Pipettes push for power pop

11:01am Wednesday 27th August 2008

Most music fans have probably stood mouth agape at a gig, dreaming of what it would be like to join their heroes on stage.

Well, for Gwenno Saunders, that dream became a full-fledged reality when she was whisked away from her home in Cardiff to become a member of polka-dot pop princesses The Pipettes.

Saunders explains: “I had bought a ticket to go and see The Go Team and they were the support act.

“I hadn’t heard of them at all until that evening.

“But when they came on stage it was like a ‘flashing light’ moment and I realised that they were exactly how pop should sound - I thought they were brilliant.

“Next thing I knew I was getting a call and I was straight down to Brighton.”

Saunders had made a name for herself in Wales thanks to some Welsh language success, coupled with a handful of appearances on popular dance tunes.

And she jumped at the chance to team up with the doo-wop divas, formed in 2003 as a way of reviving the classic sound of Phil Spector-tinged pop.

She reveals: “We use the 60s girl group formula as a basis really.

“But it was a formula we wanted to explore with a modern twist rather than just a ploy to sound retro.

“I think a big motivation for us is just to create songs that people can dance and have a good time to.”

The band has undergone numerous personnel changes over the years, and enjoyed success in 2006 with a clutch of Top-40 singles and a hit album.

But after the latest line-up changes, and having worked extensively with uber-producer Mark Ronson earlier this year, Saunders is convinced the only way is up.

And they will certainly be taking their own path to further fame.

She adds: “We held auditions after a couple of members left and we ended up recruiting Anna McDonald and my little sister Ani.

“It sounds weird but it just sort of worked.

“There is a much more natural sound to the band now.

“Up until recently there were a lot of girl groups who just wiggled around in bikinis singing awful songs.

“But I think there is a lot of good pop about at the moment.

“The most important thing for us is always to have a good time.

“We are just looking to keep getting better.”

The Pipettes, New Slang, McClusky’s, Kingston, September 11, 9pm, £4/£5, 020 8549 5871

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