Images: Cro-Mags, A Global Threat, One Way System, NOi!SE, Mass Terror May 23, 2014 at the Fremont Country Club (Punk Rock Bowling)

Jun 2, 2014 Posted by Ian Caramanzana In Images, Punk Rock Bowling Tagged A Global Threat, Cro-Mags, Mass Terror, NOi!SE, One Way System Comments 0

Las Vegas’ 16^th annual Punk Rock Bowling festival began with a “bang,” and though the actual festival didn’t begin until Saturday, with huge names like Naked Raygun, Poison Idea, Off With Their Heads and Cro-Mags all playing sold-out shows downtown on Friday night, it was bound to be a night for the books. One venue in particular, the Fremont Country Club, had punks lined against the building from 7^th street to Las Vegas Boulevard as they waited to see NYHC legends Cro-Mags along with A Global Threat, One Way System, NOi!SE and Mass Terror.

While the majority of the crowd was still making its way into the venue (there are always serious problems with getting people in the door at Fremont County Club), Los Angeles punks Mass Terror opened the show with their energetic brand of straight-forward hardcore/punk (think The Exploited and GBH). The few of us who were lucky enough to make it in in time were treated to a solid set from an up-and-coming band. Up next, NOi!SE from Tacoma, Washington brought their catchy streetpunk/Oi sound, and despite being plagued with technical problems early in their set, they stood out simply by being the most melodic band on the bill, bringing Fat Wreck Chord bands to mind. The singer’s vocals sounded great amidst the guitars cutting in-and-out and a few dedicated fans sang along as the venue quickly filled-up for the next three bands.

By the time the UK’s One Way System hit the stage, the venue was reaching capacity and it became a chore to move around. The charismatic band played all of their hits such as “Stab the Judge” and “Believe in Yourself,” and from the strike of the very first chord, the entire room refused to remain static. Beers were spilled, bodies flailed, and fists were swung as the Lancashire punks zoomed through their set and singer Jay Sussel exclaimed “Viva Las Vegas! We love Las Vegas!” The band ended with an extended version of “Give Us A Future,” which of course led to the entire room erupting.

As soon as One Way System’s set ended, a small section of the crowd started chanting “A-G-T! A-G-T!” and from then, it was clear who the majority of the audience came to see that night: A Global Threat. The venue was wall-to-wall packed at this point and in true punk rock fashion, several of those who were not lucky enough to get tickets managed to sneak into the venue via the back door. A Global Threat took the stage with little warning and the energy brought on by One Way System was increased tenfold. Circle pits and singalongs were in full swing and it was hard to hear frontman Brain Lothian amidst the voices of fans. The band played a huge chunk of their discography with very little interruption including “…Until We Die” and “Work or War.” Despite being a band for almost 15 years, AGT remain youthful and energetic, with Lothian spending most of the night hopping in and out of the crowd to sing along.

To my disappointment, a large chunk of the crowd left after AGT’s set ended around 1 a.m. With the show beginning at 9:30, I can certainly empathize, but the dedicated few trudged through an exhaustingly long (40 minutes!) set-up time to see NYHC legends the Cro-Mags. Age of Quarrel is one of my all-time favorite NYHC records and despite playing dozens of shows across the country over the past few years, I never got to see them. The band always manages to find itself in controversy thanks to the feud between original members John Joseph and Harley Flanagan, and the flame was ignited a few days before the show when another original member, Parris Meyhew, announced his stance on the drama. I was anxiously awaiting frontman John Joseph’s reaction to these statements, but without comment, the Cro-Mags flew into their set with timeless classic, “World Peace” and played the better part of their landmark album, Age of Quarrel. The ‘Mags kept on-stage banter to a minimum and played through classics such as “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Seekers of the Truth.” Though the crowd was obviously exhausted, energy picked up tenfold when the band played a mini Bad Brains cover set (“Right Brigade” and “Attitude”) after the slower “Malfunction.” They ended their set with “Hard Times,” and left the audience singing “Cro-Mag! Skinhead! Breakout!”