GUTSY HOODS

Dancing Hoods come from Long Island, which has been described as a “greener Reseda.” While this would seem to imply bar-bland territory, the four Hoods showed they had something more than cover songs to offer at Raji’s on Friday night. Like its strong new album, the group’s set easily swung from tough powerhouse rockers to hook-filled pop. The balance between punch and tenderness worked ever better live than on record, gracefully building momentum on bassist Eric Williams’ moving “Build a House” or crashing with a street-smart snarl on “Pleasure.” Similar to the first wave of ’76 punk-pop like the Saints or the Jam, this quartet plays the kind of gutsy, well-crafted songs that might be covered one day by bar bands from Long Island . . . or even Reseda. Friday’s show also included another regional up-and-comer, the Flies, a randy and rugged Boston trio who applied the garage band raunch to songs like Marvin Gaye’s “I’ll Be Doggone.”