Lunatic's Serenade
Barb Wire Dolls – Dive Bar
Las Vegas, January 3, 2015
It was a cold evening on January 3rd, 2015. Just three days into the New Year and I'm out in the field again. This time I wish it wasn't business, but hey, that's show biz!
The Dive Bar in Las Vegas hosts this Punk-O-Rama of groups: South Side Riot, Evil Beaver and the Barb Wire Dolls. (They were gracious to grant me a pass +1, so I invited my work-mate Khris to come along for the beating.) The atmosphere is inviting and the patrons were well behaved in their leather and spikes. I didn't see any Mohawks or odd colored hair, sad - so I with my friend and a Guinness sat, stood, rocked and rolled the night away.
South Side Riot came out swinging with some fierce old school California Punk. Full of piss, vinegar and angst, they tore through their set with barely a word in between songs except to say what song was next. They had a real thick tone which was a nice change in attitude from the trebly sounds of Cal. Punk. This trio was a lot of fun to watch. The bassist was entertaining, the singer/guitarist was very cool and even took a few solos and the drummer was tasteful in changing up the beats.
Next batter is Evil Beaver - fronted by Evie on Bass and Slammin' Sammy on drums. Yup, this duo brings a touch of thrash in their avant-garde brand of Punk (just think if Lemme Kilmister had a sister and taught her to play bass, this would be her band). Evie played a Les Paul style bass with effects pedals to get a distorted guitar sound (like what Jack White does, but only in reverse). She brought more attitude than Grace Jones and better songs than the White Stripes. They took the stage with a vengeance as Sammy slammed and Evie shredded. I have seen women kill it on bass, but she was killer! She even gave out copies of her CD after the set which was ultra-cool.
"The atmosphere is inviting and the patrons were well behaved in their leather and spikes."
The main event: Barb Wire Dolls, bringing a melodic style of Punk with shades of Blondie, Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys. Fronted by the Isis Queen, Pyn Doll on guitar, Jay Jay Doll on bass and Krash Doll on the skins. Together they ripped through songs like "Shut up Slut", "Heart Attack" and "Darby Crash". They had all the energy and fire of GBH and the swag and sassiness of Berlin and Blondie. Pyn slayed on the axe and got away from the typical punk rhythms, as did Krash on the drums. Jay Jay is one of the best female bass players in the biz and held the bottom end relentlessly. This is one Punk band that is as set on groove as it is on shred. Case in point, the songs "Surreal", "Take Me Home" and "We are Champions”. They are not typical Punk songs, but have the entire attitude in the lyrics and delivery. Then there's a song like "Walking Dead" that is as Punk as it gets!
Wishing this could have gone on forever but the night had to end. I have not been to a Punk show in years and this was a breath of fresh air. All three bands were amazing and I hope they all return to Vegas to rock any venue they happen to destroy!
This was a safe night of fun and Punk Rock. No one got hurt, and no one moshed or grappled. The Dive Bar is a nice place to kill a few beers and get an ear full from the stage. If you get the chance, check out these groups. South Side Riot might be tough to check. They are so underground that I can’t find them anywhere online.
Evil Beaver
Barb Wire Dolls
Tim Duran, HMS
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