I recently had the pleasure of seeing the Dead Milkmen reunite. They were smart, political, subversive (altering their lyrics to “Tiny Town” to include the verse “I knew a girl named Sarah Palin, she blew all the roadies for Van Halen”) and just as awesome as I wanted them to be at 16. I bring this up because Frenchies Le HatePinks give their songs titles like “I Am A Divorce,” “Should I Kill Myself or Go Jogging?,” “Ikea Kitchen (it’s like a gas chamber)” and remind me of the Dead Milkmen in their simplicity, wit, fuck-you-itude and fevered commitment to promoting the punk rock epitaph that life is, in fact, shit. They differ in that Le HatePinks have wrapped themselves so heavily in a black Snugglie of guttery clichés it’s near impossible to figure out if they are seriously serious or a brilliant, French, punk rock Spinal Tap. Regardless, it’s a treat to ponder the question, as they are superbly fast, irreverent and raw.

Wed., Jan. 21, 9:30 p.m., 2009