POP MUSIC REVIEW : A Coming-Out Party for Revamped Bronskis

The lineup and the name have shrunk, but the Bronski Beat goes on.

Formerly a trio emphasizing a homosexual identity and a techno-pop sound, the Bronskis (as it is now called) are a duo emphasizing more or less the same things. Nearly all of the Bronskis’ instrumentals were prerecorded Thursday night at Club Postnuclear in Laguna Beach, so keyboard player Steve Bronski’s main contribution was providing a familiar label on the marquee for a new act that has yet to release a record.

Consequently, the show was essentially a coming-out party for singer Jonathan Hellyer, and the campily charismatic newcomer made it a memorable one. Hellyer played to the hilt the role of a comically effeminate but sharp-witted gay. Maybe Hellyer’s joking was intended to distance himself from Jimmy Somerville, the original Bronski Beat singer (now with the Communards) who was the focus of serious and passionate assertions of gay self-esteem on the band’s debut album, “The Age of Consent.” It would have been nice if Hellyer could have gone beyond acting out a stereotype.

Still, Hellyer was likably witty, chatty and brash--a nonstop, natural ham who had no trouble keeping things lively during repeated delays due to mishaps with the canned-music machinery. More than that, he demonstrated exceptional singing. Where Somerville’s falsetto wailing can grow tiresome, Hellyer brought control and suppleness to his equally high vocal leaps.

It’s impossible to get a reliable fix on the duo’s musical direction from the 50-minute set’s two promising new songs (a plaintive romantic ballad and a funny disco workout). But with Hellyer’s combination of voice and showmanship, the Bronskis’ brief preview tour has served its purpose: It will be interesting to hear what happens next.