Ska punk legends Mustard Plug kicked off their West Coast tour at Mesa’s Nile Theater on Friday, January 9th, 2026. The nine-date tour will include support from The Iron Roses and The Toasters. Additional local support will be added at each stop.
Tucson’s Swigfoot, the self-described “skajacent punkish explosion”, opened up the show. The band, fronted by vocalist and guitarist Tyler Rothe, brought their contagious energy to a full house that was ready to dance. The set included covers of “The Bad Touch” by Bloodhound Gang and “Fat Bottom Girls” by Queen, the latter came complete with the ska intro to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” Swigfoot closed out the 30-minute set with “Gatekeeping”, a song about hating longtime fans that try to control access to music.
Hailing from “all over the fucking place,” the Iron Roses traveled over 2,200 miles to play Friday night. The band, featuring co-vocalists Natasha Gray and Becky Fontaine, unleashed their “rage filled sparkle punk” on the capacity crowd. Drummer Devon Hunt’s rapid fire drumming provided the foundation for guitarists Pedro Aida and Colin Clive to build catchy punk-rock rhythms on songs like “Cheer Squad Class War.” Bassist Michael Espinosa provided the low end as the group burned through a fast-paced set. The band momentarily slowed things down so Fontaine and Gray could deliver an important message. “Women, trans people, and queer people are not your enemy. You are safe here.” Members of these vulnerable communities were invited to join Fontaine and Gray near the stage for a primal scream. The Iron Roses finished up their set with the aptly titled “Screaming for a Change.”
The Toasters, one of the original third wave ska bands, took the stage next. Lead singer Rob “Bucket” Hingley sat atop a stool as he tuned his guitar. Unable to stand due to a recent back injury, Hingley pushed through to deliver a tight set of classic hits. The band started the set with the anthemic “2 Tone Army” as the crowd once again came to life. Bassist Kristin Forbes teamed up with drummer Art Zamora to provide the rocksteady rhythms on hits “Shocker”, Weekend in L.A.”, and “Eastside NYC.” The Toasters closed out the abbreviated set with “Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down” before giving way to the headliner.
Lead singer Dave Kirchgessner took the stage sporting black Ray Ban shades and a black-on-black suit. For the next 90 minutes, the veterans got the crowd moving with a barrage of hits spanning their 35-year career. The set included fan favorites “Vampire”, “Brain on Ska” and “Mr. Smiley.” The band also covered Fugazi’s post-hardcore classic “Waiting Room.”
Mustard Plug closed out their set with “Beer (Song)” before existing the stage. It didn’t take long for chants of “One more song” to rise from the crowd. A few moments later the band returned to perform a three-song encore that included a cover of “Roots Radicals” by Rancid. The evening provided familiar classics from the third wave of the genre alongside exciting up-and-coming talent.
The tour nexts heads to California, with dates in Garden Grove, San Diego, San Francisco, and Roseville. After stops in Oregon and Washington, the tour concludes at The Gothic Theatre in Englewood, Colorado on January 17th. Tickets are available at mustardplug.com/tour/.
