We Built This Tigercity After the ’80s

By RICHARD GINTOWT

Bill Gillim brings his ‘stache to play.

Tigercity, with Via Audio and The ACBs

Better than: American Gladiators

Like most folks born after 1980, ‘80s pop music meant squat to me. While Prince, Madonna and Boy George were laying the groundwork The Wedding Singer, I was busy trading baseball cards and playing Nintendo. As a result, a lot of ‘80s throwback bands are lost causes. But every once in awhile – i.e., Tigercity – I’ll get a whiff of something that I sorely missed out on.

Tigercity’s MySpace page is a telltale heart; avowed obsessions include Prince, Prefab Sprout, Hall & Oates, Scritti Politti and Roxy Music. “Influences” might be too vague a word, however, because these four Brooklyn gentlemen practically strut around in the aforementioned bands’ undergarments. The thing is – they pull it off without a hitch. The musicianship is top-notch, and the grooves are tight as hell.

Via Audio or gypsy cabaret?

But first a word about the opening act. Via Audio is composed of Berklee College of Music grads who use their powers to fight the plague of poor musicianship in indie rock. All four members – particularly guitarist Tom Deis – are formidable players, even when they switch instruments. Singer Jessica Martins can both croon like Eleni Mandell and holler like Jenny Lewis. Via Audio sounds like neither, however, with inflections of gypsy cabaret colliding with Death Cab pop and spaz-out rock. The group’s 45-minute set had the audience enrapt, and it’s a safe bet that the folks who picked up a copy of the group’s latest Jim Eno-produced LP “Say Something Say Something Say Something” will have a blanket of fuzzy pop to warm the blustery days ahead.

To my dismay, Tigercity didn’t open by asking the audience “Is Kansas City a Tigercity?” (note to lead singer Bill Gillim: that one’s on the house). That was the only disappointment though, because the band’s hour-long set was automatic dance-party bliss. The sharply suited Gillim presided over the party with his not-at-all-ironic falsetto and equally sincere mustache. Drummer Aynsley Powell commanded his sky-high crash cymbals with the dexterity of a not-bald Phil Collins. Guitarist Andrew Brady summoned snakeskin-slick disco riffs with crystal clear tones, and Joel Ford closed the deal with body-rocking bass lines.

If Tigercity and Via Audio represent the new sound of Brooklyn, sign me up – it’s a hell of a lot more fun than Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There might be a bit of a knowing wink in Tigercity’s new-wave insinuations, but that same playfulness was part of what defined that era. For those of us who missed it the first time around, bands like Tigercity are as close as we’ll ever get.

Critic’s Notebook

Personal bias: Tigercity recently toured with Mobius Band, making them extremely cool by association.

By the way: Kansas City’s ACBs killed it in spite of their in-the-red intoxication levels.