When Format signed to Elektra Records, they had two simple
expectations:

“We just wanted to make a record we were happy with, and then
tour a lot,” said lead singer Nate Ruess.

The band met the first expectation last fall with the release of
their debut album, Interventions and Lullabies. Blending retro pop
and crunchy rock, it’s a record that indie snobs and MTV lovers
alike should enjoy.

“It’s too poppy for alternative stations, but not Smashmouth
enough for Top 40 radio. It fits somewhere in the middle,” Ruess
said of their eclectic sound.

The second expectation is being met while they currently tour
the country.

Being on the road has been an experience for Format both on and
off the stage.

When they stopped in New Jersey on Super Bowl Sunday, the
fun-loving band found some unexpected hostility in the form of a
drunken homeowner.

“Some meathead was mad because our van was parked outside his
driveway for literally three seconds, and he decided to start a
fight with two guys in our band,” Ruess said.

“He grabbed (guitarist) Mike by the neck and threw him across
the street,” adds Sam Means, the other half of Format.

Fortunately, the cops didn’t have to come. Format left with no
major injuries and a new story to tell the press that waits to
interview them in every city they visit.

Their tour came to St. Louis last Saturday, April 3, when they
played at the Rocket Bar. Now joined on stage by four additional
musicians, Ruess and Means have come a long way since their first
show together.

“Our first show was just the two of us, and we were acoustic. We
actually were acoustic the first six months we were together,”
Ruess said.

The small stage hardly seemed big enough for the six musicians
and their layered pop songs. Ruess still managed to make use of
what little room he had and fulfilled his duty as animated front
man.

The show opened with “On Your Porch,” a lighter song whose
melodies are as pretty as its lyrics are intense.

At first it seemed the show was getting off to a slow start, but
less than three minutes in, the song erupted and Ruess began his
dance around the stage.

They immediately followed with their first single off
Interventions and Lullabies, the aptly titled, “The First
Single.”

The bouncy chords and catchy hooks made clear that Format wa
here for one reason: to have a good time.

The mood didn’t die down again until the end of the short set.
Even through repeated technical difficulties, Ruess charmed the
crowd with a decent impersonation of St. Louis’ own celebrity,
Beatle Bob.

Means displayed his talents by switching between acoustic
guitar, keyboards and electric guitar, always focused on what he
was playing.

The highlight of the night came when members of the opening
band, Apollo Sunshine, joined the Format on stage to play a cover
of The Beatles’ “The Ballad of John & Yoko.”

The camaraderie between the two bands was evident, and it
quickly spread throughout the audience until everyone felt like
they were at one big party.

The party ended a few songs later with “Career Day.” Although
the audience didn’t get the encore they demanded, they surely left
with their expectations met.