Bent Left, Outlaw, NY to Nowhere
Rock Lobster
Thursday, Jan. 11, 9 p.m., $3

Despite the use of the word “rock” in the name Rock Lobster, the Broad Ripple bar has been better known for playing Gwen Stefani tracks to dancing crowds on Saturday nights than for hosting punk rock shows. While the bar also offers various live rock shows, it’ll truly earn its name this Thursday, when the KC Punks Invade! tour hits Indy.

This isn’t Tom DeLonge-style mall punk or AP magazine cover-gracing “screamo” slop. This is straight-up punk — the kind Kansas City knows best.

Formed in 2003 in Rolla, Mo., Bent Left has accumulated a fan base in the testy waters of the punk rock world. Their sound matches the grit of Leftover Crack with the sing-along qualities of the Bouncing Souls, which works better than you’d expect. While the band is quite political, they do not take themselves too seriously. In their political manifesto, the band says its “vision is of societies, governments and economic structures working for a cooperating people, not of people competing in and for these systems.” They’re also in firm belief that “nacho cheese should have its own section on the food pyramid.”

Bent Left’s brand of aggressive, fun-loving, rowdy music is how punk rock should be. So un-pop your collar and lace up your stompin’ boots, because the Lobster is earning its Rock.