"Come on," comes the shout from the crowd. "Smash somebody! Shoot someone!" It's not a typical request, but expectations of mayhem come with the territory if you're The Icarus Line. Earlier this year, lead singer Joe Cardamone allegedly tore an old Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar from its display case in Austin's Hard Rock Cafe before battling security guards and fleeing down the street. The Los Angeles five piece's second album, Penance Soiree, a dirty, thrashing mix of punk rock and desperate bravado, has been attracting even more attention.

Tonight Cardamone and crew do their best to cement their reputation as the latest last gang in town. Guitarist Aaron North, his face bisected by a black slash, performs wild high kicks, thrusts his guitar up to the lights and hangs maniacally from the low rafters. Cardamone shrieks like a banshee, shakes his thin body and chides the crowd for not rocking harder. The rhythm section keep their faces fixed and their minds on the music which, in patches, is brilliant.

Spike Island and Party the Baby Off are aggressive examples of what they do best: jagged, hectic rock, full of anger and hyperbole, stuck somewhere between The Stooges' adulterated adrenaline rush and Mudhoney's ferocious grunge.

But something about the band doesn't seem to click tonight. They look too knackered to be truly belligerent. The crowd shuffles, heckles and remains largely unmoved. It surely doesn't help that a band with two decent albums under their belt only play a 45-minute set.

Perhaps their aim is to burn brightly and briefly, leaving a legend and a few upturned mic stands in their wake. But, as the firebrands stomp offstage and the venue lights flicker on, it's hard not to feel underwhelmed. You can't expect a revolution every night, but a few more songs might have been nice.