Chicago’s Bailiff garnered much attention in the past year or two with their desert blues guitar licks and tight Bonham-esque back beats, but with their debut full-length, Red Balloon, the muscular rock gets put on the back burner in favor of soulful melodies and punchy grooves. The result is an album that maintains its edge while not sounding aggressive. Instead of a pummeling guitar and drum attack, Bailiff stretch these new songs into layered journeys with contagious hooks.

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PHOTO CREDIT: LENNY GILMORE

Bailiff front man and lead guitarist Josh Siegel contorted the strings of his Fender Stratocaster in the opening riff for their avalanche-esque take, “Out Of Bounds,” while drummer Ren Mathew completely disregarded the pocket and played huge rhythms that could easily be mistaken for John Bonham. Even new bassist Adam Schneider’s beefy bass thumped along with pure energy as he danced around the stage like a madman.

It was Saturday night at Lincoln Hall and the nearly sold out crowd were transfixed on every twist and turn of Bailiff’s gritty, progressive take on electric blues. The crowd, diversely comprised of Logan Square Hipsters, Lincoln Park college students and Wrigleyville 30-somethings, all head banged in unison and hooted and hollered at every short break between Bailiff’s powerhouse set.

Meanwhile, the band oozed a quite confidence on stage and performed more to the level of an arena rock band than local flavors of the month. They showcased a poise and instrumental mastery that will no doubt push them to the next level.

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