MUSIC

Ra Ra Riot indisputably deserved their place at the top of the band order hierarchy, competently headlining Saturday night's show at Club 770. The venue which is no club at all, but a cafeteria at Union South can make you feel like you're crashing a junior high lock in. It wasn't until the six piece from Syracuse started playing their top shelf orchestral pop that you could tell you were at a real show.

Drawing mostly from their only release, last summer's 6 song self titled EP, they began solidly with "A Manner To Act." The dissonant strings that opened the song clearly announced their unique use of strings. Cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebecca Zeller were no mere token presence. They integrated themselves seamlessly into the fabric of Ra Ra Riot's jaunty set, combining to add both a distinctive gravitas and bounce.

Singer Wesley Miles was appropriately charismatic. He often sang from the chest in a high, strained voice, evoking early era David Byrne or a more intelligible Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. He hopped along to the driving rhythm set by Cameron Wisch on drums and Mathieu Santos on bass.

The crowd was receptive to the energetic set. Ra Ra Riot recalls Arcade Fire's catchy epic sound, but unlike the Canadian band, the world's not ending on every song. Ra Ra Riot has an affirmative tone, evident in standouts like "Can You Tell" and "Dying Is Fine", which doesn't seem to come cheaply.

For their Wisconsin premiere, Ra Ra Riot transcended the makeshift concert venue in the cafeteria with a show worthy of their top billing.

There was little upstage threat posed by the openers, however. Ra Ra Riot were preceded by a short set from the NYC quartet The Virgins. Wearing their Big Apple isms on the surface of their high cuffed jeans, The Virgins were an uncompelling retread of that indie rock scene's last decade. It wasn't until the end that Donald Cumming (described as "Strokesy McStrokeserson" by one observant audience member) contributed an interesting twist to the rehashed influences. The standout "Rich Girl" added Cumming's falsetto and a disco beat to their otherwise unexceptional stylized garage rock.

The opening set from Madison's own National Beekeepers Society garnered a bit more interest. Even though their youth was apparent, an admirable inventiveness was evident in their willingness to dabble in (and/or make fun of) a variety rock sounds. The unhinged vocals of Kris Hansen corresponded to their shambling takes on a wide range of music, from early punk and the Pixies to Elastica and Bright Eyes. Although it seemed they were having a laugh, these kids’ own headline potential could be realized if they just buckle down.