Iceage @ Yellow Canary Dance Hall

First, imagine a brooding, somewhat reckless Ian Curtis type singing over the raging-yet-melodic hardcore of early Hüsker Dü. Then, imagine a fist crashing into your face — the unbelievably sharp pain mingling with the salty, metallic taste of the blood that's dripping into your mouth. Then, imagine a gang of drunken, boot-clad soccer hooligans rampaging down your street, shouting and throwing rocks through windows and beating up bystanders. Put it all together and you've got Iceage, an upstart quartet of 17-year-olds from Denmark who've managed to flip punk and post-punk upside down and set it on fire like nobody has in quite some time. Anyone who doesn't believe that European kids are generally smarter and have more balls than their American counterparts need only give a listen to Iceage's stunning New Brigade to hear four teens far more musically sophisticated and aware than they have any right to be at this point in life. It's chaos and cacophony expertly wrangled and commanded, sometimes turned anthemic and other times thrown on the ground bloody and mashed. Speaking of which, Iceage shows throughout Europe have become notorious for their ultra-violence, so if that vibe follows the band to our shores during their first U.S. tour, that imagined punch could become a reality.