Goodbye, 2015! We didn’t get flying cars, hoverboards aren’t as cool as we were promised and pizza is still non hydratable. Why did you lie to us, Zemeckis!?
On the plus side, we did end up with another great year of live music! So once again, we’ve invited members of the Vegas music scene as well as our own Team PIV to count down our 3 favorite shows of 2015.
We’re now entering year five of doing Punks in Vegas so thank you all for continuing to read, share and support what we do! Hopefully these lists turn you on to a new band or reaffirm your love of live music.
Emily Matview
Punks in Vegas founder
1. Red City Radio, Rayner, The Stand Alones, Divided Heaven May 25 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
“We’ll be whatever we choose to be” isn’t just a choice line from Red City Radio’s catalog but the mantra for the band’s debut Vegas gig, as music fans chose to find their second, third and fourth wind during the band’s post-PRB set, singing their hearts out to every single song. The undercard wasn’t shabby either, featuring locals Rayner and friend of PIV Divided Heaven.
2. Boba Fett Youth, Tomorrows Gone, Good Grief Nov. 6 at the Womb Room (gallery)
Similarly, 90s Vegas hardcore legends Tomorrows Gone found their own lyrics to be prophetic at the year’s best house show, singing “this music will survive” in a living room with multiple generations of fans watching on. And is it just a coincidence that the best band named after a Star Wars character chose to reunite right before “The Force Awakens” was released? Probably, but either way, I was happy to finally experience the Vegas punk legends in a live setting. The records are great but even they don’t do the band justice, who thrashed around the living room between jokes provided by frontman Andrew Kiraly.
3. The Flatliners, Masked Intruder, War Called Home, Spanish Love Songs Aug. 26 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
Two shows from the Beauty Bar? Well, they’ve had a great year, thanks not only to TJ McNeely booking more bands in my wheelhouse (toyGuitar! Pears! TBR!), but also by keeping the lineups slim (no mini-festivals on a Tuesday night!) and having the shows start on time. It’s great to know I can actually make a show at a bar on a work night, now. This show was the perfect example of that, with good friends, good tunes, and a 9 p.m. start time. And there was a dance party, because as Masked Intruder frontman Intruder Blue pointed out, dancing is going to get more girls at shows than moshing will and “you like girls, don’t you?”
Patrick Trout
Pulsar Presents / bassist for EMDF
1. Dillinger Escape Plan July 12 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
This show was absolutely insane. Dillinger is one of the best live bands in the world, and they put on the craziest show I’ve ever seen at Beauty Bar. Greg the frontman jumping off the speakers into the crowd was awesome.
2. Every Time I Die, Marmozets April 5 at Eagle Hall (review)
Seeing ETID in a DIY floor show setting was truly something special. And Marmozets absolutely blew me away.
3. Punk Rock Reunion III Nov. 7 at Backstage Bar
This was a really special night. Getting to see bands I never got to see in their heyday like Lady, Tomorrows Gone and Boba Fett Youth was super cool.
Brian Gibson
Wax Pig Melting
1. Wasteland Gallery folk punk shows in general
It’s great that the gallery across from Hardhat Lounge gave all the dirty folk punk kids a place to throw a show and get some money together for the touring acts that came through. Hope they continue this year.
2. Solid Suns Oct. 23 at Vamp’d, “Ungodly Hour” release show.
It’s just nice when you see a release show that has basically everyone genuinely excited for the new music, the actual people in the band, etc. It was actually Solid Suns last show, which just goes to show that the subject matter of the album was legitimate and weighing pretty heavy on frontman Jon Gamboa. Way intense show. Loved seeing Lawn Mower Death Riders open it up, also.
3. James Shahan Jan. 16 at Glorified Hallway
James Shahan has only recently released his 2nd album, Nu Blu (released December ’15) but he was nice enough to cave in to my persistent badgering and played a set full of mostly brand new (Nu Blu) material almost a year before he even released the album.
