MOB ACTION

Looking like skinnier versions of “The Time Machine’s” Morlocks, the four members of the Columbus, Ohio-based Royal Crescent Mob stormed through an hour’s worth of whitepunk funk tunes about riding the bus, love and tunafish (a song title), and red telephones at the Lingerie on Friday. Along with other selections from its excellent independent LP, this Mob came armed with a fistful of non-originals (Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Ohio Players) and a skin-tight ensemble sound that buried second-billed Fishbone (not E-Z), but nevertheless seemed to leave the “show-me” Hollywood crowd largely underwhelmed.

The band was professional enough to improvise a solid blues harmonica solo when the bassist broke a string, and also screamingly funny--as on a recitif about working at the doughnut stand that sidetracked into a discourse on the pungent bouquet of “Woody (Hayes) wine.” Maybe the four members should make like their white-funk brethren (L.A.’s Red Hot Chili Peppers) and come out wearing only Day-Glo body paint and strategically placed tube-sox the next time they hit the coast.