With each style of music comes its own style of fans. Those who attend a heavy metal show are likely to have a different appearance than those attending a classical music concert. Last Friday at the Webster Theater in Hartford, the ska-punk band Less Than Jake, as well as opening acts from various styles of punk, played to a packed house of identifiably punk fans. Band t-shirts, chain wallets, and crazy hairdos filled the crowd (my personal favorite was a man sporting a Mohawk with a checkerboard pattern on the sides of his head).

Less Than Jake is a member of the newest wave of ska, often called as ska punk due to its fusion of earlier ska music (the first wave of reggae-like ska in Jamaica and the second wave of two-tone ska in Europe) and the punk music of the ’90s. The band is from Gainesville, Florida, which is alluded to in the name of their newest full album “GNV FLA.” The band has toured with many other members of the ska-punk genre such as Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Might Bosstones, and Mustard Plug.

After a parade of high school ska and punk bands played on the smaller stage, the main event started on the large stage, which provided a space for skanking (a dance common at ska shows which involves bringing your elbow and opposite knee together in a running pattern), moshing, and all other concert festivities. While waiting for the show, a group of middle schoolers even started a game of Duck Duck Goose.

The first to come up on the stage was local band Make Do and Mend, a group that, while a little too heavy for my taste, were musically talented and did an excellent job at getting the crowd riled up. The second band was punk group Off With Their Heads, a band whose well-polished sound brought about the first mosh pit of the night. People were ready to rock, and rock they did. While most of the night’s bruises and soreness came from Less Than Jake, Off With Their Heads’ set certainly was a contributor. The last opener was The Supervillians, an excellent reggae group with various punk breaks within their songs. The four-part group often plays with a horn section, but they did not at this particular venue. As opposed to the earlier groups, a large number of the crowd seemed to know The Supervillains, as people began singing along with their songs. Their tight reggae groove, humorous lyrics, and light stage presence gave a nice break from the punk openers and was a great set to listen to.

Finally, at 10:30 p.m., the moment that everyone had gathered for finally arrived. As a banner was hoisted, the members of Less Than Jake took the stage. The usual line-up was present (Chris Demakes on guitar and vocals, Roger Manganelli on bass, Vinnie Fiorello on drums, Buddy Schaub on trombone, and Peter Wasilewski on saxophone) as well as a special guest, trombonist Chris Rhodes of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Less Than Jake’s set consisted of 13 songs (nine plus four as an encore), ranging from their first full album to their latest EP, a collection of 16 TV show themes/radio jingles. Some of the highlights of the night were Less Than Jake fan favorite “All My Best Friends are Metalheads,” songs from “Animaniacs” and “Spongebob Squarepants” (yes a ska version of “Spongebob Squarepants”) and the closing number of their encore, the classic “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts.”

Almost as incredible as the show on stage was the atmosphere in the pit. People were ready to mosh and skank their hearts out. Although slightly dangerous due to the copious amounts of drunk fans in the crowd, the pit was an incredible experience of fan fervor, dancing till you sweat your body weight, and pure love of music. The incredible thing about ska fans is that they appreciate more than just typical rock instruments. They love the addition of horns to the mix, and I love them for it.

Less Than Jake’s performance was only matched by their stage presence. A hilarious group of guys with a twisted sense of humor, bits between songs were unpredictable and funny. At one point in the show one of the members noticed a girl yawning in the crowd, yanked her on stage and had her do jumping jacks during the next song. This show was truly evidence that ska did not die in the 90s and that there is still love for such a unique genre of music. As sung in “Too Many Ska Horns,” a College Humor Video, “Ska’s forever, it’ll never die.”