Vinnie Caruana acoustic was awesome. Those two doods had a major influence on me playing music and to see them up close and personal like that was a dream come true.

Honorable mention:

Sean – I just want to mention other memorable shows cause I can’t help it. Enter Shikari with letlive and At The Skylines at The Aruba, May 1st. ES was insane that night. The TAYF10/TBS show with Man Overboard and Bayside on October 26 at HOB. That was just a good show. And Two Door Cinema Club at HOB on October 27, I was drunk and had a blast with some friends at that show.

Felipe Garcia (Punk in Vegas writer)

1. So Many Ways – July 7, 2012 at Yayo Taco

I’ll never forget when So Many Ways, across the country from their Chicago home, braved the Vegas mid-summer heat to play a free show at Yayo Taco. The small, unconventional venue was host to the most remarkable thirty minutes of punk rock I’ll probably ever see. SMW performed in a corner of a crammed taco shop to about forty kids, but you couldn’t tell by the energy they brought with them. The band climbed on everything in the place, including cars in the parking lot, and never took a break for as much as ten seconds. This little band shutting the whole show down had jaws set agape and kids lining up at the merch table. I felt like I lost ten pounds just by watching them. If you weren’t there, you missed out, but if you ask anyone who was, I’m willing to bet they’ll give you every detail.

2. Taking Back Sunday – October 26, 2012 at the House of Blues, Las Vegas

Highlighting the recent string of Ten Year Anniversary tours, Taking Back Sunday played Tell All Your Friends in full at the House of Blues in late October. It was a show you circled on your calendar not only because of the obvious main attraction but also because of the solid supporting bands. Man Overboard and Bayside warmed up the huge crowd for what turned out to be an incredible, expansive set by Taking Back Sunday. Every song sounded as good as it did the first time I listened to them and I would have paid full price to hear “You Know How I Do” live alone.

3. Such Gold – Sept. 27, 2012 at Vinyl

Having missed Such Gold’s show at some random bar a year prior, I knew I had to catch their late September show at Vinyl inside the Hard Rock. In fact, I hadn’t yet seen The Swellers or Strung Out, who were also on the bill that night. Each of the bands, including opener and friends of the site The Sheds, showed incredible energy and got considerable fan feedback in the dark, intimate venue. But it was New York’s Such Gold, their debut full-length album Misadventures only a few weeks old, who stole the show for me. There just aren’t many bands that can convey that much passion and display such musicianship.

Amarionette

A Lot Like Birds – Feb. 15, 2012 at Yayo Taco

We met A Lot Like Birds in Utah on the tour with no name, 5 kids, crazy energy the whole time…bring that here when they played at Yayo, even more energy! The sliding glass doors in front were so foggy and it was one of the only times you saw crowd surfing and pits in the humble venue, awesome show to have experienced.

To Speak of Wolves/Write This Down – Feb. 8, 2012 at Yayo Taco

Write This Down is LOUD, VERY LOUD, with awesome beards and one crazy drummer. To Speak of Wolves is like a newer Norma Jean, few bands make you feel what they’re screaming about but they made it scary in there.

The Devil Wears Prada, letlive – March 15, 2012 at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip

Lastly only mentioning The Devil Wears Prada again because they brought one of the most talented live rock bands of our time with them…LETLIVE. When they played at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip it was game over. Huge circle pits, singer Jason hanging off of the already suspended speakers and flying all over the stage meanwhile the entire band going completely nuts. Great message, greater band. Now there was also Everytime I Die and The Devil Wears Prada who as always destroyed… but people need to know about letlive. No one went home from that show disappointed and not drenched in sweat much like the A Lot Like Birds show at Yayo, but with 1000+ bodies.

Photos of  Off With Their Heads, Laura Jane Grace, So Many Ways, The Aquabats and New Found Glory by Emily Matview. Photo of The Devil Wears Prada by Tyler Newton.