Mission of Burma appeared reinvigorated during a spectacular run of shows opening for the Pixies — on the first night of their Tsongas Arena engagment, Roger Miller was playing with enough gusto to break a few strings, and Clint Conley’s grin was at least as wide as Kim Deal’s later in the evening. (More than a few spectators left Tsongas Arena declaring they’d blown the headliners off the stage.) Now, to kick off the new year, Burma are headlining a few select gigs of their own. The closest one is next Thursday, January 13, at the Iron Horse (413-584-0610) in Northampton, with Allston’s Black Helicopter.

A newer generation of Boston punk hits the road this week as well. Defcon 4 brought back Black Flag–ish menace last year with a couple of songs on a split with Crash and Burn as well as a standout track on Rodent Popsicle’s exhaustive two-CD/60-band Boston punk sampler. Tonight (January 6), they help Allston Brighton Free Radio (1630 AM, broadcasting from Brighton Avenue) pay off its transmitter with a benefit show at O’Brien’s (617-782-6245). Out Cold and Shot Dead are also on the bill. Then on Sunday, Defcon 4 join Dorchester’s Bloodstains, just back from a week-long tour of the mid Atlantic, at AS220 (401-831-9327) in Providence.

For last year’s Get Saved (Arena Rock Recording Company), Brooklyn’s Pilot to Gunner hooked up with J. Robbins, who brought their latent Jawbox-ish tendencies to the fore. On Wednesday, the band hit AS220; next Thursday (January 13), they’re at T.T. the Bear’s Place (617-492-BEAR) in Cambridge, both gigs with Hero Pattern and the Milwaukees.

The acerbic Austin band We Can Cut You play a brand of aggro-psychedelia that has its roots in Scratch Acid, Butthole Surfers, and Birthday Party but jerks like an electrocuted Six Finger Satellite. They’re at Bar (203-495-8924) in New Haven on Sunday.

Old-school Long Island hardcore bruisers Kill Your Idols just issued a split single with 7 Seconds, and they have a new album, From Companionship to Competition, due out on SideOneDummy later this month. They’re at Flywheel (413-527-9800) in Easthampton on Saturday. And Hawthorne Heights, the latest group to emerge from the 21st-century Victory Records emo-pop gold mine (or is that assembly line?), are at the Call (401-751-2255) in Providence next Thursday (January 13) and at Higher Ground (802-654-8888) in Winooski, Vermont, on January 15.