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WEDNESDAY

Recent punditry on how electronica can bend its free-form dance-floor digressions into chartable pop nuggets has conveniently ignored the example of English cult favorites Saint Etienne. Ably fronted by sultry-voiced singer Sarah Cracknell, Saint Etienne has endured for a decade by fueling its breezy pop songs with club-friendly conventions. The group recently surprised old fans and gained new converts by abandoning long-time engineer Ian Catt to record last year’s Good Humor with Swede Tore Johansson, using conventional instrumentation to an unprecedented degree, and wowing stateside audiences at sold-out shows on its first-ever U.S. tour. Now the band is back with both a new EP, Places to Visit, that nicely encapsulates its eclectic charm and a more ambitious North American sojourn featuring a nine-piece live unit. Expect the band’s usual glamour and pizzazz when it performs with the talented DJ Kid Loco at 8:45 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $15. (202) 393-0930. (Daniel Searing)