By Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Aug 02, 2006 at 5:23 AM
Maybe it was Codebreaker's opening set? Maybe it was just our good ol' Midwestern charm? One way or another, Milwaukee really must have made some impression on London's Hot Chip when it stopped here for a Cactus Club gig last March.

What's not surprising is that after returning to its native land, the five-piece electropop band released "The Warning," and, as bands tend to do after putting out a new record, has recently embarked on a tour to promote it.

What is surprising is that its tour de United States consists of five stops total, and that Milwaukee somehow weaseled its way onto the very selective list. Let's see; we've got San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and -- wait, what's this? -- Stonefly Brewing Co. (that's Onopa for all you old schoolers) in Riverwest on Saturday, Aug. 5.

Thank Stonefly's booking people, thank everyone who made Hot Chip's first stop a hot little dance party, thank the band itself. Whatever; just arrive with your dancing shoes on -- or your cool hipster head bob and leg bounce, your choice -- because this show is going to be good.

The June released "The Warning" is easily the most versatile full-length to date, with perfectly simple tracks like "Colours" feeling a lot like a candy-coated Kraftwerk song a la the Postal Service being followed up by the band's smooth, pulsing staple, "Over and Over." The entire album is just a fun ride no matter where on the spectrum of music your tastes hang out, and the live show should prove to be nothing less.

Hot Chip is doing a DJ set on Saturday at Atomic Records at 7 p.m., and Atomic is giving away free posters with a purchase of "The Warning" or a ticket to the show at Stonefly.
Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.

As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”