There's a third name that generally rounds out the holy trinity of great first-wave female-fronted punk bands: The Raincoats. Of course, the narratives of music history are necessarily selective and occasionally downright goofy, so this grouping always leaves out a bunch of other entirely worthy female-led bands (Dolly Mixture, the Mo-dettes, Delta 5, Girlschool, and Essential Logic, to name just a few) and neglects the fact that The Raincoats didn’t sound much like their punk contemporaries (their jaunty, chaotic compositions made them earlypractitioners of post-punk more than anything else). But the gods of punk canonicity have always smiled favorably on The Raincoats. Joe Strummer loved them, John Lydon called them his favorite band of the era, and in the early '90s, independent music's most influential curator ever, Kurt Cobain, introduced them to a whole new generation of fans when he cited the band's 1979 self-titled record as one of his all-time favorites. Cobain's adulation prompted one of those deliciously bizarre major-label flukes that could have only happened in the early '90s: Geffen reissued The Raincoats' entire back catalog. The newly reformed band was preparing to support Nirvana on its next tour right before Cobain's death.

Though The Raincoats had reformed a number of times and released new material as recently as 1996 (Looking in the Shadows), the prevailing sentiment in the crowd before Saturday night's show at Comet was that none of us ever thought we'd see The Raincoats live—let alone in D.C., let alone in the back room of a ping-pong-and-pizza joint where a child's birthday party had wrapped up not half an hour before, let alone in a space so wonderfully and unbelievably small. On the occasion of their 1981 album Odyshape's rerelease, the band booked just six September shows in North America, which made the fact that they'd landed at Comet seem that much more serendipitous. There's been a certain inevitability to most of the reunion shows that have rolled through town recently, but everything about this one felt a little bit surreal.

And it was an entire bill fit for a special occasion. The crowd was treated to a rare live performance from Ian Svenonius's meta-band Felt Letters, who found time between their slinky grooves to perform skits in which they casually communed with the spirits of Buddy Holly and John Bonham. Svenonius asked the spirits to channel any great songs they happened to have through Felt Letters, and I believe it was Bonham who offered up a song he'd written called "600,000 Bands." Truly an anthem for these times: "Everybody wants you to listen to [their band]/But you can't right now because you're listening to this."

Up next was the San Francisco three-piece Grass Widow, who play surf-rock-inspired post-punk songs that sound like they've become lost in a hall of mirrors. Full of tumbling drums, spring-wound riffs, and off-kilter harmonies, their set was comprised of new material, cuts from their first two EPs, and a terrifically shimmery Neo Boys cover. The whole thing seemed surreal to them too: They said some variation of "We can't believe we're here opening for the Raincoats" between more or less every one of their songs.

Then out came The Raincoats, opening with a lively, pitch-perfect rendition of "No Side to Fall In." Save for the seat behind the band's drum kit, which has always been a revolving door, it was the 1978 1994 lineup: co-vocalists Ana da Silva and Gina Birch, along with multi-instrumentalist Vicky Aspinall Anne Wood, whose offbeat violin playing made the band stand out among its post-punk peers. Though there was some occasional dead time between songs, the performance was forceful and full of that kinetic energy that animates all of their records. The average Raincoats song is alive with a bunch of disparate elements—teetering, wobbling, and careening so wildly that the moments when they all come together almost feel like happy accidents.

Da Silva wrote most of the band's biggest hits and most immediate hooks: "Fairytale in the Supermarket," "Shouting Out Loud," "No Looking," "The Void" (reportedly the personal favorite of Kurt and Courtney both)—all of which made it onto Saturday’s set list. But it was Birch—whose songs are more challenging on the records—who cut an even more compelling live presence. For me, the highlight of the night was a run of two newer songs Birch sang mid-set: First, “Feminist Song,” an anthem about the delicate balance of being both angry and happy; its chorus asserts with weary pride, “The city made me this way.” Next came the searing, emotionally direct Shadows cut “Babydog,” which opens with Birch singing the line, “I thought I’d have a baby/But my body said no.” She gets a dog instead, and spends the rest of the song yelling about her love for the creature with equal parts exuberance and pathos. It was an arresting performance, drawing both cheers and tears from people around me.

This wasn't nostalgia, exactly. Not a band trying to recapture note-for-note the youthful spirit of their heyday, but a performance that embraced maturity and bravely articulated the struggles that come with it—and a crowd actively engaged in everything these women had to say. The Raincoats have stood for a lot of things over the years, and you got the sense on Saturday night that they were still working them out right there before us, very much alive.

