The first time that I had the pleasure of seeing Ted Leo & the Pharmacists perform was many years ago at Columbus’ (now sadly defunct) Little Brother’s. With the intimate club at capacity and no air conditioning to keep it cool during that balmy summer evening, the mercury easily climbed above 100. A sweat-drenched Leo shed soaking layers and, during a temporary loss of power, played a medley of entertaining acoustic cover versions from the likes of Daft Punk and Kelly Clarkson, intermittently sharing witty anecdotes about life on the road. This was the summer of the big blackouts, and my understanding is that Leo might have had a bit of experience at keeping alive the festive concert vibe during other outages on that tour. But, whether rehearsed or entirely spontaneous, while many performers would have used the disruptions as an excuse for a welcome night off, Leo never lost sight of the reason he was gracing the stage in the first place. He was there to entertain and, electricity or no electricity, band or no band, entertain he did.
A year or two later I saw Ted Leo & the Pharmacists play live in front of a few thousand as opening for Death Cab For Cutie. This was the Plans tour, which meant that the venue was packed not with fans of underground pop music. Instead, high school and college-aged attendees who knew every word to “Soul Meets Body”, due to its inclusion on The OC or One Tree Hill or The Real World, but may have never heard another DCFC song, and almost certainly weren’t familiar with Leo’s oeuvre, filled the crowd. It was often difficult to hear Leo’s set clearly over the din of chattering voices and the occasional chants of “Death Cab! Death Cab! Death Cab!” Yet Leo, consummate and undiscouraged professional that he is, turned out a set of energetic corkers that displayed no less pep or enthusiasm than the show he’d put on in front of the much smaller, but much more adoring, crowd of a few years past.
Ted Leo, the power-popping indie rocker cut his teeth in the music world in the 1980’s as Ted Leo, the New York hardcore punk rocker. He performed in hardcore bands such as Citizen’s Arrest and Animal Crackers before moving to Washington D.C. and starting the retrospectively appreciated mod-revival act Chisel. Chisel lasted only a pair of albums and, after a couple of years in other people’s bands, Leo started Ted Leo & the Pharmacists. The band embraces Leo’s disparate influences, crafting a sound that is grounded in punk, mod, dub, power pop, soul, rock, and other types of popular music. Leo often wears his influences on his sleeves (and pin buttons), and there are clear nods to artists such as Thin Lizzy, The Clash and Billy Bragg, to name a few. "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?", featured on 2001's much lauded Hearts of Oak LP, was a college radio hit and sing-a-long tribute to The Specials and their unapologetic lyrical commentaries. Refreshingly, Leo’s own lyrics are often edgy and topical - answering his own question about the whereabouts of rude boys - and free from the confessional milieu that far too much indie music relies upon. Leo's songs are nearly always energetic, and most feature instantly memorable and anthemic choruses.
With a new album, The Brutalist Bricks, recently released through Leo’s new label, Matador, the band has taken to the road on a promotional tour. Over the years, Leo, along with a revolving cast of musicians who have backed him as the Pharmacists, has earned a reputation as one of the hardest working acts in indie rock due to a tireless touring schedule coupled with the types of on-stage performances I’ve highlighted here. To see them live is to be guaranteed a set loaded with spirited and rousing renditions of tracks spanning their entire 11-year history; songs played by a band, and a lead man, that is always hungry and eager to please. Expect nothing less tonight at The Grog Shop.
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