Rockville Centre's catchy Night Fevers

Nothing builds buzz for a young band better than a visit from the NYPD, and Rockville Centre's Night Fevers are no exception.

Last month, the band drew so many fans to its sold-out show at Arlene's Grocery that New York's Finest arrived to defuse an overcrowding situation.

"It was the best / worst thing that could have happened," says Night Fevers guitarist Danny Rocco. "There were just so many people there."

It sounds like good practice for the band, which formed last year from a merger of Long Island bands Show Me Action, which included Rocco and singer Jack Tangney, and Stealing Jane, which included bassist Brian Bunce and drummer William Tully. (Rockville Centre guitarist Gerard Lange rounds out the lineup.)

Judging from their new Killers-esque song "Way I Am," they're soon going to be drawing even larger crowds.

"A lot of songs sound really big, like Kings of Leon," says Rocco, adding that the band will record its debut next year. "That's what we're aiming for - that really big sound."

It's that sound that's already landed the band a string of area shows, including the opening slot at a Long Island invasion of the Gramercy Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 23, led by The Sleeping and Neighbors, two acts that have a far heavier sound than Night Fevers.

"You know, Jack and I had that exact same conversation last night at practice. He was saying, 'Do we fit the bill?' " Rocco says. "But I think we do. The way we play our live set, you don't really get that aura of peppiness. We keep our heavier roots onstage."

Night Fevers plays the Gramercy Theatre, 127 E. 23rd St., Manhattan, 212-777-6800, Thursday, Dec. 23. Tickets are $24 through livenation.com.

Contact The Long Island Sound at glenn.gamboa@newsday.com or follow@ndmusic on Twitter.