That’s not important, though. It’s always great when someone has some new stuff to perform, and small/intimate crowds are usually a given at Vegas shows that aren’t at a bar.
This show was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, yet. With Chux Artery helping me on sound and lights for the gallery, the mood was pretty much as heavy as Shahan’s songs are. Long story short, we got an intense set from only Shahan, and had about all 15 people in the small room swarm James immediately after the set and a hug/emotion fest ensued.
TJ McNeely
Suckerpunch Records/Suckerpunch Concerts
1. Dillinger Escape Plan w/ Unfair Fight & A Friend, A Foe June 12 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
I’ve been lucky enough to have seen some pretty great shows, but DEP was on a different level. The energy of the crowd and the energy of the band ended up being a perfect storm. Beauty Bar has never been that packed. Fans stage diving, the band standing on the tower of speakers, Aaron’s superman photo pretty much sums the show up. Balls out math rock!!!!!!!
2. Lillingtons, Squirtgun, Dan Panic, Mercy Music & more May 19 at Backstage Bar (gallery)
Lillingtons for as long as I can remember have been one of my top 5 go-to favorite bands. Lookout & Mutant Pop Records and their Ramones core pogo punk bands are the sole reason I started my little label. It was the first time I got to see Lillingtons and Squirtgun. I definitely had some musical heroes in the room that night.
3. Madball & Strife – Nov. 23 at the Viper Room, West Hollywood California
It was hard to pick between this show and their Vegas show at Backstage Bar a couple days before. Viper Room only holds about 200 people and there were about 250 there. Throw in that it’s the first Hollywood show for Madball in a really long time and a hometown show for Strife. From the first song of Strife to the last song of Madball was one giant circle pit. Just a brutal show in the greatest of ways.
Honorable mentions:
- Teenage Bottlerocket w/ Bombpops, Guilty By Association, Franks & Deans, Mercy Music – July 3rd @ Beauty Bar – This is hands down the one that means the most to me. I love TBR for a lot of reasons. They write great 90 second songs, every song is a sing-a-long and the dudes are some of the coolest dudes around. RIP Brandon!!!
- Dilated Peoples @ Fremont Country Club
- Frank Turner @ Bunkhouse
- The Flatliners & Masked Intruder @ Beauty Bar
- Black Milk @ Beauty Bar
- Madball & Strife @ Backstage bar
Charlie Blasco
Vocals & Bass in Narrowed
1. Zarfest 2k15 May 30 at the Zarfest Fairgrounds
Festival style line-up with two stages. Hands down the best show of the year for me and my favorite day of life in 24 years. My band did play this one but that had very little to do with why this was my favorite show.
Zarfest in only two years has become the kind of experience here in town that I always dreamed of having. A real community of listeners and players from around the valley coming together to eat, drink (if and only if they are old enough) and swim while band after band keeps the energy going strong. All my favorite local bands, or at least a bunch of them, and my friends were there.
12 Good Summers was my jam. The dogs were highly involved in their performance which made my viewing experience all the more pleasurable. Firewater Folklore played early, those bastards, and still to a bunch of kids. They’re unique yet widely appealing brand of “folk metal” is a huge part of what makes Zarfest great. I love watching these guys and have come to the realization that they and many others in the scene are actively making original sounding music and expanding the minds of kids in this town and they probably don’t even know it. Stoked to see them put out more recordings and play bigger and bigger shows.
Our lovers in Oranges were tearing it down with us, as it should be, and did a great job as always. Illicitor played a tight set as one could only expect from those guys. I wanted to see more of them this year but they are working on some new songs and I know they are going to be f-f-f-f-fire and then hopefully they will play em at the next Zarfest.
