SEEKING REVENGE? YOU'LL FIND IT AT THIS WEEKEND'S COACHELLA VALLEY FESTIVAL.

Byline: Mari Nicholson Staff Writer

There is no "she" in She Wants Revenge, the moody, North Hollywood-bred '80s-style rock act that appears in a prominent slot during this weekend's Coachella Festival.

Asked about the missing girl, singer Justin Warfield says simply: "It doesn't mean nothing, but there's no right answer. It's not as specific as people would like it to be."

Signed to Geffen Records, She Wants Revenge (SWR) broke out last year when its single "Out of Control" received mucho spins on Los Angeles' influential alt-rock station KROQ-FM (106.7). Often said to be derivative of goth and indie acts like Joy Division, Bauhaus, New Order and Interpol, the duo of Warfield and Adam Bravin (aka DJ Adam 12) saw their fan base broaden when their self-titled debut album reached No. 38 in the national albums chart.

"I heard someone say She Wants Revenge is the best '80s music never heard," said DJ Bobby Sato of KCXX-FM (103.9) in San Bernardino.

Fans of the band find much to ponder in songs like "Tear You Apart" - and Joy Division fans will get the similarities to "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Warfield says every opaque lyric is intentional.

"Our listeners' interpretations of the song are just as valid as mine or Adam 12's feelings," Warfield, 32, said. "I wouldn't want to erase the meaning it came to have for them."

The two-man group - Warfield's desolate, almost baritone tone accompanying 36- year-old Adam 12's rhythmic, dance-invoking melodies - joins 95 other acts at this weekend's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio. Also on the bill (SWR appears Saturday) are Massive Attack, Tool, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a DJ set from Madonna.

"It's the most interesting American festival, by far, and two years ago at Coachella, I introduced Adam to the man who would later become our manager," Warfield mused. "Good things have happened for us there in the audience, but playing will be cooler."

SWR's two musicians met years ago, growing up in the San Fernando Valley. "We were put at an immediate disadvantage, hailing from the Valley where nothing was going on culturally; there was no punk rock, and Hollywood seemed so far," Warfield said. "The area isn't as polarized as depicted in the movie 'Valley Girl,' but it's somewhat accurate."

While everyone else obsessed over Metallica, Warfield and Adam 12 were laughed at for listening to the Cure, the Smiths and, ironically enough, Coachella-headliner Depeche Mode, with whom She Wants Revenge recently toured.

Performing next to such inspirational acts is surreal, says Warfield, but the onslaught of comparisons is a bit disconcerting.

"Joy Division, I can see, but not Interpol," he said. "That's one of the ridiculous associations made since they're guitar-based and we're electronic-based. I mean, how can current music influence other current music? We enjoy their music, but they're not what we do."

SHE WANTS REVENGE

Where: Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Field, 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio.

When: 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. She Wants Revenge plays Saturday.

Tickets: $85 per day or $165 for two-day pass. [phone]; coachella.com.

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She Wants Revenge - Justin Warfield and Adam Bravin (aka DJ Adam 12) - performs Saturday at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.