I saw Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Knitting Factory last night, and it was an incredible show (many thanks to Adam for the charitable donation of tickets). The openers, Duke Spirit and Les Aus, were both fine, but neither was a band I would have the attention span for if they were headlining and had a longer set. Les Aus in particular sounded fresh and consise when playing 90-second songs, but the energy faded when they wandered into shambling noise interludes and free-time drum solos.

The Pharmacists did not disappoint. Poor Ted had a hacking cough and was struggling with the combination of a gravely voice and a distorting microphone, but he seemed determined to have a good show anyway, and his energy was inspiring. I won’t pretend to know all of the 17 songs they played, but they could have exhausted their entire catalogue and gone on to stumble through the greatest hits of Belle And Sebastian and I would have gone home happy. Happyish.

The band was definitely tight, the banter was clever, and the stage antics were enjoyable, especially when Ted bloodied himself by smashing a microphone repeatedly into his own forehead. But what really sticks in my mind is the songs themselves, and the energy they were able to inject into their performance. Ted is a brilliant songwriter, and to witness songs like Biomusicology and Counting Down The Hours in a live setting, especially one as small and intimate as the Knitting Factory, was incredible.

When he came out to play the fourth encore solo, with an increasingly raspy voice and blood still fresh on his forehead, you could sense that he really didn’t want the tour to end. The crowd was somewhat tame in their politeness, but always attentive, and practically oozing love and appreciation for their idol.

I will definitely catch these guys the next time they’re in town. Additional thanks to Amanda, who introduced me to the Pharmacists, and who I couldn’t even score a ticket for. Next time you will be there if I have to sneak you in under a giant sombrero.