In a year that saw its fair share of Springsteen-inspired punk, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists might be one of the few bands that can hold their own in such weighty lineage. If Springsteen mesmerizes tens of thousands as a workhorse of the arena, Leo’s gregarious charisma and sweat-drenched performances are entrenched in the glory of packed, low-lit clubs. Over the course of a marathon 20+ songs at the Black Cat on Thursday, Leo even put on his best Bruce affectation to rally the troops, encouraging them to hold on just a little longer — though the receptive crowd didn’t need any prodding. With his anarcho-inspired t-shirt and faux–faux hawk (words cannot aptly describe his current do), he led the Pharmacists through a career-spanning set that included the standards (“Timorous Me,” “Me and Mia,” “Little Dawn”) but emphasized the forthcoming album, The Brutalist Bricks, to be released on Matador in March.

Leo’s been threatening a punk-centric, Buzzcocks inspired sound for about a year, and the new material makes good on this promise. “The Mighty Sparrow” and “Where Was My Brain?” have been played out for the better part of a year and already feel like staples. A few other new songs deviate even further from type. One of the most exciting was “Cork and Bottle,” a singsong ode to the drink, highlighting Leo’s narrative abilities (a la Squeeze). “One Polaroid a Day,” which saw its TLRX live debut only one night earlier in Philly, still felt shaky. The song’s 70s AM Gold keyboard felt almost as foreign as the cheesy blinking lights accompanying it, Leo grimacing at the impromptu flourish.

Though the District can only partially claim Leo as a native son, his roots to the city, musical or otherwise, are profound. How many other bands rouse Alec MacKaye on stage twice in two years? Or employ Ian MacKaye as an emergency guitar tech when a string breaks?