The Puppini Sisters brought their signature blend of close harmony singing to Islington’s Union Chapel on Friday, the opening night of a three-week UK tour marking their 20th birthday and the release of their seventh studio album, titled – naturally enough – The Birthday Party. There was nothing Pinteresque about the evening, just unalloyed joy onstage and off.
“The Andrews Sisters on acid”, “The Spice Girls of jazz” and “Swing Punks” – this effervescent trio, whose fans include King Charles and Michael Bublé, are all those and more. With their retro-glamour aesthetic (reflected by a few members of the audience), exuberance and obvious love for what they do, The Puppinis are a compelling presence and the surprisingly not-quite-capacity audience loved every minute of this perfect start to a sunny holiday weekend. Theirs is a witty and fun-filled act, which is not to say it’s not also musically slick, the harmonies honed to perfection, but it's less rigorous and directed in its exploration of musical form and style than The Manhattan Transfer. The voices – founder and musical director Marcella Puppini in the middle, with Rosanna Schura on top, and Kate Mullin at bottom – blend perfectly, and they perform as equals. Indeed, while each woman has a strong voice, the trio is greater than the sum of its parts.
Inevitably, the evening drew heavily on their latest album, opening with “Hey, Sister”. For “Mr Sandman”, Pat Ballard’s 1950s barbershop-style number, the diminutive Puppini strapped on an accordion without suffering a dress malfunction while Mullin blew on her trademark melodica. “Take the A-Train”, the great Billy Strayhorn/Duke Ellington signature number, was deftly executed, the arrangement briefly referencing another great train song, Glenn Miller’s “Chattanooga Choo-choo”, composed at much the same time. “Take Five”, the lyric written by Dave Brubeck’s wife Iola, was another stand-out, so too “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, the Thirties number which provided The Mamas and The Papas with their last big hit. And, of course, from The Puppini Sisters' debut album Betcha Bottom Dollar, there was that classic Andrews Sisters number, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".
The trio was backed by long-time collaborators Martin Kolarides on guitar, Henrik Jensen on double bass and Peter Ibbetson on drums, each of whom brought much the party. It was a pity, though, that Marcella Puppini, the Sisters’ costumier, didn’t put the band into the sharp-suited attire of the 1940s. It would have complemented their own style rather better than jeans and unironed shirts.
Playing second fiddle for the evening was Sarah Jane Morris, the singer-songwriter and actor who found fame back in the 1980s with The Communards. She showcased numbers from her innovative Sisterhood albums project, with songs that honoured Rickie Lee Jones, Joan Baez, and Bonnie Raitt.
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