100 Onces played which was fucking dope! They sound gnarly live, so I’m super stoked that I got to experience that. Um, wait, did you know…. Groomlake played like half a Strokes cover set featuring the silky smooth vocals and beast bass skills of Tyler Kawada!? That made me dance. I was literally dancing with Nick Bosmati Rice from Bogtrotter’s Union and Shayna Rain and the Part Time Models. Speaking of which, Nick’s performances were of the trillest quality in both instances, as were his fellow band mates’. It’s whack-a-doodle-do that Bogtrotter’s set got cut short but everybody seemed to be happy with the night overall.
Of course, I could not forget Glassir who came from out of town and almost made your boy cry. Super great. What show of this magnitude and sheer energy would be complete without Hard Pipe Hitters!? They brought the demons out of me. In a good way. Caliban and the Witch, Rayner and Lawn Mower Death Riders played and were awesome. Yeah… that’s really all the important bands 😉 Who could forget the brass knuckles?…. Man don’t bring brass knuckles to a house show/festival/fun time. Ya big goof! Other than that, GREAT SUCCESS!!! Looking forward to the next one. Best show of the year no question. Don’t believe me? Czech it: https://www.facebook.com/events/640977052715765/
2. Weatherbox Nov. 18 at The Bunkhouse
Free. Weatherbox. Show. Nuff said, am i riiiiight?!
When I heard about this show I was like, “You… you gotta kiddin me!” Turns out that the rumors were true. I rendezvoused wit my troops and we descended upon the Bunkhouse Saloon on that chilly November night. The Bunkhouse had been closed for a time and was back so I was excited to get in there and get my drink on as it is one of my favi watering holes. Anywho, I missed State Champions, which is a shame because they seem pretty dope from the videos I’ve seen. But in all honesty I thought that it was State Champs playing who I dgaf about. Dark Black played and boi lemme tell ya, it was good. Dark Black is made up of 3/5 of local favorites Caravels. While they sound nothing like Caravels, their indie rock with dashes of… groovy, funk idk. It’s good. I liked it.
The box dudes/dudets. The box was the box. The box was OFF the hook. I’ve been down with Weatherbox since I was a wee lad in high school finding bands ffo Say Anything. Weatherbox has since skyrocketed past Say Anything as one of my favorite bands out there. Their newest record, Flies in All Directions, is the culmination of Brian Warren’s catchy yet wholly original melodic orchestration and widely engaging pop sensibility that was never fully realized in past releases. I must say that the first Weatherbox full length is still my favorite, but I love all their releases just as well.
Anyway, the show guys/girls. The show. So Brian Warren is front and center with his Fender Telecaster and mangy hair out and flying about. Dude is loud and that’s what I like. The band he has with him is comprised of three dudes who look a bit younger than him. They held it down, which is impressive considering some of the songs they played were extremely technical and not very easy to replicate in a live setting, lest ye be a champ. Everything was on point. Warren’s vocals never wavered, also impressive as he transitions about from hard growl to angelic falsetto with ease. The set was honestly not long enough but I was excited to pick up some merch and have a cigarette so all things considered I would call the night a win.
Also important to note, TSSF was playing a sold out show at the Vinyl the very same night around the very same time and I gotta tell ya… I didn’t feel like I was missing out at all. If you were at the TSSF show and not the Weatherbox show, you’re a fool I tell ya! A fool!
3. Special K album release show Nov. 20 The Womb Room
This was the first day of the rest of my life. One of my favorite days in history. And the show was good too.
I fecking loooove Special K. They my jam. I went to this show not sure what to think. I arrived just as Sometimes was beginning to play. As I watched in sheer bliss I realized that this was the very same “dog rock” band I had enjoyed months earlier downtown at some art space I can’t recall the name of at this time. Sometimes is so good. They’re indie rock that you don’t have to feel lame for liking. I guess by that I mean there is something for everyone in their music. Vocals are pleasing if not pretty, yet never whiny. The guitars are beautiful and the rhythm section really compliments everything else. I didn’t see Good Grief for very long as I was on a mission to find more booze.
