Chantoozies play at Lizotte's 

But forget about the big hair and heavy make-up of the band's early years.

"We don't go for the whole '80s look, although some people might say we are still a little trapped in the '80s, but that's not intentional," Ally Fowler tells Weekender.

"I have heard people say, 'You dance like you're from the '80s' and I go, 'Yeah. Anything wrong with that?' [laughs]

"Obviously that's where my dancing style sort of stopped and I haven't picked up any new moves.

"So, no, we don't intentionally do a retro, show but we might do it unintentionally."

The eight-piece band, fronted by vocalists Fowler, Evie von Bibra, Tottie Goldsmith and Angie La Bozzetta, is reuniting for a handful of shows next month, giving fans the chance to relive the memories of retro hits such as Witch Queen, Wanna Be Up, Love The One You're With and Kiss'n'Tell.

It follows a busy year for the group in 2012, which performed at the Adelaide Clipsal 500 alongside Leo Sayer, Mondo Rock, Uncanny X Men and Pseudo Echo, and supported '80s pop singer Rick Astley on his Australian tour.

"We're such great friends that we're like sisters," Fowler says.

"We get back up on stage, we have a few laughs, we tease each other a lot, we have a bit of a sing, we have a bit of a dance and we try to look as glamorous as we possibly can."

The Chantoozies originally formed in 1986 for a one-off show.

Fowler said the four - who were all actors - had planned to create a cabaret show, but changed their direction after Goldsmith's brother talked them into forming a band instead.

Their first gig was performing at a Melbourne nightclub owned by Goldsmith's father, which was so well received that he offered the group a six-week residency.

And the offers kept rolling in.

Within weeks the band found management with ex-Australian Crawl member Brad Robinson and a record deal followed with Mushroom Records.

"It was all done and dusted within the first six weeks," Fowler recalls.

Chart success led to extensive touring across Australia, sharing the stage with acts such as Noiseworks, Boom Crash Opera, James Reyne, Daryl Braithwaite, Hoodoo Gurus and supporting Billy Joel on a national 38-date tour.

"It was such a fun time. It was great for us because there were four girls and four boys so there was eight of us, plus we'd have our tour manager and our crew, so we were like a travelling party wherever we went," Fowler says.

"We could make our own fun, our own party, and we all got on incredibly well. We really enjoyed it because we got to see so much of the country and often you'd be on the same bill as many other great Australian acts.

"We got to play some really great, big gigs but also got to play some nice little small gigs as well."

Life is not all about The Chantoozies these days, though.

All four are still active in acting and music projects, including Fowler who recently featured in a theatre production of The Boys, which is loosely based on the murder of Anita Cobby, and starred in Foxtel drama, Wentworth.

"It's funny because my roles in Wentworth and The Boys are very, very unglamorous, so one minute I've got no make-up on, letting it all hang out so to speak, hair straggly and uncut, then the next minute I'm all blow waved and make-up done, all sucked in and pushed up, and on stage performing with The Chantoozies.

"I feel a bit like Sybil, like I've got some sort of multiple personality disorder."

The Chantoozies perform at Lizotte's Newcastle on July 18. Bookings online at lizottes.com.au