Failure’s ‘Pre-Palooza’ Party

Rumbling to the stage as a “Pre-Palooza Party,” four bands crowded into the Whisky on Friday, acting as a reminder of what their once- alternative brand of rock called home before MTV and pop radio discovered it for the masses.

This tour, headlined by L.A.’s Failure, has traveled alongside the massive Lollapalooza festival this summer, typically appearing in a city just a day or two before the bigger acts arrived. It’s also offered a look at the possible next wave, particularly for the bands Failure and Sponge.

Eliminating most of the most dirgelike numbers from its repertoire, Failure has now mastered a personal style that balances power with subversive pop hooks.

At the Whisky, singer-guitarist Ken Andrews led the trio through selections from their new “Magnified” album, singing with measured calm and control in spite of the thundering roar around him.

Sponge was a less moody presence, but rose to similar heights with a passionate mix of alluring melodies and charged guitar rock. The Detroit quintet played music laced with adrenaline and pop invention culled from the band’s “Rotting Pinata” album.

By comparison, San Diego’s Rust offered little more than over-amped sludge. Frontman John B. hopped and shouted across the stage in an indecipherable rage, a la Henry Rollins. Inch, also from San Diego, mixed Sonic Youth rock jazzbo and some Minutemen-style quirkiness to uneven results, too often falling into easy single-chord patterns.