POP MUSIC REVIEW : Singer Adds Luster to New Bronski Duo

The lineup and the name have shrunk, but the Bronski Beat goes on.

Formerly a trio emphasizing a homosexual identity and a techno pop sound, the Bronskis, as they are now called, are a duo emphasizing more or less the same things.

Steve Bronski is the sole holdover from the British band that folded in 1986 after releasing two albums with two different singers. Whatever his importance may be in shaping his new band’s sound, Bronski hardly mattered on stage Thursday night at Club Postnuclear in Laguna Beach.

Tapping away sedately at his synthesizer keyboard, he had all the presence of a tollbooth attendant. Prerecorded backing tracks supplied nearly all the instrumental sound, so Bronski’s main contribution was providing a familiar label on the marquee for a new act that has yet to release a record.

Consequently, the show was essentially a coming out party for singer Jonathan Hellyer, and the campily charismatic newcomer made it a memorable one.

Hellyer played to the hilt the role of a comically effeminate but sharp-witted gay. Tossing a giveaway cassette tape into the audience, he declared, “This is the most masculine I get tonight.”

Maybe Hellyer’s joking was intended to distance himself from Jimmy Somerville, the original Bronski Beat singer (now with the Communards) who was the focus of serious and passionate assertions of gay self-esteem on the band’s debut album, “The Age of Consent.” It would have been nice, though, if Hellyer could have gone beyond acting out a stereotype--even if he did it entertainingly.

Touring rockers can’t be expected to be aware of local situations, but in light of recent anti-gay violence in Laguna Beach by neo-Nazi skinheads, a bit more gravity and a bit less camp would have been appropriate. If the Bronskis have any ambition to be socially trenchant, they missed a good chance to show it.

Still, Hellyer was witty, chatty, brash and likable--a nonstop, natural ham who had no trouble keeping things lively during repeated delays caused by mishaps with the canned-music machinery. More than that, he is an exceptional singer. Like Somerville, Hellyer relied mainly on a keening falsetto. But where Somerville’s wailing can grow tiresome, Hellyer brought control and suppleness to his vocal leaps.

He was at his best lending a Smokey Robinson-style warm falsetto to “One More Chance,” a pleading romantic ballad that was one of two new songs in the 50-minute set. The other new tune, “Cha Cha Heels,” was a funny, fast-paced disco number in which Hellyer, tossing in an exaggerated baritone for emphasis, showed that he also can sing forcefully in a lower range.

The rest of the show was given over to hits from the two Bronski Beat albums and a sassy, energetic rendition (reprised for the encore) of Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).”

It is impossible to get a reliable picture of a band’s musical personality from two new songs--especially since the Bronskis have been together only for a few months. But with Hellyer’s combination of voice and showmanship, this preview show served its purpose: it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Aesthetica, a Los Angeles band, also used recorded backing to fill out the sound in its opening set. Sultry, choreographed dancing by two female backup singers added something out of the ordinary to the four-member group’s act.

While only one or two of Aesthetica’s songs were catchy enough to make a strong impression, the band sustained interest through variety. In 35 minutes, Aesthetica moved coherently from dance-oriented funk-rock to atmospheric, moody pieces to bright pop numbers and an early Beatles novelty, “Boys.”