Club Review : Las Palmas Theatre Crowd a Punk Pageant

While three “gothic” punk bands vied for viewers’ attention at the Las Palmas Theatre recently, it quickly became clear that the audience at the renovated, all-ages club was more exciting to watch than the performers.

It wasn’t that the groups weren’t interesting--over the past few months, the Las Palmas has built a reputation for offering an excellent selection of new and old punk (for example, New Bomb Turks and the Dickies, respectively), ska (Hepcat) and Latin rock (Los Olvidados). It’s simply hard to compete visually with body-painted teen-agers who have adorned themselves from head to toe with swirling primary colors.

Although the body art was inspired by the San Diego band Crash Worship, which has incorporated painted nudity into its show with great aplomb, on any performance night the kids come decked out in punk-rock’s non-uniform uniform--brightly colored hair, unusually located piercings and vibrant tattoos.

The whole feeling of the place--a 450-capacity theater with ample seating and a spacious stage--is one of pageantry. From the sweat inspired by its often jam-packed shows to the inventiveness of the music to the colorful regulars, the Las Palmas offers fun for people who like getting an extreme close-up of pop culture.

If your criteria for a good time are an excellent sound system and a full liquor license, don’t bother. But if you like your shows mixed with a bit of youthful spunk, don’t wait to be the last in line. * Las Palmas Theatre, 1642 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood. All ages, cover varies. (310) 669-4435.