LOCAL PUNKS THE Bobbyteens – decked out in their cheesy senior prom best – celebrated the release of their newest CD, Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (Estrus), with a booze- and balloon-laden show last month at San Francisco's Parkside. After a less-than-inspiring set from Panty Raid, a sloppy band with a prepubescent-sounding singer and a lot of feedback, and a glammed-out group called the S'cool Girls, the main attraction took to the stage.

The Bobbyteens combine a slightly trashy '70s garage rock sound with pop punk, along with some classic '50s and '60s girl-group influences – delivered with a sneering, biting edge. Singer Tina Lucchesi has a commanding presence and a serious set of pipes, which she used well, managing to be heard clearly even with the venue's small P.A. system and the bouncing throng of fans that was singing back in her face in front of the tiny stage. Sporting a little red plastic firefighter's helmet and a white tux from the '70s, drummer Russell Quan – his shaggy hair flying – pounded the skins with what looked like reckless abandon but kept time like a metronome. The booming bass of Danielle Pimm provided the set with a rock-solid foundation, anchoring the crunchy-sweet guitar of Lisa Schenburg, who added a few Chuck Berry licks to her Ramones-style power chord riffs.

Although the crowd had thinned out somewhat by the time the Bobbyteens started at 12:30 a.m. (one of the only drawbacks to Thee Parkside is that it often gets a late start on things, which can be irksome to those who have to go to work early in the morning), heads throughout the house were bobbing up and down during the set, and hands were slapping the bar along with the beat; songs such as "Be My Baby," from the new disc, have such a classic sing-along and dance appeal that it was hard for anybody to keep still. Schenburg sprayed the audience with silly string during a break in the set, and the band raffled off CDs, shirts, and even a bottle of olives to one guy (who tried with no luck to exchange it for a beer at the bar).

While the new CD is good ("Jenny" and "Hot Sweet 'n' Sticky" are standouts), it doesn't really do the band justice; you've got to see them play to know how good they are. The band looked (and more important, sounded) like they were having fun, as did the crowd; everybody flashed drunken smiles and soaked up the party atmosphere.

In addition to Thee Parkside's usual decor–concert posters lining the walls and the requisite dive bar icons such as classic Miller High Life and Pabst signs – white and pink balloons, ribbons, and multicolored streamers were festooned from the walls and ceiling. It could have been a high school dance, except no one got beat up in the bathroom.