San Diego Reader

The crowd was thin by the time A Frames took the stage, as apparently most of the concertgoers came to see local openers Nude Boy and Christmas Island. I, however, was almost quivering with anticipation by the time A Frames began setting up, never having seen them play and anxious to see how their detuned post-punk clatter would translate live.

As soon as they kicked into their first song (a new one, I think), I sensed a problem, as a punk kid in the audience hadn't gotten the memo that this wasn't the right venue for moshing. When he circled around to bump into me for the third time, another annoyed gentleman and I gave him a hard shove, watching in amusement as he tripped over a monitor and fell to the ground.

Having solved that issue, we were free to get back to the music, which was surprisingly quiet given the heaviness of their albums. This, though, lent clarity to thrashy early material like "Hostage Crisis." Though original drummer Lars Finberg was missed, the assembly line-like industrial rhythms were intact for later-period highlights such as "Black Forest" and "Modula."

• Concert: A Frames
• Date: June 1
• Venue: Soda Bar
• Seats: 5 feet from stage