The Beatles had their boots, hip, stylish, and matching. The Sex Pistols had their pants, tight, black, and ripped. The Plastiscines have their bangs. One blond, three brunettes, all cute and bubbly with the same angled hair in their eyes. The French punk-rock teen foursome is so famous for its look that one of its first gigs in the States is at a trendy store in Soho where every person who attends gets a free pinstriped hat.

But the night before their retail debut, the Plastiscines were showing New York why they’re also known for their attitude and their surly punk stylings. Slamming through a set of two-minute bouncy bursts from their debut LP1, slowing down only to scream, “Bon soir!” and to profess their love for Nancy Sinatra (sounds more like Nanceee Seenahtrah when they say it, and it takes a second for the audience to catch on) before diving head first into “These Boots Are Made for Walking.”

Lead singer Katty Besnard’s energy is contagious as she struts around the stage shouting out lyrics in French and English to infamous Plastiscines rants like “Loser” and “Mister Driver,” and gangly bassist Louise Basilien walks the lines of the songs so confidently that they become like a second melody. It’s easy to see how these girls rose above their les bébés rockers compatriots (the colloquial name for teenage bands in France) to bring their rebellious racket stateside.–Lavinia Wright