Ward Robinson

Another night at the Smell. A man claiming to be security screams, “We have to keep this alley clear” to the throngs of attendees smoking outside. There are whispers that this man is not security. There are whispers that he just shows up to the alley every night. There are whispers that he is carrying a knife. Two kids find themselves on the wrong side of a tall green-painted iron fence and decide to climb over to get to the show. The first guy manages to get his legs over and jumps the rest of the way, hitting the ground running to lessen the impact. His friend attempts to do the same, but gets his shoe stuck on the fence and crashes to the ground, an eight foot fall with only his elbow and face to land on. Another night at the Smell. The first band of the night hasn’t showed up so the Widow Babies go on early. An obvious crowd favorite, the Widow Babies spent their set covering material from their upcoming record, Jetpacks, on the Smell’s olFactory label. The new stuff sheds a lot of the band’s playful old bob-and-bounce for a more hit-and-roll oriented cavalcade of thrashing drums and noodling guitars (imagine Johnny Marr in a tornado). Next up was AUDACITY, a Fullerton-based assault on surf rock and UK punk (the angry stuff). The band is quick, loud, and young; they play pop like they’re trying to break it. If you can imagine Sam the Sham on Benzedrine playing, you’re probably ready for AUDACITY. The headliner of the night was Smell vets Mika Miko, who can take pretty much any jangly pop song and turn it into something loud, nasty, and sharp. This was their turf and they certainly know how to work it. And then, just when the blitz of long hair, telephone-singing, and ad-infinitum bass lines was over, they came back for an encore and brought No Age with them for one last song. Another night at the Smell.

—Matt Dupree