POP REVIEW : Soup Dragons Douses Its Early Fire

It just wasn’t meant to be the Soup Dragons’ night. Shortly into the Scottish act’s set Thursday at the Palace, the sound system blew, forcing a halt to the performance for nearly half an hour while it was repaired.

The band had just delivered its opening punch, a 20-minute explosion of smoke, different colored flashing lights, shimmying backup singers, psychedelic slides and almost unbearable volume. But, by the time the show resumed, the audience’s stunned approval brought on by the opening blow had blown over and fans expected to see and hear some substance.

Opening act Catherine Wheel would have had to have come back on stage for that. The British newcomers started the evening with a powerful display of carefully disciplined harmonies and ferocious feedback, exemplified by the enthralling eight-minute opus “Black Metallic” and the undulating “Texture.”

The Soup Dragons, robbed early on of their momentum, had little hope of matching that intensity or appeal. Of course, to judge from the Soups’ new album, “Hotwired,” the band wouldn’t have had much chance of that even if the sound system had proved as reliable as the mailman.

Like Primal Scream, another overly popular British act, the Dragons attempt to blend soul with psychedelia but are hampered by a weak lead singer and, perhaps as a result, a heavy reliance on flash. Style can substitute for substance sometimes, but, by the end of the day, it’s not nearly enough to keep your attention.