The Gaslight Anthem

Photo by John Anderson

The Gaslight Anthem

The Gaslight Anthem was dressed for a seedy basement bar but didn't shy away from the hot Texas sun. Working-class musical archivists, the New Jersey four would rather recycle than scrap the rust-bucket heaps lost along the information superhighway. No matter that Boss Springsteen is still kicking – he remains the most overt Gaslight influence – but there's plenty of Strummer and Lou Reed streetwalking. Frontman Brian Fallon nodded to another Garden State native with his Sinatra-signaling lid. After a balky "High Lonesome," Gaslight fired up, bassist Alex Levine and drummer Ben Horowitz staying tight for the pogo-happy class of 2010 up front. Sound and nerves improved with "Stay Lucky" off this year's American Slang, basis for most of the set. More heat arrived with the VU-tinged "Bring It On," another Slang cut. Given the Gaslight's punk attire, the band's heartland schtick admittedly lacks brattiness. Still, it'll be curious to see where Fallon and company get to if and when they stop mooning over girls and cars. Then again, on "Old White Lincoln" and in closer "Backseat," the band showed how far you can get on a good set of tires with a pretty gal sitting nearby.