On Friday, Soda Bar was packed to the brim with indie-loving hipsters who danced with their hearts full. This year’s San Diego Music Thing brought Born Ruffians and three openers to the small venue located between City Heights and North Park.

Opening for Born Ruffians were My Goodness (a two piece from Seattle, WA), James Supercave (a pretentious band from LA), and Young Rival (the Ontario, Canada band touring with Born Ruffians).

My Goodness blasted bluesy rock with a passion rarely seen by a first opener. They were energetic and actually quite good. James Supercave, on the other hand, took about 30 minutes to set up and then put everyone to sleep with their music. Dressed all in sequins, Young Rival woke the people that had fallen asleep with a mixture of rock and mellow indie.

During Born Ruffians’ set, lead singer Luke Lalonde wore a tucked-in white shirt and looked like he had just toured the entire United States before coming to San Diego. Singing in his off-key-yet-endearing style, Lalonde gave the people at Soda Bar everything he had. Born Ruffians played every hit they could muster and the audience ate it up. They sang along, danced, and were happy even when the world that day looked like it would crumble.

Born Ruffians are a band from Toronto, Canada and have five albums, their newest being this year’s Ruff. The group is composed of Lalonde on lead guitar plus a passionate bassist, a mellow keyboardist, and the most dedicated and focused drummer ever seen. They are heralded as an indie-rock band and are mostly known for their earlier stuff, including the songs “Hummingbird” and “Little Garcon.”

That night in the Soda Bar, the energy was frenetic as Born Ruffians played. The place reverberated with the sounds of a band that knew what it was doing and did it well. Most likely, in the morning after the show, the lyrics of Born Ruffians pumped through the veins of those patrons of the Soda Bar.