The Pipettes

Southampton's Joiners - July 2006
Words & image © 2006 DJ Webb

Heading over to the Joiners on this sunny summer evening, two things keep coming to mind. Firstly, it's going to be very hot in the Joiners tonight and secondly this isn’t your normal Joiners crowd. Gone are the metallers and emo-kids, replaced by pretty girls in pretty dresses - and that’s not just the audience. The Pipettes are something else. Three gorgeous girls in polka dot dresses, backed by four preppy boys in matching tank tops. I feel like I’ve been whirled back in time to the high school dance in Back to the Future. The Pipettes bring doowop into the 21st century, with a seductive edge to their dresses and their onstage banter and quirky mini-pop songs about boys, bitches and booze. The Pipettes are the breath of fresh air the Joiners needed on such a hot summer night.