It is early afternoon at the Flamingo Cantina in Austin, and already the temperature inside is reaching steambath proportions. On stage, The Pipettes are visibly feeling the heat – Riot Becki’s glasses won’t stop sliding down her nose, and The Cassettes (the all-male backing quartet) appear to be regretting their wardrobe choice (yellow wool sweater vests atop long-sleeved dress shirts).
But the girls show no sign of stopping, cajoling the crowd to join in on a round of finger wagging during the call-and-response chorus of “Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me,” and their coordinated polka-dot ensembles and synchronized dance moves remain remarkably bouncy throughout the entire set.
“We’ve had a great response so far,” reports Gwenno Pipette, the band’s newest member, undaunted by the band’s five scheduled gigs and one guest DJ set.
“The only way that we really developed any fan base was through playing live,” agrees Rosay Pipette.
Their crammed schedule at SXSW represents some of the band’s first US performances, and the packed crowds at their gigs are gleefully eating up the band’s contagious, cheeky pop numbers—not too shabby for a group with no American releases to date. The band’s full-length debut, We Are the Pipettes, was released in the UK and Europe last July, and immediately gained traction in the U.S. through blog chatter and a series of charmingly retro music videos distributed via YouTube and The Pipettes’ MySpace page.
“As tongue in cheek as we are, we’re very, very aware of the issue of having any sort of opinion if you’re a girl.” – Gwenno Saunders
Shortly before arriving in Austin, the group finally inked a distribution deal with Cherry Tree, an imprint of Interscope Records, and their US debut release is scheduled for late summer, 2007.
“It’s just amazing to be able to release your records in places where you never thought people would hear you,” says Rosay.
“That’s kind of the point of being here—to show as many people as you can what you’re about,” adds Riot Becki.
Both visually and aurally, The Pipettes are a direct throwback to ’60s girl-group sensibilities, drawing inspiration from Phil Spector’s famed Wall of Sound aesthetic as well as a line of female musicians ranging from Sandy Denny to Kate Bush and Kathleen Hanna. Their repertoire is firmly rooted in classic pop, although the songs put a modern twist on the usual subjects of boys, love, and having fun, addressing the cluelessness of nerdy science boys and the joy of dance parties.
“As tongue in cheek as we are, we’re very, very aware of the issue of having any sort of opinion if you’re a girl, and that’s not to say that we take ourselves too seriously, but we do think things through,” says Gwenno.
“Everyone’s role is different in every single song, and that’s kind of what’s nice about it,” says Riot Becki. “We try not to claim ownership on any of the songs, because the whole point is that it’s not about a singular ego. There’s supposed to be this air of mystery about how [the songs are created].”
Rosay adds, “The Pipettes isn’t really about the individual – it’s always kind of about the idea, which is bigger than any one of us. And that’s quite liberating.”
The group’s philosophy may seem overly intellectual for a pop outfit, but it perfectly captures the brainy verve that runs through all of their songs.
– Connie Hwong