About four years ago, the whole idea retro took a big step back from the 60s and 70s to the 40s and 50s. Suddenly, you couldn’t move for burlesque dancers and underground cocktail soirees. Hell, in some parts of London you still can’t move for prim young things in gloves and bright slashes of lipstick. In the midst of all this cultural glamour, music was still chugging along scraping the barrel of the 80s, all firmly tied up in the fate of skinny men with vanity issues.

“At the beginning no-one took us seriously,” says Becki, singer in Brighton’s greatest hope, The Pipettes. “We were doing the toilet circuit which was full of the usual four blokes, two guitars and drums. Then there was us.”

Ah yes, The Pipettes. Poppier than any of the R&B sludge clogging up the charts and pening up the world of 60’s girl groups to people who probably haven’t even seen Dirty Dancing (why? WHY?), there’s choreographed dancing, harmonies, polka dots and songs about boys.

“It’s opened up new music to people that they weren’t aware of,” says Becki. “And yeah, it’s great to have stuff you’ve been doing for three years (“Year and a half!” chimes in Gwenno) getting a following.”

“It’s when you see people who are you, who know the words and dance along,” says Gwenno, the newest Pipette and a singer-songwriter in her own right. “There’s music for that now.”

With that in mind, let’s see how prim these ladies are in terms of festival experience. Hit it!

Best?

Becki: “Emmaboda in Sweden! It’s just amazing. We’re going back this year and it will be even bigger. We’ve got this new show we’re doing with more costumes, new songs and stuff and it will be really nice to show it off.”

Worst?

Becki: “Reading. The toilets! I went every years for six years and I’m just too old for it now.”

Rose: “It’s those blokes you get screaming “RAPE AND PILLAGE!” at night as well, and once the thrill of cheap pills has worn off, well… I grew out of it when I was 16!”

Band?

Rose: “Pulp at Reading!”

Becki: “Baxement Jaxx.”

Rose: “Ooh, and Scratch Perverts.”

Becki: “People seem to think you just want to listen to Coldplay and it’s frustrating have music being ignored.”

Essentials?

Gwenno: “Wet wipes, definitely.”

Rose: “Tobacco.”

Becki: “Knickers. You can turn them inside out if you're desperate.”

Weirdest?

Gwenno: “I never see anything weird at festivals! I always feel like I’m missing out.”

Rose: “Becki’s seen some weird shit though.”

Becki: “The weirdest thing I’ve ever seen was at Glastonbury 2000. I was camping backstage and there were these two grilles. You could see 50 men lined up and pissing though them. I laughed my arse off.”

You can see The Pipettes playing live at Ben & Jerry’s Summer Sundae on July 29, Get Loaded In The Park on August 26 (Cardiff) and 29 (London) and at Bestival on September 9. Their album, 'We Are The Pipettes', is out now on Memphis Industries.