Supergrass

Like a pack of clowns mashed into a Mini, Supergrass fans filled Café Campus for the band's first local show in three years, and their fourth since I Should Coco burst out of England in 1995. And although they can't quite match the level of youthful frenetic energy that made them such hot property eight years ago, a Supergrass show is, essentially, a guaranteed good time. Tight, precise and professional, without looking bored or rocking by rote, so to speak, their set sampled all four albums equally, from the pop anthems "Sun Hits the Sky" and "Pumping on Your Stereo" to the glam-inflected "Grace" and "Za" to the airy vibes of "Late in the Day" to the manic fun of "Mansize Rooster" and "Lenny," with its absurdly elongated banging intro. Gaz, Mickey, Danny and Rob (Gaz's brother, long-time keyboardist and now an official band member) looked vaguely haggard up close, probably because of the previous night's party for Gaz's birthday, but you couldn't hear the hangover, and Gaz's goofy grins effectively covered up the pain. The hardcore hollered "happy birthday!," a nice change from the soccer stats that used to be shouted out by ingratiating sucks at Britpop shows, and one drunk irritant finally got his wish when they played "Caught By the Fuzz," ending the evening with pure exhilaration.