Written by Michele Ulsohn Tuesday, 01 September 2009 01:33

Their upcoming show at Pop's will be their first time in St. Louis in a way-too-long 11 years, and should prove to be well worth the wait.

Pop's Nightclub, Sauget, Ill.

Back in 1993, when grunge music was still dominating much of rock radio's airwaves, there were four friends in Portland, Ore., who were much more interested in listening to the Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine than Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Bored, broke and "needing music to drink to" according to charismatic frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor, they formed an artsy band and gave it an appropriately artsy name, Dandy Warhols, paying tribute to one of their favorite and most respected icons of the visual art world.

After a few years of playing consistently in Portland clubs and releasing their first album in 1995, the band was signed by Capitol Records. Their big break came in 1997 when the first single off their second record, "Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth," became a hit not only in America, but in several other countries as well. Solidifying their growing popularity even more, the song "Bohemian Like You" off their third release in 2000 (Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia), reached platinum status in Europe and also in Australia. Here in America, that song was used in the indie film Igby Goes Down as well as in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since then, a lengthy list of the Dandy's songs can be heard in a multitude of films, television shows and video games worldwide.

Although the band is no longer with Capitol, they have remained true to their trippy, psychedelic-pop stylistic roots, with only one member change in their 16-year existence. The band is currently touring in support of their ninth release, The Dandy Warhols Are Sound, which came out July 14. Their upcoming show at Pop's will be their first time in St. Louis in a way-too-long 11 years, and should prove to be well worth the wait. And judging by the highlysurreal quality of the band's latest video, "And Then I Dreamt of Yes," their background visuals and the intensity of their live performance should provide a good dose of conscious-altering properties—so, after you arrive, make sure to relax and enjoy the ride. | Michele Ulsohn

Tickets are$15 advance/$17 day of show; doors 8, show 8:30. For more information, visit the Pop's website or call 618-274-6720.