The Ettes

Thigh-high stockings and embroidered white cowboy boots in full effect, Karen Barnicle stood, Gibson Explorer in hand, and addressed the audience with full feline tenacity last Sunday upstairs at the Middle East. A sparse crowd stood, drinks in hand, as Barnicle and her band of the same name ripped through a set of pop-punk tunes. While a mohawk swayed in time and the occasional hoot greeted their set, Barnicle delivered tunes seemed destined to be local hits — “Take Me to Your Room,” in particular — with a lick and a smile. Stationed at the corner of the stage, guitarist Rebekka Takamizu (also of Eyes like Knives) stood in contrast to Barnicle’s stage-center presence, all Slash-like, her hair in front of her face, her arm continually rocking to the beat.

Once Boston had had its say, the Ettes, a like-minded trio from LA, took the stage with an attitude that was more voracious and songs that were more succinct. Lindsay “Coco” Hames stood with a defiance similar to Barnicle’s, albeit with zip-up brown boots and full stockings. Her fake lashes blinking, she shouted and sang an old Detroit-punk-style tune while drummer Poni Silver kept the crowd rapt with her pounding beats. The Ettes went on to blow through one three-minute jam after the next and Hames never stopped to adjust the hiss coming through her amp, instead choosing to bounce her fist on the guitar before each power chord — a move that only reinforced the band’s Detroit glam vibe. It reminded me of seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs several years ago at the Abbey, long before they’d become alternative hitmakers. Sometimes you just get lucky on a Sunday night.