Born Ruffians

In looking at my leading photo for this review, I realize that is not quite representative of Born Ruffian's set at Yard Dog Gallery, Wednesday afternoon. Not what's going on onstage (Luke LaLonde looked as dreamy as pictured), but in the audience: there is no way the audience looked this passive. More than any other band on the lineup, the crowd swooned over Born Ruffians. Whether they were playing new material or their earlier standout single "Hummingbird," boys and girls in the audience were singing along and seemingly overcome by being in such close proximity to the band. Born Ruffians' performance was impressive; they performed their catchy, quirky pop with the effortlessness of a much more seasoned group. And when they had finished, LaLonde set off a minor riot by high-fiving nearby audience members.