Like Slipknot, they have more than one drummer. Like Nelly, they hail from St. Louaay. Like Mates of State, they make cutesy good old fashioned pop music. But unlike 90% of other bands I’ve caught lately, Gentleman Auction House actually SMILED during their small set at Subterranean this past Wednesday evening in Chicago. When I say SMILED, I mean full out shimmying, moving, into it, loving them beats, enjoying themselves and dancing!!

Despite a less than full house, this septet of young indie pop kids brought the noise hard, bringing their fun soundtrack of keys, horns, claps and cheery vocals without missing as much of a beat. I felt like I was let into some little unknown secret, being grateful to count myself amongst the few in the house. I have my friend Bryan to thank for introducing me to this part Belle & Sebastian, part Architecture in Helsinki, part something else mix of a pop group that I just can’t put my finger on back at SXSW this past March. The popsters closed out the set with my personal favorite upbeat anthem, “The Book of Matches.” I highly recommend heading to their MySpace page to give it a listen if you haven’t already.

If you missed Gentleman Auction House this first time around in Chicago, don’t fret. GAH promised to bring their delectable sweet sounds back two more times this summer—let’s just hope they raise enough gas money with their merch sales.

Myspace: Gentleman Auction House