Kevin Bronson on November 7th, 2013

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By Britt Witt

No matter how often you remind yourself that Desparecidos is not Bright Eyes, the sheer intensity of Conor Oberst’s political punk project is gripping.

The five members of the Omaha band started their show Monday at the Fonda Theatre huddled around the drum kit with their fists in the air as monitors blared choruses of Stan Bush: “You’ve got the touch / You’ve got the power.” Then Desaparecidos jumped into their set with “The Left is Right.” Amid Oberst’s spit mists and guitarist Denver Dalley’s hair flips, the distorted riffs and thundering drums were stupefying. Onlookers cocked their gazes to stage right, where Oberst – so used to being a center of things in his folk-rock band – had posted himself for the evening.

• Photos by David Benjamin

Desaparecidos, who have now released three singles since reuniting after a 10-year hiatus, is a different beast. Oberst’s pointed vocals come off more acerbic in a punk setting, and he plays ferocious well. He meticulously ground on his guitar, pausing to amplify his lyrics with hand gestures, and occasionally spun to and from the drums as if the power of the music could not allow his body to be still.

“Backsell” began with the snide anecdote, “This song is about how there’s no music left in the music industry.” While each member of Desparecidos has stand-out characteristics, drummer Matt Baum soared above the rest in his relentless wallops, double-bass illusions and seated antics, like yelling to the crowd from his kit.

The audience finally began to lose their stiffness during 2001’s “Happiest Place On Earth,” which introduced by a Mickey Mouse soundbite mocking politics. By the fifth song the band had fully engaged each other and the audience, while simultaneously shredding their instruments.

Given how poetic and long-winded Oberst can be, it was no surprise that he introduced each song with anything from a short comment to a full explanation to bring his audience up to speed. While revealing that “Financial Planning” is “about saving every penny you’ve got,” he also comically noted, “I don’t have to do that because I’m filthy rich but I have empathy for you guys.” But his serious political bent was laid bare in the vicious punk-rock song “MariKKKopa” – inspired by controversial Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his (mis)treatment of undocumented immigrants.

Between all the banter, the five-piece proved to be quite the post-hardcore instrumentalists. Their raw and energetic power riffs emphasized the lyrical proclamations of social injustice, secrets and overall governmental malpractice. While keyboardist Ian McElroy was busy keeping up the carnival-like havoc, Baum and bassist Landon Hedges kept the tempo at blood-pumping levels.

During the encore, they covered the Clash’s “Spanish Bombs.” Instead of leaving the song to speak for itself, Oberst pontificated on current civil rights-threatening laws and the spiral of despair he sees in the U.S. In introducing “Anonymous,” he encouraged everyone to hack as much information as possible from the government and expose its shady behavior regardless of the likelihood that “leftist Obama” will throw you in jail.

Just before ending with 2002’s “Hole in One,” Dalley thanked the five “other” members of the band, including their sound engineer and manager, concluding, “This is the last night on the tour for us and we couldn’t be happier ending it in L.A.” Over the 90 minutes, Desparecidos mustered a fury no other Oberst project can touch – passion and politics, all wrapped up in punk rock.

Young L.A. hardcore band Joyce Manor opened the night with its own brand of message-laden punk.