Whig’s opening act worth being featured itself

PUBLICITY PHOTO

The Features are a rock band from Nashville, but don’t call them Kings of Leon.

By April Corbin

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 | 4:54 p.m.

The headliners — the Whigs — are reason enough to head to the Beauty Bar on Friday.

But don’t miss the Features, the indie rockers from Tennessee who are opening. Here are four reasons to check out the Features at Beauty Bar:

1. Pumped about performing

Friday’s show will be the first Las Vegas performance for the quartet.

“We’re different people when we’re not on stage,” lead singer Matt Pelham says. “We’re all pretty quiet and mild mannered, but when we’re playing it’s like (there are) not that many inhibitions.”

2. Keeping it real

Southern style Pelham knows that people will compare the Features to Kings of Leon, who are also based in Nashville. But he doesn’t mind. He says he’s just happy at the thought of his hometown being known for something other than country music.

“There’s a really good rock scene in Nashville. There have been really great bands,” Pelham says. “It seems like most of the attention goes to L.A. or New York Š I’m glad a band (Kings of Leon) has broken through.”

3. They’re not Kings of Leon!

The two bands do sound alike at times, and the Features are signed to Kings of Leon’s label imprint. “We’ve toured together and we’re friends, but I feel like if you’re a music listener and you actually love music, you’ll see obvious differences,” Pelham says. “Hopefully, people will take time to be able to tell the difference.”

4. Deer head

When the time came to create a video for their upbeat and dangerously catchy song “Lions,” the Features used every hipster trick in the book, and we greedily ate it up. The video features plaid shirts, stop-motion graphics, cartoons and a deer head mounted on the wall. What more could you want, other than maybe a performance at the Bunkhouse?

April Corbin can be reached at 948-7854 or at april.corbin@lasvegassun.com.