Hometown hurrah

OFFICE and the 1900s celebrate with a high-energy show for their Chicago crowd

By Amy Formanski
Published: December 23rd, 2007 | 10:37pm

December 21, 2007, in Chicago — Both the 1900s and OFFICE started their sets at the Metro by saying it was good to be home in Chicago, the last stop on OFFICE's tour. While all four bands did Chicago proud (The Narrator and Mannequin Men also were on the bill), the 1900s stole the show. During their brilliant set, the band brought the dreamy, psychedelic tracks from their October 2007 release Cold & Kind (Parasol) to life. Most of the audience's indie hipsters passively bobbed their heads and drank their beer, while some hardcore fans livened up the atmosphere on the balcony. While vocalists Caroline Donovan and Jeanine O'Toole crooned "The Medium Way," a young couple danced a slow waltz upstairs near the bar, which is something I've never seen at the dozens of shows I've attended at Metro. Surely these kids have danced to the 1900s in their living room many times.

The band's music makes the perfect soundtrack for young lovebirds, with its sunny harmonies, gorgeous strings, and boy/girl vocals. Their music sounds innocent and pure, almost like a cheerier version of Belle and Sebastian or Camera Obscura. They occasionally veer too far into cuteness, as with the song "Georgia," but most of their tracks provide absolute pop joy. My favorite Cold & Kind track, "When I Say Go," was sung in lovely harmony by Donovan and O'Toole, who stood front and center swaying to the music and looking perfectly poised. All seven members — Donovan, O'Toole, singer-songwriter Edward Anderson, violinist Andra Kulans, bassist Charlie Ransford, keyboardist Mike Jasinski, and drummer Tim Minnick — appeared at ease with one another like the old friends they are, but seemed equally comfortable with their audience. O'Toole didn't hesitate to respond to a heckler who shouted something about slam dancing — "Ooh yeah, sign me up!" she joked. Another sign of the band's unity was their coordinated color scheme, carried over from the bright letters and numbers on their album cover. From the balcony I noticed that their hot pink guitar guitar cables wound across the stage like major arteries connecting everyone together. That seems appropriate, since they played their hearts out.

After the 1900s' set, OFFICE was introduced by local rock poet Thax Douglas, who has championed indie bands for ages. Douglas usually reads a poem about a band before it plays, but this time he simply said that OFFICE was the future of rocknroll and walked offstage to let the band do its thing while the audience cheered in agreement. OFFICE can't be accused of lacking energy. The band plowed through its set of catchy songs, including some new, unreleased tracks and some off of A Night at the Ritz (New Line) released in September.

Like the 1900s, the band members seemed to have a blast playing for their hometown crowd. Vocalist Tom Smith walked on stage wearing a red Santa suit and white angel wings, but he soon shed them as he felt overheated. However, his smeared red lipstick remained for the rest of the show, implying that Santa likes to cross-dress in his spare time. The crowd ate up "At the Ritz," but went especially nuts for "Oh My," which has recently been playing on local radio station Q101. By the end of the set, I saw a few fists pumping in the air and folks actually grooving. It's hard not to dance to OFFICE's cheery, new-wave tunes, even for scensters who usually stick to head-bobbing.

OFFICE chose to cover a different sort of upbeat song for its encore — before they played George Harrison's "What is Life?," Smith commented that Harrison is the most under-appreciated Beatle, and I completely agree. The song turned into a big love fest as members of the 1900s and the other bands joined OFFICE for the encore. After the show, OFFICE members DJed an after-party, but sadly, I felt far too knackered to stick around for it. (Note to self: Never attend your work holiday party before reviewing a rock show!). But if I had gone and met both bands, I'd thank them for producing some of the most intelligent, infectious pop songs of 2007. I hope they celebrated their successes all night long.