Since the American press has all but named Division of Laura Lee as the heirs to the throne of Swedish rock currently occupied by the Hives and has been quick to place them in the upper strata of the post-punk canon, the band had much to live up to when they headlined T.T. the Bear’s last Saturday. And as if the hype alone weren’t pressure enough, both opening acts turned in blistering performances. Amherst’s Read Yellow exploded with their own brand of post-punk rawk, and the Burning Brides flooded the club with gritty, sexually charged songs supported by thundering bass and strafing guitars.

The first few Division of Laura Lee tunes were rough, as the band muscled through sound and instrument snafus; then "Truth Is Fucked" and "Trapped In" exploded like sonic smart bombs. But technology wasn’t the only problem. As lead singer Per Stalberg attempted to move his girth about the stage and throw himself into the performance, he became noticeably agitated. "This stage isn’t big enough for our egos," he half joked in stilted English, then added, "This band isn’t big enough for my ego."

Notwithstanding a few more unnecessary but mercifully short monologues from Stalberg — he asked the audience to dance and requested that journalists not write while he was singing — Division of Laura Lee found their footing and made their way through most of last year’s Black City (Epitaph). They hammered out the squalling "We’ve Been Planning This for Years" and "I Need To Get Some" with ease and generated swarms of feedback on the more pensive "Loveless."

The set ended abruptly, but the band quickly returned to deliver what they averred was a rare encore that ended with them blasting through the buzzing chaos of "Wild and Crazy." Then one by one each member dropped his instrument, took his bow, and exited stage right, wrapping up a good performance that didn’t quite live up to the hype.