What does it take for a band to sell out the 9:30 Club on their first visit to DC? Maybe the fans were confused on the venue and thought it was the highly anticipated DCist-sponsored Unbuckled show actually held at DC9 last night. While that would have been nice, I think it was something else that brought in the droves of digital camera wielding suburbanites and city folk alike. It was something else they thirsted for on this Thursday night.

Around 8:15, The Damnwells, a alternative rock band straight out of Brooklyn, took the stage in front of an already nearly full room. The disinterest of much of the crowd toward the band was unfortunate, as The Damnwells put on a surprising, well, “damn” good set. Upon first listen the occasional fast-paced, rhythmic drum beats and soft but catchy guitar riffs eased me into focusing my attention on them. Yet while the instrumentation proved solid, lead singer Alex Dezen’s vocals were lacking energy and his lyrics were left muffled and drowned in the sea of sound. That said, I will definitely give them another chance and pick up their album — unlike the second act of the night, Cary Brothers.