The smoke swirled in the lights overhead, and the crowd erupted as 2 Skinnee J’s made its way on the stage. A techno beat pumped through the speakers; the stage was set, but there was one thing missing at this May 4 performance: the underground hip-hop rockers Special J and J Guevara.

Moments later, they walked up the stairs leading to the stage of the Bottleneck clad in spacemen suits. The techno beat grew louder as the other instruments came in. Then, at the peak, they ripped off the spacesuits, drawing even more emotion from the crowd.

The energy flowing from these musicians, who are sometimes compared to the Beastie Boys, was incredible. They wasted no time between songs from their previous releases, Supermercado and Volumizer, and their upcoming work, Sexy Karate. Not one person in this packed, dark, musky venue was standing still, especially during “Seven-One-Eight.”

Every song pulled the crowd in further; fans jumped and threw their arms up and down with the beat, yelling the words back to the band, even singing the duets with this group from Brooklyn, N.Y. It was an unforgettable show from 2 Skinnee J’s.

— Journal-World Teen Advisory Board members Charlie Naramore and Marshall Rake are ninth-graders at Central Junior High School.