Kevin Bronson on May 1st, 2015

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Seminal rockers Sleater-Kinney returned as intense as ever Thursday, playing the first of back-to-back nights at the Hollywood Palladium and blazing through 90 minutes that included seven songs from their new album “No Cities to Love.” That album, released to much deserved acclaim in January, marked the first in 10 years from the trio of Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss yet both in message and medium it found the trio at the height of their powers. The power and relevance of their new material make this reunion less a nostalgia trip than others — although, yes, long-timers obviously loved hearing the likes of “Ironclad,” “Entertain,” “Words and Guitar,” “One More Hour” and, of course, “Dig Me Out.” The trio kept the energy high and the banter to a minimum, packing in 21 songs that included an encore that finished with “Modern Girl” (interesting choice). “It’s been a few years since we played L.A.,” Brownstein sold the crowd. “Thanks for coming.” And prior to playing “No Cities to Love,” she commented that “the next song is not about L.A.”

Body/Head, the noise-rock project of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Bill Nace, preceded Sleater-Kinney, following an opening set by Brownstein’s “Portlandia” cohort Fred Armisen performing as Ian Rubbish.

Photos by David Benjamin

Sleater-Kinney setlist: Price Tag, Fangless, Turn It On, What’s Mine Is Yours, Oh!, Surface Envy, No Anthems, Rollercoaster, Ironclad, Bury Our Friends, No Cities to Love, The Fox, Start Together, A New Wave, One Beat, Words and Guitar, Entertain, Jumpers. Encore: One More Hour, Dig Me Out, Modern Girl

||| Live: Sleater-Kinney plays again tonight at the Palladium.