They Might Be Wonderful, Whimsical Giants

They Might Be Giants is a New York-based duo that’s almost enough to give novelty songs a good name. Not that the typical Weird Al Yankovic fan would likely get and/or enjoy songs like “Alienation’s for the Rich,” from the duo’s wonderful 1986 independent LP debut, or “Kiss Me, Son of God,” one of many newer songs premiered in the pair’s first Los Angeles gig Friday at Club Lingerie.

Abstract satire aside, John Flansburgh and John Linnell also have a winning way with a pop hook, not to mention a vision of pop society appropriately absurd enough to justify whatever cases of the sillies might come up. And though backing tapes provided most of the music (with the two players adding live guitar, accordion, sax and percussion), TMBG managed to serve up enough bounding energy to satisfy the frat boys who came to hear the better-late-than-never local radio hit “Don’t Let’s Start.”

Opening up were the Del Rubio Triplets, sisters in matching outfits with matching acoustic guitars, all appearing old enough to meet the Lingerie’s age limit three times over. With mostly folky versions of contemporary hits, it was to the Triplets’ tremendous credit that they could take a song like “Neutron Dance” and make it sound like a rockabilly outtake from Elvis’ “Sun Sessions.”