(Photos by Daniel Kielman)

After being forced to cancel their previous engagement at Rickshaw Stop, Perfect Pussy graced San Francisco with a delayed return last night, co-headlining a U.S. tour with Potty Mouth. Local bands Wild Moth and Crabapple rounded out the bill, bringing an end to the holiday weekend. Crabapple was the mellowest set of the night, opening with an enjoyable set of California pop.

SF post-puck quartet Wild Moth, who had filled in the headlining spot for the partially cancelled March show, performed highlights from their Over, Again debut in addition to new material. While the band seemed a little looser last night compared to their previous headlining set, the occasionally intense band served as an appropriate segue between Crabapple’s relatively gentle set and Perfect Pussy’s refreshingly raucous performance.

While Perfect Pussy’s band name may still be turning a few heads, it has become apparent that vocalist/lyricist Meredith Graves’ stage presence is the true driving force behind the band’s hype and appeal. The silver-haired front-woman maintained a friendly demeanor throughout the set, while belting out passionate, albeit indecipherable lyrics and constantly gesturing with her hands and eyes.

After starting their set with a blown out recording of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the band ripped through fast and loud songs from their Captured Tracks debut, Say Yes To Love as Graves worked the packed crowd. Lucky for Potty Mouth, Perfect Pussy appeared to have made it through their noisy set without accidentally destroying any sound equipment. So technically speaking, this is the best set I’ve seen from the fast-rising Syracuse act.

The ladies of Potty Mouth brought the noise levels back down to accessible levels during their San Francisco debut last night, performing more pop-punk oriented songs from their Hell Bent LP. Despite the safer sound, only half of the crowd stuck around for Potty Mouth’s headlining set. Rhythm guitarist, lead vocalist Abby led the band in stark contrast to Graves’ short-haired, high-energy stage presence. While Potty Mouth was clearly the less exciting live act, their music did not disappoint.

With Perfect Pussy’s memorable live act shining so vibrantly against their fellow performers, I wouldn’t expect the hype to die down anytime soon.