Is pre-post-rock a thing? Because, if it is, D.C. instrumental champs Tone have got it down. The band began in 1991, well before the Explosions In The Sky-style soundtrack-rock that rose to fame in the late '90s and early aughts. Twenty years in, Tone has now played shows with many of the bands it predated. A strange honor, no doubt. Tonight, celebrate two decades of wordless, sonic exploration at 9 p.m. at the Black Cat. With Savage Republic and Caspian. $15. (Ryan Little)

MUSIC

It's a pretty ridiculous music weekend. Some picks:

Friday: The Haters headline at Pyramid Atlantic for Sonic Circuits, and their performance involves an amplified suitcase (also with Les Rhinocéros, Valentina Vuksic, Miguel A. Garcia, Elena Aitzkoa, Infant Factory, and Rind; 8:30 p.m.; $12). You can work out your chillwave schadenfreude at Rock & Roll Hotel, where Neon Indian and Com Truise are sharing a bill (10 p.m.; sold out). After all these years, Darkest Hour is still channeling melodic Swedish death metal; see the local quintet do it tonight at DC9 (6 p.m.; $10).Lupe Fiasco and Wale are at Merriweather, and Marcus J. Moore says this: "Lupe Fiasco has been noticeably quiet since he called President Obama a terrorist. Meanwhile, DMV native Wale made noise with his recent mixtapeThe Eleven One Eleven Theory...Given the lineup, this show promises to be anything but subtle." That one's at 5:30 p.m.; tickets $36-$60.

Saturday: Legendary post-punkers The Raincoats perform at Comet Ping Pong on the occasion of their Odyshape reissue; 10:30 p.m. and $10. As part of Sonic Circuits, Anthony Pirog of local duo Janel + Anthony is directing a performance of Terry Riley's important minimalist work In C, featuring a ton of cool experimental musicians (free at 5 p.m. at Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring). Mos Def and Talib Kweli are at The Fillmore; 8 p.m. And there's a great We Are Family benefit at La Casa in Mount Pleasant featuring Tereu Tereu, noon:30, and Imperial China; 7 p.m. and $5-$10 donation.

Sunday: Local skuzz monsters The Shirks are at the Black Cat (8 p.m.; $10).

FESTIVALS

H Street Festival on Saturday has a pretty good music lineup. Also, I'll be hanging out at the City Paper booth from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Say hi!

THEATER

According to WCP''s critics, there is a lot of good stuff on stages right now, including: The Boy Detective Fails! The Heir Apparent! The Habit of Art! Much Ado About Nothing, riot grrrl edition! Stop Kiss! See them all this weekend and I'll give you a prize.

Felt Letters' sole release on M'Lady's Records was the January 2010 single "600,000 Bands." But earlier this summer, the band, which also includes Tom Bunnell and Fugazi's Brendan Canty, uploaded several tracks to the YouTube page of Chain and the Gang, the most public of Svenonius' current bands. A Felt Letters show is a rare sight, but with tracks like "600,000 Bands," "Who U Lookin' At (Like That)?" and "Island Life," the band is also Svenonius at his most philosophical and mysterious.

The Raincoats perform with Felt Letters and Grass Widow at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. $20. Tickets here.

There are some killer new arrivals over at Red Onion Records and Books. First off, there's the reissue on vinyl (!) of the Raincoats' classic debut album. The store has also got in new pressings from Folkways, the new Atlas Sound LP (pictured) as well as Cedric Brooks, Albert Ayler, Arthur Russell, Sun Ra, Wilco, and a killer soul-funk comp.

Used vinyl list after the jump.

rock:

neil young: self-titled

neil young: decade

allman brothers: at the fillmore

allman brothers: beginnings

black sabbath: self-titled

rolling stones: flowers

beach boys: surfs up

beach boys: wild honey/20/20 (2LP)

beach boys: summer days...

