Gentleman Auction House - High Five, 6/19

The original plan last Thursday night was to see Headlights at Cafe Bourbon St. But because of the ongoing renovations/ownership changes/legal stalemate/whatever at Bobo, the show was moved to the High Five to be combined with Gentleman Auction House, which sounded like a good idea. Then Headlights canceled completely, and I had to decide if it was worth covering only Gentleman Auction House, a band out of St. Louis on Emergency Umbrella Records (also home to local up-and-comer Sinkane).

I decided to go, and in one sense, it probably wasn’t the best call journalistically because the place was mostly empty (apparently word got around quickly that Headlights canceled). But in another sense, it was the exact right call because this band was absolutely terrific, putting on one of the best performances I’ve seen this year. Had I not gone, I never would have known about this fantastic band, and you, dear reader, wouldn’t either.

Gentleman Auction House’s seven members just barely squeezed onto the stage, and judging by their exuberance, you would have thought they were playing to a packed house. The two drummers pounded their simple, propulsive beats in unison as keyboard, guitar, trumpet, xylophone, synth and one more floor tom (for good measure) fell in line around the beat. It was as if the musicians couldn’t contain the energy in the songs and had to let it all out, if not with an instrument than by dancing or flailing. How refreshing to see a band that realizes it’s OK to love what you’re doing and show it.

GAH is best described generally as indie pop, but there’s an insatiable fire behind it. Think of the pop sensibilities of a less-precious Belle and Sebastian, the bombast of Arcade Fire and the eccentricities of Danielson all rolled into one. It could very well be the sound of your new favorite band.

Taking center stage was singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Enger, whose voice is like a thicker, less tortured Conor Oberst. Others joined in on the vocals when a raucous chorus was needed, but ebullient keyboardist Kiley Lewis’s backing contributions were the most complementary and crucial--almost as crucial as her phrenetic, perma-grin dancing. It all got me excited and energized, which is quite a feat for 12:45 on a Thursday night when the headliner canceled.

“ABCDEFGraveyard” kicked off the set, a hand-clap anthem with an irresistible start-stop beat and some cowbell. “The Book of Matches,” also the title of the band’s recently released EP, found most of the band frantically shouting the damn-the-man chorus: “We’re shot like cannonballs off a mountaintop into oceans of our history, and we won’t stay down.” “New Moon” revealed Enger at his most desperate, pleading, “If you don’t think you can love me just be kind with the proof/ ‘Cuz I got a delicate heart and I’m under a new moon.” Uber-intellectual indie rockers take note: It’s OK to wear your heart on your sleeve every now and then.

It’s hard to pick a favorite among the infectious tunes; I just felt privileged to be one of the few in attendance for what felt like a private concert. Gentleman Auction House is supposedly coming back to town before too long, and the band’s full-length, Alphabet Graveyard, hits shelves July 22. I’ll be paying close attention to these guys in the coming months. You should too.

mp3: Gentleman Auction House - The Book of Matches