Special K was the reason for my visit and I tell ya what, they did not disappoint. Aside from a technical difficulty towards the end involving a guitar, the performance was smooth and really fun. Everyone was there for them and you could just tell they wanted to give their all. Justin Ptak, the drummer of Special K and an all around cool dude was in shred mode that night. It was a blast for me and my boi Chri to watch him tear it down in true rock star style. The vocals pair well with the guitar melodies and make for easy listening. You don’t have to think too much, you just stand there and let the waves wash over you. I had a great time.
Last but certainly not least was Bee Master. Bee Master has been making a lot of buzz, pun so effing intended, around town this year. The brain child of Brian Cantrell, it allegedly took forever and a day to create the masterfully crafted songs that Bee Master are now playing. Worth the wait. The band also features one of my all time favorite musicians in town, Brendan Scholz. Dude shreds like a metal head and looks like a punk. It’s truly a spectacle. I knew him from his band Mercy Music, also incredibly dope. Long story short, they played beautifully. I left before their last song to acquire more booze. I’m a bad guy.
Micah Malcolm
Drummer for The Quitters, Illicitor, New Cold War
1. The Dillinger Escape Plan on June 12 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
This show was the rowdiest I have ever seen Beauty Bar. Anyone there that night can tell you there was this feeling of chaotic electricity that exploded when singer Greg Puciato dove from the speakers into the sweaty , grasping hands of the hungry crowd (as so captured by PIV’s Aaron Mattern). I was stoked to hear so much material from Miss Machine and just let my body sway back and forth with everyone’s momentum as DEP thumped through “Sunshine the Werewolf.”
2. Refused on May 24 at Punk Rock Bowling (gallery)
In 2012, my dreams were realized when I was able to see Refused twice on their reunion tour after a 14 year hiatus. So when I heard that Refused once again was doing a tour, releasing a brand new record, and playing Punk Rock Bowling in my own backyard, it was almost too good to be true! They owned PRB this year as the rain poured during their set; the new tunes ripped and the old tunes sounded better than ever. It’s so gratifying when a band you’ve followed since high school can deliver beyond your expectations almost 20 years later.
3. Diarrhea Planet June 1 at the Beauty Bar
So many people missed out on this show that I can only describe as pure joy. It was a Monday night and maybe 40 lucky ducks got to witness the glory that was Diarrhea Planet. This band, with no less than 4 guitars, ripped like they were playing to 3 stadiums worth of fans. DP had me in awe when they played “Kids” (theirs, not MGMT’s); I felt every note in my chest. Do yourself a favor and help pack the joint the next time these dudes are in town; you won’t be disappointed.
Honorable mention:
together PANGEA Oct. 31 at The Griffin
What’s more fun than seeing a Halloween show where everyone is in costume and the band completely kills it? It’s when that band is together PANGEA. These LA garage grungers tore the back of The Griffin apart. I was the guy dressed as Fry with my girl Leela, hanging next to Rick of Earth C-137, singing along to “Sick Shit.” It was a Blasty blast!!
John Vanacore
Outlook Fanzine/Spring Time
1. Title Fight, Merchandise, Power Trip March 14 at The Regent Theater
After seeing Title Fight two previous times in big venues with barriers, seeing them in the proper go-fucking-crazy setting was way past fulfilling. They had a great setlist accompanied by people flying off the stage and singing along to all their songs. Openers Power Trip and Merchandise were also awesome to see being captivating in their own harsh and atmospheric ways.
2. GIVE, Acid Rain, Unfair Fight, Headwinds Jan. 28 the Womb Room
As many people in Vegas have been waiting for Give to return for years, I was looking forward to catching them for the first time. They played one of the most solid sets I’ve ever seen in my life. Every note on the guitars and bass as well as every hit on the drums were so in sync and perfectly timed with each other and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. Frontman Crucial John brought even more to the living room with his amped-up vocals and presence.
