Goldfinger Serves Up Tight Punk-Ska Mix

The endless wave of punk-pop revivalists is like an army of minutemen, cranking out 60-second tunes about girls, rock, rules and the like. It’s not exactly revelatory at this point, but such new bands as Goldfinger have at least found some freshness in a genre that was well-established by the end of the ‘70s.

At the Troubadour on Monday, Goldfinger didn’t blaze any new creative trails. Instead, the Los Angeles quartet was content to fire up its anthemic punk-ska blend into a tight, upbeat package, heavy on the tough little pop hooks.

If the band’s best-known song, the KROQ staple “Here in Your Bedroom,” seems to follow the Green Day pop model, it’s at least a good, natural fit, played with the seething confidence of a much older band. Yet Goldfinger’s hourlong set came most alive when the group was joined by two horn players for a too-brief dose of heavy ska.

Goldfinger’s fondness for odd medleys (from Duran Duran’s “Rio” to drummer Darrin Pfeiffer’s ridiculous, a cappella version of Oasis’ “Wonderwall”) added to a playful vibe that began when singer-guitarist John Feldman taunted the room for being too quiet: “Is this a school night or something?”

Feldman’s answer was another stage dive into the mosh pit--just part of Goldfinger’s quest to bring some of its own thundering energy into a crowded pop genre.