Friday Feb 22, 2008 (8pm)
Armed with little more than a massively fuzzed-up guitar and ferociously pounded drum kit, No Age's sloppy, restless sound is true art-punk bliss. Echoing the primitivist minimalism of Beat Happening and the rough-around-the-edges aesthetic of early-'80s punk, guitarist Randy Randall and singer/drummer Dean Spunt submerge pretty melodies in layers of distortion, reverb, and pummeling tom work. The LA-based duo's much-blogged-about live performances (which even earned the group an adoring nod in the New Yorker) crash and burn just as often as they achieve poignant pop perfection. Tonight, the recent Sub Pop signees join up with the ever-evolving Liars.
– Suzanne Niemoth