We should be cheering for Locksley. I mean, here’s a bunch of Wisconsinites who packed up their Dave Clark Five MP3s and moved to Brooklyn, determined to make it without the help of a record label, getting by on canny licensing deals (with Starz, Payless ShoeSource, and MTV) and, not incidentally, unleashing a great Beatlesque power-pop song now and then. But then there’s that icky “determined to make it” part, which makes you wonder if the band’s vintage haircuts, harmonies, and gorgeous minor chords weren’t focus-grouped somewhere along the line. So far, though, the band’s peanut hasn’t moved much; maybe this tour backing Kinks frontman Ray Davies is a recognition that they could learn something from a guy who hasn’t got the foggiest idea how to post a video on MySpace. Or maybe it’s just another part of a master plan that so far seems to be leading nowhere.

LOCKSlEY PERFORMS WITH RAY DAVIES AT 8 P.M. AT THE 9:30 CLUB, 815 V ST. NW. $40. (202) 265-0930.