Three of indie rock?s most
innovative and provocative bands warmed up the city of Madison on Tuesday night
during a performance at the Majestic Theatre. Showcasing synthesized sounds
that ranged from the danceable to the dark, Louis XIV, Hot Hot Heat and
UK-based headliners Editors made it easy to see why flocks of 20-somethings packed
into the music venue to witness the bands? standout performances.

The insistent thrum of
opening act Louis XIV resonated throughout the venue as the band promoted their
new album, Slick Dogs and Ponies,
which was also released Tuesday. Their live performace, however, outshone the
band?s recordings. ?Air Traffic Control? featured an eerie-sounding, distorted
string section and melancholic bass while their 2005 single, ?Finding Out True
Love Is Blind,? combined light, airy synth with ballsy rock and showed the
band?s raw energy.

Throughout the set, theatrical
frontman Jason Hill frequently sauntered across the stage, conducting his
bandmembers like they were an orchestra. Onstage, Hill exuded a powerful and
charismatic persona whose sexually charged, slightly chauvinistic lyrics have
caused the band some controversy in the past. But don?t hold it against them ?
with driving, catchy rock songs like ?There?s A Traitor in This Room,? Louis
XIV proved their staying power, regardless of Hill?s womanizing ways.

Up next on the bill were Canadian
rockers Hot Hot Heat, who were perhaps the most upbeat band of the night. They
immediately showed their pop-infused dance sound with ?Dirty Mouth,? a track
from their 2005 album Elevator.

But their most emphatic and
well-received song of the night was the band?s 2003 hit ?Bandages.? During its
shouting, relentless chorus, vocalist Steve Bays flung himself carelessly around
the stage just after admitting that he was ?too drunk to be playing a
show.? Their explosive set ended with
the band?s other popular MTV hit, ?Goodnight, Goodnight.? The verses were
repetitive, and many of the songs sounded alike. However, that sound was still undeniably
catchy, as seen in the fans who danced through the entire set.

Finally, headlining act
Editors took the stage to support their 2007 album An End Has A Start. With their sweeping, synthesized sound, they often
draw comparisons to bands like New York post-punk revival act Interpol or 2004
success The Killers, but their energetic and at times chaotic stage performance
Tuesday night set them apart from their contemporaries? more somber stage
demeanor. Instead, Editors channeled an ?80s vibe with the dark and heavy ?All
Sparks,? followed by singles ?An End Has A Start? and ?Bullets.?

Finishing out the evening?s
trio of oddly charismatic frontmen was Editors? vocalist Tom Smith. In between
chords, the animated Smith twisted his limbs together, jauntily kissed his
microphrone and climbed around the stage. Smith?s frenetic performance fell
somewhere between inspired and possessed, and the audience fed off of his
energy, pounding the floor whenever the music stopped momentarily. 

Smith played piano on songs
such as ?Spiders? and alternated between rhythm guitar and piano for most of
the set. In general, the band?s sound was characterized by heavy percussion,
shrill guitar distortion, and contemplative lyrics. Often, the music gained
strength and complexity as the songs progressed.

The band?s encore was
accompanied by a seizure-inducing light show, during which Smith screamed into
the microphone as the band pounded out a number that bordered on arena rock.
Editors wrapped up their set with ?Fingers in the Factories,? a considerably more
low-key song in comparison to the rest of the set.

All three bands were
energetic and original, but their key similarity was the presence of an
eccentric, attention-demanding and potentially inebriated frontman. If a few
songs were forgettable, these frontmen ensured that their bands? overall
performances were not. Their albums are
good, but, if Tuesday night?s performance was any indication, every live
performance from Louis XIV, Hot Hot Heat and Editors is even better.