“Joy Division’s first show was 15 minutes!” That’s what we heard exclaimed from the stage after iceage’s vicious L.A. debut at the Echo for Part Time Punks. OK, so that comparison is a bit much, but it’s apt in that what Iceage seems to want to do is bring danger to the stage, much like their forefathers did. Playing a sloppy, energetic and short set of songs from their debut, Iceage’s performance flew in the face of eager-to-please indie cageyness with unforced abandon. Singer/guitarist Elias Bender Ronnenfelt gripped the mic like a skinny Henry Rollins, spouting desperately while his bandmates bent songs from their debut New Brigade in and out of their already shaky frames. The details of their goth-tinged punk may have been lost translation—it’s hard to think the uninitiated being able to distinguish the songs from one another after the performance—but they made a concise impact nonetheless, wisely ending the show with album closer “You’re Blessed,” perhaps their most potent shock of apathy-killing furor.

—Billy Gil