Gang of Youths perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 16, 2022. Matthew Medina/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Why beat around the bush? I’ll just say it: Gang of Youths is probably the best all-around rock band on the planet right now.

Their latest record, Angel in Realtime, released in February, is already destined to be on everyone’s year-end best-of lists. It only gets better after you see them play live.

Frontman Dave Le’aupepe and his bandmates from Australia played the Fillmore on Monday night that felt like a Saturday night. The band was airtight, everyone was into it, and they’re all first-rate musicians. Drummer Donnie Borzestowski may be the king of relentless 16th notes.

But Le’aupepe … wow. It’s like someone rolled Elvis and Ann Margaret into the body of an NFL linebacker who is about as uncomfortable on stage as David Lee Roth. He’s moves like a disco bullfighter and is best friends with everyone in the room. Just his voice alone would dominate the room.

Gang of Youths perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 16, 2022.

Then he sits at the piano, makes fun of his size, opens his chest and dumps out every emotion inside in front of hundreds of strangers. He drops multiple F-bombs, threatens to rob people, recognizes fans from previous shows, and hugs the roadie bringing him a guitar.

His presence on Monday was phenomenal. About halfway through the show, a startling analogy became obvious. This band and its dominating frontman from another planet is as uplifting, spiritual, funny, loving and fun as U2 was back when they were destroying everything we thought we knew about the 1980s.

At one point, Le’aupepe got down from the stage to sing with his people from the middle of the floor. He then climbed stairs to sing from a balcony, then did a lap around the upper/side bar before reappearing on stage. I haven’t seen anyone own the Fillmore like that said Prince nearly burned the paint from the walls on Valentine’s Day 2004.

Gang of Youths perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 16, 2022.

Gang of Youths actually started out sounding a little fuzzy, opening with “The Angel of 8th Avenue” with vocals buried in the mix. They played through the bumps, right into “The Man Himself,” during which Le’aupepe hugged a couple bandmates and flung himself around like a flamenco dancer.

The vocals were fine by third song “The Heart is a Muscle,” a driver that has a bit of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” vibe live, especially when the crowd helped by clapping and singing along.

Le’aupepe paid tribute to his family (he said his sister and brother in law were there) when sitting down at the piano for “Brothers,” then wisely let the crowd finish the last set of the songs “la-las” in one of those fading moments leaving you holding your breath.

Gang of Youths perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 16, 2022.

A few songs later, with the band holding down the fort during “Magnolia,” Le’aupepe did his thing on the floor, and the balcony and to the bar and back, before reappearing on stage.

Gang of Youths wrapped up their 90 minutes with new-waveish single “In the Wake of Your Leave,” with another massive crowd singalong at the song’s end, before launching into gorgeous piano and violin ballad “Goal of the Century.” They went out big, sounding like The Who crashing into Sonic Youth on “What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out.” It was a perfect exclamation point to as close to a perfect show as I’ve seen in a long time.

Alaska native and 2019 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner Quinn Christopherson opened the show.

Follow music critic Tony Hicks at Twitter.com/TonyBaloney1967. Follow photographer Matthew Medina at Twitter.com/matts2kool and Instagram.com/matts2kool.