Whirr Along with Nothing and Luster at House of Blues Las Vegas

I have been going to concerts at the House of Blues for a while now and while I have seen the line reach extensive lengths, astronomical at times would be an understatement, especially at the merch booth.

This was my first show shooting photos for ZRockR, and my first time at the House of Blues in that capacity, though I have attended many shows there before. The concert-goer and photographer experience is day and night.

The room quickly fills as opening band Luster emerges from Los Angeles, channeling the classic 1990s shoegaze ethos—think My Bloody Valentine–style walls of sound—infused with glitchy electronica and sampling Static Sounds Club. Luster opens their set with the single Like I Do, which has been lauded for its immersive, heavy-hitting production, layered guitars, and hypnotic rhythms that build into electrifying crescendos. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the lighting in House of Blues display such a cold and dark atmosphere, for a photographer almost a nightmare but for the bands, a vibe.

This atmosphere of cold and dark lighting continued through Nothing’s performance in Las Vegas and was an audacious display of controlled dissonance. It wasn’t performance theater—there were no dramatic flourishes or overblown stage antics. Instead, it thrived on introspective feedback, layered textures, and a minimalist vocal delivery that serves the sound, rather than distracts from it. For fans of heavy, immersive shoegaze, this show was spellbinding—an exertion of atmosphere, fervor, and visceral soundscapes. When they closed their set with Eaten by Worms, Palermo dropped down from the stage extending the song with repeating lyrics for crowd interaction. It’s certainly a performance that leaves an echo, long after the amps are powered down.

Whirr is our last act to end the night, their return to Vegas after 10 years was a duality: a triumphant plunge for die-hard shoegaze heads who craved that drenched-in-reverb sound, and an acquired taste for those wanting more dynamic stage presence. This band is best for shoegaze devotees who crave loud, ethereal soundscapes. This show reaffirmed Whirr’s unwavering commitment to their genre’s dreamy, immersive sound. It wasn’t just a concert—it was a deep dive into a swirling sonic abyss. Whirr and Nothing performed together in a tour 10 years ago at a venue that was called The Bunkhouse. I moved here to Las Vegas 3 years ago so I wasn’t familiar with that venue and after doing research I found out that it saw permanent closure in 2021 due to a fire.

It is unclear whether or not Whirr and Nothing will combine forces again to power through Las Vegas for another tour, but after witnessing the turnout, I can assure all the Vegas shoegazers this will not be the last time we’ll be seeing Whirr and Nothing.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Chris Rosalejos for ZRockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All Rights Reserved.