British punk rock band Palma Violets stage a return to Philadelphia tonight with a show at Johnny Brenda’s.  The South London-bred four-piece is touring in support of their debut album 180, named for a venue in Lambeth, London where the band got its start.  To get a sense of their raucously wild live show, check out a recap of Palma Violet’s SXSW house party here.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with The Orwells can be found here.  Watch their Beatles-esque video for “Last of the Summer Wine” below.

XPN welcomes The David Wax Museum to the Sellersville Theater tonight.  Blending Mexican instruments and arrangements with Americana sensibilities, the core duo of David Wax and Sue Slezak (along with their cast of supporting musicians) make music that is fun, energetic and refreshing.  The band is touring behind its 2012 LP Knock Knock Get Up and will continue a string of Philly-area dates at World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington, DE tomorrow night and The Strand-Capitol in York on Saturday.  Tickets and information for all shows can be found here.  Watch the video for “Will You Be Sleeping” below.

At the Strand-Capitol Theater tonight, it’s country music singer Hayes Carll.  The Texas-born musician released his most recent album KMAG YOYO in 2011, which led to a Free at Noon performance and a slot at that year’s XPoNential Music Festival.  His brand of Texas country music is the kind that makes you feel like you stumbled into a locals-only watering-hole but were welcomed with open arms. Listen back to his Free at Noon show here and get tickets for tonight’s show here.  Below, watch Hayes Carll perform the title track to KMAG YOYO on KEXP.

Let’s begin with the last thing I remember: it was 2 in the morning and Palma Violets was raging away in a nondescript building on the University of Texas campus. Before leaving London for this year’s South by Southwest festival, the buzzing Brit-rock four piece made a petition to their fans on Facebook: “we like intimacy, as do you if you got any taste. We wanna play a HOUSE PARTY in Austin.” The folks at Pearl Street Co-op took them up for their unofficial SXSW showcase – near as I can figure, this place falls somewhere between a student activity center and a rock n’ roll frat a la Philly’s Pi Lam – and the result was a gloriously sloppy, riotous rock and roll show.

To dispense with the obvious criticism – these guys are a wreck in concert. They play so loudly their vocal mics get caught up in an awful, unstoppable feedback loop with their amplifiers. They put so much energy into jumping around and dancing in a frenzy that they unwittingly unplug their instruments and topple the various parts of their drum kit. Repeatedly. When drummer Will Doyle hit his crash cymbal so loud that half of his drums disappeared off the riser, all he could do was laugh until his road manager set them back up.

But that’s okay. This band isn’t about that brand of rock that’s precisely performed but deficient in personality. Palma Violets is anti-humdrum, it’s about embracing the energy of their songs and tossing it back and forth with the crowd. Dualing vocalists Sam Fryer (guitar) and Chili Jesson (bass) play off of one another as much as they do with the front row, sharing the microphones with the fans, encouraging participation in a vocal and physical sense. “Is it Wednesday?” asked Jesson. “Is it Thursday? Who cars. It’s the new Friday.” And the crowd pogoed along, mouthing words to just about every song – even the ones they didn’t know. It was a free-for-all, a release, a celebration. This is a feeling that would be absent in a more formal setting, with less instrument breakage and more performance precision. And this is why, sloppy or not, this was the environment to see Palma Violets.

Below, watch 44 seconds of both band and crowd freaking out to their single “Best of Friends.” Check back for more SXSW dispatches through Sunday; this afternoon, we’ll recap the NPR Music showcase at Stubb’s.

I’ve got this to say: their single is certainly a tough act to follow, and making it the first track on the album is either foolhardy hubris or massive confidence in the ten tracks that follow. And, so far, I’m thinking it’s the latter. I definitely annoyed everybody in my general vicinity by drumming along to the punchy beat on “Set Up For The Cool Cats,” and now I’m humming to the swaggery sing-song “All The Garden Birds.” Solid stuff. Listen below, and see what you think. And hey, you might want to have this link handy – since the band is playing Johnny Brenda’s on May 8, and it’s bound to sell out well before then.

Lambeth, London’s Palma Violets play Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  The punk band has built a strong following through playing live shows, despite having released only a handful of songs.  One track, “Best of Friends,” was voted NME’s song of the year for 2012.  Palma Violets have also been nominated for BBC’s Sound of 2013 poll.  Blending garage punk with psychedelic rock influences, Palma Violets have a debut album set for release on February 25th through Rough Trade.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show with Dreambooks can be found here.  Below, watch the new video for “Step Up For the Cool Cats.”

Guitarist Chris Forsyth will perform at Johnny Brenda’s tonight.  The local musician blends many styles of guitar playing, including art rock, folk and blues to create a hypnotic experience of textured layers and international influences.  Moving on from being part of Peesseye to primarily working solo, Forsyth has collaborated with Meg Baird, Steve Gunn and others.  2012 saw the release of Kenzo Deluxe on Northern Spy, a paired down approach to his electric guitar compositions.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Ben Seretan and The Neighborhood Choir can be found here.  Watch Chris Forsyth perform “Downs and Ups” from Kenzo Deluxe below.

Canadian outfit Purity Ring stop by Union Transfer tonight.   The duo put an airy, dreamy pop spin on bass drenched electronica with glittery synths and Megan James’ sweetly innocent vocals.  With instrumentalist Corin Roddick, Purity Ring broke off of Born Gold when Roddick began exploring production techniques and beat making.  Last year’s Shrines LP was Purity Ring’s debut and was released on 4AD.  Tickets and information for the all-ages show with Young Magic can be found here.  Watch the video for “Fineshrine” below.