It seems like every time The Jezabels come through Chicago I have a conflict on my schedule. Wednesday night was the first time I was actually able to see them play live after 5 years of trying. Back in 2011 I interviewed the band at SxSw, and they seemed like very nice people. The fact that they also play good music is a great bonus. I was hoping to hear “Noah’s Ark,” the great bonus track from Prisoner, but that wasn’t in the cards.

There was a good amount of cheering when Sam Lockwood, Heather Shannon, and Nik Kaloper took the stage, but the biggest applause came when lead singer Hayley Mary appeared in her Be My Holiday leather jacket. From that point on it was a pretty steady set-no lulls, no huge moment. It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving eve.

Much of the hour-plus of music came from their latest record, Synthia. I still prefer stuff from Dark Storm and Prisoner, but they take some chances on Synthia that make it an interesting listen. It’s also the most accessible of their albums, so if you’ve never heard them before, it’s a great place to start.