Tommy Lee Tears Into New Sound With Mayhem

Tommy Lee has left the ‘80s behind. At the El Rey Theatre on Wednesday, his new band Methods of Mayhem made music that was frenetic, funky, loud and aggressively contemporary, virtually casting aside Lee’s longtime career as the drummer of L.A.’s old metal heroes Motley Crue.

Standing at center stage with a guitar on the first of the group’s two nights at the El Rey, Lee chopped out tight, urgent riffs. He was a surprisingly dynamic, excited frontman, and unafraid to share the spotlight with his band. The sound was part metal, part funk, with sudden pop flourishes, all riding a hard, relentless beat from former Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins. Even amid the storm of energy and noise, many of the songs were dramatic and melodic.

Adding much to the energy level was the rapping of co-vocalist TiLo, who paced a stage crowded with band members (including a DJ) and the occasional appearance of guests such as Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, who was joined by a couple of strippers.

“I’m so . . . surprised,” Lee declared early on. “This is my hometown and you don’t have your clothes off yet!”

That situation didn’t last long, as several members of an audience heavily weighted with rockers and half-naked women soon demonstrated. Just because Lee has left the music of Motley Crue behind doesn’t mean the man has changed his habits.