Was Glasslands humid for this Thursday night show? Yes; yes, it was. I spent much of the show flashing back to younger days spent in basements and VFW halls under similar sweltering conditions, and occasionally wondering whether my beard had made things much, much worse.

German Measles were on first. I recognized a couple of the guys from Cause Co-Motion! in the band, and while there was a similar limitless energy present, German Measles took that more into the realm of punk-with-lunatic-frontman; stylistic touchstones would include the Nightingales and (this probably goes without saying) The Fall. It made for an enjoyable set, though some of the riffs played between songs suggest that these guys have a melodic side that’s merits exploration.

I’ve been hearing good things about The Beets for a while now, and their set didn’t disappoint — it made for the highlight of the night. Three guys in the archetypal guitar-bass-drums configuration, the guitar in question resembling Glen Hansard’s well-worn instrument from Once, and blown-out harmony vocals on virtually every song. Catchy, energetic noisy pop (as opposed to noise-pop); they’re playing the last Oxford Collapse show later on in the month along with the previously mentioned Cause Co-Motion!, and that’s a pretty good indication of where their sound fits in. The trio played behind a banner featuring illustrations of masked figures and someone getting shot in the face; it proudly declared that they hailed from Jackson Heights. Something tells me that this is a band who laughs maniacally in the face of the “Billy Burg, Meet Jack Heights” ads that abounded in northern Brooklyn a year and change ago.

Golden Triangle were on third: three dudes, one with a mustache that was either amazing or totally fake, and three ladies. And while the intensity that they brought to their set was comparable to the two bands that preceded them, their set seemed equally suited to a loft party as it was to the DIY space in question. (This is, I realize, not a huge distinction, but I nonetheless feel the need to make it.) The band seemed comfortable in their use of multiple vocalists, exploring a fair share of dynamics over the course of their set while never losing energy or allowing the pace to slow.

I’m a relative latecomer to the John Dwyer camp: I’d heard some of his work prior to Thee Oh Sees‘ Help, but it had never resonated much with me. I picked up Help on the basis of Christopher Weingarten’s review, and it’s been running through my home stereo ever since. “Garage rock” would be the most basic description of Thee Oh Sees’ sound, but it’s garage wrapped in feedback and folding in some esoteric elements. (It’s not unlike how, say, Black Mountain borrow from both classic rock and from the Krautrock artists who were making music at roughly the same time.) Live, it was cathartic and relentless and catchy as hell. Yes indeed.