The Pipettes played the 7th Street Entry on June 8, and it will undoubtedly be the last time they will play so small a venue in the Twin Cities. Taking the stage promptly at 10:45, the Pipettes treated the sold-out Entry crowd to an hour-long set of impossibly catchy songs and beguiling stage presence. The guys in the band (known as the Cassettes) quietly took the stage first, each wearing a matching white sweater. They were soon followed by RiotBecki, Gwenno and Rosay, who were attired in coordinated polka dot outfits.
The concert was accompanied by the Pipettes' likely soon-to-be infamous dance moves, nothing too special but just enough to give the performance some flavor. The dancing was choreographed but not synchronized; it's clear that the Pipettes work more on their singing than their dancing and that is a definite plus in my book.
Highlights of the night included "Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)," a song whose title recalls The Beautiful South at their melodramatic best. The chorus features a call-and-response "Dance!" before melting into the titular lyric, a lament sung over a lovely Phil Spector-inspired arrangement. "Pull Shapes" was another standout, a song so infectiously catchy that it was almost embarrassing. Sounding like an updated version of "Dancing Queen," the lyrics "I just want to move / I don't care what this song's about" nicely sums up the smart sunshine pop of the Pipettes.
The concert closed with the charming theme song "We Are The Pipettes" which has traces of the Pixies' signature pop-punk beneath its fuzzed-out bassline. In case you forgot who they were, the ladies confidently reminded the crowd that, "We are the Pipettes and we have no regrets / If you haven't noticed yet, we're the prettiest girls you've ever met." I can't think of too many bands that have the right songs and the proper swagger to back up such a boast, but the Pipettes pulled it off in spades.
Detractors will say that the Pipettes are too manufactured, too derivative. I have to confess that I had similar thoughts immediately after the show, but the next day I couldn't stop humming the damn songs and had to go online to download them. (The U.S. release of the full album We Are The Pipettes is scheduled for late August.) And after hearing the radiostream of their acoustic performance on 89.3 The Current, it became pretty clear that, whatever their intentions, the Pipettes are very talented singers and the songwriting is rock solid. What more could you want?
