Hunx and his Punx: Too Young to Be in Love

The song “Good Kisser” by Hunx and his Punx has a chorus that goes, “I don’t think he’s gonna miss her/ Cuz I’m a really good kisser.” It’s dumb but irresistibly catchy. It’s a little bit ’50s rock and roll, a little bit ’60s girl-group pop, and a little bit ’70s bubblegum. These are the elements of the Ramones and the New York Dolls, and there is a little bit of punk rock in the bratty-sounding vocals of “Good Kisser.” But, really, the only thing that would prevent the song from making the playlist for your next Republican garden party is the fact that it’s sung by a man.

Hunx and his Punx is an Oakland band led by Seth Bogart, whom you may remember from the electro-trash act Gravy Train!!!! You may also know him from last year’s infamous NSFW video for the Girls’ song “Lust for Life.” (That’s him being, um, used as a microphone.) Bogart started the Punx in 2008 as an outlet for a guitar-oriented sound that conveys innocence and teenage love. In concert, however, his sexuality is always in your face, often literally — he has been known to leap off the stage and make out with random people in the audience.

Maybe all this started as a gimmick, maybe not. But no one would care either way if it weren’t for the fact that the songs are fun. And with the just-released Too Young to Be in Love, Hunx and his all-female Punx are turning into not just a goofy little retro band, but a really good one. All the Punxettes sing backup, turning the band into a kind of 21st-century Shangri-Las.

Shannon & the Clams and the Plateaus also perform.

HUNX AND HIS PUNX: Tin Can Ale House, Saturday, April 9. 619-955-8525. $8.