PHOTOS BY TRACY NUNNERY

It was something of a homecoming show for San Francisco-based pop rockers Imperial Teen, who played to a small but devoted crowd Thursday night (Dec. 13) at the Independent. After explaining that this venue was where they'd played their very first show, Imperial Teen wasted no time in unleashing their signature boy/girl harmonies and irreverent lyrics. Poised beneath funky flashing green and magenta lights, and a black and white stage backdrop, Roddy Bottum and crew got the crowd movin' with a heavy guitar line on "Do It Better" and impeccable harmonies of "Shim Sham," both found on their latest LP, The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band.

Imperial Teen also earned their B-52's comparisons as bassist Jone Stebbins harmonized perfectly on "Everyone Wants to Know," while Bottum played a cool keyboard on "Sweet Potato." The keyboard was on loan courtesy of opening act, Von Iva, the Bay Area synth rawk trio fronted by vixen soulstress Jillian Iva, whose shy curtsy couldn't disguise the band's raw energy on the L.A. toxic tale, "La La." But before calling it a night, Imperial Teen dusted off a few crowd-pleasing classics, including the intense pounding guitars of "Alone in the Grass." Drummer Lynn Truell (née Perko) also emerged from behind her kit to take on bass duties and backing vocals for "Yoo Hoo." Really, after a five year break, what is not to love about Imperial Teen?

We asked: Imperial Teen's latest album is titled The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band. If you were stranded on a desert island, which one of these items (the hair, the TV, the baby or the band) would you want to have with you, and why?

Name: Agata Kamler
Age: 30
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Student
"The band. You can always use entertainment, a couple of girlfriends, and some guys on a desert island."

Name: Lauren Alfrey
Age: 25
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Account executive
"Hair, because I can imagine it would get chilly at night. Maybe I can weave myself a hair scarf."

Name: Jonathan Smith
Age: 31
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Vocalist/guitarist in the Hundred Days
"The band. I already have hair, I don't watch TV, and I don't really want kids. Process of elimination."

Name: Vanae Tran
Age: 26
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Occupation: Business development manager
"My baby, not that I have one, but babies are entertaining. You have to be creative about how to feed them and yourself on the island."

Name: Emily Barbee
Age: 29
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Occupation: Therapist
"The band. They'd be the most interactive, and you can have everything. They'd have instruments too."

Name: Shy Sayas
Age: 27
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Occupation: Band leader in Superthief
"The band. I prefer music to children, I don't own a TV, and I'll only have my hair for maybe a decade more."

Name: Danielle Frandina
Age: 32
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Teacher
"The band… then you could procreate and have babies."

Name: Brad Kamisky
Age: 29
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Waiter
"The TV. At least there'd be something to watch, and I haven't had cable for two years."

Frontman Roddy Bottum / Photo by Tracy Nunnery

Vocalist Will Schwartz / Photo by Tracy Nunnery

Drummer Lynn Truell / Photo by Tracy Nunnery

Bassist Jone Stebbins and Schwartz return to San Fran / Photo by Tracy Nunnery

Stebbins still rules the 'Lipstick' / Photo by Tracy Nunnery

'Yoo Hoo' for Imperial Teen / Photo by Tracy Nunnery

Von Iva / Photo by Tracy Nunnery