3. Halloween Cover Show feat. Presagers, Acid Rain, Pleasure, and Spring Time Oct. 30 at East Side Joe’s
This show was just a really fun time and it was even more fun to be a part of it. Presagers did a killer job covering Hatebreed which people were VERY responsive to. Acid Rain played a crucial Youth of Today cover set as well as not one, but two Gorilla Biscuits cover sets. Spring Time covered Saves the Day and their bassist was SHIRTLESS.
Aaron Mattern
Punks in Vegas Photographer
1. It’s Not Dead Fest Oct. 10 at the San Bernardino Amphitheater
Though Oct. 21, 2015 was the official Back to the Future day, many people got the opportunity to time-travel two weeks earlier. It’s Not Dead Fest was the opportunity to relive Warped Tour 2000 a second time, and even $17 drinks couldn’t dampen spirits. Although Punk Rock Bowling is great, and has replaced Warped Tour in my life, the truth is, we’ll probably never see bands like Less Than Jake, Goldfinger, and Reel Big Fish play it. I never thought I’d get to relive a mid-2000s festival, and it was amazing to be young again.
2. Bad Cop Bad Cop, Bombpops, Murderland, War Called Home March 9 at the Hard Rock Live (gallery)
I was lucky to get to see Bad Cop Bad Cop and The Bombpops several times last year, but getting to see two of my favorite female fronted bands at the same time at a free show was a great combo. I also got the privilege of discovering the great horror/pop punk outfit Murderland for the first time, who gave me a couple free records which instantly entered my record rotation.
3. Masked Intruder, The Flatliners, Spanish Gamble Aug. 25 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
I’ve been super impressed by Beauty Bar this year since TJ has started running shows there. They’ve gotten great bands, and have eliminated a lot of the bloat that keeps me from venturing downtown for shows on a weeknight. One of my favorite shows was Masked Intruder and The Flatliners. Masked Intruder are such fun to watch with their frantic energy and stupid accents – you can’t help but love it. I got a really killer picture of the crowd at the show, filled with members of several Vegas local bands laughing and smiling with Officer Bradford that really kinda sums up how fun this show was.
Michelle Cardin
Punks in Vegas writer
1. And So I Watch You From Afar Oct. 12 at the Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles, CA
2. Zarfest 2 May 30 at the Zarfest Fairgrounds
So many amazing sets. Groomlake played Strokes songs, Illicitor was almost flooded off the patio, and the dogs partied along with everyone during 12 Good Summers. Definitely one of Zarfest Fairgrounds’ best shows.
3. RX Bandits March 23 at the Fremont Country Club
RXB was pure magic that night. The entire crowd was under a manic spell and just went wild for every song. It was awesome being in the midst of all that energy as it was fueled by the band’s soulful performance.
Rory Child
Rayner
1. The Fest
I’m just going to give my number 1 to the entirety of THE FEST. From Banner Pilot to Kill Lincoln I don’t think I saw one thing I was disappointed in. I got to watch live wrestling, Modern Baseball play a Killers set (with added Menzingers members), quieter sets like the Coffee Project, and a million other awesome bands I’d probably never have much of a chance to see otherwise.
2. Anti-Flag at 11th Street Records (Punk Rock Bowling)
Just an awesome venue to see one of my favorite bands acoustically. Was cool when Chris #2 called me out for my bear hat after playing “This Is The End.” A great way to kick off PRB weekend.
3. Masked Intruder, The Flatliners, War Called Home, Spanish Love Songs Aug. 26 at the Beauty Bar (gallery)
Another show with some of my favorite people and favorite bands. I checked out Spanish Love Songs before the show and ended up liking them quite a bit and they put on a good performance, locals War Called Home killed it as per usual, Masked Intruder were as energetic and entertaining as ever, and The Flatliners played a killer set mostly of Cavalcade/Dead Language tunes with some Great Awake thrown. I may be bias towards this show as I have Cavalcade tattooed on my arm. (same goes for the aforementioned Anti-Flag show) but the entire vibe of the night was so positive and fun.
