The Fluid Cranks and Drives at 2nd Coming

The Fluid, a Denver band on the hot Sub Pop label, sound a little like the other Sub Popistas--full and loud and strong, just sloppy enough to escape plastic studio-guy perfection, overlaid with a dram of fuzzed-out Blue Cheerguitar--yet uniquely successful in infusing the anarchic spirit of hardcore into the tight, riffy song structures of classic late-’60s garage rock. Plus, it cranks.

Every number the band did at the 2nd Coming club on Saturday sounded like the best track off a “Pebbles” ’60s garage obscurities collection, or something great from one of those endless punk compilations that came out around ‘78: somebody’s favorite song. The hall was packed with the usual L.A. Sub Pop crowd of major-label A&R; reps, grungy post-college misfits, pogoers and stage-divers and singer John Robinson was confident enough both to bunny-hop and to dive into the crowd mid-vocal, knowing he’d be passed back up onto the stage.

Sharing the bill was Sister Double Happiness, a band from San Francisco made up of the remnants of the late, great Texas punk band the Big Boys, impressive with its funky political punk-rock.