The Kills: 'Gossip' Within Earshot

If you've turned on the television at all in the past few weeks, you've probably seen the faux scandalous commercials for the new season of "Gossip Girl." That addictive, sexed-up song pumping as the privileged teens, well, writhe?

That's the Kills , an Anglo-American duo that won over the indie world back in 2003 with their debut full-length, "Keep on Your Mean Side" -- long before the menacing "Sour Cherry" was purring "shout when you want to get off the ride" from televisions across the country.

Tonight, the Kills, who must be seen to be believed, play the Black Cat, one of the first stops on their U.S. tour.

As other bands seem to accumulate members, the Kills -- Alison "VV" Mosshart (the American) and Jamie "Hotel" Hince (the Britisher) -- remain small, ragged, pared down, employing only a guitar or two, a drum machine for beats, and hand claps. And on "Midnight Boom," their newest record, the drum machine is at its most prominent, making the Kills' trademark two-minute gutter-blues oddly catchy.

To come up with their latest sound, "we didn't listen to anything," says Mosshart, who chatted this week by phone between U.K. dates. "You know when you wake up in the morning and listen to music, it stays with you all day?

"We only basically listened to the Kills" -- the music they had just finished recording. Instead, inspiration came from life: "We did things like read books, sit on the porch and smoke cigarettes . . ."

But the notoriously lo-fi band has taken up the act of blogging. Mosshart's dispatches from the road are evocative little paintings of new places, and light on the typical band banter.

She explains: "It's boring isn't it, talking about the gig every night? The stuff that's interesting to me is that you're going to different countries with different histories."

And Washington, with its vaunted punk history, it turns out, is one of her favorite places to play. "My favorite band in the world is Fugazi."

The Kills play the Black Cat tonight. $15. 9 p.m. 1811 14th St. NW. Get tickets at the door (202-667-7960) or through Ticketmaster (202-397-7328).

Save the Date

CONCERT The Cure The band postponed its Sept. 19 show at the Patriot Center last fall -- okay, the whole North American tour -- citing a desire to complete its new double album and rework the tour a bit. Good thing Cure fans are in love with heartbreak. All business done (though the album, the band's 13th, is still nowhere to be seen), the band finally comes to the Fairfax venue next week. May 9. $57.50. 8 p.m. Patriot Center, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. 202-397-7328.