The Pipettes at the Blender Theater

The Pipettes; Nicole Atkins & The Sea; Monster Bobby
@ Blender Theater at Gramercy
New York, NY - November 12, 2007

This pains me to write. But it is what it is: This was an awful show. The Pipettes, for all their polka dot goodness and British attractiveness, were out of tune, out of sync, and just plain bad. The backing band was soulless, devoid of the heartfelt soul (and the musical talent) mandatory for making 60's girl group rock good. This sounded more like a rejected act from Pop Idol, rather than a true homage to Dusty Springfield, the Ronettes, and such. It appears my recent slight was well founded after all.
Nicole Atkins & The Sea's unexpected second review on the blog in less than a month was unnecessary but it did back up some basic truths: Nicole's voice is exceptional and she is a real charmer. But the songs range from the dull to just OK.
Monster Bobby, according to what is seen on the internet, is the band leader for the Pipettes but I sure didn't notice him on the stage. His own solo opening appeared at first to be a comedy act, and that was fine, but it dragged after a bit, especially when the songs themselves - 1 and 2 minute folk-disco pop ditties - didn't seem to be comedy oriented. Make up your mind, old chap.

I don't know...maybe I shouldn't have seen No Country For Old Men before going to the gig. :(