Hands down, the Smell is a great venue. Sure, it’s in an alley and from time to time rats enter and scurry across the floor to check the place out—nonetheless, from the locale, art, staff, and bands, the venue has great taste.

Kicking things off were Smell first-timers Peg Leg Love. Previously a two-piece, the band recently added a bass to their already solid line-up. The new player, Mindy, moved to town from Iowa two months ago, but by the sound of it, she’s always played in this band. I’d call the band “nothing but treble;” with the amp and guitar of frontman Ilir, the treble was up and the bass was down to produce an aggressive, twangy, surf style. Such is complemented by their drummer Travis, whose playing is reminiscent of Animal from the Muppets. After the show, Travis showed me his hands, which had popped calluses and were dripping blood on the snare—to which he commented “That’s how you know it was a good show.”

Next up were The Younger Lovers, which is the solo project of Brontez from Gravy Train on guitar and vocals, who described the sound as “2012.” Although the group is a solo endeavor, Brontez plays with his Oakland roommate Paul on bass and the two have a chemistry that works. In order to play in Los Angeles, The Younger Lovers recruited nineteen year old drummer Paul. Altogether the band lives up to their name with songs such as “Kiss Me on the Bus” that have a bubblegum, punk-ish, almost Ramones-esque sound. A fun comparison would be to listen to the songs “Hey Jody” and “Danny” off of Gravy Train’s latest release—which were written by Brontez and re-recorded with The Younger Lovers. The group also described their style as pop but their songs lacked hooks which prove the essence of the genre. Regardless, the band is very fun to listen to live or on record. The Younger Lovers have a vinyl and CD which feature the Newest Romantic LP and California Soul EP together off of Raw Sugar records.

As usual with Cobalt Cranes, their set was solid. In fact, some songs featured impressive breaks and time changes—proving the band was so tight, it could turn on a dime. Mid-set, in a moment of whimsy, Tim switched his guitar and bassist Kate took off her shoes. I guess she hadn’t seen the vermin in the room earlier. The sound was almost hypnotic as Kate and Tim harmonized their vocals while lead guitarist Mateo played licks that mimicked their vocals in a melodic and, at times, call and response way. The band plowed through their music flawlessly like a snow shovel in a Los Angeles August.

When fellow Smell regulars Bastidas went on, guitarist Henry customarily donned his woolen, tiger, luchador mask and poncho. For those who have never heard the band, they are chaos incarnate. Their set on Saturday night was one of their more experimental ones. They strayed from their hook-oriented songs and caught the bus to a place musicians are constantly trying to catch up to. Henry has a whole arsenal of effect pedals that can make his guitar shriek or squeal, but the great thing is, he doesn’t need them. Bassist Sonya and Henry used a processor to add warbles and waves of reverb over their vocals. Despite heavy bass from the Mexican bar adjacent to the Smell, the band was able to pull off their set—which Sonya described as refreshing because they hadn’t played the Smell since July.

Earlier in the night, many friends of Bastidas had heard that the band was taking a permanent hiatus. This word came from an unmentionable band member. As I helped the drummer Lee carry equipment in, I noticed the stool of his drum throne falling off its axis. Did this metaphor truly mean the end of the group? After talking to Henry, the band squashed the rumors. Yes, they are taking a time-out from shows—but only to focus on their new EP. The EP is set to be released on the band’s own Fantastica! record label. And even though the D.I.Y. group is taking a break from the spotlight, they are set to play the Smell showcase at Southwest by Southwest next year. Check them out November 21st at Silver Factory Studios because it may be the last time you can for a small while.

—Steven Carrer