Not for the mainstream? Think again, the Puppini Sisters are just waiting to win you over with their retro sounds and style, says Julia Rebaudo

What a breath of fresh air to hear that on their way to a Women’s Institute meeting in Fulham, The Puppini Sisters had broken into impromptu song while waiting for their cab. All because a group of 12-year-old boys had chirped up “Oi, we saw you on the telly, let’s have your autograph. What do you do anyway?"
“Well, we sing.”
“Let’s hear something then!”

So they were a little bit late, a little bit ruffled but with good reason. What girl band do you know of these days that could (or would!) break into perfect three-part harmony on the streets of London?

This is just one of the things that makes these three gorgeous, glamorous girls stand out from the crowd. Dressed in matching – though note the subtle differences! – vintage style dresses, black peep toe heels, red nails and red red ‘kiss me now’ lips, Marcella Puppini (the brunette), Kate Mullins (the blonde) and Stephanie O’Brien (the redhead) are all 1940s nostalgic retro. “Our normal style is red lipstick, always. It takes no time to put on and immediately brightens up your face,” says Marcella.

Inspired by The Andrews Sisters (ask your granny – she’ll know all about them) their striking look ties in well with the current fad for all things burlesque – think Dita von Teese, 1950s pin-up model Bettie Page and vintage fashion. “We have quite a broad appeal,” says Steph, “I’m 21, I’m into what I do, I like red lipstick and fashion. Of course there’s going to be other girls my age that like it. And they’re all on our MySpace. We get seventeen year old girls saying, ‘Finally I can do my hair in pin curls!’”

But what about the sound? Well it’s not the kind of thing you can have on in the background. Their singing just demands to be listened to. Two tenors and a soprano, what cannot be denied is the beauty of their voices. As Kate puts it, “There is something amazingly spiritual and resonant about singing in harmony, it is beautiful.”

Their album ‘Betcha Bottom Dollar’, released in July, is made up of covers or perhaps more accurately tributes of an eclectic mix of songs – from Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ and Blondie’s ‘Panic’ to Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’. And it’s compelling listening. The arrangements have all been written by the girls – just for the record, they’re not sisters! – who all trained at Trinity College of Music, where they met and formed the band.

“For fun we started hooking up at Marcella’s, eating massive bowls of pasta and talking about these grand schemes,” explains Kate. “Then eight months later an A&R guy from Universal came into college and auditioned a load of people. We came in matching outfits of course! We launched into our version of Kate’s Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights,’ at which point he descended into a fit of giggling. But he actually wanted to sign us on the spot. That is a kind of fairytale.”

Between them the girls play the piano, saxophone and harp – there’s no doubting their musical talent or their savvy. Unlike Kate and Steph, who are straight from music college, Marcella has a wealth of experience in the world of fashion, music and performing. Arriving in London at the age of 19, Marcella worked in fashion for Vivienne Westwood, was a VJ on MTV and spent time pole dancing in Soho and hanging out at clubs like Tortured Garden – an S&M aficionados night where she saw the burlesque trend raise its head nearly ten years ago. “I met a lot of wonderful people and it was one of these wonderful people who said to me one day in a café, 'You’ve always wanted to be a singer, what are you doing working for Vivienne Westwood?' And that convinced me. At 31, I decided a singer was what I wanted to be. I decided to chase the dream, I didn’t want to let anything, my age or having to re-train, stop me.”

And contrary to what people think, the whole package that is the Puppini Sisters has been entirely masterminded by the girls – they’re doing such a good job some people think they’re just another manufactured band. But that is not the case. “They’re real girls!” affirmed a member of the Fulham WI appreciatively.

Touring this autumn around the UK (see their MySpace page for dates) the girls plan to sit down by Christmas to set to work on their second album. This time they want to get their teeth into writing their own material, so expect the same style but who knows what else. “We recorded the first album very quickly. We want to take more time with the second album and see what happens,” says Marcella.

Being treated to a live performance was joyful and we were left hungry for more, and that’s not unusual apparently – at the Fruitstock music festival the girls got an encore at three o’clock in the afternoon. Indescribably refreshing and inspirational to see smart, beautiful women chasing their dreams with gusto, there’s nothing background about the Puppini Sisters.

To find out where you can see the Puppini Sisters perform and to buy the album visit www.puppinisisters.com