Expect a night of nostalgia Thursday as Secret French Kissing Society reunites for its first one-off gig since 2009. Originally formed in 2003 when lead singer Stavros Polentas moved back to Boca Raton from Athens, Greece, the melodic, new-wave trio waxed a solid debut, First Blood, the next year. Polentas' penchant for wry Morrissey inflections and the Kinks-like zip of bass player Jesse Steele and drummer Chuck "Deuce" Britzmayr stood out in a time when there was no budding indie music scene to speak of on our shores.
Favorable reviews and impressive gigs followed, garnering the three-piece a sizable local following. In 2006, however, the band disappeared in a puff of smoke when Polentas decided to move to New York to try his luck. Fortunately for fans of the group's melancholic bliss, Polentas' mother still lives locally. During visits, the raspy vocalist likes to round up the original crew and whip out breezy First Blood favorites like "I Gotta Move," a peppy number about living next to a heroin dealer.
