For a show headlined by a punk band called the Men, Sunday night at the Firebird was surprisingly civil. Sets started on time, if not even a few minutes early, and the small pit in the front only included those who cared to join. It really was a pleasant way to enjoy punk music.

Frank Smith is not a dude with a guitar (or at least not in this case), but rather an Austin, Texas band led by Aaron Sinclair. The name may have the whiff of anonymity, but the sound is notoriously post-punk and memorable in a darkly, dangerous way.

On my radio show Hindsight, I spin a wide range of indie pop and rock from all sides of the pond. This year offered a lot of great songs from which to choose.

The Painkillers took center stage at Thursdays at the Intersection this week.

If the Scottish invasion is going to last, it needs more bands like the post-punk and hook-smart We Were Promised Jetpacks.

Wednesday night proved manic at the Firebird. A barrage of openers spread the wild energy over three sets of not so dissimilar genres.