Marlon Pitter
Connector Editor

The Palladium in Worcester did not have to look far for its Jan. 10 acts. Among the five bands to perform, the night featured two local bands with loyal followings and superb lead guitarists, USA!USA!USA! and the Organ Beats, led on vocals by Waltham natives Frank Pino and Noelle Leblanc, respectively.

Fairgrounds, an emo-indie band from Syracuse, N.Y., opened up the show with an intense 30-minute performance.

Absence of a crowd early on led to the vocalist jokingly blaming the frigid weather for the lack of early concertgoers. He did not spare an opportunity to let everyone know that their music could be found on Bandcamp.

There was enough pop-punk to go around when Summit from Lowell, Mass. took the stage. With a style reminiscent of the likes of Alkaline Trio and the Bouncing Souls, the energized group used their allotted half-hour to impress the fans as more people started to arrive.

Samsara, the middle act of the night, further diversified the palette of the Palladium’s show. As a guitar and drum duo, their performance somewhat calmed the atmosphere that was sparked by Summit’s performance. That change of pace seemed to be the calm before the storm, before the Palladium would be taken over by the Organ Beats and USA!USA!USA!.

Looking free and ready to do what they love, the Organ Beats were more than ready to bring their latest hits to the stage. Coming off their second album, “Goldenheart,” released in Oct. 2012, and with one in the works for 2014, playing songs from that record came off naturally for the indie rock quartet from Waltham. At least five of the eight songs the group performed were from “Goldenheart,” including “Living Without You” and “Last Goodbye.”

The Organ Beats also managed to chip in some hits from their first album, “Sleep When We Are Dead,” including “The Chilly Breeze of May” and “Happy Birthday/Come on Home.”

Vocalist Noelle Leblanc’s vocal performance showed that she hasn’t lost a step since leaving Damone in 2008. Her singing was just as impressive, if not better than during her time with her former major-label band. Her voice and the Organ Beats’ style complemented each other and went hand in hand.

Leblanc has always had great guitarists play alongside her, from Dave Pino to Michael Woods. The Organ Beats’ current lead guitarist was no different, ripping lead riffs and solos like nobody’s business. Bassist Mike Coulocoris and his four-string thumped out a groove worthy of foot tapping, while staying on point with Danny Leblanc and his drum beats.

Finally, the heartthrobs known as USA!USA!USA! put on a show to remember. Frank Pino’s vocals, appearance and persona again complemented his band’s style. Singing feel good rock ‘n’ roll songs about girls came easily to Pino.

In addition, guitarist Ken Susi tapped out mind-blowing solos while playing “Michelle,” “Christine” and an astounding cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” He usually does the same for a metalcore band named Unearth from Wakefield, Mass.

All of the bands that performed on the 10th were noteworthy, but none more than USA!USA!USA! and the Organ Beats. Maybe MEISA will get them to perform in our own Fox Common on a Thursday night.