Moving Unit’s singer/guitarist Blake Miller announced early in their El Rey set that this was their first L.A. show in over a year. The last time I saw them was at the 2007 Detour Festival, where ongoing technical difficulties resulted in a disjointed set. Knowing the levels this band can reach, I was intrigued to see how well their batteries have re-charged. I was not disappointed. All that dance-rock fury was back in action and the chandeliers were lucky they were not blown off the place. “Birds of Prey,” from their Dangerous Dreams debut LP, immediately grabbed hold of the audience, demanding they get on with the proverbial handclapping and ass shaking. Even the drummer, Chris Hathwell, came out every chance he had to dance along. I’ve never seen a drummer who so wants to simultaneously be in the audience and behind driving the beats. Together with Miller’s frontman swagger, they were able to incite an enthusiastic dance-floor response. Bassist Johan Boegli held down the pulsing groove and second guitarist Victor Velazquez added tasty layers to an already frenetic arrangement. Moving Units played healthy doses from both Dangerous Dreams and their follow-up Hexes for Exes. Standout tracks from Hexes included “Paper Hearts,” “Blood Beats,” and the love-lost ballad of “Hearts Departed,” which stopped the madness for a bit and shows off Miller’s considerable vocal chops. For the encore, Hathwell was once again out in front of the audience, this time holding out his snare and handing out his sticks for people in the front row to give a smack. A sampled beat droning built into a total freak-out during “Available.” By the looks of the sweaty crowd crawling to the exits, everyone got their dance-rocks off.

—Erik Ehlert