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Mark Rose, lead vocalist of Spitalfield, plays a brief, but energetic set at Chubby Rain's House of Tunes in Poplar Grove.

Plain White T's guitarist Dave Tirio lends backup vocals to tracks from the group's latest album, "All That We Needed."

Punk rock central

Co-headliners Spitalfield and the Plain White T's brought their tour to Poplar Grove on Nov. 26

By: Caroline Rohner

Posted: 12/2/05

De'Mar Hamilton, drummer for the punk rock group Plain White T's, was sitting on a bar stool enjoying a beer when three teenage girls giddily approached him. Exchanging nervous glances with each other, one of the girls finally blurted, "Are you De'Mar?" He nodded casually and agreed to pose for a few quick photos.

This relaxed atmosphere permeated Chubby Rain's House of Tunes on Nov. 26 when four promising punk bands brought their tour to the Poplar Grove establishment. While the town has a population of 1,400, it is only 20 miles east of Rockford and close enough to catch bands that might be en route to Chicago.

In fact, three of the four bands - co-headliners the Plain White T's and Spitalfield, along with opening band, The Audition - all hail from the Chicago suburbs. The other warm-up group, Dropping Daylight, is based in Minneapolis.

As the final set of the all-ages afternoon show, the Plain White T's took the stage shortly after 6 p.m. While the 5-piece band was energetic and enthusiastic, it only played for about 35 minutes. Although he was friendly and talkative, lead vocalist Tom Higgenson seemed more interested in plugging the group's upcoming show at the Metro in Chicago than playing at Chubby Rain's.

"How many people here live in Poplar Grove?" he asked the crowd at the beginning of the show. "One? Three? I'm sorry."

Despite its short performance, the Plain White T's delivered a rousing set. The band touched on music throughout its eight-year career but concentrated on tracks from its latest album, "All That We Needed." Fans sang along to quick, melodic numbers like "Revenge" and "What More Do You Want?"

While its songs are catchy, the band's material is particularly appealing because of its sincere, honest nature. With lyrics addressing universal themes like unrequited love, anger and confusion in relationships, many audience members could easily connect with the group's music.

Midway through the set, Higgenson gave his bandmates a short break when he emerged on stage alone, armed only with his electric guitar. Shouts requesting the group's popular song, "Hey There Delilah," ensued while Higgenson relished the attention.

"So what song do you guys want to hear?" he asked the crowd. "Sorry. That was so cheesy."

The audience sang along and at times overpowered Higgenson during this melodic, raw ballad about a long distance relationship.

Similar to its co-headliner, Spitalfield also had an abbreviated time slot. The quartet used its time well and played a number of cuts off its new album, "Stop Doing Bad Things."

Judging by the frenzied crowd's response, it seemed as if there were as many Spitalfield fans as Plain White T's supporters in attendance. A mosh pit erupted during "Kill The Drama" and crowd surfers shakily floated during the show.

Led by vocalist/guitarist Mark Rose, the band was amusing and sociable. Rose told the crowd about his love of Bears football, imitated a used car salesman, educated fans about the dangers of snakebites and continually thanked the audience.

"We're your neighbors; it's good to be here," Rose said.

Spitalfield's catchy punk rock formula is comparable to fellow Chicago group Fall Out Boy. The band's creative approach was evident on dynamic tracks like "Gold Dust vs. State Of Illinois" and "So, I Heard You Joined A Convent." The band left the crowd chanting, "One more song!" but Rose simply said, "No can do," and disappeared backstage.

Opening band The Audition won many new fans after its animated performance. Having only formed in 2003, the band's polished sound was particularly impressive. Similarly, Dropping Daylight was an interesting addition to the bill. Its piano-based style was aggressive and refreshing.