Published: 15 December, 2011
by DAN CARRIER

During the dark days of the 1930s Great Depression and the trauma of a world war, popular culture did its best to raise the spirits with super-glamorous women singing groups who sounded beautiful and looked the part, too.

With the economy tanking and a war in Afghanistan dragging on into an 11th year, it shouldn’t be too surprising that a band which draws directly on the cheer-you-up vocal harmonies of the period should be causing a massive stir.

The Puppini Sisters, who met while studying music at the Guildhall School of Music and formed the band after harmonising over bowls of pasta in their student digs in Islington, realised they had something special to share.

And now, as economic doom-clouds cast shadows over Christmas, the Puppinis hope to bring a ray of sunshine.

Kate Mullins, who plays the violin in the band with Marcella Puppini and Stephanie O’Brien, says harking back to the era of glam­our is just part of the thrill of being a Puppini.

“We have grown up in eras where music and  fashion has always been very androgynous,” she says.

“We feel the fashion of the 1940s period is simply very beautiful and very flattering. The ideal of Hollywood glamour was fabricated, make-believe and created a sense of wonderfulness that helped a world that was in crisis – a little like the world of today.”

Their musical training did not solely focus on jazz singing, and they are not adverse to helping out their trio of backing musicians: they all pick up and do turns on a series of instruments during their sets, with violins, accordions, ukuleles and glockenspiels featuring.

While they do covers of classics – the Andrews Sisters’ Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B was their first single – they also give modern pop a retro twist. Their gigs are packed with re-workings of such gems as Blondie, Kate Bush and even Beyoncé hits. “We love to work out new arrange­ments for songs,” says Kate, who identifies herself as the blonde sister. “They don’t always work – but they are fun trying.”

In the seven years of being a Puppini, Kate says 1940s style has gone from smaller club nights at places like the 100 Club in Oxford Street to being much more main­stream – partly helped by the sheer musical force of the Puppinis. “It has always been bubbling under the surface but recently really exploded,” says Kate. “The music has always been kept alive in clubs and shows that attract lovers of all things 40s – but has become more mainstream.”

Now they have moved from performing in West End cabaret shows and being a massive hit on London’s gay scene to international recognition: they have spent the summer working with Michael Bublé and are in the midst of hot footing it from one European capital to another to perform their Christmas show.

Their concert at Upper Street’s Union Chapel on Sunday was a sell-out – and the vast range of ages in the audience shows quite how far-reaching their popularity is.

• Hollywood, the Puppini Sisters’ new album, is out now. They play the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on April 20. www.o2shepherdsbush empire.co.uk