Last night was a night of international-quality rocking, and that’s all there is to that. If you missed it, you missed out, and missed out big time.

The first band of the night was mOck, a trio of rockers all the way from Germany. They were finishing up the first leg of their international tour, and it was an absolute treat to have them stop over and play at No Fun.They had a flat tire on the way up, so there was a bit of a delay, but they finally got set up and in position around 10. When the amps came on, though, the sound was spectacular. Their riffs and runs were technical and precise, yet absolutely smooth at the same time, with the bass, drum, guitar outfit absolutely grooving over time changes that other bands tend to turn into hiccups. in the rhythm. These guys didn’t have time for that though. They were out to move a body, and move a body they did.

mOck had brought with them New Jersey-based Rapid Cities. Technical math-rock with interesting vocals over top. Not just any technical math-rock though. These boys knew how to play to a room, with every amp dialed perfectly. The overall sound was absolutely crisp and clean, and the actual performance was top-notch. As if to balance out mOck’s super-smooth time changes, Rapid Cities cut their off-time runs with the familiar hard-edge native to the genre. They were furious, tenacious, and strangely pop-sensible, with a certain common denominator that made their music more accessible than many other bands of the genre. if Rapid Cities makes it through again, make sure you catch them.

Filling out the night was Kalamazoo’s own War Dogs of the Pacific. Loud, fast, rockin’ punk with a message probably. It’s hard to tell with all the loud fast punk going on during a War Dogs set. These guys are a great show, though, with lots of energy and lots of volume. This may have been their last show for a while, though, what with their bassist leaving and all, so if you missed it, know that you may have goofed up pretty hard on this one.

There’s more music to look forward to this week though. Tonight you can catch some (and make some) noise at The Strutt, with noise rockers Boron Nuzzle, Dental Work, Nerfbau, Take Up Serpents, and Vertonen all coming out and rocking it. Then of course it goes without saying, but Russian Circles will be at The Strutt, along with a personal favorite Charles the Osprey out of Grand Rapids, and The Life and Times out of Kansas City. Things are lookin’ good for music here in the Zoo.