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Love 'em or hate 'em (and how could you hate them anyway, they're so cute!) The Pipettes are on their way to world domination; first stop: North America. After a successful gig in Toronto, the girls made their way to Brooklyn for two sold-out shows before their big Manhattan debut, opening for Amy Winehouse (more on that in my next post). I was at the Monday night show at Luna Lounge, where the lucky crowd was treated to new songs, old favorites, and a whole lot of polka-dotted pizzazz.
Opening for the girls were The Booze, a dapper quintet from Atlanta with a name that says it all. The doorman explained to us on the way in that they were a fitting opener for The Pipettes, and he was quite right; their Dave Clark Five style of rock 'n roll fit perfectly with the retro feel of The Pipettes' music. Singer Chaz Tolliver proved himself small but mighty, rocking out in a waistcoat like a proper gentleman. We'd only wished that his mic was turned up a bit more, since the music was drowning him out. Overall, their entire set was solid and the crowd was quite attentive, which is a feat for any opener at a Brooklyn show.
Then the boys were gone and it was all about the girls we came to see. Fresh off their newly-minted American record deal and right before their huge coming out party at SXSW, Gwenno, Riot Becki, and Rosay treated us to an amazing evening of pop music. The best thing about The Pipettes is how much fun they have when they're on stage. There's a lot of posing, but no posturing; these three aren't afraid to be feminine and independent, and they're certainly not afraid of getting down and having a killer time. There weren't too many people dancing around us by the front, but I have a feeling there was a lot of booty-shaking elsewhere in the club. Mine was shaking, at the very least. In addition to beloved singles such as "Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me," "Dirty Mind" and "Judy," the girls performed some of their excellent b-sides, such as "Really That Bad" and "Guess Who Ran Off With the Milkman?". We also got live favorite "Baby Don't Leave" and two brand new songs: "Your Love For Me" and "True Love Waits Patiently for a Miracle." I remember the full title of the latter song (the title of which Gwenno apparently stole from one of her boyfriend's songs, very scandalous) because Mike screamed from behind me, "A Christmas miracle?" Quite silly, but irreverence was more than welcome that evening. Rosay's yell of "I've had just about ENOUGH of SWEET!" during "Why Did You Stay?" was both surprising and adorable, while Becki's antics were bubbly and refreshing. Gwenno, of course, was super hot. (She always is.)
Setlist (thanks to the one Mike grabbed for me):
Intro / Baby Don't Leave Me / Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me / Why Did You Stay? / Your Love For Me / Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling) / The Burning Ambition of Early Diuretics / It Hurts to See You Dance So Well / Guess Who Off With the Milkman? / Tell Me What You Want / Really That Bad / I Love You / True Love Waits Patiently for a Miracle / One Night Stand / Judy / Dirty Mind / Pull Shapes // ABC / We Are The Pipettes
We also went to the afterparty and got to chat with Gwenno for a while, who's just as gorgeous in person as she is in photos, and super nice. We chatted about their dressmaker, her older Welsh and Cornish solo efforts, and even taught her the term "double-fisting" when Mike spotted her holding two drinks. She thought the term a bit "crude." Welcome to America, ladies! The Booze
The Pipettes
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