Images: Nothington, Mercy Music, No Red Alice, Lawn Mower Death Riders March 30, 2017 at the Beauty Bar

People don’t really associate Las Vegas with the cold. Especially not Las Vegas in the spring. But record breaking winds that were just 6 miles an hour shy of being able to send a DeLorean through time (82 mph, in case you’re wondering) brought with them a chill normally reserved for the dead of winter. It certainly caught San Francisco punk rockers Nothington by surprise, who commented on the icy weather while playing the Beauty Bar’s outside stage with only hoodies to keep warm.

At one time, the guys in Nothington were practically locals, hitting venues like the Las Vegas Country Saloon and the original Bunkhouse on the regular, but this was the first show here since playing Punk Rock Bowling in 2013 and the first since releasing their long-awaited new album In The End. Celebrating their ten year anniversary this year, Nothington sounded like seasoned pros while ripping through new tracks like “Cobblestones,” “Already There” and “The Lies I Need.”

While the crowd that stuck around in the cold was unfortunately much slimmer than the band deserved, it was nice to see people singing along to old favorites like “Far to Go,” “Not Looking Down,” “St. Andrew’s Hall,” and “Where I Stand,” the latter eliciting the less than a dozen up front to raise fists in unison to sing the song’s hooky “Whoa ohs,” blending nicely with Jay Northington’s gruff vocals and Chris Matulich’s more melodic singing.

A trio of excellent Vegas locals opened the show, with Mercy Music in direct support, peppering old favorites like “Undone” and “Fine” with a healthy mix of new tracks that make their sophomore album our most anticipated release of this year. No Red Alice filled their set with punk rock tunes and dead parent jokes, the off color humor betraying the huge smiles that adorned each member’s face. They also played a faithful and fun cover of Jawbreaker’s “Boxcar” which deserved a larger singalong from the audience. Kicking off the night was Lawn Mower Death Riders, whose folky rhythms had plenty of toes tapping.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Anthony Constantine | https://www.facebook.com/anthonycphotography