CMJ live: Frankie and the Heartstrings @ Littlefield

I was back in Brooklyn last night, and I caught this charming quintet at Littlefield. This was their first show outside of the U.K., their frontman said — they're from Sunderland, which also gave the world Sting! But that's neither here nor there.

These kids were a lot of fun. The music was very 1980s punk, and owed a definite debt to the Clash. The songs were mostly about girls — girls they wanted, girls they lost, girls they chucked — and the singer, playing the role of feckless Romeo, strut and danced in the area in front of the stage, singing his little face off.

The band's energy was contageous, and by the end of the set, everyone was dancing. It wasn't the most original act in the world, but it was good fun.