The Thing about the Ting Tings

For a brief moment last night, it was summer in Seattle. Inside the sold-out Ting Tings show at Chop Suey, it was hot and humid. The house was packed with young people drinking, dancing, and carousing. The music was pounding, and the gays were in full effect—all the trademark signs of summer. And then, about half an hour later, it was over.

Anni Rossi kicked off the show with an abbreviated twenty-minute opening set. The solo violist has some major buzz behind her: she just finished recording an album with uber-producer Steve Albini, which is set to come out on a "wonderful, been-around-for-ages label" (take that vague info as you will). Plucking, bowing, and strumming the strings on her instrument, Anni seems to be aiming for Joanna Newsom comparisons, but her more cutesy than quirky voice hews closer to Jewel with just a hint of Regina Spektor. And while the solo performance thing is working for now, if she’s aiming for the kind of high-profile headlining spots that it seems like she’s aiming for, she’s going to have to add a band to the stage to increase the entertainment potential. Because a girl with a viola, even when she’s covering the Cure ("Without You"), just doesn’t hold your attention.

The Ting Tings, on the other hand, instantly and completely lived up to the hype. The fashionable Manchester duo (Katie White on lead vocals and guitar, Jules De Martino on backing vocals and drums) delivered an electric, high-energy dance-rock set featuring songs off just-released in the US/already huge in the UK album We Started Nothing. Everybody knows "Shut Up and Let Me Go" from the ubiquitous iPod ad, but there’s a lot more pop goodness where that came from. Whether it’s "Great DJ" or "That’s Not My Name," most songs started with hand-clapping and ended up with everyone singing along, whether or not they actually know the words. The retro-futuristic tunes are irresistible and the band’s delivery—Katie’s swagger and vocal loops and Jules’ staccato drumming bravado—only further seals the deal. Their set was sharp and solid, but excruciatingly short (40 minutes), leaving us dying for more. Truly, these two are the next big Tings.

Photo of The Ting Tings at yesterday's Easy Street in-store performance care of Teresa Cook.