With the departure of the last original Pipette, the band have moved their gaze from ‘60s girl pop to its synth-heavy ‘80s successor
The Pipettes began their life evoking the sounds and fashion statements of ‘60s girl pop groups. At its creative peak, it was a concept that Monster Bobby – the band’s Svengali-like creator and artistic director – prosecuted with considerable aplomb. Not surprisingly, the original Pipettes idea had a limited natural lifespan.
With the departure of the last original Pipette, the band have moved their gaze from ‘60s girl pop to its synth-heavy ‘80s successor (it’s telling that the ‘70s seems to be have been overlooked completely – the decade’s mixture of earnest singer-songwriters and disco divas is tough game for a tightrope walk between indulgence and parody).
The first Pipettes record indulging the ‘80s pop sound – think Human League, Bananarama, Mel and Kim and even Kylie Minogue in her post Locomotion, pre-Michael Hutchence stage – is the oddly titled Earth vs The Pipettes. With production assistance from noted ‘80s producer Martin Rushent, the quality of the songwriting is consistent with the root genre. Call Me is the prototypical cheesy narrative of unrequited adolescent love, Ain’t No Talking is funk pop with enough hair gel to set fire to a small building and I Need A Little Time is – like Darth Vader – more machine than human in its pop statement.
From there The Pipettes’ formula never deviates: History is happy, bouncing and as deep as Samantha Fox’s political credibility, I Vibe U is as light, fluffy and nutritious as candy floss and Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen is so ridiculous it might just work – at a very tough pinch.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that the airwaves were filled with the tinny production of Messrs Stock, Aicken and Waterman, and the suburban dance floors littered with frizzed hair, shoulder pads, baggy pants and thin ties. Whether the 1980s has the same nostalgic attraction as the 1960s is a moot point.
The Pipettes, Earth vs The Pipettes is out now through Polka Dot Sounds
