The all-too-fun British girl band Pipettes may have gone through one too many transformations since their sugary pop debut, We Are the Pipettes, in 2006. Now, the Pipettes are sans two of the original founding members, Rose Elinor “Rosay” Dougall and Rebecca “Riotbecki” Stephens, and even the band’s first replacement member Anna McDonald has left the band after a brief six-month stint! Yet The Pipettes hold strong and push forward with the release of their sophomore album, Earth vs. the Pipettes, set for June 28th via Fortuna Pop! Records.
Today, The Pipettes consist of original founding member Gwenno Saunders, her sister Ani Saunders, and their backing band, the Cassette. Saunders explains, “[Dougall and Stephens] wanted to go off and do their own thing, but a majority of us wanted to keep going and create something new within the construct of The Pipettes. The aim of the group has changed, and we’ve become more confident musically.” You can say that again!
Once a sweet girly trio decked out in cute ‘60s style frilly dresses and polka-dot high heals, The Pipettes have now completely transformed themselves into a sassy duo of more-contemporarily dressed sisters that have tossed aside their spirits of youth and traded quirkiness and humor in for class and fame. Harsh? Maybe a little, but at least they kept the synchronized dancing! Saunders, however, promises a similar aesthetic, commenting, “We’re a little more grown-up now, but we’ll still have costumes and care about our appearance. It’s not going to look like we just rolled out of bed.” Well, we’ll just have to see about that!
While their image has seen dramatic changes, so has The Pipettes’ music, resulting in a much more streamlined pop record that draws a lot from ‘70s pop and disco. The group’s first proper one-month UK tour as a duo kicked off on April 18th in Manchester; however, Saunders has high hopes for embarking on another more extensive tour following the release of Earth vs. the Pipettes. And for those living outside of the UK, you’ll just have to settle for the band’s new glamorous music video for “Stop the Music” featured below, filled with messy hair, frills and lace, strange dance moves, and an impossibly catchy dance beat that fills the air with the sound of footsteps.
“Stop the Music”
