The Thermals' set this afternoon at an Insound day party wasn't short on the band's trademark energy, though it was short a couple of the band's most requested songs. "Pillar of Salt" and "Here's To Your Future" were notably absent from the set list, perhaps because the band is sick of playing them two or three times a day. Like so many of the more popular headliners here, the group is booked to the brim, juggling multiple shows most days.
Hard to fault the trio for excluding a couple favorites, though, especially when the rest of their set was so commanding. Especially live, the group has a way of singing even the dweebiest power-pop sentiments with forceful authority. Too zippy for traditional punk circles yet punkier than just about anything else indie-rock favors right now, they're oddities in the best way possible.