Sure it’s cliche to quote Pete Townshend when writing about a band whose oldest memeber can’t yet buy a beer, but sometimes you’ve got to call a spade a spade, especially when Los Angeles’ The Linda Lindas proved that yes indeed the kids are alright.
The youthful group played a blistering 90-minute set of choice songs off their two full-length LPs along with a few select covers (“Rebel Girl,” “When I Come Around” and “Found a Job”) and sounded like well-seasoned rock veterans while doing so. All four members of the band were jubilant and playful onstage, creating an infecteous, fun energy throughout their set.
The set started with the title track off their 2024 album “No Obligation” and from there the group went into high gear with “Revolution/Resolution.” The highlight of the main set came when the crowd-pleasing “Nino,” aka one of the best songs about a cat ever, was followed by “Oh!” and the main set closer “Racist, Sexist Boy.” It was impressive how polished they sounded and how comfortable all four members were onstage. Charm, charisma and stage presence aside, their real secret weapon is singing drummer Mila de la Garza and shredding guitarist Bela Salazar.
Openers Be Your Own Pet, a group of former young punks, were the perfect pairing for the Linda Lindas. BYOP singer Jemina Pearl was a fiery ball of energy throughout the group’s 45-minute set. The band, which gained popularity when its members were teens in the mid-aughts, could be seen as what would happen if The Linda Lindas had a time machine and looked into their future. Their set was filled with the type of loud, heavy and snotty punk rock bangers that meshed perfectly with the attitude and style of the headliners.
It would be a derelection of duty if I wrote about this show and didn’t include a note about the crowd. More specifically, the youthful fans who showed up to an all-ages show on a school night. It was refreshing to see so many young faces at a show. And better yet, some had their faces painted like a cat to mimick a look once sported by The Linda Lindas.
The cowd age ranged from 5 to 50 with most all of those in younger set singing along to every word. Shout out to the 8-year-old girl in front of me who danced so hard her pigtails came undone. You, and the rest of your younger counterparts, are the future of rock and your devotion to these young punks once again proves the kids are alright.
