MAN WITHOUT WAX

>>> Friday, Nov. 25

In a manner similar to fellow bombastic locals Roman Holiday, Man Without Wax sounds perfectly radio-ready, a band just lying around, waiting for someone to discover them and throw them on the modern rock station. They've captured the sound of bands like Kings of Leon and even groups from the Glasgow scene (Frightened Rabbit, Glasvegas) - bands that revel in drama, and never shy from shooting for the rafters. These are songs meant to be sung along to, passionately, by crowds of strangers. Man Without Wax approach the tropes of arena-rock with supreme confidence, playing those chiming guitars and dropping the bottom out of the chorus with aplomb and a certain sense that they've discovered new countries of sound. That this is well-trod ground makes it no less effective. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[Hell's Kitchen, with True Holland, Absence of Grace, Moon Juice, 6 p.m., $5 advance, $7, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

THE DUSTY 45s

>>> Saturday, Nov. 26

The moment you tour as the great Wanda Jackson's backing band, as the Dusty 45s recently did, I'd say all bets are off. That's a lifetime of argument-ending, "Oh yeah, well, we were Wanda Jackson's backing band," moments. As a band in their own right, the Dusty 45s produce mostly faithful approximations of classic country, blues rock and honky-tonk, with a kind of rollicking flair that helps iron out any initial hesitance one may have regarding sincerity or credentials (and hey, pal, they were Wanda f***ing Jackon's backing band). Lead singer Billy Joe Huels' voice has a very pleasant quality about it, something reminiscent of the crooning vocalists who dabbled in Latin-flavored pop in the early '60s (think "Take a Letter Maria"). It's a potent combination. - Rev. AM

[The Royal Lounge, 7 p.m., $10, 311 Capitol Way, Olympia, 360.705.0760]

PARIS SPLEEN

>>> Saturday, Nov. 26

For years, Paris Spleen was a fixture in the Tacoma music scene, and its members were part of the local music collective, Team Unicorn. The band's music was dance-punk, with a lyrical flair that tended to bend toward the overtly sexual - They may be the first and last Tacoma band to utilize the phrase, "I just can't wait to get up in your thighs." On Halloween 2009 Paris Spleen played an epic "farewell show." Since that time the band has ended up not quite breaking up, but taking longer and longer hiatuses between performances. Saturday night will showcase Paris Spleen's return, in support of the band's recently unearthed debut LP, The Gesture. In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I booked this show. But in the interest of honesty, I'd be writing about it even if I hadn't. - Rev. AM

[The New Frontier Lounge, with I Will Keep Your Ghost, You Are Plural, N. Dybevik, 9 p.m., $7, 301 E. 25^th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

SCOUT NIBLETT

>>> Wednesday, Nov. 30

Scout Niblett, originally hailing from England, manages to wring more tremulous menace out of her guitar than seems quite possible. A singer/songwriter with a taste for the ominous, Niblett has a way of making songs that straddle the line between intimate and violently standoffish. The moment her vocals lull you into a feeling of personal connection, a guitar stab crashes in to create a separation. Echoes of Nirvana and the Beatles run through Niblett's music, which tends toward the minimal. Rarely are more than a guitar and drums featured, and this starkness transforms the music into a sort of void, open, waiting to be fallen into. - Rev. AM

[Capitol Theater, with the Curious Mystery, Chris Brokaw, 8 p.m., $8, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, 360.754.6670]

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound