The Long Blondes Are 'Oh So Pretty!'

Having spent the last year wooing their native England with their mod-centric pop sound, English indie darlings the Long Blondes have arrived stateside. Last night (June 6), the stylish five-piece confronted a nearly sold-out crowd at Brooklyn's Luna Lounge with a fury of head tosses and hip shaking a plenty. Nicole Atkins and the Sea, and We Are Scientists (under the disguise of Beat Up Old Fellas) opened the gig; We Are Scientists played to a sparsely populated room, as few were aware of their secret appearance. Nicole led her Sea through a collection of songs from their 2006 EP, Bleeding Diamonds, and soon-to-be released studio full-length, Neptune City. At the end of each of Atkins' passionate doo-wop meets death rock songs, shouts of "I love you!" could be heard throughout the crowd. One dedicated fan requested, "NO MORE FLASH!" in response to the numerous flashbulbs capturing the banged beauty. Atkins simply replied, "Oh sorry, I don't have any cameras!" before churning out an intense cover of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B." to the now packed house.

Once the Long Blondes took the stage, the expansive space of the Luna Lounge was teeming with excitement. Dangerously, dazzling singer Kate Jackson gyrated and shimmied her way through the band's recently released album, Someone to Drive You Home, while her bandmates elegantly plucked, played and banged their instruments behind her. As Kate's daring alto rang out, "You're so pretty! Oh so pretty!" during the hit song, "Giddy Stratospheres," a group of dedicated devotees kicked, jumped, and shook the dance floor. Amidst all the bump and grind of the Long Blondes set (which also included "Once and Never Again" and "Heaven Help the New Girl") the Luna Lounge is certainly lucky to still be standing. MARY-LOUISE PRICE / PHOTOS BY ERIC NOWELS

We asked: The Long Blondes' latest album is entitled Someone to Drive You Home. When was the last time you needed someone to drive you home, and what happened?

Name: Zara Negent, Jack, & Isabelle
Age: 21, 25, 21
Hometown: Galway, Ireland
Occupation: Student
"I was out with Isabelle and Jack, and liquor is half the price in the U.S. as it is in Ireland, so we drank a lot of it. Isabelle ended up going home with some male model, Jack passed out in an alley, and I was left alone with no idea where I was. I attempted to walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn!”

Name: David Perlick Molinari
Age: 25
Hometown: New York
Occupation: Music composer
"One time when I was home from college, I went to a friend's party. I told my parents I wanted to sleep over, but they didn't want me to. So to get back at them, I went to the party, drank a bunch of alcohol, and ended up having to call them to come and get me."

Name: Nicole Atkins
Age: 28
Hometown: Neptune, NJ
Occupation: Musician, Nicole Atkins & the Sea
"Last Sunday, my sister and I took my sister's boyfriend's little brother to the gay pride parade. We ended up getting totally wasted and had to call my boyfriend, Paul (of The Parlor Mob) to come pick us up."

Name: Paul Ritchie
Age: 25
Hometown: Red Bank, NJ
Occupation: Musician, The Parlor Mob
"I needed Nicole to drive me home from her last show in Brooklyn. She stopped to get gas and I ended up running away with a homeless man to buy him cigarettes."
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Name: Jason Russo
Age: 31
Hometown: Hopewell, NY
Occupation: Musician for Hopewell
"The last time I needed someone to drive me home was on the night I met the girl I'm currently dating. I puked in her car, and we've been dating ever since!"

Name: Deidre Muro
Age: 21
Hometown: New York
Occupation: Musician
"I just moved uptown, and I needed a cab. My friend was willing to pay for it, so I said okay!"