From the day they formed in 2006, Vegas punks the Objex knew how to gut-punch you right in the senses. Mohawked frontwoman Felony Melony—born Melanie Troxler—led the assault with her steamrolling stagecraft, shape-shifting from a punk rock Tina Turner to a viperous, sexified vixen at the drop of a beat. Onstage and on their 2007 debut album Attack of the Objex, the four-piece played with the urgency of a bullet train, building off the crowd’s energy for one epic, aggro finale.

And that’s how The Objex did it every gig, every night — across the country and in the U.K.— for almost 10 years. They were a hit at Austin’s SXSW and the Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn. They even graced the cover of the Weekly at one time. But in 2014, the Objex disbanded suddenly, leaving many to wonder why.

“I feel that we were all very young. We all were very in our own way and wanted our own thing. There was just the pressure of being great. It kind of wore us down,” says Troxler. “I honestly felt like our music, the world wasn’t ready for it yet. We were 10 years ahead of schedule.”

A decade after disbanding, The Objex have announced a special reunion show at Double Down Saloon on November 24. Troxler says it’s been a long time coming.

“We’ve been wanting to do this reunion ever since we’ve heard of the passing of our [former bassist] Aly 2x,” she says. “We really want it to pay homage to her and her spirit, and her energy is still with us.”

After the breakup, Troxler moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and eventually fell in love with Santa Barbara, where she now works as a wine educator —minus her punk hairdo.

“I shaved my head three summers ago just as a rite of passage to get off old negative stuff I’ve been holding on to and it’s been growing back,” she says. “It’s a massive afro, so I have a lot of hair to straighten out when I get to Vegas.”

Objex drummer Joaquin “Chili” Espinosa stayed in Vegas but continued jamming with LA punk bands like Dead 77 and Broken Cuffs, going on European tours and cutting new albums. Still, nothing compares to the Objex.

“I missed the guys so much. It’s probably the only band where I felt like you’re in a band with friends that care about you,” Espinosa says. “I don’t have family in Vegas. My mother lives in New York, I don’t talk to my dad and the rest of my family is in Chile. They were really my friends and family. It wasn’t just a band for me.”

Troxler had a lengthier journey back into music. After leaving Vegas, she stopped singing for four years. The fight to get her voice back was humbling.

“I had got an opportunity to sing in a studio, and I was not prepared,” she says. “I was blindsided by the producer. He said ‘Look, you’re rusty, you’re not what I thought you were. You need to start working on your craft before you lose it completely.’”

Her voice has since been restored and she’s now perfoming Motown standards in a 10-piece band called the Soul Cats. But her punk roots still run deep.

“I grew up in a Baptist church where people would shout and praise the Lord. Punk music reminded me of the sped up, shout music that they would sing in church. That’s what made me love punk,” she says. “People say to me all the time, ‘you don’t look like a punk rocker. You’re black.’ I always tell people music is not a color. Music is an energy.”

At Double Down, Objex guitarist Jim Nasty and bassist Ivan Del Real round out the set. This also marks the Double Down’s 31st anniversary, which has proven to be extra sentimental.

“We grew up at the Double Down,” Espinosa says.

Troxler laughs. “We pretty much did. From the time we were 21 all the way up to now.”

Memories no doubt will resurface, and fans can nab special 10-year anniversary band tees there, a commemorative gift for the amazing run these punks have had.

“To revisit all of those emotions just makes me realize that I’m in a day and age where I did something that’s so amazing that people are still recognizing us for it. I feel amazed and honored,” Troxler says. “The Objex has always been my baby, and I felt like my child was taken from me. To be able to get that child back, it makes me cry tears of joy. It’s really shaped me as a person, as an adult now.”

The Objex With Frank & Deans and The Heiz. November 24, 10 p.m., Double Down Saloon, doubledownsaloon.com.

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