By DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya

It’s about an hour before The Pipettes are set to take the stage at the Black Cat and by rights, the band should be exhausted. This is the second gig on their first major North American tour and having flown in from their hometown of Brighton, England only a few days prior, you’d think that the band would be succumbing to the effects of trans-Atlantic jetlag. Unlike the dozing sound engineer on the dressing room couch, however, Gwenno and RiotBecki are characteristically energetic — sipping coffee, chatting up label reps and signing piles of promo flats. The final Pipette, Rosay, eventually strolls into the room, as do the members of the Pipettes’ backing band, the Cassettes. “We’re the groupies,” mussy-haired drummer Joe Cassette deadpans self-deprecatingly.

Whereas most bands would have spent the day in their hotel room catching up on sleep, the Pipettes decided to devote their Saturday to that quintessential D.C. activity: tourism. “We managed to use public transport,” Gwenno says, explaining how the band found their way back after being lost in the District. “It helps you get your bearings, I think.” Though the band managed to visit all of the obligatory tourist sites, they were most impressed by a D.C. institution of a different sort. When asked what she liked best about D.C., Gwenno answers decisively, “Some Doo-wop singers we saw on the Mall.” “They were amazing, brilliant,” Becki adds.

For fans of the Pipettes, this response should come as no surprise. Since forming in 2003, the band has functioned as a living homage to the Brill Building, the Wall of Sound and the Motown Era. On stage, there’s little to distinguish the Pipettes from the prototypical 60s girl group: they sport matching polka dot dresses, make liberal use of vocal harmonies and act out their lyrics with synchronized dance moves. Even their name – when pronounced the “proper” British way – sounds like a reference to Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Photos by Kyle Gustafson