Darkness falls on the stage, and a pulsating techno beat begins to play loudly. As the lights slowly come up, one could see Ted Leo and his band, the Pharmacists, taking the stage to Daft Punk's "Human After All."
Leo, who gained some fame for his D.C.-based punk revival band Chisel in the '90s, is always well-received in the District. TL/rx, as they are known to fans, played the Tavern on AU's campus last semester. On his tour last spring, the show at the Black Cat, which Leo recently called his favorite venue on music rag Pitchforkmedia, sold out before any of the other tour stops. This year, D.C. was the second stop on the new tour when the band quickly sold out the 9:30 club.
The band put on its instruments and struck a few chords. The crowd was more than ready, but the band didn't start until 10 o'clock. Leo was wearing a bright yellow University of the District of Columbia jacket.
"You deserve your proper representation on Capitol Hill," Leo said. "So don't give up that fight, Washington, D.C.
Leo's music is strong indie rock, with influences from all over the board including punk, reggae and Celtic. The band has a simple setup consisting of Dave Lerner on bass, Chris Wilson on drums, James Canty on guitar (younger brother of Brendan Canty of Fugazi fame) and Leo with lead vocals and often lead guitar. Since this is the same formation that the band records and performs with, shows tend to sound uncannily similar to the band's albums. Unlike groups that spend months manipulating sound in the studio, Leo and the Pharmacists uses a comparatively straightforward approach.
Leo and his band moved quickly through the hour-and-a-half set, equally mixing new songs off the fifth and most recent album, "Living With the Living," and previous recordings. Songs like "Me and Mia" and "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" were met with loud applause, but fans were still receptive to intense new songs like "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb."
As a songwriter, Leo is infamous for weaving political content into his work. Because "Living for the Living" is the band's third album since the start of the current war in Iraq, Leo continues look for new metaphors and angles to communicate opposition to the conflict. In "Army Bound," one of the first songs of the night, Leo sings about how he perceives the hopelessness that can potentially drive one to military service in this country. And he does it with a great guitar riff.
The concert was something between a listening party for the new album, a Ted Leo sing-along and a dance party. Above all, Ted Leo is one of the heroes of indie rock. He's sincere and very good at his craft. He's not overly concerned with fashion and seems like he's actually a nice guy, which is pretty refreshing and enjoyable. Leo ended with an encore of "Timorous Me," "Walking to Do" and a cover of Chumbawumba's "Rappaport's Testament: I Never Gave Up."
NPR recorded the show as part of its Live Concert Series in conjunction with the show "All Songs Considered" and posted it on its Web site. Both a 15-minute interview with Ted Leo and the whole concert are available for download in MP3 format at www.npr.org/allsongs.
