On Sunday night, the Atlanta-based pop-punk act Cartel rolled into Columbus’ Newport Music Hall. On a night that was characterized by poor sound, pop-rock and sub-par performances, the crowd still walked out into the frigid temperatures satisfied when it was all done.

The opening band was Permanent Me, a rock act from New York who did little to pump up the crowd. Their songs lacked any hooks to make the music memorable and the members lacked any intensity and stage presence that would motivate fans to get into their music.

The next group was Boys Like Girls, from Boston. A band that prides itself on being poppy and having fun certainly did everything they could to get the crowd riled up for the show. Beginning their set with the strangely catchy “Five Minutes to Midnight,” front man Martin Johnson had the crowd in the palm of his hand for the entirety of their set.

Though the band played victim to a horrible sound technician, they still powered through and were very exciting. Drummer John Keefe thrashed behind the drum set as Johnson serenaded the waiting crowd with tracks from their self-titled debut. These guys were incredibly impressive and are undoubtedly headed for big things.

Before Cartel could take the stage, the crowd was subjected to the mediocre techno-pop group Cobra Starship, created by the brain child Gabe Saporta. Some people might remember Saporta from his time as the singer for the pop-punk group Midtown.

With song titles such as “Being From New Jersey Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry” and “Send My Love to the Dancefloor, I’ll See You in Hell (Hey Mister DJ),” it is difficult to tell whether Cobra is a joke band or if they are trying to be serious.

The song banter was littered with drug references, and lead vocalist Saporta told the crowd numerous times how much he loved them. While this made the actual show somewhat amusing, the music itself was nothing special, and the songs were pretty ridiculous.

“This song is about loving someone so much that you don’t want to share them with the world,” Saporta said. “So you lock them up in your basement forever.”

Aside from Saporta, the rest of the band lacked any real energy and were a pale comparison to the band that was on stage before them. Overall, Cobra Starship played an entertaining show, but the music was bland.

Finally, Cartel took the stage; however, almost immediately, one could tell the group was a little off that night.

Opening up with just lead vocalist Will Pugh singing the opening line of “Say Anything (Else),” the first track on the band’s latest album, “Chroma,” Pugh’s voice sounded worn out and sore before the set had begun.

It was the vocals that were the real downfall of the group throughout the night. Instead of dazzling the audience with the brilliant vocal melodies that are heard on “Chroma,” Pugh took the easy way out with a lot of his vocal parts by going lower instead of exploring his high vocal range. This really took away from the band’s performance. Pugh would also not hold out some of the notes, instead, breaking away from the microphone as his voice strained. This appeared to really upset him as the night went on. Back-up vocalist and new bassist Jeff Lett was even worse. There were points where his vocal harmonies were so painfully off that it hurt to listen to.

Vocals aside, the group did a great job playing their instruments. Drummer Kevin Sanders played with so much passion that it is a wonder that his drums did not explode. While lead guitarist Joseph Pepper stole the show with his stunning guitar work.

The band blew through many of the crowd’s favorites including “Burn This City,” “Minstrel’s Prayer” and the epic “Q&A.” They also included two new songs and a stellar cover of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” in the set. “Wonderwall” was probably Pugh’s best sounding song vocally. He didn’t try to be Liam Gallagher from Oasis as he sang it. It sounded very natural, which is very refreshing to hear from a cover.

After a short break, the band came back on stage for an encore that commenced with their smash hit, “Honestly,” which sparked a frenzy of activity throughout the entire venue.

The concert was average for a band that has so much more potential to put on a great show. It just goes to show that even amazing musicianship can not overshadow an off-night from a band’s lead vocalist, especially one who is as important to his band as Pugh.

Alex Drumm can be reached at [email protected].