The Replay Records compilation release show did not start off delicately by any means when Nature Boys took the stage Saturday night.
 
This Kansas City three-piece is everything I could ask for in a band. Nature Boys (which actually includes one very vicious girl) were loud and rough around the edges. But more importantly, they were fast, fast, fast. Their screaming is a fine work of art, with both the bassist and guitar player belting out shrieks and yells in unison (check out the first clip at 1:40 in). In a perfect blend of garage and punk, this was a musical marriage to die for. You really couldn’t ask for a better band to thrash around to.
 

 

Speaking of thrashing, the crowd wasted no time shoving each other and rocking out. It didn’t take long before folks were getting knocked over; and the beer and sweat started flying. The band’s set was short (as is the norm with punk rockers), so their audience made the most of it. When they announced their final song, the crowd went nuts and the majority of the people that packed the Replay began moshing, beating each other up, and flipping their hair about. Some even made their way onto the stage. The crowd begged for more, so the band humored the wild group with one more song and a final rockin’ meltdown from their excitable fans.
 
Lesson of the night: never let Nature Boys play first. It’s hard to top that rugged excitement; and their fans will absolutely trash the place.
 

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