MAKING THE SCENE
THE PLACE TO BE FOR POP FANATICS CELEBRATES ITS 10TH YEAR

To mark Popscene's 10th anniversary at 330 Ritch St. Thursday night, the promoters of the popular indie pop dance club snagged a special surprise band to play the sold-out party. No, make that a ridiculously special surprise band. Just don't ask them to name names. At least not yet.

"We can't announce who it is," says DJ and club co-founder Aaron Axelson, sitting behind the desk at his day job as music director for Live 105.

"It's in the contract," adds partner Omar Perez.

Well, then. How about a little hint?

"You can say they're from Las Vegas," Axelson says.

"No! If you say they're from Las Vegas, everyone will know who it is," Perez says, aghast.

Blue Man Group? Celine Dion? The return of Siegfried and Roy?

Not likely. For the past decade (actually, it all started at Cat's Grill and Alley Club in 1995 but with all the late nights and potent cocktails, who has time to keep track of actual anniversaries?), Popscene has catered to an evergreen clique of Bay Area Anglophiles.

Every Thursday, college-age kids with vintage Fred Perry polos, Mick Jagger-style shags, black nail polish, tight jeans and skinny ties storm the dance floor to shimmy to the latest import singles, Britpop staples and even unsigned bands Axelson happens to come across at the station.

In any given hour, patrons might hear Blur, the Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, Franz Ferdinand and Fatboy Slim alongside English-influenced local acts such as Scissors for Lefty and Every Move a Picture. Or they might get to consort with their heroes, as members of New Order, the Smiths and Pulp drop by to mingle, drink and maybe spin a few records.

"From the very beginning, we wanted to make it feel like you were hanging out in your living room with a band," Perez says of the party that served as the catalyst for acts like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Rapture.

Started by four Britpop enthusiasts who met at Berkeley's Mod Lang Records, the club has weathered its fair share of obstacles over the years, from temperamental musicians with foreign visas to the nu-metal explosion. Of the original founders, Axelson is the only one who stuck around with Perez, only recently rejoining the lineup of resident DJs that now includes Nako and Disco Shawn.

Still, the 18-and-over crowd has faithfully lined up for hours in the windswept alley outside 330 Ritch every week because Popscene has become known as the place to catch the latest It band in action (usually for about $5), months before they graduate to bigger venues such as the Fillmore and Warfield. In the coming weeks it will give the Bay Area its first taste of buzzed-about acts like Razorlight, Lily Allen and the Kooks, just like it did in the past with the Arctic Monkeys, Jet, the Libertines, Muse and the Killers.

"One of the most rewarding things about doing this has been the ability to create a scene and harness a lot of the like-minded passion people have, and use it as a springboard to expose new bands," Axelson says.

Wait a minute. Back up. Aren't the Killers from Las Vegas? Isn't their new disc, "Sam's Town," due out any day now? Didn't their 2004 debut, "Hot Fuss," sell more than 3 million copies, making them if not ridiculously huge at least ridiculously special?

Axelson and Perez exchange uneasy glances. Their lips are sealed.