The Crowd – The Gears – Shattered Faith – and Love Canal – at The Bunkhouse – Las Vegas, NV

After Devo, I schlepped down to the Bunkhouse for the next round of insanity, and I wasn't disappointed. After some amp difficulties, Love Canal starts off the night, opening with "We Got Yer Number".

There weren't many people at the venue yet, but the small group there didn't lack in energy! Towards the end of their too-short set, they broke into a cover of M.I.A.'s "Tell Me Why", which got the increasing crowd going. If you've never seen this Orange County band, you're missing out!   

Set-list: We Got Yer Number, No Friends, Civilization, Leave Me Alone, Rotten Ones, Sniper, This is America, Don't Talk, Tell Me Why, Afterever

 

Next up was Shattered Faith, with original drummer, Chris Moon. By this point, the Bunkhouse was starting to get full. Opening with "The Verdict", the band went pretty much non-stop for their approximate 45 minute set. Not only was the crowd having fun, the band members were having a blast (or so it seemed). I really enjoyed their set and wished they could've played longer. 

Set-list: The Verdict, Victims of Society, Final Conflict, I Love America, Suburban Boredom, Mirrors Reflection, Discontent, USA, Right is Right, Reagan, Trilogy, Born to You, Power to the Kids

The third band of the night were Los Angeles Punkers The Gears. Having never seen them before, I had no clue what to expect. What I got was high-energy insanity! They opened with "Baby Runaround" and the crowd went apeshit. For well over an hour, they played song after song, riling up the fans. At one point, Axxel crowd surfed while continuing to sing. (There were even some beach balls that made their way through the crowd.) Their surf punk sound, with a slight taste of rockabilly, is one I really enjoy. Though I felt their set went on just a touch too long, because I was exhausted from the earlier pool party and festival, I still had a shit load of fun. 

Partial set-list: Baby Runaround, Teenage Brain, My Confession, Trudie Trudie, Elks Lodge Blues, Lets Go To the Beach, The Last Chord, Hard Rock, High School Girls, Everything's Alright, I Smoke Dope, Don't Be Afraid to Pogo, Darlin' Baby, Keep Movin', Hang On

Finally, around 2:00 AM, The Crowd hit the stage. Though they didn't have the same antics as The Gears, they put on a solid and awesome set. From the opening song, "I'm Not Happy Here", to the closing, "Suzy is a Surf Rocker", it was non-stop movement in the crowd. The beach balls from earlier even came back out to be bounced around the crowd. Knowing I had to be up early the next day, I had to regretfully leave before they finished. Their surf punk sound is one I wanted to stay for the entirety of the set, but my eyelids had other ideas. The next time they play in OC or LA, I will definitely check them out. So should you. 

Set-list: I'm Not Happy Here, Politics, Masquerade, Mr. Broken Soul, Right Time, Hear it on the Radio, No Other, Can Pipe, And Her Curse, Enemy, Run for the Money, Headless, Max Got Hit by a Car, Living in Madrid, Modern Machine, Trix are for Kids, Letter Bomb (extended), New Crew, Suzy is a Surf Rocker

             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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