KaitO and Koufax put a kick in alt-pop

England’s KaitO and the Midwest’s Koufax both have four members and names starting with the same letter. But their Spaceland sets Thursday offered much different twists on modern alt-pop craft, never sparking huge explosions but still starting the holiday weekend with a satisfying kick.

Headliner KaitO played staccato, shouty new-wave punk that evoked an updated Elastica while fitting neatly alongside the current up-from-underground sounds of former tour mates Clinic and the Datsuns.

The group veered from such numbers as the dizzying “Should I,” from its new album, “band red,” into vaguer, more whispery bits, but it consistently hinted at sex, danger and excitement like a good rock band should.

The noisy bits made it hard to tell what singer-guitarist Nikki Colk and bassist Gemma Cullingford were yelping about, but their whooping vocals, the breakneck pace and Colk and Dave Lake’s jerky guitars left an urgent, erotic impression. Yummy.

In the middle slot on a bill that included local band Irving, Koufax blasted a fetchingly off-kilter mix of earthy Midwestern bar-band energy and sophisticated songcraft from its 2002 album, “Social Life.” Such tunes as the cautionary “Break It Off” recalled pop freaks from Brian Wilson to Guided by Voices to XTC, but singer-guitarist Robert Suchan’s quavery belting and spastic manner could be an acquired taste. Still, the quartet shared KaitO’s sense of urgency, lending immediacy to even sprawling selections.