Give Kelley Deal a heap of credit: Despite being a mediocre guitar player, a less successful songwriter than twin sister Kim and a recovering addict, she manages to turn life's negatives into funny, manic concerts (and studio work, for that matter) that spotlight her all-too-human wounds.

\\Only a handful of die-hards slogged through a muggy D.C. night to hear the controversy-dogged "Other Deal," but sparse attendance didn't bother her four-piece band. Starting with the noisy snare-drum intro of "Total War," a new song from her second album, "Boom! Boom! Boom!" (due out Aug. 26), Kelley jammed, warbled, shrieked, chatted, laughed and smoked through an hour-plus set as though the band were just screwing around in a friend's basement.

\\Amidst the jangle of Deal's untrained lead, Marty Nedich's heavy bass, and Nick Hook's frenzied drumming (fourth bandmate Todd Mund's steady rhythm guitar is consistent if not flamboyant), gritty hooks popped from each number, most notably on "How About Hero," "Trixie Delicious" and the new "Shag." Deal's real talent -- and make no mistake, she has gobs of it -- is making the impromptu sound completely natural. After tearing through a set of originals (not a true Breeders song to be found), the group peaked with two show-closing covers: Olivia Newton-John's "A Little More Love" and the obvious follow-up, Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." Neither sounded much different from the other -- both were rough and charmingly accidental -- but they ripped through the near-empty club with a Deal-like recklessness.

\\In an opening set, the Los Angeles-based Radar Bros. proved they have a perfect symbiotic relationship with the Kelley Deal 6000: They sublimely numb senses soon to be shattered. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer/engineer Jim Putnam, the Radar Bros. were hardly as captivating as the 6000's raucous rock -- to many of the nuances on their self-titled debut were lost in their buzzing live performance. But with lullaby arrangements reminiscent of really depressed Radiohead and pure, lush vocals that sound eerily like -- gasp -- the Alan Parsons Project, the trio created an atmospheric whir that never gave way to colorless drone. There was also plenty of emotion there -- the open remorse of "Wise Mistake of You" was honestly touching,