The Duke Spirit/Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Not since the days of Transvision Vamp, the Darling Buds and the Primitives has the UK produced so many bands capable of fusing together girl-group coyness, psych-fuzz drone and smart-pop sass. Of the new breed, though, it's the Duke Spirit who rises above buzzed-about peers such as the Ting-Tings. Headed by brassy-voiced Liela Moss, the London act struts with confidence on its second album, Neptune. "The Step and the Walk" is a slinky garage-rock tune that resembles Garbage, while "Dog Roses" has the sinister cool of a spy-movie theme, and "Into the Fold" is the sort of indie-tart classic John Peel would have played to death in the late 1980s. Make sure to show up early to see the Duke Spirit, as it's opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club this time around.