WEEKEND REVIEWS : Pop : English Foursome Flat-Out and Full

OK, so Pop Will Eat Itself. But will fans be able to stomach the results?

The English quartet with a full-sentence name is an alternative-scene favorite on record, but its hourlong set at a half-filled Palace on Friday indicated it hasn’t got the performance side down yet. In that respect, Pop Will Eat Itself is typical of the new mix ‘n’ match bands struggling to discover a compelling stage presentation combining live and recorded elements.

The PWEI equation revolved around a constant barrage of dry ice, recorded rhythm tracks augmented by guitars, keyboards and bass and the frenetic dancing of two strobe-lit vocalists. The relentlessly uptempo, Gothic-tinged music kept the stage-diving contingent active on the arch “XYZ Means ABC” and a salute to Italian porn queen and politician Cicciolina.

But the absence of dynamics--every song was flat-out and full volume--became too assaultive and fostered the feeling that all the strobe lights, psychedelic effects and dry ice were simply camouflage. Pop Will Eat Itself didn’t envelop and transport the audience Friday--it simply wore it out.

San Francisco’s Limbomaniacs have the elements of the funk/metal/wiseguy Chili Peppers style down, but not a distinctive way of putting them together yet. The Young Black Teenagers’ opening set of rap was totally inept and mercifully brief.