Antemasque provides sonic spark to combustible Belly Up crowd

When guitarist and vocalist Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes gets onstage, things get weird, and Sunday night’s opening performance was no exception.

With the casual mannerisms of a human-hearted automaton and a fierce stage presence that tears at the throats of beasts of intolerance, her manic energy ran through the spectrum of human emotions at a breakneck pace. There was simply nothing about Teri, Le Butcherettes, or the acidic lyrics of show-breaking “Burn the Scab” that hadn't been designed to seek and destroy prejudice wherever it may be.

By the time Antemasque took the stage, the crowd was primed and ready to combust. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala provided the sonic spark to make that happen, opening with the frantic "In the Lurch" and blazing through the bulk of their self-titled debut album, save for a few detours through wandering interludes and snap banter from Bixler-Zavala.

Gone are the days of reckless self-endangerment seen in the live performances of the duo's previous acts, At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta, but they made the stripped-down rock music they've cooked up over the past year come alive, with drummer Dave Elitch smashing out bombastic shuffles (most notably during “Providence”) as Bixler-Zavala and Rodruiguez-Lopez remained in perpetual motion up front.

The only conspicuous absence from their set was "Drown All Your Witches," which might have otherwise closed the relatively short set with a slow-burn that the already exhausted crowd could have found some relief in.

• Concert: Antemasque with Le Butcherettes
• Date: April 12
• Venue: Belly Up Tavern
• Seats: Stage front