Ted Leo and the Pharmacists dish up catchy pop-riffs at the Jackpot

Many a performer has been described as “a tough act to follow.” Ted Leo and the Pharmacists dared the Jackpot crowd to top their set in Lawrence last night.

“We’ll see how fuckin’ tough you are when karaoke comes out next,” Leo said to the crowd. (One would hope most of the crowd was there to see the D.C. punk-pop bashers, and not for the impending karaoke night.) It was an “early show,” but the gang didn’t let the indignity of being followed by a bunch of drunks belting out “Summer Love” get to them. After asking to let the house music — Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” — play out, Leo and his aforementioned Pharmacists ripped into a set loaded with falsetto yelps, driving, catchy riffs and tunes from their decade-plus of output.