The Kooks go Kimmel. (Photos by Lina Lecaro)Brit BoppersJimmy Kimmel Live may not be as woo-hoo wild as it once was — they used to serve booze to the studio audience! — but the show still has an anything-can-happen feel, both on TV and in its exclusive green room, where the libations still flow. And how. We got toasted on some lethal Chardonnay last Thursday, just before U.K. sensations The Kooks made their U.S. TV debut on the show’s outdoor stage. We even got up the (liquid) courage to sneak into the young blokes’ dressing room for a photo after their set. We also wanted to hustle-and-flow into guest Terrence Howard’s room, and we weren’t the only ones. We ran into four beauties who got hugs and kisses from the actor during the taping, and they were still holding their faces after the show (à la Marcia “I’ll never wash this cheek again!” Brady when she met Davy Jones). “He’s sooo fine,” was a recurrent comment. We sooo agree. But back to the Kooks. They’re pretty fine too, if you like the skinny/disheveled Brit-boy look, and their set was nice and loose: The hit “Naive” sounded slack and strummy, but not sloppy.

We were supposed to meet the boys afterward at Jones, but the place was so packed that they wound up across the street at the Formosa. So we sought new Anglophillic adventures farther down Santa Monica at Tempest, where Death Disco LA made its debut— an offshoot of English music legend Alan McGee’sLondon hotspot. McGee was there to deejay, as were Charlatans UK’s Tim Burgess and blond Brit-babe singer Dirty Harry. Amy Winehouse and new BFF Kelly Osbourne also popped in later in the eve. Dirty Harry sheepishly confessed to us she actuallydidn’t know she was spinning until a pal (Nick Jago from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) told her he saw it on MySpace a few hours earlier! MySpace was, in fact, how we heard about the night — which couldn’t have been too heavily promoted: There was a good crowd, but with this stellar lineup, it should have been crazy packed. U.K. up-and-comers The Screening offered a spirited set of prancey rock, but local newbies TheIdyllists didn’t fare as well, mostly due to poor sound. With all the band action, we never got to hear McGee spin, but he’ll be back at the club this week (tonight, if you’re reading this on Thursday 3/29).

Frock On

L.A. Fashion Week came and went with the usual fanfare last week both at SmashboxStudios and in da clubs: Alice Cooper walked the runway for Junker Fashions at Avalon, Paris pranced (as usual) for saucy sweats brand 2BeFree at Boulevard 3, and Janice Dickinson flashed her hoo-ha at the Ed Hardy Smashbox show (prompting rumors she’s now banned from attending shows there). We only attended one Smashbox offering, Tara Subkoff’s very goth Imitation of Christ show (Siouxsie Sioux, where are you?), and skipped the after-party at Teddy’s in protest: With those spooky getups, it should have been held at Bar Sinister! We also caught local designer Maggie Barry’s flashy glam rock–flavored spectacle at the Fonda on Saturday, where sultry chanteuse Morganne performed a tune inspired by Barry’s new perfume, Dangerous Love. Read more about both, plus the globally conscious fashion event at new Silver Lake boutique Matrushka on laweekly.com’s Style Council blog.

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