Thursday was a big night for indie rock, as Illinois were at DC9 while Peelander-Z played at The Red and the Black, which might explain the small turnout at the Black Cat for The Dears, Great Northern, and Eulogies. It was a shame, as all three bands put on good sets.

Openers Eulogies quickly showed why guitar rock is still awesome — the Los Angeles foursome plays catchy, well-put together tunes with no edifice or pretension. Unfortunately, the crowd was pretty small when they went on at about 8:30 — only a handful of people with almost more photographers than spectators. Songs from their new album Here, Anonymous like “Eyes on the Prize,” “Bad Connection,” and “This Fine Progression” sounded great live and they got a pretty hearty response from the crowd. Hopefully next time they’re in town, the Los Angelenos will have a bigger audience to play for — we’ll be looking forward to it.

Great Northern‘s set was better attended, probably due in part to their songs being on Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, and elsewhere. The band has two singers, Rachel Stolte and Solon Bixler, who used to be in 30 Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto’s band. Stolte has more stage presence and at times was reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde. The five-piece band plays sometimes quiet, sometimes more epic indie music, with big keyboard flourishes, dramatic vocals, and choppy tension from the guitars and drums. At first, the set seemed more style than substance, but as the songs went on and got bigger, they got better. The last few songs were borderline amazing, but not quite. The Los Angelenos are touring behind their new album Remind Me Where the Light Is.