Local favorites Le Loup came to the Black Cat Monday night as part of their short road trip with last night's openers, Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos. At first glance, both bands seem to subscribe to the same basic trends in rock: the two bands feature a total of fifteen members between them, complete with non-traditional instrumentation. However, the comparisons ended there as the guys and gals from the District showed just how much a combination of energy and musicianship can separate two seemingly alike bands.

Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos started the night and have been labeled as a band to watch by people around the country. If we give them the benefit of the doubt, we'd have to say that they had an off night, because the band seemed very distant and uninspired. Granted, the audience was not really helping the situation, with its lackluster reaction to the music, but either way there was very little energy in the room. Songs like "Skeleton Key" seemed to get the crowd a bit more into it, as did the occasional dramatic climax, but there remained quite a bit of shoegazing on stage. Margot did not sound bad by any means, but it is doubtful their performance won any converts to the cause.

The lack of energy in the room seemed to carry over to Le Loup's set as it opened with a new song and another slower number. But the audeience started to perk up as the band rolled through more selections off its debut release, including "We are Gods, We are Wolves", "Planes Like Vultures", and "Le Loup". A lot of the band's energy came from frontman Sam Simkoff. His gyrations can border on cartoonish, but one doesn't really mind because it is just another aspect of the band's showmanship. The group was also tighter than we have seen in previous performances now that they have some touring experience under their belt.

Much of the credit for Le Loup's distinctive sound goes to bassist Dan Ryan and, in particular, drummer Robert Sahm. The band's songwriting is largely built on the unsyncopated eighth note feel that is characteristic of today's indie rock, and might therefore sound rather pedestrian but for the capabilities of the rhythm section. Consider the brush driven intro to "To the Stars! To the Night!," or the Latin-flavored drum and cymbal patterns Sahm employed throughout the set, and it is clear that he is a driving force behind the group's success. Likewise, Ryan's playing shows his maturity as a bassist because he plays simple lines, with a polished tone and deep pocket, that leave ample space for his comrade's frenetic stick work. If Le Loup's front line gets on equal footing with its rhythm section, and they have a ways to go, then the band could be quite a force.