Andrew Veeder on January 7th, 2016

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Tuesday night’s show at the Silverlake Lounge was billed as “Slopo and the Jackers,” with eponymous and vaguely named “The Band (U.K.)” opening, but some knew otherwise. Lo and behold, Slopo and the Jackers turned out to be Ty Segall & The Muggers, playing a warm-up show in advance of headlining the 18th anniversary show at The Smell this Saturday (and two dates at the Teragram Ballroom next week). They kicked off three-month U.S. tour in support of Segall’s new album “Emotional Mugger,” out on Jan. 22 via Drag City.

The incredibly prolific Segall seems to have endless side projects and supergroups across the rock ’n’ roll spectrum, releasing a slew of 7-inches and mini-albums and full-lengths over the past eight years, each with an assorted flavor or variation. This one is no different, with Segall solely singing in this incarnation, which caused him to remark a few songs in, “I’ve never had a microphone stand before … I like it.” His band, The Muggers, is composed of a five-piece garage-rock murderer’s row, including longtime collaborator and bandmate Mikal Cronin on bass, King Tuff on guitar and Corey Hanson on guitar and keys.

Segall came through the crowd to the small stage sporting a mask, and clad in a blue jumpsuit and matching hooded jacket like an acid-wash Canadian tux, explaining, “Slopo couldn’t make it tonight so you got us instead,” before launching into it. The new material with The Muggers felt looser and more playful as they debuted it live, scuzzier than his last album, 2014’s “Manipulator,” but not quite as hard as his heavy rock side project Fuzz. The band all looked like they were having a blast playing in a venue with roughly a 170 capacity and two Peaveys on ceiling chains, with Segall parting the sea between band members to jump 6 feet across the cramped stage to his mic from atop an amp with beer in hand. One song was shouted out “to all the meter maids,” and another was said to have been about their former boss, who “was really uncool to work for,” but all of the nearly dozen and a half songs they tore through absolutely wailed. He donned the mask again for the last song, but it was off again by the second chorus.

The opener, the mysterious “The Band,” turned out to be CFM (despite answering an audience question of their name with, “The Band,” coyly), a four-piece with 2 1/2 long hairs and 3 complete beards fronted by Charles Moothart, who has played in both the Ty Segall Band and Fuzz. They will open for Segall on most of this tour’s stops. Upon beginning, Moothart said, “Welcome to our experiment,” then proceeded to play 11 songs in just over half an hour, closing with a great cover of Motörhead’s “The Watcher,” dedicated to the recently departed Lemmy Kilmister.

||| Live: Ty Segall & The Muggers play the Smell this Saturday with Busdriver, Franky Flowers, French Vanilla, Sex Stains, Very Be Careful; and the Teragram Ballroom on Jan. 15 and 16 with CFM.