The Academy Is...

The members of The Academy Is... are pretty darn young: Bassist Adam Siska just graduated from high school. But the quintet -- which is currently headlining its first national tour -- formed in 2002 and released its debut full-length, Almost Here, in February. Like the work of many baby bands, Here delivers moodily danceable indie pop not too far removed from the Killers or Kasabian. And frontman William Beckett's urgent hooks and emo-riffic lyrical twists are fully on par with those of Fall Out Boy or Taking Back Sunday -- although the Chicago-based group is neither overly earnest nor tattooed. "Slow Down" is the perfect anti-glam complement to the current Weezer hit, "Beverly Hills," while "Black Mamba" takes on cynical scene police: "Love me or leave me or rip me apart/This was the voice that I was given and if you don't like it/Take a long walk off of the shortest pier.... Oh Mr. Magazine, I never wrote one single word for you or your so-called music scene." As Beckett swears in Here's title track, "Our Time Is Almost Here." Consider this your time to get in on the hype from the ground floor.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $12; call 314-851-0919 for more information.