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-- Catherine P. Lewis
The Ting Tings
As with a millionaire who wins the lottery, it appears that one way to get your song on an iPod commercial is not to care. Katie White and Jules De Martino, better known as the Ting Tings, call themselves an "unintentional band" who'd already had negative experiences in the biz when they joined forces in 2006. So they decided just to make music that their friends could party to, a punk/pop/dance blend built with the White Stripesian anchors of percussion, vocals and guitar. The unintended consequence? Silhouetted hipsters on TVs worldwide grooving to their single, "Shut Up and Let Me Go," followed by crazy buzz.
At the 9:30 club on Tuesday, the English duo blasted out a 45-minute set that proved the bulk of their still tiny repertoire is as catchy as that ubiquitous tune. With an ego-free yet electrifying stage presence that recalls Be Your Own Pet, De Martino grounded each song with deep, crisp drum work while the garage-glam White played guitar, danced and yelped like Jemina Pearl's big sis.
There was never a dull moment, but a couple of instances when the Tings' infectiousness was especially dazzling: "That's Not My Name" built to a thrilling frenzy with a titular chant that's part tribal, part cheer squad. And the pair froze during the set-closing "Shut Up and Let Me Go," waiting for cheers before going Blue Man on their instruments, with White whaling on a pedestal-perched bass drum until it toppled and then beating a cowbell furiously enough to make Christopher Walken proud.
-- Tricia Olszewski
