CLUB REVIEW : A Naughty Haven for Young Scenesters

Velvet is a naughty, naughty club.

Not simply because the Sunday night affair at West Hollywood’s Peanuts features slinky, gyrating go-go dancers in baaarely-there lingerie, but because the early-KROQ music format attracts a very young crowd. One can only imagine the kids lucky enough to pass for 18--ID is a club requirement--going back to school the next day with eye-popping stories of the night before.

Prompted by an endless video reel of prancing, topless femme fatales such as Betty Page and Jayne Mansfield--yes, breasts do come in all shapes and sizes--club-goers let down their own, er, hair. See-through tops appear to be the requisite outfit for women.

The music lineup caters to the young, post-pubescent L.A. scenesters. Velvet promotes itself with as “a new wave ‘striptease’ dance club” and it is just that. From Blondie to Depeche Mode to Bow Wow Wow, Velvet’s deejay offers a loud, nostalgic trip through new wave’s past.

When they venture into the ‘90s, it’s with the assurance of a current alternative hit, possibly something from Nine Inch Nails or the Breeders. Ears ringing, you leave with the disturbing notion that alternative formats such as KROQ are the future homes of classic rock.

* Velvet at Peanuts on Sundays, 7969 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, $6 cover, (213) 462-7442.