The Heiz, the Psyatics, Mondo Vermin at the Double Down 30th anniversary weekender, Friday Nov 25, 2022

 

Just as Covid hit, the Psyatics were supposed to go to Japan to do a week of shows with the Heiz, which, of course, did not happen. That means that it has been several years since we have seen each other so naturally we wanted to get on one of the gigs that they are playing in town and we wanted to help celebrate the DD's 30th anniversary, as well, so glad that this all came about!

Dirk Vermin is a Las Vegas mainstay of the punk rock scene who has been in innumerable bands over the years as well as being a tattoo artist to the stars. Tonight he fronted MondoVermin, and while he enjoys the dumb'n'dirty jokes that are also a mainstay of the Vegas scene, he also knows his punk rock history, as shown by the opening number of the night, Fleetwood Mac's by the way of the Rezillos/Rubber City Rebels - "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight"! He also played songs that he's written over the years, from "Mothra Vs Frankenstein" that I believe is in the repertoire of the band he does with the Double Down's owner, P Moss, Bloodcocks UK, along with a song Dirk wrote in NY simply titled "Roach" and numerous others. Simple, tight, punk'n'roll - good start to the night and an appropriate figure to represent Vegas in this 30th anniversary celebration! Oh yeah, they also brought up Franks'n'Deans guitarist/vocalist RP Sampson to sing a silly metal cover or something that I didn't know cuz I'm old! 

Of course, the stars of the night were Japan's premier roots/Ramones rock'n'roll band, the Heiz, back for the first time in several years. They are playing every night - and sometimes more than once - for their stay in town but are here specifically to participate in the DD's anniversary. Being Moss' favorite band,  he brings them out as often as he can, especially for the anniversary shows (they are playing tonight at the DD, as well, along with all of the other gigs) and they always bring in a huge crowd. And yes, the DD was jam packed from well before any music started until the wee wee hours of the night.

This three piece has harnessed the energy at the heart of rock'n'roll and displays it every time they hit the stage. They never stop moving from start to finish, with hats flying (constantly - it's essentially a joke that the hat goes on and then flies off literally a second later), bodies flailing, choreographed moves, and everyone dancin'n'singin' along. There were some brand new songs in the set (I picked up their new CD so more on that later) along with a large number of covers, from the festive "Felix Navidad" to "Keep On Knockin'" to "Do You Wanna Dance" to "Walking in the Sand" to "My Way"! Of course, there were also number from their various albums, and odes to pizza, fast food and the Ramones!

Confetti cannons went off several times throughout their reasonably length set (politely not taking up too much time since the Psyatics had to play after) which littered every square inch of the the bar for the rest of the night and dancers boogaloo'd throughout and shouted'n'screamed'n'sang along and danced the whole night through! Always a good time, the Heiz proved that Covid did not slow them down in the least! 

It's always tough playing clean up after an extraordinary combo like the Heiz but the Psyatics managed to keep at least a portion of the crowd in the bar and entertained throughout our longer-than-normal set, with folks dancing the entire time! Lots of brand new tunes mixed with older numbers kept the folks on their feet, which is always a pleasure, and cheering us on until way past the wee hours of the morning. 

The two nights that I've experienced of the 30th anniversary celebration have been an incredible success and I'm certain that tonight will be no exception, although there is no way that I can make it out again. Someone else review the Saturday show, ok?!