The Pipettes @ Echoplex, Los Angeles

October 29th, 2007 - by Linda

Indie-pop, Los Angeles, Shows

When I first heard the Phil Spector-esque pop sounds of the Pipettes, the word that immediately came to mind was “fun.” It’s the kind of music that makes you want to put on a polka-dot dress, go dancing, and maybe break a few hearts. So on my way to a Pipettes concert at the Echoplex in Los Angeles on Thursday, I had high expectations for a carefree night. But as I was sitting in traffic staring at the gray sky caused by ash from the wildfires, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about going out to have a good time while homes were being destroyed not too far from me. I’m not sure if other concertgoers had the same thought, or maybe it was the poor quality outside, but as entertaining as these three women are, the all-ages crowd just didn’t seem to be feeling it.

This Oct. 25 concert kicked off the band’s rescheduled US tour at the Echoplex and in support of their debut album We Are the Pipettes, The band also toured the US and Canada in June to promote the Your Kisses are Wasted on Me EP.

When I arrived at 8:45 p.m. (doors opened at 7 p.m.), Monster Bobby, the guitarist for the Pipettes, was on stage alone busting out his experimental electronic music. The slight young man, a far cry from his monster moniker, was playing to a small and scattered crowd which seemed more interested in chatting or buying drinks than listening. I only got to hear one of his songs, but I would have liked to see more of the man considered to be largely responsible for the sound of the Pipettes. If you plan on attending this tour, I’d recommend arriving in time to hear his set.

The next act was LA’s own The Adored. I figured they would have some local fans, but when the band took the stage, nobody so much as clapped. I had heard some music on its MySpace page before the concert and the punk tunes with a hint of Brit pop immediately appealed to me. The sound didn’t grab me as much live and I found out that lead singer Ryan George had apparently left the band. Guitarist Drew 17 took over on lead vocals, but it was hard to hear how he compared because his mic was too low. The band overcame these problems with its energy, but most people were standing so still I thought maybe I was being Punk’d and everyone was replaced with statues (except for the girl texting next to me). The crowd didn’t even let loose during a brilliant rendition of Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape.” I wish the venue would have allowed cameras so I could have filmed it and added it here. It was pretty awesome.

By the time the Pipette’s backing band, The Cassettes, took the stage in matching sweater vests, the venue had filled up substantially (but I still had plenty of room to stretch out). It was refreshing to go to a concert and not be pressed up against strangers, but this show would have been better suited to the smaller Echo upstairs than the 700-capacity Echoplex. When the Pipettes entered to the sounds of an alien invasion, the audience cheered. I guess they were alive after all.

RiotBecki, Gwenno, and Rosay were charming in their different color and length polka dot dresses and dancing their choreographed routines that seemed straight out of a vintage episode of Top of the Pops. But the night felt a little rough. More than once, somebody started singing early, but this was always dealt with humorously and quickly forgiven. The biggest problem was that the harmonies and clever girl power lyrics were often drowned out by the band due to persistent microphone issues. Concert performances aren’t supposed to be perfect, but for music like this, I almost prefer the polished sounds of the album.

Before “Pull Shapes,” the Pipettes announced that this would be the final chance to dance (which was sort of a lie if you count the encore). Quite a few people took them up on the offer, myself included, but not nearly enough. One couple in the front was resting on the barrier and looked as if they were about to fall asleep. How could anyone resist the request to “Dance with me and you’ll be all right” over catchy ’60s-inspired orchestration? At least Drew 17 from the Adored made his way into the audience and proceeded to cut a rug, presumably to demonstrate proper concert etiquette.

It wasn’t the concert that I thought it would be, but maybe the next time the Pipettes come around, they will play in a better venue with a better audience at a less depressing time to be living in Califonria. And in the meantime, I can listen to their CD (the British version, which I’d recommend over the remixed American version) and get the experience I thought I’d be getting. I haven’t finished with them yet.

The Pipettes tour dates