Mustard Plug @ the Historic Nile Theater in Mesa, AZ

There is an extra special feeling to see a band that has formed an era of your life. For the Punk Pack, our photographer grew up in Michigan and when the two began dating, sharing music was their first love-language. It was during this time in their teens around the early 00s that our photographer sent this author their first Mustard Plug song, “Mr. Smiley,” which became their introduction to ska for the first time. To think we would have the opportunity to cover their show approximately twenty years later has yet to feel real. Yet, as amazing a night as it was seeing Mustard Plug, the Toasters, and the Iron Roses, we’ve been kicking ourselves for missing the local opener, Swigfoot. They have been a band the Pack are wanting to see and we only hope we can catch them around at the various local shows if nothing else. We only hope that wait won’t be long.

The Iron Roses were already playing by the time we could get in. Though the resonance of their protest anthems immediately caught our attention. With a focus on more modern political injustices, Iron Roses strive to blend the music and the message together without favoring one piece over the other. The Pack feels it is their passion for the art and activism that gives Iron Roses an additional edge to their sound. A surprise for this author would be the realization in the final set that one of the guitarists and backing vocals is Colin Clive from Mustard Plug. Still, Clive’s presence still demanded attention on par with the vocalists, Becky Fontaine and Nathan Gray.

The Toasters are an amazing act to follow. If you love Two-tone, the Punk Pack highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t heard of them since 1981. Their bassist was a blast to watch as one could tell she was feeling the music more than half the crowd that night. With bangers like “Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down,” “Pool Shark,” and “2Tone Army,” Toasters carry a lot of energy whether you hear them live or recorded.

Then it was the band the Pack had been eagerly waiting for — Mustard Plug. This author had forgotten how many of their favorite ska tracks were by this band. From the first listen of “Mr. Smiley” to the nth playing of “On and On,” loving the music assuming it was just good ska. With one’s introduction to ska being Mustard Plug, the bias is apparent. Yet, it only enhanced the experience with each of their hits scattered throughout the setlist. Joining the backing vocals in “Beer” resonated deeply with the audience. It has been an honor to be start of their tour. There are still a few shows left to catch them live in California, Oregon, and Washington before returning to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The night felt like it could go on forever and before you know it, it’s the encore and the show is over. Though one must assume this is just your brain on ska. It was incredibly validating experiencing how supportive yet angry ska is, especially with the state of current events. It is a pleasant reminder that not everything or everyone sucks. Sometimes you need to find the right people for yourself. The only message that the Punk Pack can relay to you from this show is love yourselves, love each other, and fuck ICE.