Fresh on the heels of SXSW, Manchester’s newest Columbia signees the Ting Tings were all spunk-cheer last night (March 20) during a gig for budding fashion entrepreneurs in Chicago’s warehouse district. As videos illustrating select designers’ garments rolled, the Ting Tings commandeered an evening of brand-name chic and beat-infused networking.

Mouthpiece Katie White maintained a high level of energy throughout the six-tune gig, grinding along to breakout single “Great DJ” (stream it here) cuing sticksman Jules De Martino into the beat and chorus with her every move. With wide-eyes and smiles, the crowd was relatively tame during the set of tracks off forthcoming debut We Started Nothing, save a drum-less rendition of “Traffic Light,” which saw De Martino lash out at a pocket of chatterers: “Oi! Shut the fuck up! We’ve got someone singing here.” From there, however, the Ting Tings reclaimed the helm, White rambunctiously smacking the cowbell on sass-rap closer “That’s Not My Name,” rattling the band’s duct tape insignia off the bass drum on to the floor. No worries White, we’ll remember your name.

What’s the Deal: These glitzy popsters’ upbeat sonic thrusts club-punching guitars and adolescent coos, at times sounding as if Kylie Minogue attended indie-rock training camp and graduated with honors in handclaps and hipster sass. Frontwoman Katie White is pure spunk, spinning six-string jangles into breakout singles (“Great DJ”), when not rocketing lyrics about bitter breakups (“Shut Up & Let Me Go”) and proper epithet techniques (“That’s Not My Name”). Drummer Jules De Martino rocks rhythms skinny-jean clean, while a little cowbell, plunky key jabs, and a self-deprecating album title — We Started Nothing — craft a DIY chime.

Who: White and De Martino began the Ting Tings in 2006 after an ill-fated career in Dear Eskiimo, and after their fair share of underground hype, signed to Columbia for the release of debut We Started Nothing in May. Fans headed to Austin this week can catch the band at one of their five shows: The KCRW showcase at Buffalo Billiards March 12 (11 P.M.), Fader Party March 13 (2 P.M.), BrooklynVegan showcase March 13 (8 P.M.), the Stubb’s showcase March 14 (8 P.M.), or at the Diesel Party March 15 (10 P.M.).

Fun Fact: At the Ting Tings’ Glastonbury set, Radio One DJ Huw Stephens prophesized the band will be headlining the festival come ’09, quipping, “If that’s not true, then I’ll eat some mud.”