Australia's Killing Heidi Makes Grinding L.A. Debut

In Australia at the moment, "huge teen pop act" is more likely to mean not dancing Britney, but Killing Heidi. Led by 17-year-old singer-songwriter Ella Hooper and her 19-year-old brother, guitarist-songwriter Jesse, the thrashy rock quartet made its L.A. debut at the Roxy on Wednesday.

The 45-minute set featured the dreadlocked siblings and their longhaired rhythm section performing their three Top 5 Aussie singles and other tunes from their debut album, "Reflector," due for a September U.S. release. The music blended driving rock and punk with smidgens of blues and reggae, at times recalling erstwhile Down Under teen sensation Silverchair in its tendency toward grinding, Seattle-style drama and prog-rock tempo changes.

This kinship was underscored by the Hoopers' spare, acoustic rendition of Silverchair's "Tomorrow," a low-key interlude that allowed the maturity and power of Ella's earthy voice to shine as brightly as her confident, playful stage manner.

Many of the group's own works lacked strong melodies, relying instead on an ebb and flow that was often intense, but not always engaging. Still, such anthem-like numbers as "Superman/Supergirl" got by on their sing-song charm.

The most fetching tunes were even more straightforward, such as the exuberant "Mascara," which could have been a '60s pop song but for a hard-edged crunch that might well appeal to American fans of such aggro-pop bands as Blink-182.