Draco and the Malfoys "Pansy (You Are the Girl of My Dreams)" (19.3 MB) from Draco and the Malfoys Live at The University Book Store @ Hilldale Madison, WI July 9, 2006

My friend Sharon sent me an e-mail mid-week that just said, "Go cover this band," so I did.

The band she was talking about was Harry and the Potters, a band that makes silly, bedroom indie rock about what it's like to be Harry Potter. Their opening act, appropriately enough, is called Draco and the Malfoys, a band that makes silly, bedroom indie rock about what it's like to be Draco Malfoy. At least I assume it's appropriate enough, because I've never heard a Harry Potter book nor seen a Harry Potter movie. (I know, I know, they're so good, they're not just for kids, blah blah blah. Look, I'm a little busy trying to slog through Grant Morrison's highly overrated Doom Patrol books right now, OK?) The good thing is that you don't need much context to enjoy the show.

The Malfoys' stage act is a pretty minimalist affair -- two guys on guitar, both identifying themselves as Draco Malfoy (year 19 and year 14, respectively), plus pre-recorded rhythm lines playing through the PA. They played a relatively wide range of material, from this mostly soft, sparse love song to a cover of "99 Luftballons," repurposed as "99 Deatheaters."