Spike and the Gimme Gimmes Get Hot For Christmas at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas

I shoot metal more than anything. Dark rooms, fog thick enough to chew, red lights blasting faces into silhouettes, guitarists whipping hair like helicopter blades, pits opening and closing like moving fault lines; it’s where I feel most at home creatively. Metal gives you intensity, unpredictability, and a constant current of motion through the lens.

But every once in a while, you need a hard left turn. Something with bounce, humor, and color. When Spike and the Gimme Gimmes announced a Las Vegas stop on their Hot For Christmas tour, I reached out to Scary Music Magazine to see if I could shoot it. I’ve been wanting more punk, ska, and rockabilly in my camera roll. What I walked into at Brooklyn Bowl felt like Christmas cracked open and decided to have a good time.

Pink Christmas trees. Sequined backdrops. Velvet blazers. A whole aesthetic that screamed, “Why not?” And the crowd was already buzzing before the first band hit the stage.Greg Antista & The

Lonely Streets opened the night with a sound that hit instantly. Their SoCal punk-rockabilly tone came through warm, melodic, and grounded. Greg’s voice had a sincerity to it that paired perfectly with Frank Agnew’s unmistakable guitar tone sharp, melodic, and carrying the history of Orange County punk in every line. Warren Renfrow kept the low-end steady and purposeful, giving the entire set a tight backbone.

Songs like “Shiver,” “Last Chance,” and “Talk’s Cheap” moved the room quickly. There was nothing forced about the performance; it felt organic, lived-in, and confident. Enough so that I broke my own rule and Face Timed my wife mid-set so she could hear them. I almost never do that when I’m working; normally I’m focused on movement, angles, and staying clear of elbows but something about their sound demanded to be shared.

Photographically, they gave me the first great frames of the night emotion, color, expression, and a stage setup that looked like California punk collided with holiday décor.

The Aggrolites stepped up next, and the entire venue shifted. Their Dirty Reggae sound moves differently, looser, warmer, and meant to make people dance whether they planned to or not. The second they opened with “Funky Fire,” the room loosened. People swayed before they even realized it.

Jesse Wagner kept the vocals smooth and steady, guiding the energy without overplaying anything. “Time to Get Tough” and “Someday” carried that deep groove that makes a set feel physical, not just musical. And then there was Roger Rivas whose organ playing is the heartbeat of the band. Every shot I took of him looked like he owned the whole stage. His tone filled the space, adding color and depth to everything happening around him.

Before dropping into “Dirty Reggae,” Jesse gave a quick explanation of the style, and the crowd responded immediately. The floor moved like one, warm and rhythmic. It was one of those moments where you feel the entire room aligned on the same pulse.

As I worked the room photographing the crowd, something became clear: this wasn’t just a show, it was a reunion. Everywhere I looked, someone was hugging someone. People shouting across the venue to friends they hadn’t seen in years. Older punks, younger punks, families, locals, newcomers, everyone seemed connected.

A big part of that ongoing connection comes from The Punk Rock Museum, which has done a remarkable job keeping the Vegas punk community alive and unified. You could see its influence all over the room. The show didn’t just feel like entertainment. It felt like a meeting place for a community that actually remembers its roots.

Then the lights went full holiday glam, and Spike and the Gimme Gimmes hit the stage in a burst of sequins, velvet jackets, and neon-colored Christmas props. Spike Slawson walked out with a kind of effortless confidence, the kind that tells you he knows exactly how to steer a room without trying too hard. The crowd reacted instantly.

They moved fast through a set built entirely on reinterpretation. Songs like “Santa Baby,” “Jolene,” “Straight Up,” “Wild World,” “Love Will Keep Us Together,” “Dancing Queen,” “good 4 u,” “Rocket Man,” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” hit the room with the kind of energy that comes from a band that knows how to let humor and musicianship coexist. Every song felt intentionally reshaped part punk, part cabaret, part theater.

Early in the set, Spike paused, grinned, and said:“Yes, we’re a cover band no, no… wait. That sets the bar low. We are the ultimate cover band.”The room loved it, and the energy jumped again.

Before hitting the back end of the night, Spike spotted Alfonso, a fan on the rail, unintentionally breaking the flow between songs. Spike turned it into a light, perfectly timed joke, enough to make the crowd laugh without breaking the momentum. Alfonso laughed too, and the band immediately jumped into “Wild World,” snapping the energy right back into place.

During “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” the Santa Hates You hats came out. Spike worked them into the moment instantly with deadpan humor, leaning into the absurdity without overdoing it. From behind the camera, it was easily one of the funniest visuals of the night.

During “Straight Up,” I crossed paths with ART from The Punk Rock Museum, and we sang a couple of lines together in passing as I moved for my next angle. It was small, quick, and easy to miss but it said everything about the vibe of the night.

John Reis and Jake Kiley pushed the guitar lines with energy and clarity. Andrew Pinching kept everything tight behind the kit. C.J. Ramone’s take on “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” drew one of the loudest singalongs of the entire night. It all felt cohesive, energized, and built for the room they were in.

They wrapped up with “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Merry Xmas Everybody,” “Over the Rainbow,” and a powerful, unexpected “End of the Road.” A quick burst of “Feliz Navidad” sealed the night with laughter and cheers.

It was theatrical, funny, musically tight, and full of personality, a show built to leave people smiling.

Final Thoughts

Walking out of Brooklyn Bowl with a full camera and ringing ears, I felt recharged. Metal may be home, but nights like this remind me why I photograph live music at all.

Greg Antista brought heart.The Aggrolites brought groove.Spike and the Gimme Gimmes brought tinsel-soaked, neon-lit, punk-theatre holiday chaos. And Vegas showed up like family; hugging, laughing, reconnecting, filling the room with a warmth you can’t fake.

If this tour returns next year, I’ll be there early with fresh batteries, empty memory cards, and lens wide open.

More on Spike and The Gimme Gimmes, Aggrolites, Greg Antista and the Lonely Streets, and the Punk Rock Museum.