Headstones front man Hugh Dillon has been expanding his horizons lately, starring in feature films (Hard Core Logo) and auditioning for Hollywood types (Quentin Tarantino).

But if last night's Ex performance was any indication, don't expect the cranky, sneering singer to give up his day (well, night) job just yet.

Dillon strutted, spat and growled his way through an hour and a half of noisy punk tunes, big rock songs and just enough audience banter to elicit squeals from the assembled masses.

"You have impeccable taste in music," he said, right off the top, and later thanked them with, "You've done an exceptional job as an audience."

He even made reference to his moonlighting, telling his fans they'd been filmed and would have to sign waivers on the way out: "You'll love it if Quentin Tarantino calls you up."

Although the fringes of the crowd were ever-changing at the free concert -- stuffed-toy-toting families of four came and went and the odd septuagenarian poked his head in -- the teenaged core transformed the whole Civic Centre floor into a seething mosh pit.

The band -- Dillon, bassist and birthday-boy Tim White, guitarist Trent Carr and drummer Dale Harrison -- ripped through a set of songs from all three Headstones albums, Picture Of Health, Teeth And Tissue and Smile And Wave, including standards It's All Over , And, and Smile And Wave -- and cheesy covers of such oldies as Low Rider.

Without the microphone-twirling (he wrecked two of three), bottle-tossing and other rock-star stage antics, Dillon's death-and despair-ridden lyrics would be simply depressing.

Take the first bit of Burning, which he delivered in his trademark roar: "She's disconnected/ She can't connect/ She'll kick a chair away/ With a rope around her neck."

But the singer just seemed to be having too much fun to take words like this too seriously.

And so were his moshing mates, many of whom were high-fived by their rock hero after surfing to the front.

Macabre fun, maybe, but it certainly makes for good theatre.

The highlight of the night was the Headstones' current single, Cubically Contained.

White and Carr slowed down their relentless guitar-bashing as Dillon belted out a lament for his "creepy little thoughts," stretching his vocal range more than usual: "I've set a dozen twelve-step traps/ But they've slid by every one/ I never catch the little bastards/ I really do wish they'd own up."

Good thing they don't, or else Dillon would be all out of material.

Glueleg warmed up the crowd with an ear-drum-splitting set of tunes ranging from Rage Against The Machine-style rap-rants to heavy metal wails -- all for a remarkably attentive and pumped-up crowd.

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5