Gang Green Presides Over Slamming, Fighting

There was more fighting than skating at the skate-metal blowout Friday at Fender’s in Long Beach, though headliner Gang Green did zip along like a souped-up skateboard careening down a very steep hill. The Boston quartet hit the stage sporting a variation of the Chili Peppers’ minimalist wardrobe (i.e., barely more than a birthday suit), but the band quickly donned some jams--and proceeded to kick out the jams on “L.D.S.B.”

Those initials stand for “Let’s Drink Some Beer,” which is pretty much what Gang Green stands for, too, from toasting the activity in various songs to saluting a well-known brand with a goof on its logo and a large cardboard display on stage. And we’re not talking brewski dilettantes here: Singer Chris Doherty once played in group called Drunks Against Mad Mothers, and Friday’s rip-roaring set was definitely beer-soaked.

But not woozy. These guys can play, hurtling through hard-core sonic booms with a fury that was focused but still kept the dance floor slam-o-rama churning--and touching off fist fights, including the evening’s nastiest scuffle between some teen-age girls.