Live: Be Your Own Pet Get Into a Brawl

WHO: Be Your Own Pet
WHERE: Mercury Lounge, New York City
WHY: When we caught these young punks at the Mercury Lounge late last year, lead singer Jemina Pearl was blissfully out of it as she slurred through songs and threw herself into everything on stage (read our review here). On Wednesday night, though, things were different. "This is the sober show," announced Pearl early on, coyly referencing the reckless November gig. But a sober BYOP are still wilder than most plastered bands. And the lack of alcohol allowed the songs played from their awesome upcoming album, Get Awkward, to truly impress. Of those, future classic "Becky" (about teenage homicide) and the stupidly catchy "The Kelly Affair" (about the dangers of partying in L.A.) sounded most promising. And there's no stopping Pearl who, along with fellow Tennessee punk princess Hayley Williams of Paramore, must be one of the most mesmerizing live rockers on earth right now — she snarls, swings her hair and stomps without mercy. And, for a moment, the sex and violence in BYOP's music burst forth onto the stage when a misguided oaf attempted to get too close to Pearl — she slapped him hard and then her protective band of dudes proceeded to knock the guy over. Chalk up another TKO for this lewd, rude and tremendously likeable quartet. Click thumbnails to see pics from the show: