ARCHIVE
THE PIPETTES
DUBLINIn a music scene dominated by skinny-jeaned guitarists with Russell Brand haircuts, the Pipettes are making a bold statement. Gwenno, Riot Becki and Rosay took to the stage in Temple Bar Music Centre in early October resplendent in the polka-dot dresses that have become their trademark, and carrying with them a vigour and genuine love hard to find in modern pop music. These girls hark back to the golden era of pop, the late 50's/early 60's - bringing music back, to paraphrase their manifesto, to "a point before the Beatles ruined everything."
Posing their way through a set consisting of almost the entirety of their album “We Are The Pipettes”, along with some newer numbers, the girls created their own little world - one full of broken hearts, Brighton, and boys behind the bike shed... the themes closest to the girls’ hearts.
Speaking to them before their gig, it was clear to see that although, like so many of the classic girl groups - such as The Three Degrees and The Supremes - there lurks a male svengali behind the inception of the group (in this case, support act and guitarist Monster Bobby), the real power of the Pipettes brand lies with the girls up front.
"Yeah, I think that was always at the heart of it, there is a definite female voice, and I think we all realise that it's very important to have a female voice out there… regardless of what it's saying." Said Rose - who, along with Becki and Bobby, is one of the founders of the group. (Gwenno joined later, after a gig in Cardiff.)
Unhappy with the current British music scene, the girls described how the band came along. "Bobby always wanted to start a 50’s/60’s girl band, and one drunken night a few years ago, Julia (one of the original members) joked 'exploit me!'… it all started from there really.""Yeah, the British music scene at the moment seems great up front, but it's really stagnant. It's all gone underground really."
When they said that, I asked the girls what they thought about the underground scene - in particular, in their home town of Brighton, which is a really vibrant musical scene at the moment, home to The Pipettes, British Sea Power, and The Go! Team, to name but a few.
"Well, to be honest, it might sound bland but I think it's because Brighton is such a boring place!"
"Yeah, the only thing there is to do really is to go to gigs, but that's great, because it creates such a lively scene.
There must be hundreds of bands in Brighton, and because it's so repressed it makes all the bands so eclectic."
The Pipette popettes are starting to make a big mark on the indie scene, with their unabashed pop sensibility, combined with music that sets fire to the soles of your feet and just won't let you stop dancing. Check out their album, and catch them live next time around - but be quick, because at the rate these girls are expanding their brand, it's a guaranteed sell out.
Abderrahmane