| Lucky Boys Confusion want you to believe
things haven’t changed. They probably want to believe it themselves. And maybe, in
point of fact, things are just the same right now as they were before the band inked a
major label deal (with Elektra) last year. But from this night forward – which was
marked by a gig to celebrate the release of Throwing the Game – the Boys will
have to work very hard to make it seem like the stage they perform on isn’t a bit
higher than before.
But the suburban Chicago outfit has built its
reputation on reaching out to their fans; on not leaving the stage until every last one of
them is happy and exhausted. And that was the order of the day at The Metro, which was
positively overflowing with old fans, friends and the odd person curious to see what the
so-called "next big thing" sounds like.
The next big thing, if that indeed is what LBC
are, sounds like a relentless pop amalgam, brimming with energy and absolutely pleading
for you to like them. Or at least dance to them. Throwing the Game is a
half-and-half mix of old and new tunes, but the energy - think, hmmm. . . Green Day meets
The Specials - that pervades all the tracks makes them blend together seamlessly. Ditto
the live act.
"Saturday Night" set the template from
which the band rarely deviated: Chunky, guitar-driven punk-pop, with ska inflections
pervading the entire affair. Lead singer Kaustubh "Stubhy" Pandav is not a
natural performer but his sullen prowling and hip-hop poses were more than enough to sell
LBC to anyone who hadn’t bought in yet.
Likewise the rest of the band – guitarists
Adam Krier and Joe Sell, bassist Jason Schultejann and drummer Ryan Fergus – ooze
cool and efficiency. Not much grandstanding from these guys; it’s you who’s
supposed to be getting down, after all, not them.
And indeed, LBC kept the all-ages crowd
transfixed for the entire hour-plus set: Through old standbys like "Dumb Pop
Song" or the first single from Throwing the Game, "Fred Astaire,"
they bobbed and surfed and sang back at the band like they were part of the performance.
The rest of the world may prove less accommodating, but for at least one night everything
was welcome and familiar.
Same old Boys. Lucky fans.
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