POP MUSIC REVIEW : Dramarama Steps Back to Youth Rebellion

Are you ready for ante-postmodern ? Once upon a time Dramarama’s beat-driven guitar music might have been called rock ‘n’ roll. Today that term does little to distinguish among such varied styles as the dense, uninflected psychedelia currently popular in England, the dance-oriented sound all the rage--and rave--here and the Beatles-and-Stones-derived likes of Dramarama, which plays Sunday at Cal State Fullerton.

The title of the Los Angeles group’s latest album, “Vinyl,” gives away its old-fashioned focus. At the Variety on Thursday, Dramarama dished up a set dripping with the influence of dozens of youth-rebellion bands of the last few decades to a crowd so young that many probably have never even seen a vinyl LP.

But Dramarama is about more than nostalgia. From the wry “What Are We Gonna Do?” (known on KROQ as “the Earth Day song”) to a sped-up version of “Haven’t Got a Clue,” the group displayed an uncommon gift for melody and the means to deliver it. John Easdale’s taut vocals cut through the din of two guitars and keyboards, as did the rhythmic bashing of former Blondie drummer Clem Burke.

The only dull moment of the show came when the group openly saluted one of its many musical influences instead of paying tribute by injecting borrowed bits and pieces into its own composition. An anemic version of David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” sounded as if it might have been a ‘70s Elton John recording.

The Real People--appropriately from Liverpool, given the tenor of the evening--opened the show with an adventurous mix of jaunty pop and guitar-heavy grunge.

Dramarama, the Cavedogs and Primitive Painters play Sunday at 8 at the Cal State Fullerton Event Center, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. $10 to $15. (714) 773-3501.