Rap-Rock Hybrid Len Shows Its Sass Without Being Crass

Cutting against the gangsta-style grain of most rock-rap hybrids, the Canadian group Len released a major-label debut album earlier this year that’s an irrepressibly upbeat hodgepodge of colorful pop and old-school hip-hop, charged with flashes of sassy rock. The exuberant sprawl of “You Can’t Stop the Bum Rush” is as charming as it is scattered, but the Toronto sextet put on a surprisingly intense, focused show for the modest but genial crowd that gathered at the El Rey Theatre on Friday.

DJ Moves and D-Rock got the show started with some turntable pyrotechnics--a mesmerizing, constantly morphing stream of beats and familiar song snippets. When the rest of Len took the stage like a cross between an intramural basketball team and the kids from “Fame,” the ensemble really got down to business. Though lighthearted pop numbers such as the group’s summer hit “Steal My Sunshine” were no less euphoric than the studio versions, the live set was fueled by a driving, down-to-earth energy that held all the material together and gave more raucous numbers a particularly compelling edge.

The harsh bluster and raunchy exploits of Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock may draw more media attention and bigger crowds, but Len proves there’s still some glory to be had in the PG-13 end of the rap-rock spectrum.