Hot Snakes

Sled Island has always struck a good balance between talented new bands and important older ones. Hot Snakes' Thursday night set fell into the latter category, drawing a more mature crowd of fans who remembered the Snakes' early 2000s heyday. Unsurprisingly, these veterans of acts past and present (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypt, the Obits) haven't missed a beat, with the cleverly interlocking guitar work of Rick Froberg and John Reis as muscular and punishing as ever, and Froberg's trademark Drano-throated yowl in fine form. The packed bar quickly descended into beer-spraying, crowd-surfing mayhem, with Reis looking genuinely delighted after a malty hose-down courtesy of the front row. Classics like "Suicide Invoice" and "Kreative Kontrol" had the hearts and fists of nostalgic music fans pumping, and an encore that included a cover of "Red/Green" by pioneering Texan hardcore band the Big Boys brought band and crowd together in mutual gratitude, as Reis and Froberg politely thanked their true believers before sending them off into the night.