The charro-suited motley crew Mariachi El Bronx evolved as a side project for Los Angeles-based hard core punk outfit The Bronx.

But judging by this performance their blend of Mexican tunes and a West Coast sensibility is likely to become the main attraction.

Frontman Matt Caughthran's face bore the evidence of more than a few bar room brawls and he prowled the stage with a pugilist's gait, encouraging the raucous crowd to bellow their appreciation - which they duly did.

Whether the arrangement demanded the swaying waltz of a son jalisciense, an infectious polka, or a pop/cumbia blend from Baja California, the band's drummer Jorma Vik and guitarists Joby Ford and Ken Horne had it nailed.

Guitarron player Vincent Hildago provided the band's core sound while Rebecca Schappich on violin and Brad Magers and Keith Douglas on trumpets stacked up the thirds and sixths in harmonies that evoked long days in the desert and lonely nights in borderline flophouses.

Up tempo numbers such as Right Between The Eyes and New Beat generated a pulsing atmosphere in the room but the band showed it was also capable of a subtle lyricism with slower songs like Poverty King and Revolution Girl.