A Scene of Their Own, With a Brit-Pop Flavor

Cafe Bleu is the story of two post-modern “mods,” who moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco a couple years back only to learn that the club scene wasn’t quite their cup of tea.

“There was nothing for us; pop culture was so scattered in L.A.,” Piper Ferguson says. “It was all cattle bands, a new crowd every half hour. We felt we needed to start a scene with something we relate to.”

Ferguson and pal, Shalyce Benfell, did just that. Nearly 14 months ago, the duo launched Cafe Bleu, a dance club focusing on British pop--or Brit-Pop, as it’s come to be nicknamed--at Checca Nite Club on Thursday nights and it’s been a hit.

The success is rooted in their attention to details. First, although knockoffs are lurking just around the corner, Cafe Bleu is the only club focusing exclusively on Brit-Pop, and the genre has seen a resurgence in interest.

“Everyone understands how the music works,” Ferguson says. “Along with Oasis and Blur, we play ‘60s soul, which also had a big influence on the mods. We spin anything from James Brown to the Who to My Bloody Valentine.”

Second, they stubbornly refused to move Cafe Bleu to a 21-and-over nightclub, recalling their own days of youthful clubbing and the need for venues for the 18 and over loyalists.

“A lot of the kids who come here know the music better than we do,” she says. (Perhaps that’s why Cafe Bleu features a young roster of deejays, half of them women.)

In addition, Cafe Bleu opened at Checca at the right time. The club’s owner, Mark Gallo, has re-created the space to make it more of a nightclub than its original configuration as a restaurant. Gallo added a comfortable outdoor patio, a back V.I.P. lounge and bar and a smattering of couches. He’s also opened up a wall, to allow diners (Checca has a full Italian Asian menu) a view of the stage and dance area, and he enhanced the sound system.

The latter technicality is the most critical to Cafe Bleu, which features a live performance at 10 p.m. each Thursday.

“All of our bands either come from the U.K. or were inspired by British music,” Ferguson says. Among the artists who’ve performed at Cafe Bleu, which was named after the Style Council’s first record, are Kenickie, the Dandy Warhols, the Bluetones and Sleeper. Tonight guests can see the Lemmings. Even more notable are its nonperforming performers: Courtney Love has manned the deejay booth, Stone Roses guitarist John Squire has popped in and members of the Charlatans U.K. have also made the scene.

Another feature the promoters are proud of is the fact that Cafe Bleu isn’t an industry haunt.

“No one’s trying to sign a band,” Ferguson says. “The people who come here, they’re all about the music. This is their club.”

BE THERE

Cafe Bleu at Checca Nite Club on Thursdays, 7323 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 850-7471. 18 and over, cover $5 for 21 and over, $6 for under 21.