Ryan Brunty
Moonboots
1. Rusty Maples Secret House Show on Halloween
For Halloween, Sabriel and I decided to throw a secret house party with Rusty Maples (fresh from Sonic Ranch) playing an unannounced show debuting new tunage. As the night got drunker and drunker, members of O Wildly, Newsense, and my band MOONBOOTS all took the stage in some variation. It was a great night of music, from what I remember anyway. https://vine.co/v/eVE2xPJLUjn
2. Brand New April 20 at the Brooklyn Bowl (gallery)
Brand New is my favorite band, hands down. They’ve become somewhat of a cult band as of late with their releases being spare and merchandising being off beat (they just released their leaked demos from tdagarim on cassette finally.) This show at Brooklyn Bowl was INSANE.
The craziest part is that I almost didn’t get to see them. I got to the show and bought a bunch of merch and walked it to my car. I got back to the entrance and heard Circa Survive go onstage and the front door told me I couldn’t come back in because there was no re-entry. So I argued for about five minutes presenting my ticket saying there wasn’t signage saying this and all I wanted to do was see the bands to no avail. I tried everything to get inside, even ending up in the kitchen of The Flamingo somehow by taking a back alleyway trying to get back into the venue. Someone super nice at The Flamingo, must have been head of table dealers, walked me back over to the venue and told the front door that I was just trying to get back in. As I was standing there, Anthony Green walked past covered in sweat and talked the guy into letting me back in after I told him what was going in. It was like a Michael Cera movie or something. (ok, maybe just that one where they have an endless playlist.) https://vine.co/v/eaBVDKHvh5I
3. Life is Beautiful at DTLV
Life is Beautiful was one of the best weekends of my life. I was painting by the main stage and at the Art Motel and MOONBOOTS played a show at Gold Spike as a part of a pre-party for the festival. I’ll never forget watching Stevie Wonder as I painted Yerman on a huge canvas, pretty surreal.
Cameron Beck
Characters
1. Title Fight/Power Trip March 3 at Slim’s, San Francisco, CA
Title Fight’s stop in San Francisco along their 2015 US Tour promoting 2015’s lauded Hyperview was one of the most enthralling sets of the year. The set was just the right amount of diverse, playing older stage-dive-beckoning staples such as “Symmetry” and “27,” as well as newer favorites such as “Hypernight.” Joining Title Fight on their trek of the western US was Tampa, FL post-punk band Merchandise and Texas’ Power Trip. I was quite turned off by Merchandise, particularly by their vocalist’s faux-Morrissey performance cues. However, Power Trip’s set was relentless; vocalist Riley Gale’s vocals roared through the halls of Slim’s. They closed their set with the title track from their album Manifest Decimation, and it was absolutely crushing.
2. Death Grips July 23 at The Marquee Theater, Tempe, AZ
I’m not sure if I’m more impressed by vocalist MC Ride’s captivating stage performance, Zach Hill’s unmatched dexterity behind the drum kit or the fact that a band played a 23 song, hour-and-fifteen minute set with literally no time gap between songs.
3. Thou/The Body Collaborative Set Oct. 19 at The Holland Project, Reno, NV
Arguably the loudest set I’ve ever witnessed; Louisiana’s Thou and Portland’s The Body, torchbearers in the United States doom/sludge metal scene teamed up for an incredibly dense collab set, opening with a Marilyn Manson cover and closing with a Fleetwood Mac song. Air tight performance featuring both drummers of Thou and The Body. The Body guitarist/vocalist Chip King’s resonating howl didn’t require a microphone to be heard over a plethora of full stack amps and two drummers. Fellow Louisiana band Heat Dust ripped through a set of bustling post-punk, providing a refreshing twist to the bill.
