Selling out any club is impressive, and hitting the breaking point at one of the city’s most popular venues is no small feat. So when the mainstage of the Black Cat hit capacity on Saturday night, nobody was more surprised than the three young men who make up Jukebox the Ghost (***). Upon taking the stage, drummer Jesse Kirstin turned as white as a sheet and singer/keyboardist Ben Thornewill asked (only half-jokingly), “Who are you people?”

This sort of pressure cooker situation could either freeze a a young act in their tracks or inspire them to step up their game. Fortunately for the 700+ people crammed into the Black Cat, Jukebox the Ghost lived up to their reputation as one of the best new bands in the District and put on the performance of their lives.

The crowd already knew many of the songs, including some of the tracks on the brand new Live and Let Ghosts, thus turning much of the night into a giant sing-a-long. Songs like “Victoria, off their EP, drew the loudest reception, but one of the most telling moments of the night was when they revealed an unknown song mid-set which sounded just as impressive as the tunes that everyone knew by heart.

Photo by Greg Magee