BY BILL HOLMES/ PHOTO BY FRANK DE BLASE    

Putting a sultry female singer front and center has never been a bad way to get attention for your band, but unless she has the chops to warrant the initial attention, you'll get laughed off the stage. I don't think The Love Me Nots have a thing to worry about. Not only is Nicole Laurenne a dynamic, kinetic lead singer, she does it while banging out one-handed Farfisa riffs and flaunting some go-go dance moves that are obviously too hot for the cage. And since they're doubling down with the equally smoldering Kyle Rose Stokes on bass, I'm surprised there isn't a pheromone beacon that sweeps a hundred mile arc anywhere they have a gig.  But make no mistake, despite the mini-skirts and go-go boots, Laurenne and Stokes are not there for window dressing; along with drummer Bob Hoag and guitarist Michael Johnny Walker they are one of the hottest garage retro bands I've seen.

Working with legendary producer Jim Diamond, the Phoenix quartet has released three albums in three years, each tighter and better than the last. The touring set contains a healthy sampling from their catalogue and spotlights seven or eight tracks from the brand new one, Upsidedown Insideout. Reportedly the new album was going have a darker tone, but Diamond's production brought out the bright pop core of the material. Don't confuse bright with lightweight, however; although the stage show is sharp suits and eye candy The Love Me Nots rock ferociously. The Bug Jar is a small room and shows are usually loud, but when they ripped into "Karen (Get Yourself Out)" to open the show it was a virtual gale force wind punching the crowd in the chops. I'm hard pressed to recall the last time a band came out of the chute with such force. But they kept the pace up throughout a sixteen-song set, predominantly 4/4 stompers that at times made the crowd resemble an army of bobble head dolls. By contrast, the lower tempo songs like "You're Really Something" and "Break My Heart" oozed hypnotic sexuality.

Walker is a solid guitarist who doesn't overplay, and when he does take a spirited solo it's usually short, sharp and tasty. Likewise Laurenne adds rhythm and accents on the organ, a whirlwind of bumps and dips and dances in-between the rocking keyboard and the mike stand. Hoag doesn't have the chance to get flashy on the drums because he's powering that locomotive non-stop (when a cymbal stand collapsed from the strain, he simply shifted left and adjusted until the replacement appeared between songs). Stokes is an impressive bassist; fluid without being busy, never losing lockstep with Hoag.

Considering only Laurenne and Walker remain from the original lineup, the band is remarkably tight. Great shows always seem to end too soon, as did this one. But after they spiked the ball with the closer ("Give "Em What They Want"), the crowd was as sweat-soaked as the drummer's shirt, and neither band nor witness left unfulfilled.