Shiny Toy Guns rock Club Nokia

Shiny Toy Guns played at Club Nokia Saturday to an already amped crowd.  After decent-sized sets by three other bands including The Ringers and Nico Vega — as well as one song by an unnamed and very costumed solo artist — the audience could have been all danced-and cheered-out before Shiny Toy Guns even got on stage, but that was not the case.
    Opening the night at 9 p.m., The Ringers set the night’s atmosphere with high-energy and eclectic clothes — or maybe we should call certain looks costumes — fitting of the Indy/Pop/Alternative/Rock genres each of the groups that followed would also fit well into (lead singer Joe Hursley was wearing a too-small, matador-style outfit with tassels on the outer seam of each pant leg –— with no shirt in sight). Hursley was so active on stage that he was sweating enough for the whole band.
    Nico Vega was the last to play before the headliners, but seemed to have had plenty of fans that were there just to see the group play — a few fans squeezed their way as close to the stage as the could and left their prime spots after Vega’s last song, never to return.
    Each opening band was as equally entertaining and musically skilled as the next.  I would recommend seeing any of them in concert again and will be buying at least a few of each group’s songs (if not the whole of their albums) on iTunes to promptly sweeten my iPod library.
    Shiny Toy Guns opened their set with “Starts with One” amid screaming fans after 11:30 p.m., but the wait was well worth it.  The energy never waned, even through their slower-tempo songs, and current lead female vocalist Sisely Treasure was fabulous to watch as she danced and rocked around the stage. 
    The Goth/Punk style you may attribute Shiny Toy Guns’ look with was only a portion of the style they sported at the concert — throw a preppy So-Cal-esque button-up short sleeved shirt on lead male vocalist Chad Petree along with some eye shadow and guyliner and call it a day. Treasure rocked a set of blue leggings, and a torn tee with platinum and blue razor-cut hair to top it off.  Jeremy Dawson and Mikey Martin also had styled ‘dos befitting the over-all style of the band.
    With recording-quality sound even through matching the energy of their audience and rocking-out instrument playing and dance moves, Shiny Toy Guns is a band not to be missed when they’re in your town.  They said Saturday that they don’t come to Los Angeles often enough – I agree.