My Dear Disco's Tyler Duncan and vocalist Michelle Chamuel at the Michigan League Friday.

photo by Roger LeLievre | for AnnArbor.com

My Dear Disco really amped up the energy for a hometown show Friday night at the Michigan League Ballroom. It was the 1st time the Ann Arbor band, which has been busy touring, had performed in Ann Arbor since last summer.

The group, now a tight 5-piece (down from 7) played for just over an hour, offering some favorites as well as some great new jams. Of the new songs, my favorite was the funky dance-rocker “Sexy Boots,” which really got the crowd going. On one of the older songs, Move Your Feet,” drummer Mike Shea had a chance to really get worked up, much to everyone’s delight. The sound, while pumped up by electric guitars, never lost sight of the beat.

By rough estimate, between 250-300 people were on hand, which meant the ballroom was only half full. The band probably expected more, but maybe Easter weekend break had something to do with the turnout. By the end, almost everyone, even the folks in back, were dancing. I couldn’t help but join them for the encore, “White Lies,” one of MMD’s signature tunes, which just gets better every time I hear it.

Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do” was a surprise cover, and vocalist Michelle Chamuel’s voice gave the song its due, with the crowd clapping their hands in the air and dancing up a frenzy. The band sounded great in its smaller configuration — more electric than on CD, by the way — and I dug the light show, with the purples, reds and blues playing beautifully off the ballroom’s white ceiling. Multi-instrumentalist Tyler Duncan was colorful too, in a black jacket with red lapels, derby hat and overlarge, white-framed sunglasses.

It was great to see My Dear Disco in a smoke-free room, a pleasant preview of things to come after May 1.

Check out “All I Do” and other songs at the My Dear Disco's MySpace page.

Roger LeLievre covers music for AnnArbor.com.