In a Shakedown mood

Anarchy is a precious thing, a kind of miracle that can never be planned, no matter how many punks embrace it as a personal jingle or fashion statement. So it was at the Saturday opening of the L.A. Shakedown fest, a day that went so horribly wrong and accidentally right that it became a profound tribute to that ancient punk rock creed.

Billed as “2 nights of punk, broken blues and primitive rawk,” the Shakedown began with a sudden change in venue (from the Variety Arts Center to the Grand Avenue club). Overcrowding meant ticket-holders were barred at the door. And top-billed acts Supersuckers and the Dwarves never showed up. Yet there was no rioting, and hardly a complaint from the abused crowd.

That’s partly because the day was redeemed by intense performances by DMZ, the Warlocks and others, but mainly because the event itself became the point, as a chaotic celebration of underground rock rather than of any particular band.

There was wild-eyed psychobilly from Nekromantix and ‘60s garage rock from the Makers, a shaggy quintet in groovy shades and rock-star threads. Deadbolt made surf music for bikers behind a strip of yellow police tape, and Nebula boogied through swampy hard rock.

The night ended with a rare local set by DMZ, a quintet dating back to the original punk movement, who erupted Saturday with short blasts of noise and melody.

If it were a new band, DMZ would be adored as garage rock, threatening to either implode with feedback or collapse into comedy.

“I don’t know the words to this song,” declared singer Jeff Conolly. “That’s kind of the point.”