Despite acres of heat-absorbing pavement, The Wild Rose’s beer garden was the place to be for music and Pride on Saturday. Their lineup, which included Hell’s Bells, Thee Oh No’s, Heavy Hearts, New Bloods, Coconut Coolouts, and Leslie and the Lys, highlighted the delicate tension between act and music, camp entertainment and instrumentals, and the difficulty of providing both without one eclipsing the other.

The evening shows kicked off with Hell’s Belles, whose frenetic tribute to AC/DC was as skillful as it was rockin’. Jamie Nova and Adrian Conner were especially notable, channeling Angus Young, Bon Scott and Brian Johnson respectively.

Thee Oh No’s channeled more energy into their act than their music, though both were entertaining. While keyboard player Moto Oh No and drummer King Sunny Oh No wore jail masks, guitarist Drain Oh No wore a cartoon-style female mask and polka-dot skirt. Techno beats boomed from their Mac, and base-pedals synced perfectly with their keyboard making for a very danceable set. Their costumes, Mario Brothers-themed segueways, and a brief stint with a man stripping and dancing in his jock strap overpowered the music as the focal point of their set.

The Heavy Hearts weighed in much more on the musical side. Classically punk, with not one, but two excellent bassists, namely Slice Kraft and Denise Maupin, soaring (and surprisingly melodic) vocals by Maupin and enough fast-paced drum and guitar solos to make the Ramones proud, their most notable attribute was an intuitive give-and-take style. Rather than facing the crowd they faced each other, sang into their guitars for resonance, and syncopated base and guitar parts, playing them to each other in lightning-quick, slightly-off time.

New Bloods were all music and little act as well. Their lilting violin and upbeat drum balanced Celtic and rock genres artfully.

Coconut Coolouts attempted an act-based show, with “Amazing Barnanas” on the base dressed as a banana. They didn’t do anything with this, though. Their full party-punk sound was danceable and upbeat, with simple riffs and repeated chords.

Leslie and the Ly’s, the final act of the night, were able to combine comedy with musical talent. Kitsch abounded, with gold and purple leotards and tights, permed beehive hairdos, and Leslie Hall’s trademark: jem sweaters. But she was not just about her accessories. Her hip-hop was both creative and catchy, and her dance moves and facial expressions were testament to the amount of energy she put into every dance move and lyric.

“I bequeath thee this gem sweater,” Hall preached to a newly-gemmed audience member after christening her wardrobe. When theatrical flare and music are this entertaining, there’s no threat of one outdoing the other.