PHOTOS BY SHAWNA ADAMS

After a brief hiatus from the stage, Detroit garage rockers the Von Bondies made their long-awaited return to NYC's Mercury Lounge Friday evening (Sept. 7) for what was their first show in nearly three years. And the hour-long performance can most easily be summed up by the gigantic whites of singer/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer's eyes -- and man, does he have some crazy ones!

After a brawling guitar-driven set from Massachusetts-bred openers the Charms, the Von Bondies blasted a packed house of an eclectic group of onlookers -- half crushing each other with the excitement of being privy to new material by the band, and the other half with drunkenness -- barreling through several garage-pop driven tunes from their sophomore long-player, Pawn Shoppe Heart, before revealing the new goods from their forthcoming follow up, Love, Hate, and Then There's You. Along with the new members -- guitarist Alicia Gbur, guitarist Matt Lannoo and bassist Leann Banks -- came the introduction of new tunes such as "21st Birthday," and "Pale Bride," taking their usual dirty glam-punk inspired chant-alongs into a surf rock bonanza -- highlighted by some Danzig-style wailing flying from Stollsteimer's ever-gaping mouth. By the end of the show, Stollsteimer's eyes were covered by the sweaty heaviness of his bangs, but the echoes of a heavy bass drum reverberating off the sweat-soaked walls spoke for him. Love 'em or hate 'em, Stollsteimer's Von Bondies are back. 

We asked: What did you think of the sound of the new songs you heard tonight in comparison to the Von Bondies' previous studio effort, Pawn Shoppe Heart?

Name: Krysten Brown
Age: 26
Hometown: Flint, MI
Occupation: Graphic designer
"They're different -- more pop rock, but still good. They're fun. I like 'em!"

Name: Andrew
Age: 24
Hometown: Michigan
Occupation: Graphic designer
"The new songs had a faster, poppier sound -- more like surf rock, than garage rock, like the Beach Boys on speed. I thought it was cool."

Name: Tom
Age: 35
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Occupation: Law enforcement
"They're good -- they match up with the old ones, but the backing vocals are less dissonant. The new girls' vocals were pretty off, but they seemed to be adapting well."

Name: Larry
Age: 35
Hometown: The Philippines
Occupation: Turn-around artist
"The new songs were more poppy, and less dark than the old ones, more Dinosaur Jr.-ish. I thought they showed more diversity in Jason's songwriting."

Name: Kaci Head
Age: 24
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Student
"I liked it. I didn't think it was that much different than their previous stuff. It was good, but not so different that it didn't sound like the Von Bondies anymore."

Name: Mark Nigro
Age: 34
Hometown: Boston, MA
Occupation: Bass player in the Charms
"What I heard tonight, I really dug. Apparently they have a new lineup, and I thought the songs sounded great!"

Bassist Leann Banks / Photo by Shawna Adams

Frontman Jason Stollsteimer / Photo by Shawna Adams

Guitarist Alicia Gbur / Photo by Shawna Adams

Opening act the Charms / Photo by Shawna Adams