5 concerts this week in Las Vegas

The Drums

“I am scared of the child that lives in me,” The Drums frontman Jonathan Pierce confesses on his latest record, “Abysmal Thoughts.” He need not be. Yes, there is a youthful preciousness in both sound and content here, Pierce’s voice vulnerable and quavering, his words earnest and often-wounded. But that’s what gives his painfully confessional indie rock its sting. See The Drums at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 day of show; call 702-862-2695.

WVRM

“Grinding self-hatred” is how these fast and oh-so-furious South Carolinians classify their speed-of-sound songbook, which tempers terminal velocity levels with a doomy pummel. Scale a “Mountain of Dead Pigs” with the lads at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Beauty Bar. Tickets are $10; call 702-598-3757.

The Spill Canvas

When you think of South Dakota, you think of Mount Rushmore and, uh … prodigious soybean production? Well, thanks to The Spill Canvas, you think of radio-friendly alt-rock as well. See them at 8 p.m. Saturday at Backstage Bar & Billiards. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 day of show; call 702-382-2227.

MC Chris

Sounding like an overcaffeinated 10-year-old, nerdcore rapper MC Chris has voiced characters on “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “Sealab 2021,” “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” and more. He’s an animated dude, literally. See MC Chris at 8 p.m. Monday at Beauty Bar. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 day of show; call 702-598-3757.

Moving Units

Do you prefer to wallow in your sadness? Or dance your doldrums away? Well, these Joy Division-indebted post-punks have you covered either way. See them at 9 p.m. Friday at The Bunkhouse Saloon. Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door; call 702-982-1764.