LA’s FIDLAR ripped through most of their new self-titled album at Amoeba Hollywood Jan. 24 with hardly a pause for breath.

From the outset, when they broke into the four-chord, “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone”-style stomp of “Stoked and Broke,” things were loud, loud, loud. That continued through the next couple of songs on their album, the breakneck-speed “White on White” and quirky surf riffery of “No Waves.” It was a shame that you could hear barely a word of vocals from the band and its two singers, Zac Caper and Elvis Kuehn, whose true-to-life detailing of being in your mid-20s, in a band, without a proper job and getting drunk every night is a big part of FIDLAR’s appeal. Musically, though, the band never faltered, inducing trance with the looped opening notes of “Whore” before smashing through the song’s nasty, Sabbathy punk rock. Things came through loud-and-clear enough for the band’s shout along chorus to closer “Cheap Beer,” echoed by the sizable audience: “I! Drink! Cheap! Beer! So! What! Fuck! You!”

The show was a perfect example of FIDLAR’s ethos (“Fuck it Dawg, Life’s a Risk,” is what their name stands for). They don’t play the volume they should. They don’t wait to make sure their vocals are loud enough or fuss with the sound guy. They just play. And the kids went wild.

British songstress Jessie Ware emerged dressed down, looking like Stevie Nicks in a black ensemble and hoop earrings, Jan. 22 at Amoeba Hollywood. It’s only worth mentioning as it coincided with the difference between her live show, raw and organic, and her more digital records, on the covers of which she appears glossy and glammed up.

Ware, known as kind of the hipster Sade, began with “Devotion,” the title track to her Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, which will see a physical release in the U.S. later this year. Her voice sounded quiet against her band’s booming basslines, but by the set’s second song, the title track to her EP, “If You’re Never Gonna Move,” everything locked into place as she began loosening up, and tried to loosen up the audience too, who laughed when she called out their serious faces. “Sweet Talk,” which appears on both the album and EP, sounded lush and bassy as her four-piece created an approximation of the recordings, with one guy handling both guitars and keys. Her voice sounded incredible on “Sweet Talk” as well as “What You Won’t Do for Love,” a cover of the Bobby Caldwell quiet storm classic.

Ware’s voice and manner grew more confident over the course of the show, with each subsequent song, like “Wildest Moments,” sounding better than the last. She hurriedly introduced her band and gushed about playing with The Roots on “Jimmy Fallon,” pulling the audience in with endearing gratitude for her success. The show demonstrated how Ware is still developing as a central performer (she rose to prominence guesting on tracks by Joker and SBTRKT) and learning how to work a stage, but her voice was impeccable, reserving her belting for a spine-tingling finish in “Running.”

Amoeba Hollywood is hosting the cast of the stage show Backbeat direct from London Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m for a performance and CD signing. You can also win tickets through Amoeba to the show, which is running now through March 1 at the Ahmanson Theatre. Enter to win a pair of tickets for the Feb. 7 show here. You can buy tickets as well at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/RINGO or call  213.972.4400 and mention code RINGO — special pricing runs through Feb. 3.

The show tells the story of The Beatles before they were famous, when there were five members (even before Ringo was a member) and they were five working-class lads from the docks of Liverpool, playing seedy nightclubs while honing their epic new sound. The London press loves the show, calling it “edgy and cool” in the Sunday Express. The hit show is written by Iain Softley and Stephen Jeffreys and directed by five-time Tony award nominee David Leveaux.

The show features renditions of Beatles songs such as “Twist and Shout,” “Love Me Do,” “Long Tall Sally,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Rock and Roll Music” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” Sample two songs from Backbeat below.

Montage: Love Me Do, PS I Love You, Twist and Shout by Center Theatre Group
Long Tall Sally by Center Theatre Group

The line wove down the block to see Yo La Tengo at Amoeba Hollywood Jan. 17, on the heels of their 13th album release, Fade. Ripping chords and solos greeted the full house, which may have not expected such noise, given Fade's somber feel. But this is typical of Yo La Tengo, who read an episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants" and covered songs by The Urinals the last time they were in L.A. Yo La Tengo mixed a couple of rougher cuts with Fade's mellower songs like the rolicking lo-fi of "Is That Enough?" A hush fell over the entire store during acoustic country ballad "I'll Be Around" and its extended atmospheric passage. "Ohm" found the trio singing in unison to the song's wandering melody and insistent thump. Lead singer/guitarist Ira Kaplan went apeshit on the guitar and returned to singing with the others nonchalantlly while still whammying away in the show's most thrilling moment. The band plays Amoeba SF Saturday Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. See more photos from the Hollywood performance here.

FIDLAR's long-awaited debut album is a Pabst-soaked party record with strong songwriting anchoring its punk attitude. Pulling from hardcore, surf rock and pop-punk, and with the immediacy of The Clash's first record, the foursome, made up of singer/guitarist Zac Carper, Brandon Schwartzel (bass), and brothers Elvis Kuehn (guitar) and Max Kuehn (drums), sing about being young and dumb and getting fucked up. But all the funny lyrics in the world wouldn't mean a thing if the songs themselves didn't captivate you, and they do, across FIDLAR's 14 tracks. There's nary a hint of cynical sneer, and though they play with sloppy punk abandon, their hooks are tight as a six-pack ring. FIDLAR sing about who they are and what they do, whether that's waking, baking, skating in mechanical hedonism or reflecting that said young hedonism can "kind of suck."

The band has been selling its debut record at shows for some time now, but it's officially out in stores Jan. 22. FIDLAR is playing Amoeba SF Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. and Amoeba Hollywood Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. They're also playing a release show at LA Fort Jan. 22 with Pangea, Meat Market and Spaceships. I caught up with Carper as the band was set to play SF. WARNING: This will be a bit NSFW (Not Suitable for Wussies). There's poop involved.

PST: Fidlar has some of the best song titles in recent memory (such as “Cheap Beer,” “Stoked and Broke”). Do those usually come first before the lyrics and sort of guide them, or do you guys kind of joke and throw stuff around to see what sticks once the songs are written?

Carper: It kinda matters. Sometimes the title will just pop out and we’ll think of a chorus with the lyrics and base it around that. Sometimes we’ll jam it out and think of a topic to sing about. I remember with cheap beer, I said “I dunno, I just wanna write a song that says I drink cheap beer so what fuck you,” and someone said “why don’t we just yell that?” Sometimes we’ll just hear someone talking and say something funny and we’ll use that. It’s all a collaborative process and super fuckin’ fun.