Born and bred in Brixton, sister trio The Real Heat (singing collective, producing team, runners of their own label Real Heat Records and not likely to buy anyone’s bullshit) are a sexy soul-infused electroglamnoise force to be reckoned with.

Since their days of full-blown bedroom sound clashes, outdoing each other’s stereo volumes much to the detriment of their mother’s hair follicles, Shaki – or ‘Dirty Shax’, Zaza and Suki (in birth order) found their common sound circa 2001, somewhere amongst a collective penchant for Ace Of Base, reggae, happy hardcore and of course, all things electro.

Music has always been a part of their lives.

“I’m a total music boffin and will listen to anything with a good tune,” says youngest sister Suki. She puts this down to their mum’s extensive music tastes. “She’s got the heaviest record collection from Frank Zappa to Technotronic so I guess being around all that, it subliminally contributed to our own music. It has evolved with our experience and we’ve gotten better at sifting the bullshit from the great.” The result is their latest single ‘Hearts Not Innit’, a synth-city electro dance track.

While they don’t all live together now, Zaza says the multi-cultural aspects of London life have influenced their music. “It makes you feel like there are no restrictions to what you can do,” she says. “If we lived somewhere like the U.S, where people are more segregated socially, our music would be very different.” Perhaps.

Timberlanded/Timberlaked to within an inch of an instantly forgettable life? “Brixton is a weird and wonderful place,” agrees Shaki, “it’s one of the most colourful and extreme parts of London in many ways. There are loads of creative people who live here, amazing poets, musicians, and artists. All of this has an influence on our music.”

There are no more epic clashes between the sisters nowadays, but these girls are indeed fierce, and I mean in the Collins Dictionary, literal sense of the word (not the sad affirmation of Gok Wan stuffing some frump into yet another pair of ‘wonder-support’ pants). “We’ve redefined the ‘girl group’,” says Suki. “There have been female producers in music going back to the 60s but even a decade ago you would never have gotten a girl group that are totally D.I.Y, like us.”

And of her inclusion in last year’s NME ‘Cool List’?
“It’s nice to be acknowledged and appreciated for who you are and not how much you can pay for it or because of who sucked whose dick. The bands in that list are all major record selling artists and we’re like this underground girl group.”

All three sisters write the songs, while Zaza and Suki do the production. But they aren’t trying to make some sort of ‘statement’ by it, according to Shaki. There’s a place for the Girls Alouds in this world.

“Being in a girl group is fun,” she says. “We’re not going to downgrade singers who don’t write or produce.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being in a girl group, the problem is when people don’t want to keep it real and not credit the people they work with,” adds Zaza. “When we first started people would say ‘this business is so dirty, there are a lot of sharks and people who will try and break you and bite your style - all of which has happened but it has only made us stronger and more determined.”

“The fact that we produce ourselves and run a label is a big deal,” continues Suki, “but the most important thing is that people recognise us for the lovely music we make. We’re not a passing fad, we’re here to stay so I guess you’ll be asking us what we’ve learned in another ten years innit?”

“Yes!” roars Shaki, “We’re ready for the world!”
Indeed, world domination gets ever closer, according to Zaza: “A lot of people are getting to know about us in Europe and America so we plan to get out there as much as possible.”

The Real Heat are all about spontaneity, giving music substance and a sense of fun and not taking yourself too seriously (and they’re about ‘trees’ if you’re just asking Shaki). And don’t expect synched dance routines or co-ordinated outfits. Though the glam-factor is pretty quintessential to the band’s DNA, it’s not something they think about consciously, the very suggestion is laughed at. “Having style is a way of life,” says Shaki, “our stage look isn’t too far from how we look everyday it just depends how we feel that day.”

“Obviously we exaggerate a lil’ for the stage so the people at the back can see us too!” adds Zaza.

“Yeah I don’t wear my thigh-high stilettos everyday,” says Shaki.

The exaggeration lends itself to a dancehall-meets-club-kids-via-an-AA-esque-rollerdisco look (that’s American Apparel not Alcoholic’s Anonymous).

Inspired by visually decorative childhood icons like Boy George, Iman, Grace Jones, Madonna, De La Soul and Neneh Cherry, the girls love fashion and admire people who create clothes. “When we all go raving we like to dress up and make the effort,” says Shaki. “Because we work hard and to party is to celebrate life!”

They all favour the, some might say, ‘genius’ of Vivienne Westwood and could probably stretch to letting her knock up a set of tour costumes for them, sure. Suki once saw the Grand Dame herself riding a bike down her street with Andreas (her husband). What a pleasure that was... “she is so fucking amazing!” (It is not known if she was sporting any undergarments).

And if not the Vivster then indie punk label Charles of London, because their stuff is hot. Enter pink leopard print t-shirt dresses featuring Mickey Mouse’s head and a pair of needles set in a skull-and-crossbones fashion.

With the best part of a decade as The Real Heat behind them, toughened by the industry, heralded by the likes of the Guardian, NME and i-D alike, yes it is bloody annoying to still be compared to any three piece going, just because there are three of them and they are girls/black/sisters.
Probably wouldn’t be all that wise to mention Cleopatra then...

The Real Heat play Hoxton Bar & Grill (020 7684 8618) on 11 May 2008 and The Legion (020 7729 4441) on 24 May 2008.