The Crowning Touch

Look at him standing in the doorway, framed like a piece of pop art. His features crafted in minute detail. His hair falling in sweeping brush strokes around his face. He glides into the room as though a red carpet lay at his feet. He’s the real deal. He’s in his element . . . and he knows it.

You can’t place him exactly. He must be somebody. Must be a pop superstar--or at the very least, he’s got potential. He certainly picked the right club to explore his future stardom.

Not unlike an MTV Celebrity Death Match, Popsuperstar is where the best in Britpop and Brit-trip artists battle it out for sound system supremacy. Can the inner turmoil of Oasis and Blur stave off competition from Portishead and Massive Attack? What about the Big Beat sensations that recently conquered the motherland, England? Fatboy Slim and the Chemical Brothers are fiercely hypnotic, both known for keeping up with the beat and not going down for the count.

One thing is certain, no matter who conquers the kingdom, you’ll hear all the contenders at Popsuperstar first.

At Popsuperstar--every Tuesday night at Deville’s--the diverse genres of British pop, dance and rock music co-mingle. Promoters Dean Mathiesen and Curtis Orthmann based their idea on a well-attended Britpop night in London called Popstarz!, then tested the American waters in Seattle before moving in on Los Angeles.

Popsuperstar first landed here at the 360 restaurant in February 1998 and held ground at the Opium Den for nearly a year before arriving at Deville’s last month. The move was a good one--providing a more appropriately posh atmosphere for the peacoat and vintage-attire crowd. Lest anyone confuse L.A. with London, observe the mass of bodies huddled outside on the porch for a cigarette.

Inside, the majority of the music spun is from the U.K., including current favorites such as Basement Jaxx, Belle and Sebastian and Gay Dad. But the DJs also bring to the table some lessons in European pop as well. You can sample Stereolab or take a big breath of Air.

William Godoy, the newest addition to the Popsuperstar partnership, holds to the creed that there are really two factions of Britpop. “One [is] the bands who used the Who and the Jam as models, like the Bluetones and Oasis, and the other consists of bands who were heavily influenced by dance music, like Primal Scream, the Happy Mondays, the Charlatans and the Inspiral Carpets.” But, he says, all those groups “were admitted fans of the Chicago House scene, as well as club goers to the Hacienda in Manchester in the early ‘90s.” So the ties between Britpop and dance music are tight, rather than the loose fit some would claim.

Popsuperstar is typically English with its fully clothed, finely tailored patrons hovering in groups and exhibiting the utmost in reserved demeanor. There are no drunken displays, no half-undressed writhing. Everyone seems to give each other space to be noticed. And while this group has a devoted interest in the music and culture of the U.K., proving you have the moves on the dance floor seems to be of less importance than using your groove to catch a stranger’s eye and smile.

Oh yes, there he is again, that pop superstar coming back for more adoration. With arrogant stride and a perfect lacquered surface, he is a flash of moving theatrical performance art. And a young woman in white go-go boots is left with little choice but to go-go get him.

The queen would be proud.

BE THERE

Popsuperstar, Tuesdays at Deville’s, 696 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood. (323) 692-9113. 21 and older, $5 cover.