Brass knuckles, gold chains and tight tank tops may sound more like accessories for Mr. T than a petite blonde. But for The Vettes’ lead singer Rachel Vette, the ’80s aesthetic is a perfect match for her music.As she struts across the stage, whipping her long blonde hair around to the sound of New Wave-style synthesizers and up-tempo dance beats, she conjures up comparisons to Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Missing Person’s Dale Bozzio, both blonde front women for ’80s bands.Grabbing a rhinestone-covered mic stand, Vette belts out lyrics backed by the instrumentation of her band members, all of which happen to be her brothers. Well, except for one. He’s “adopted.”Born and raised in New Orleans as Rachel, Chad, Todd and Brian Breaux, the talented foursome adopted an extra brother, their bassist Mitch, and the stage name “Vette” in 2006.Already the almost-family band is well on its way to national success. New Orleans Top-40 radio station B97 has been playing their song “Give Em What They Want” in regular rotation since May, an unprecedented achievement for a local unsigned band. The song hit the top spot of B97’s drive-time show 24 days in a row.”Give Em What They Want” has also been licensed to MTV for use during its programming.”I love their music because it is so catchy,” said Melissa Cagley, biological sciences freshman.Rachel Vette said she heard from friends that people request their song during karaoke night at The Cat’s Meow in the French Quarter. She said she also heard of local strippers performing routines to the song.The upbeat nature of The Vettes’ songs not only makes for catchy radio tunes but also energetic live shows.Sarah Boudreaux, animal sciences senior, said she loves seeing the band live and plans on going to the show this Saturday at the Spanish Moon.”Rachel has an incredible energy, and that energy seems to flow through all the band members during the show,” Boudreaux said. “She never stops bouncing around the stage. She flips her hair around peacock-style, and I’ve seen her crawl and roll on the stage.”Cagley said she and her friends always go see the band when it plays in town.”Rachel has a wonderful stage presence and really gets the crowd pumped up and involved,” Cagley said. “When my friends and I hear about them coming to town it’s an immediate understanding that we will all be there rocking out.”The Vettes were able to perform their high-energy show at the music festival South by Southwest last year in Austin, Texas, and this year they have two more festivals lined up.In October they will embark on a tour up the eastern seaboard toward New York City for the College Music Journal Music Marathon and Film Festival and back down to Louisiana for a main stage performance at Voodoo Fest.”This is kind of our first year breaking into the scene,” Rachel Vette said.She said the band’s unique sound should help them stand out.”I really do believe in our music,” she said. “I think it’s different from a lot of stuff that’s out right now.”The Vettes will perform Saturday night with Oh Juliet and Streamline at the Spanish Moon at 10:00 p.m.- – – -Contact Lauren Walck at [email protected]