Phillyist Goes to the North Star Bar

North Star Bar: where the rock stars intermingle with the crowd (probably due to the fact that the back stage area is the sidewalk of Poplar St.). Last night’s line-up featured the usual up-and-coming indie acts: Little Man Tate, Starcade, The Changes, and Monsters are Waiting (recently featured in this NYT article on what it really means for an indie band to play in big-exposure festivals). For a rainy Tuesday evening with news channels in full election night force, the crowd was understandably sparse - a few bar goers and friends of the band.

Philly’s own Starcade definitely won the award for most significant others in the audience. Ah, rock star love - the cheering girlfriends/wives section was just too cute. Appropriately enough for an election day, Starcade's lead singer Jude wore an anti-Bush shirt. Their sound was eclectic and intense. Sadly, their interesting sequencer track seemed buried beneath the buzz of guitars in this performance’s sound levels.

The Changes were adorably energetic, with a very polished sound. Monsters are Waiting, a Blonde Redhead-esque band, were sufficiently moody and created a great slow ambiance at the end of the evening. Annalee Fery, the breathy and brooding singer, sounded surprisingly good after downing a burger and a beer.

The stars of the evening, however, were Little Man Tate (yes, it’s a band, too). Their sound is upbeat Brit rock, reminiscent of the Ramones, but with a modern twist. The lead singer, John Windle, spits out his lines with complete conviction and endearingly acts out all his lyrics (even the lewd ones!) with wild and humorous hand gestures. All of Little Man Tate’s band members really connected with the audience and had a great stage presence overall.

Image of North Star Bar via creativecommons.org