Scary Kids Scaring Kids are a lot less scary than they want us to believe. Over the years, the Phoenix hardcore band filtered their myriad influences until they arrived at a sound that finds a surprising amount of balance. While they certainly follow the harsher, more throat-shredding tributaries of the post-hardcore flood, they do so with a buoyant sense of melody and an emotional songwriting sensibility. On their most recent, self-titled 2007 album, steady drums provide a floor for a twin-guitar attack that switches between nimble, videogame-metal lead lines and crunchy riffing, creating a rhythmic/melodic structure that dips its toes in punk, proto-metal heavy rock and pop. Singer Tyson Stevens manages to give Scary Kids’ songs both an epic and intimate feel, partially through a judicious use of strident crooning mixed with just enough screaming to retain some street cred. Keyboard undercurrents unite the two halves of the band, offering a consistent soft-focus burnish, even when the rest of the group is veering off into crunching, screaming mayhem. This is your last chance to catch Scary Kids’ multifaceted agro-melodic attack, since the band is breaking up after this tour. The Sleeping and Affiance open for them at 6:30 p.m. at Peabody’s (2045 E. 21st St., 216.776.9999). Tickets: $12 advance, $15 day of show. — Nicholas Hall
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