Infectious B-52s At Foxwoods

Before R.E.M. made Athens, Ga., famous as a college-music mecca, it was already a place known for great quirky bands. There was Pylon, granddaddies of the scene. But the B-52s may have been the first Athens band to get real national exposure. And with good reason.

Their style was impeccable, a sort of retro-space-age bachelor-pad chic, with the female singers (Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson) sporting statuesque bouffants and generally blending the fashion signals for what decade they were supposed to be in. (The band formed in 1976.) They looked and seemed like Martians who got their wardrobes at the coolest thrift store around.

The music was new wave, with farfisa organ blasts, surfy guitars, those impeccably tight vocal harmonies and the stilted surreal staccato outbursts of Fred Schneider, who functioned as a sort of Dada hype man. The B-52s outlasted the new wave moment, having a second round of hits in the late ’80s with “Love Shack” and “Roam.” But if you really want to understand why this band is still revered, simply listen to “52 Girls,” with its jittery guitars and pogo bounce. It’s arty, infectious and near perfect.

The B-52s play at the Fox Theater at Foxwoods, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket on Sunday, Sept. 4., at 7 p.m. Tickets are $55. foxwoods.com.