Mon. Feb. 5

 The Dwarves - originally from Chicago and now, we think, based in San Francisco - were one of the hardest and nastiest of the Sub Pop bands that followed in Nirvana's wake. They also became the most notorious when they issued a press release stating their guitarist He Who Cannot Be Named - yes, that was his "name" - had died; He Who was very much not dead, and Sub Pop was not amused. You don't muck around with death notices, you know, as shock jocks Opie and Anthony found out when they said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had perished in Florida a few years back. (It turned out OK for O & A; they have a big-time gig on satellite radio and they're also on WBCN.) It all has turned out OK for the Dwarves, too. They disbanded for a time, but came back a couple of times, their latest CD being the coyly titled, "The Dwarves Must Die," released in 2004. It featured naked blood women and midgets on the cover. Tasteful bunch, these Dwarves. An earlier album was called, "Free Cocaine," which made us remember the old band Free Beer. My, how times have changed. (By the way, do not confuse them with the pop genius band from Down Under the Tall Dwarfs.) Now, these Dwarves may mess around with sacrilege and carnage, but they have a knack for melding grunge, metal and punk into a bludgeoning, but oddly melodious, slab of rock. We're not sure who is in the current lineup but singer Blag Dahlia (in photo) has been a mainstay forever, so we expect at least him. And we expect there will be a certain amount of mayhem and outrage alongside some crunchy rock 'n' roll. They headline the Middle East Upstairs Monday Feb. 5. Show starts at 9 p.m., with Noble Rot, followed by Turbo A.C.s. Tickets: $12.
472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 mideastclub.com