Back to Rockville: CONCERT REVIEW: TV ON THE RADIO

This evening's show felt like a turning point for two reasons: TV on the Radio drew the kind of crowd (1,000) that signifies a band is no longer an underground/cult act; and the crowd in the VooDoo Lounge included a lot of music aficionados (or snobs) who can be pretty particular about who owns the venues they patronize.

A lot of the fans at Harrah's casino on Saturday are regulars at places like the Bottleneck, the Brick and RecordBar; and for many of them, this show was their first look-hear at the VooDoo. Most appeared to walk away impressed with the show and the digs.

TV on the Radio are a five-piece from New York City. Its lead singer is Tunde Adebimpe, and he is an arresting presence on stage: intense and kinetic and enthralled in the furious sound his band generates around him. More than just singing, he "testifies" his lyrics, which often express disdain or dissatisfaction with our socio-political world.

His primary sidekick is guitarist Kyp Malone, whose glasses, large Afro and billowy beard give him the look of a '60s radical/intellect, and contradict the high register of his voice. The rest of the band, especially guitarist David Sitek, are as animated as their lead singer, which adds to the relentless energy that crackled and popped on stage all evening.

The show lasted 90 minutes or so, and the setlist comprised songs from the band's two most recent both full-length CDs as well as some bonus tracks. From the opening track, "The Wrong Way," through the finale, "Staring at the Sun," Adebimpe and his mates had the packed room in their thrall.

TV on the Radio don't write typical sing-along fare, so the crowd showed its enthusiasm mostly by bobbing heads and shaking shoulders and hips in time to the beats, which can get pretty irregular. The biggest response came relatively early. "Wolf Like Me," song No. 5, and the closest thing TV on the Radio has had to a "hit." It's a furious whirlwind of art-rock, indie rock and punk: accessible but in no way commercial.

Like a few other songs this evening, "Wolf" suffered from a rough mix; Adebimpe's vocals were hard to decipher. Some of that is due to the manic and busy arrangements of some songs, in which bells, drums, guitars and loops of feedback and other sounds collide. During one number, the boys were joined by a few members of opening act Subtle, a flamboyant San Francisco art-rock/funk/rap outfit that is more eccentric and eclectic than the headliners.

During the finale, Adebimpe sang through a megaphone, which distorted his vocals but broadcast a sure bet to the aroused fans in the room and the gamblers in the casino beyond: No matter where it plays or how big the crowds are, this band is going to be worth catching for a long time.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

Setlist: The Wrong Way, Dreams, Province, I Was A Lover, Wolf Like Me, Young Liars, Snakes & Martyrs, Dirtywhirl, Blues From Down Here, Tonight, Satellite. Encores: A Method, Let the Devil In, Staring at the Sun.