Leaving the Ways, the third release from L.A.’s street fighting men The Briggs, is six sinewy chunks of straight-ahead Oi! punk carved from the same hunk o’ flesh that feeds the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. Of course, Class of ’77 Brit punkers like Cock Sparrer and Cockney Rejects were cutting up this beast almost three decades ago, but the meal hasn’t gone bad yet, as The Briggs clearly show here – the four-piece (whittled down to a threesome for this record, with producer and Mighty Mighty Bosstone Joe Gittleman handling bass duties) deliver the roar and the clang while firing up the denim-clad crowd with lusty soccer-chant choruses. Standouts are the opener, “One Shot Down,” which should get hearts beating beneath even the crustiest old-school punker’s hide; the triphammer hardcore stomp of “All On Me”; and “Top 40,” which puts aside the barroom beat in favor of a more straight-ahead, almost pop-punk melody. It’s almost enough to raise an eyebrow, until you see that the fellas are tweaking the medium to make their point. Smart, these guys. They’re probably on tour for the rest of their natural lives, so check em out if you can, and hoist a few in their direction.