the beatles: rubber soul

the beatles: let it be

the beatles: love songs (2LP with book)

the beatles: in the beginning

the beatles: rarities

jefferson airplane: takes off (later pressing)

jefferson airplane: surrealistic pillow (later pressing)

dr. john: night tripper

glencoe: spirit of

grand funk railroad: live album (2LP, german pressing)

lou reed: take no prisoners (2LP, live)

bruce springsteen: born to run/the river/born in the usa/greetings from asbury park

rory gallagher: tattoo

family: fearless

family: music in a dolls house

family: entertainment (uk)

the paupers: ellis island (amazing cheap psych album)

leonard cohen: death of a ladies man

chris farlowe: greatest hits (uk, rolling stones related)

dusty springfield: a brand new me

dusty springfield: cameo

dusty springfield: see all her faces (uk)

lesley gore: girl talk

the byrds: untitled

the band: the last waltz

the doors: self-titled (gold label, vg+)

pink floyd: nice pair (piper at the gates of dawn)

pink floyd: atom heart mother

pink floyd: ummagumma

king crimson: discipline/beat/in the court of the crimson king/three of a perfect pair/red/lizard

del shannon: one thousand six hundred...

joni mitchell: blue

various artists: not so quiet on the eastern front (2LP, with inner sleeve and book)

various artists: rat music for rat people

various artists: eastern front

various artists: permanent wave

black flag: everything went black (2LP, first pressing with band's name airbrushed)

whipping boy: the sound of no hands clapping (rare 1st LP by CA band produced by klaus flouride)

faith: subject to change

jawbreaker: bivouac

shudder to think: get your goat

halfoff: the truth

meat puppets: huevos

bad manners: klass

the smiths: strangeways here we come

let's active: every dog has his day

new model army: ghost of cain

the clash: this is radio clash 12:

the clash: self-titled (us)

the clash: sandinista

the clash: give em' enough rope

depeche mode: broken frame

depeche mode: black celebration

depeche mode: catching up...

kraftwerk: trans-europe express

kraftwerk: autobahn

the specials: more specials

the specials: ghost town 12"

devo: are you experienced 12"

devo: freedom of choice

dead end kids: breakout (with poster!)

cocteau twins: blue bell knoll

cocteau twins: treasure

sex pistols: never mind the bollocks...

blondie: tide is high 12" (german)

specimen: batastrophe

redd kross: neurotica

the replacements: i will dare 12"

the replacements: let it be

the replacements: hootenanny

new york dolls: self-titled

alan vega: saturn strip

insect surfers: sonar safari (local new wave)

calculated x: self-titled (private press new wave)

julee cruise: floating into the night (produced by angelo badlamenti and david lynch)

au pairs: playing with a different sex

rem: dead letter office/green/fables of the reconstruction/document

talking heads: and she was 12"/remain in light/speaking in tongues/naked/little creatures

the police: syncronicity/regatta de blanc/outlandos d'amour

janes addiction: nothings shocking

grateful dead: in the dark

grateful dead: workingman's dead

george harrison: cloud nine

neil young: hawks & doves

blues image: open

sunkilmoon: tiny cities (mark kozelek doing modest mouse)

elvis costello: secret, profane & sugarcane

ryan adams & the cardinals: cardinology

jazz:

billie holiday: broadcast vol. 3 (esp)

jelly roll morton: 1938/1940

david matthews & whirlwind: shoogie wanna boogie

paul humphrey/shelly manne/willie bobo/louie bellson: drum session

gabor szabo: macho

lenny white: venusian summer

k. & j.j.: israel

ramsey lewis: funky serenity/upendo ni pamoja (2LP)

charles kynard: your mama don't dance (mainstream)

larry willis: inner crisis

richard groove holmes: six million dollar man

jimmy smith: black smith

junior mance: touch of

jack mcduff: fourth dimension

ray bryant: in the cut

mike longo: awakening (mainstream)

richard groove holmes: american pie

richard groove holmes: onsaya joy

pete yellin: dance of allegra (mainstream)

night blooming jazzmen: freedom jazz dance (mainstream)

george duke: save the country

eric kloss: essence

lonnie smith: mama wailer

johnny hammond smith: what's going on

funk/soul:

mandre: m3000

free movement: i've found someone

soul children: best of two worlds

purifys: pure sound of...

smokey robinson & miracles: anthology (3LP)

4 tops: best of (2LP)

jackie wilson: story (2LP)

solaris: self-titled

marz: make it right

marvin gaye: what's going on (later pressing)

marvin gaye: here my dear

various artists: lost soul vol. 1

black ivory: baby, won't you...

smokey robinson & miracle: one dozen roses

4 tops: nature planned it

mary wells: greatest hits

peggy scott & jo jo benson: lover's heaven

little anthony & the imperials: on a new street

esquires: get on up and get away

timmy thomas: why can't we live together

isley brothers: very best of (early tracks)

gloria lynne: dynamite!

big j: in 3-D

michael jackson: thriller

michael jackson: off the wall