Metro

Rehearsing East Village band the noisiest of neighbors

An East Village band has been using their apartment as a rehearsal space – infuriating neighbors including one who went to the cops.

The Virgins, who have played on David Letterman and toured extensively, practice every afternoon from 4 to 7 pm on Second Avenue between Seventh and Eighth Streets, neighbors said.

“I think they’re full of themselves. They leave the window open,” said one neighbor who complained of the noise to cops last night at a community meeting. “It’s like clockwork, every day between 4 and 7.”

“It’s been three weeks straight without a break,” she said. “Some of us work at home.”

The tunesmiths — who play a style reminiscent of 1970s and 1980s new wave bands like the Talking Heads and Television — say they try to keep it down.

“It’s hard to try to find a way to play and not be loud,” said band manager Ben Goldstein, 23. “We try to strike a balance.”

The musicians turn down their amplifiers and try to muffle the drums, he said, adding that they band prefers to play in the apartment lead singer Donald Cumming shares with other band members.

“They found it a lot easier to practice here. It’s more comfortable,” said Goldstein. It’s more convenient for everyone. Most of the guys live in the area.”

“It’s kind of a clubhouse for them where they can come by and play music,” he said.

But some neighbors think they should find another spot to play.

“I think it’s presumptuous that they think we want to hear it,” said Karen B., a saleswoman who works from her apartment next door. “It can be a little much sometimes. I hear them all the time.”

“It’s an odd choice for them to be right there,” said the neighbor who admitted that she actually owns some of their albums. “Most bands are in a garage in Brooklyn.”

The band still has fans on the block.

“They’re nice kids, they practice almost every day,” said Vick Singh, 53, a worker at Sam’s Deli and Grocery. “It doesn’t bother me. … Some people like it and stand outside and listen while looking at the window. They even dance.”