What happens when you get sandwiched on tour between Who's Next acts Lady GaGa and Chester French? If you happen to be the White Tie Affair, you get featured in this blog.
Icaught this gig--billed as The Fame Ball tour--Friday (March 13) at theWiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. It was the second night of the trek andopeners Chester French worked it hard. Sorry if I still can't get mydumb Mr. French/Family Affair joke out of my head, but the band's spirited cover of No Doubt's "Hella Good" followed by their take on the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" almost made me forget. You can read my thoughts on Ms. GaGa here.
Asfor the White Tie Affair, this Chicago-based quartet isn't exactly mycup of tea, but they don't have to be. If you may recall in our Inaugural Address,I stated that this blog isn't about my personal favorites. Sure I'llfeature acts that I like, but I'm also putting the spotlight on bandsthat I think are primed to breakthrough to the next level. The WhiteTie Affair falls into the latter camp. Check out the video for theband's top 10 dance/club hit "Candle (Sick And Tired)."
As you heard in the video clip, the White Tie Affair mixes the white-boy soul of Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5 with the emo angst of Fall Out Boy and Panic At The Disco.As singer Chris Wallace has noted, the band isn't afraid to let its popinfluences fly. "We pretty much want to take a chance and do somethingdifferent by adding the pop edge," he told the Chicago Sun-Times."In the past, we were in more rock-driven bands. Lots of bands areashamed of that catchy pop sound, but we wanted to bring that out andbring it to life."
Openingup is never easy, whether you're discussing your innermost feelingswith a loved one or working as a support act on a concert tour. OnFriday at the Wiltern, the White Tie Affair managed to share theirfeelings with the sold-out crowd in songs like the acousticconfessional "The Let Down" and get them going before GaGa hit thestage. At one point, the band threw dozens of glowing bracelets andnecklaces in the crowd and showed off their own florescent sportswearunder onstage black lights. At another, Wallace toyed with his voicethrough autotune, singing a few lines from Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless."
TWTAmay never be as big as fellow Chicagoan West, but they do seem primedto breakout. What do you think? While you ponder that question, take alook and listen to another one of the band's videos, "Allow Me ToIntroduce Myself...Mr. Right," which is packaged with an alternateversion of "Candle (Sick And Tired)."