Those who braved the first snowfall of winter and made their way to Pat’s Pub treated themselves to three groups that each put their spin on some good ol’ fashion punk rock. The Wild Ones kicked off the night and won over the crowd with their girl-group charm. Sporting matching gold dresses, tattoos and Marianne Faithfull hairdos, the Wild Ones proved you can look good and rock out without sacrificing one for the other. California surf and ‘60s rock/pop influences seeped their way into the Santa Cruz band’s sound, but the Wild Ones have a punk rock edge to them.

  The haphazard vocals and crunchy distortion made the otherwise gentle “oohs” and “sha la las” a bit more unkempt and unpolished. Guitarist Rachael Chavez can really rip it up and played some sweet but brief, surfy guitar solos. A fun little cover of April March’s “Chick Habit” (itself a cover of France Gall’s “Laisse Tomber Les Filles”) ended the set and got the night off to a pretty good start.

  Vancouver locals Manic Attracts were up next. The trio was a bit one-note, with little dynamic variation in their set list. Lead singer/guitarist Clint Lofkrantz delivered some rough vocals that were a tad off, even for a punk band—his vocals were borderline screamo. Luckily, the group had so much infectious energy that by the end of a song you actually didn’t really give a shit about how bad the singing was. They were one-note, but that one note was a burst of energy and badass. Case in point, Lofkrantz rocked out so hard his guitar strap broke.

  Lastly came Vancouver’s best dressed group, the Tranzmitors. The band jumped right into “Glamour Girls” and immediately, you could tell this group has been together for a while. The act was tight and everything about their performance screamed precision. Since the Tranzmitors were promoting their new seven-inch on React! records, the crowd got a taste of some fresh material. The new songs still give the same nods to groups like the Jam, the Buzzcocks and other mod/punk revival groups.

  But, to be honest, the audience was craving the tracks they already knew and could sing along to. During the encore, the already bouncing crowd became more jumpy once the band broke into “Dancing in the Front Row.” As you may have guessed, the audience started dancing in the front row. And, with the catchy “Look What You’re Doing to Me” closing off the night, Pat’s Pub successfully broke out into a mini mosh pit. A clear sign of a good rock show.