SPARKS – The Alley, a concert venue and bar on Victorian Avenue in Sparks, has been in business for more than a year now and continues to feature a wide range of acts on its stage.

I’ve admittedly only been to a few concerts at The Alley in recent months, but the few have been phenomenal.

On Tuesday, I saw a couple of local bands, Pinky Polanski and Melvin Makes Machineguns, play The Alley with Another Damn Disappointment, Pascal Briggs and headliner US Bombs.

Of course, because I had to be to work the next morning, I was unable to stay for the entire show, but did get to see the local boys perform.

Pinky Polanski, which is composed of musicians Felix Polanski, Bruce Gonyea, John Mendicino and Evan Humphreys, opened the show with their own special blend of what Polanski calls “angry rock ‘n’ roll.”

For those who haven’t heard Pinky Polanski before, their music is aggressive rock, yet easy to listen to. It’s a high-energy band that plays mostly original songs which are brought to life by Polanski’s distinct vocal style.

The Alley stage is located at the back of the building, which allows for guests of all ages to attend many shows because partitions can be set up to keep underage attendees out of the bar area. Guests at Tuesday’s concert ranged in age from about 5 to 55, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Getting the dance party started as Pinky opened with “Feels Good,” was boy with a mohawk (I’m guessing he was around 5 years old), who was performing what appeared to be his own flavor of break dancing. I was impressed that the boy’s parents had equipped their son with heavy-duty hearing protection for the show and that other attendees were watching out for his well-being as he rocked out on the dance floor.

Melvin Makes Machineguns, a group I have seen on a couple of occasions at The Alley, never disappoints me. In June, the band participated in a Ramones cover competition at The Alley, in which I had the pleasure of sitting in on the judging panel. Out of the almost 20 bands that played, Melvin Makes Machineguns was one of my favorites.

Sparks-based Melvin Makes Machineguns plays progressive punk rock, meaning punk rock infused with a variety of other musical styles. Group members include Travis Kruger (guitar and backup vocals), Melvin Wood (lead guitar), Daren Murdoch (vocals), Ben Woolman (bass) and Dave Masud (drums).

Pinky Polanski will perform at 8 p.m. today at the Knitting Factory alongside Alice, Alice, Dirt Communion and Seasons of Insanity in a benefit concert for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

At the conclusion of that show, Pinky will head down the street to Shea’s Tavern to play alongside Beer Can and the Liverscars during Shea’s 20th anniversary party.