Apparently there's a no wave revival going on in the city. I haven't witnessed it, I've only heard people say as much. I've also heard that Brooklyn is full of bands inspired by Gang of Four. It's good to know, at least, that people who weren't even born in 1978 are playing tight, energetic punk instead of the weak Clash rip-offs of the '90s (or more accurately Stiff Little Fingers and 999 rip-offs), and that there are at least some groups around making up their own sounds rather than worrying about how everyone else sounds, and knowing their instruments just well enough to play their parts.

Guitarist Jennifer Rogers kept the homefire burning for their slot opening for oughtta-be-legends The Ex, hitting Ricky Wilson riffs over their tight, tribal rumble. Bassist Miyuki Furtado fanned the flame and struck boy-rock poses as good as anyone, boy or girl, all in front of Laura Rogers' heavy, steady beats. And the songs didn't all sound the same, which matters.

The Ex sets came with hope and apprehension, following their first false step (2001's Dizzy Spells) and the loss of bassist Luc. His replacement, in the form of an upright bassist, only added pause. While they've worked plenty with acoustic instrumentalists, they've always retained the hard churn of the basic unit. A double bass might threaten the electric core of the group.

The loss of Luc and addition of bassist Rozemarie inspired the group to write all new material, and inspired material at that. Rozemarie's heavy. Especially when she takes out the bow, she keeps up well with Andy and Terre's guitars. She doesn't sound like Luc, and doesn't sound like Tom Cora, the late cellist and improvisor with whom they recorded in the early '90s. If anything, Rozemarie most resembles John Cale in the Velvet Underground, her noisy bowed lines always solid but not up front. Her walking lines when she wasn't playing arco were sometimes lost in the mix, but for the most part she was provided a strong new voice. The group seemed to be working a different energy with the new member, more ebb and flow and less of the building chug of their last few tours.

It was also the first US tour in a while without a new record to support, although the new material suggests a disc is in the works. Vocalist G.W. Sok spoke many of the songs as opposed to his earnest two-note melodies; some of the songs were reminiscent of their great double album Joggers and Smoggers - the 1988 album that featured the band playing with Dutch improvisors Ab Baars, Wolter Wierbos and Wilf Plum and Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore - but with better action scenes.

All new material, of course, means no more favorites, particularly "Frenzy" from 1998's Starters Alternators. But this is a band that's always moving forward, as they showed with their encore (as if more was needed), a song they'd learned from Konono, a band they met while playing in the Republic of Congo. Next year the smart, adversarial punks celebrate 25 years in existence, and with no end in sight.