The Pipettes @ The Factory(29/12/2007)

Wed 2nd Jan, 2008 in Gig Reviews

The Factory is by far one of the best live venues this city has to offer. It incorporates a sleek 1940s style bar with an in vogue lounge aesthetic, posh mirrored cocktail tables and a distinct air that whispers – œcool cats dig it here’.

Father Claus has left but tonight The Pipettes are in town. There is a good cross-section of the public, with a mixture of baby-boomers (who are no doubt keen on reliving the girl band sound of their youth in the 1960s), parents accompanying youngsters to their first gig and a contemporary teen subculture consisting of avid teenyboppers and a punk/mod contingent all here to witness their cute-kitsch polka-dot heroines in action.

But first, Sydney band Tokyo Blonde have proved their worth since I last saw them two years ago and, suffice to say, they provide an energetic rush and are appropriate as a Pipettes support. The band convey live a flow of musical know-how and are fresh, quirky and hooky as hell. Theirs is a sound that criss-crosses spheres of ultra-melodic pop, equally hot and cold shivers of rock and just enough free disco swing to sway from the chandeliers and whirl a mirror ball on its own.

They endeavour to woo us a step further with the presence of an upstart lead singer in the guise of a confident barefoot Contessa. She reminded me of Kate Pierson of the B-52s, minus the beehive, and sang one part huskiness/one part squeak, reminiscent of the Betty Boop inspired, 1930s singer Helen Kane. This band has a lot of nerve and hats off.

Now here’s a surprise: a hotchpotch unfurls as The Holidays are sandwiched between aforementioned band and the star band of the night. I am unsure if it is to be regarded as a clever break in the line-up of some she-bop antics, but they seemed out of place and disjointed which only served to distract me. Yet their set showed promise, they were watchable and band members were competent and consistent.

Yet there was something unadventurous in the music they presented. Lead vocals were also difficult to hear and it was detected that higher pitched notes were harder to hit, but if you were one of the crowd up the front the response was seemingly favourable. Even with the baby boomers. If it is indeed your bag, their songs were radio-friendly and drew attention to what is an obvious love affair with a classic, heavy-handed rock formula and muscular riffs that could scratch glass.

But a mild tremor is indicated and as far as anticipation goes, a rush to the front for some dotty inspiration is executed quicker than you can say “Spot on”. Let’s begin by saying there’s nothing too complicated about The Pipettes. But that is their drawcard. The sha-la-la trio from Brighton are imitative of the 1960s Phil Spector produced, all girl, all doo-wop sound via The Shangri-Las and The Teddy Bears.

Tonight the essence of The Pipettes lies comfortably in co-ordinated dance moves, pitch perfect harmonies and hand-clap singalongs with patrons. With faultless support from back-up band, The Cassettes, they continue to purely whoop it up playing some keyboard numbers and alternating between mike stands and lead vocals. They amusingly banter with us and with each other. They even teach us some dance moves.

They sing about who ran off with the milkman, the – œbad boy’ you adore but your mum hates and the transient nature of one night stands. RiotBecki announces a “naughty song about sex”, but with its cute pop styling it sounds more to me like first time mild petting.

But tonight there is no doubt that the voices are exquisite and are in top form. And this is a polka dot renaissance folks. You don’t stop until you get enough.

Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me, One Night Stand, Pull Shapes, Judy and Dirty Mind are rolled out with the texture of baby pink fairy floss and everybody is eagerly woofing it down. And boy is it sweet! With an encore of ABC and We Are The Pipettes, it has been a night of high voltage family fun and a means to continue the Western fascination with the notion of romantic love.

In leaving, the astute words of Gwenno Pipette linger on. Take note: “Don’t drink too much and don’t enter into a dull relationship – just dance”. Right on.