Strung Out – Guttermouth – Left Alone – and Guilty by Association – at Fremont Country Club – Las Vegas, NV

Punk Rock Bowling is one of the events I look forward to every year, and this year was possibly the best so far! It started off at the Nugget at the comedy show (whoulda thunk that Dave from the Krum Bums would be hilarious?) but I was looking forward to the club shows, namely Strung Out / Guttermouth.

 

Fremont Country Club, a fairly new venue in DTLV, was a great spot to host one of the many club shows. It's not too big, not to small, had some good beer, and security was nice (not something that can be said often). The only drawback to the place is the creepy back-lit puppets they have placed in the walls.

Sin City's very own Guilty by Association kicked off the night, opening up with their song "Straight To Hell". Before that night, I hadn't listened to the band, so I had no idea what to expect.

By the end of their second song, "Walk Alone", I was a fan. The crowd was moshing along and having a great time. A lot of times, the opening bands leave much to be desired, but Guilty by Association could easily headline. Their set was absolute fun, their sound a mix of Chaos UK and the Dead Kennedys, and by the time they closed with "American Decay", the stage (and crowd floor) was already slick with spilled drinks and god knows what else.  

Next up was Los Angeles' ska/punk outfit Left Alone. Before the first few bars of the first song were done, the lead singer (aptly named Elvis, seeing as how we were in Vegas) slipped and fell on the stage, thanks to the spilled drinks mentioned earlier. That didn't phase him, or the band, though. They just laughed and kept on going. "Hate the Day" had me skankin' along with the crowd, and "I Hate Emo" made me naze beer. If you haven't heard these talented musicians yet, I highly suggest you either get their EP or go out and see them play live. The two openers definitely set the bar high for not just the evening, but the weekend. 

 

There was some confusion earlier as to who the headliner was for the evening, according to one of Guttermouth's members. Turns out, Guttermouth would be third up, and as always, they were a mix of musicality, mischievousness, and bizarre antics. Mark, in typical fashion, was riffing on Flag and Bad Religion (two of the festival's headliners) and heckling and tossing the mic at the crowd.  Apparently there was even some vomiting happening, but I didn't see that (thankfully). 

Love 'em or hate 'em (I lean towards love), Guttermouth always puts on an entertaining show. The crowd was pretty much non-stop throughout. "Lipstick" and "I'm Destroying the World" were highlights of the set for sure. 

Hailing from Simi Vally, Strung Out closed the night. From the moment they stepped foot on the stage until the second they left, there was no respite. From "Too Close to See" to "Better Days" to "Ghetto Heater", the entire set was nothing but a mass of bodies, sweat, booze, and people screaming their hearts out.

There was very little banter between songs, so you were just hit, time after time, with some incredibly technically strong (and great!) tunes. I thought their time was up too soon, so the next time they play here in Southern California, I'll be there in the front row, for sure! 

 

             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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