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.