Julien Boulton
Punks in Vegas writer
1. Bruce Lee Band, Kepi Ghoulie, and the Abruptors Sept. 19 at the Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco CA
I skipped class the day before (sorry, Mom and Dad) to see Bowling For Soup at the same venue, but the night I saw the Bruce Lee Band is going to stick with me for a really long time. This show was the first that all three original Skankin’ Pickle horn players came together for a full set time since 1996. Dan Potthast, Kevin Higuchi, and Jeff Rosenstock rounded out the band to create a ska supergroup. 16-year old me would have cried at how close I was to Mike Park, who’s been one of my idols since I first started listening to ska. The supporting bands were also great, and I’m excited to see Kepi Ghoulie’s backing band perform as their own band, Dog Party, later this month.
Also, a few days after the show, I found this video from the Bruce Lee Band’s set that everyone needs to see:
2. The Ska Revival Tour Las Vegas Stop July 18 at the Hard Rock Café (gallery)
I was so bummed about missing the Ska Revival Tour in 2014, but this show totally made up for it. I got to see three of my favorite smaller bands—Be Like Max, the A-OK’s, and the Anchorage—and was introduced to the Dendrites. The fact that it was probably the last time I’ll ever see the A-OK’s adds a bittersweet tinge to my memory, but it was still an awesome night.
3. Of Monsters and Men, Elle King Aug. 13 at the Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan
Probably 80% of the shows I go to are ska, but when I heard OMAM were coming to Las Vegas, I was super excited. When I was 15, I was obsessed with them, and especially one of the singers, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir. My infatuation with Nanna came back strong as ever at this show, but with tickets at $50 a pop, I found myself wishing that I had gotten to see OMAM before they became so popular. Or, as 15-year old hipster trash Julien would have said, “Before they became so mainstream. I bet most of the people who saw them that night didn’t even know Nanna had a solo project in 2007.”
Honorable Mentions:
- Viva Ska Vegas Nov 7 at Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel
- Streetlight Manifesto, Dan Potthast, Sycamore Smith May 21 at the Fremont Country Club
- Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Authority Zero Feb. 14 at the Hard Rock on the Strip
Larry Brough
Panic Inc
1. Primus & Clutch Sept. 4 at The Joint
This gig was great! Well, because Primus is simply one of the best bands ever! Clutch opened. I got there midway through their set. They were good, solid, blues, rock! They’ve changed over the years. But, for the better. Primus was on their Willie Wonka themed tour. But, before they played any of that silly stuff they jammed a solid set of classics! I didn’t expect it & it made my night.
2. Lethal Injection, Life’s Torment, Stapled Shut, Unfair Fight, System Rejex Nov. 5 at The Dive
This gig was sick! All killer! No filler! System Rejex popped it off with some old school Vegas Hardcore. Unfair Fight was blazing hot! They get better every time I see them. Stapled Shut (Los Angeles CA) nailed it with some old school, west coast hardcore power violence grooves! Always Great! Life’s Torment (which I’m in) had a decent set! Las Vegas Fastcore! We had a good response. Lethal Injection (LV Death/Punk legends) ended it out proper, as always! A lot of friends in attendance! It was a good night.
3. Las Vegas Hardcore Punk Rock 90s Reunion Nov. 7 at Backstage Bar & Billiards Featuring – Lady, Tomorrow’s Gone, the Reform, Nonoxynol 9, Boba Fett Youth, Bent Tool, I.O.H.
If you know anything about the 90s Hardcore/Punk scene in Vegas, then you know these bands. It was a great night of nostalgia! So many friends reuniting. Every band was awesome!
*People come out of the woodwork for reunion gigs. It would be great if they supported the current hardcore/punk bands. Oh well. Haha…
Photos by Anthony Constantine, Aaron Mattern, Emily Matview and Tylor Thuirer. PIV “Favorites of 2015″ banner created by Andy Harrison @ Empire13.
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