Filed under: news, trouser shorts | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, amy wadge, christina aguilera, dirty projectors, goldfrapp, ida maria, ladytron, marina ribatski, MIA, music, santigold, sia, soko
Ida Maria has rejigged her 2007/2009 single ‘Oh My God’ for a third shot at the charts, this time with guest vocals from Iggy Pop. Although they did not meet during the recording, the two plan to shoot a video together in Miami later this month. Speaking to SPIN.com, Ida revealed that she’s a big fan of the chiselled elder statesman of punk and is delighted with his contribution. “It turned out to be the most euphoric supernatural sound I could ever imagine,” she gushed. Judge for yourself here. The single gets a digital release on August 31st.
Filed under: news, trouser shorts | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, ellie goulding, jem cooke, katie vogel, kerry leatham, kill it kid, kittie, lisa germano, maria taylor, music, noisettes, the donnas, vula
Some more details have emerged about Lisa Germano’s long-awaited new album Magic Neighbor. Originally pencilled in for the Spring just gone, the album will now come out “mid-September”, according to Young God Records boss Michael Gira. Writing on the label’s website, he says: “Lisa hid herself away for a long while, and I was beginning to despair, then suddenly this beautiful music started coming my way. I think this is one of her best albums yet. The depth of feeling in her words and singing is truly remarkable, and she never fails to tug at my heart. Somehow it’s both sad, wistful, and hopeful, all at once…For some reason her music reminds me of early Disney songs – fuzzy and dreamy. Thinking about it today, I also thought of the great – and neglected – music that Tom Waits did with Crystal Gayle for the movie ‘One From The Heart’.”
Preview the deliciously strange new album track ‘Snow’ here.
* * *
Noisettes have announced a new 11-date UK tour for October. They’ll play the following venues:
11.10.09 Garage, Glasgow
12.10.09 University, Newcastle
14.10.09 Waterfront, Norwich
15.10.09 Solus, Cardiff
16.10.09 Anson Rooms, Bristol
18.10.09 O2 Academy, Leeds
20.10.09 Ritz, Manchester
22.10.09 O2 Academy, Oxford
23.10.09 O2 Academy, Birmingham
24.10.09 Opera House, Bournemouth
26.10.09 O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
* * *
As previously reported, The Donnas have been putting together a compilation to celebrate their sweet 16 years as a band. Full details have now emerged, and fans are in for a treat with two previously unreleased songs (‘We Own The Night’, ‘She’s Out Of Control’), live versions of the rocking ‘Take It Off’ and ‘Fall Behind Me’, and various reworkings of tracks that date back as far as their 1997 self-titled debut. Greatest Hits Vol. 16 is released next week through the band’s own label, Purple Feather.
Greatest Hits Vol. 16
01 Get Off
02 Perfect Stranger
03 We Own The Night
04 She’s Out Of Control
05 Take It Off [live]
06 Fall Behind Me [live]
07 Get You Alone [2009 version]
08 Play My Game [original version remix]
09 You Make Me Hot [2009 version]
10 Get Rid Of That Girl [2009 version]
11 Hey I’m Gonna Be Your Girl [alternative version 2009]
12 I Wanna Be With A Girl Like You [alternative version 2009]
13 I Don’t Want To Go To School [2009 version]
14 Teenage Rules [original version]
15 I Don’t Wanna Break Your Head [original version]
16 High School Yum Yum [2009 version]
* * *
Good news! Two-time Free Music Friday alumna and all-round winner Ellie Goulding has signed to Polydor Records. She’ll be working with them to put out her debut album.
* * *
If you’re passing through St Pancras International in London between 6:30 and 7:30 pm tonight, keep an eye and ear out for the revamped train station’s first ever live music session featuring sets from unsigned Londoner Jem Cooke and recent Voice On The Verge interviewees Kill It Kid. Dubbed ‘The Station Sessions’, the weekly event aims to provide a platform for raising the profile of up-and-coming artists. Other acts scheduled to take part in the coming weeks are Basement Jaxx singer Vula, Katie Vogel and Kerry Leatham [via Music Week].
* * *
Metal band Kittie have signed a new worldwide deal that will see them release three albums through E1 Music, starting with their fifth release In The Black on September 15th. Lead singer Morgan Lander told Canadian website chartattack.com that the new album “is everything that Kittie is supposed to be: heavy, fast, brash and nasty, yet at times introspective, feminine and emotional. One thing it is not, however, is compromising of the sound and style that we have come to be known for. This shit is HEAVY!”
* * *
Our friends over at roots music website freshdeermeat.com tipped us off about a lovely little acoustic performance they recently filmed in Bristol with special guest Maria Taylor singing ‘Cartoons & Forever Plans’ from her recent album LadyLuck. The first in what’s been dubbed ‘The Travellin’ Light Sessions’ is below for your viewing pleasure.
* * *
Alan Pedder
Filed under: news, trouser shorts, video | Tags: alan pedder, ann wilson, barbra streisand, beyoncé, britney spears, cher, christina aguilera, diana krall, dirty projectors, heart, jennie abrahamson, jesca hoop, kylie minogue, madonna, marina and the diamonds, music 2009, nancy wilson, nerina pallot, simone white
US website Examiner.com revealed yesterday that Madonna’s long-expected new ‘greatest hits’ album (effectively a severance deal following her move to a 360º contract with LiveNation after 25 years with Warner Brothers) will be titled Iconography. They cite September 22nd as a possible release date, and say that three new songs will be included. Rumoured titles for these are ‘Broken’, ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘Celebrate’.
It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that Madonna recently topped Forbes’s annual list of top-earning musicians with a reported $110 million in profits earned between June 2008 and June 2009 off the back of last year’s Hard Candy and the still ongoing Sticky & Sweet tour. Céline Dion and Beyoncé rounded out the top 3, earning $100 million and $87 million in profits, respectively. Full list below.
01 Madonna $110 million
02 Céline Dion $100 million
03 Beyoncé Knowles $87 million
04 Bruce Springsteen $70 million
05 Kenny Chesney $65 million
06= Coldplay $60 million
06= Rascal Flatts $60 million
06= AC/DC $60 million
09 The Eagles $55 million
10 Toby Keith $52 million
11 Bon Jovi $50 million
12 Dave Matthews Band $45 million
* * *
Nerina Pallot is reportedly following in the footsteps of Emilíana Torrini by writing songs for the next Kylie Minogue album. As hinted in the tabloids this week, it seems that Nerina has contributed at least one song, ‘Better Than Today’, to the upcoming album, with more to come. Kylie has also recruited Girls Aloud/Saint Etienne production team Xenomania for six or seven songs. A ’source’ told The Sun: “Kylie wants to come back with a bang. Her last album, X, sold quite well but it wasn’t the triumphant return to form many people hoped for. By working with Xenomania she hopes she can create a really coherent album which will connect her right back to the pop market.”
* * *
Dirty Projectors gave us all a bit of a scare on Tuesday night when their tour van was involved in a serious collision just outside of Detroit as the band were on their way to a gig in Toronto, even flipping on to its side. Despite rumours that one of the band was “in a serious condition”, all concerned were in fact discharged from hospital soon afterwards and took themselves off home to New York to recover. The only casualty then was the band’s Canadian dates, which had to be cancelled.
The band will be over in the UK & Ireland in September. See them here:
11.09.09 End Of The Road Festival, Dorset
12.09.09 Bestival, Isle Of Wight
13.09.09 Scala, London
16.09.09 Whelan’s, Dublin
* * *
Marina & The Diamonds posted the new Rankin-directed video for much-blogged track ‘I Am A Robot’ on YouTube yesterday. The song is the lead track from the Greek/Welsh artist’s new digital EP, The Crown Jewels, released on Monday (June 29th) through Neon Gold Records. Body paint fans rejoice.
* * *
Jesca Hoop and Simone White will play a one-off gig together on June 30th at the Garage in Islington, London, at a night put together by Uncut magazine. Tickets are on sale now. Jesca will be playing at Glastonbury on Saturday, with appearances scheduled at Hyde Park’s Wireless Festival on July 4th and new London riverside venue Tamesis Dock on July 15th.
Simone, whose second album Yakiimo was released this week, also has some other dates coming up. Catch her at the following venues:
01.07.09 Start The Bus, Bristol
03.07.09 The Band Room, North York Moors
05.07.09 Freebutt, Brighton
06.07.09 12 Bar Club, London
* * *
Anyone who has seen Ane Brun perform with her trio of ‘Diamonds’ will be familiar with Jennie Abrahamson, a successful singer-songwriter in her own right. The Swedish artist’s second album, While The Sun’s Still Up & The Sky Is Bright, will be released in Scandinavia on September 16th. Watch the video for recent single ‘Late Night Show’ below:
* * *
Seventies rock legends Heart are in the middle of recording a new studio album, their first since 2004’s Jupiter’s Darling. Guitarist Nancy Wilson told Billboard.com that she and sister Ann were working with producer Ben Mink (kd lang, Barenaked Ladies), and that the album was taking shape organically. “We’re recording with just a real woodshed, small acoustic element, people playing together at the same time and (in) the same room – like what they used to call a hootenanny,” she said. “There’s no ProTools feel to it at all. We’re just sitting around playing guitars together and going for a performance that is on the spot.” Song titles include ‘Hey You’ and ‘Closer’.
The Wilson sisters are also planning to release a children’s book inspired by the band’s 1978 album Dog & Butterfly. “Ann pretty much did the writing, and I kind of was her editor,” Nancy explains. “She made the initial drawings of the dog and I did the butterfly. She drew the characters, mostly, and I painted them. And then we had an artist come in and kind of fill in some of the other designs ’cause we’re kind of busy right now. It looks really good. It’s really simple.” The book will come with a CD that includes new versions of ‘Dreamboat Annie’ and ‘Dog & Butterfly’.
* * *
The previously reported collaboration between Canadian jazz artist Diana Krall and Barbra Streisand now has a name and a release date. Out on September 28th on Columbia Records, Love Is The Answer will be Barbra’s first new studio material since 2005’s Guilty Pleasures and “presents the artist as a cabaret and jazz singer of emotional clarity, depth and maturity.”
* * *
Cher is to appear in her first major film role since 1999’s ‘Tea With Mussolini’ in upcoming musical flick ‘Burlesque’, which will also star Christina Aguilera. Cher will play retired dancer Tess who runs a declining neo-burlesque club and acts as a mentor to Christina’s character. Incredibly, it will mark her first silver screen appearance in which she’ll use those famous pipes. The film starts shooting in November with first-time writer/director Steven Antin leading the way.
Not to be outdone by her former rival Christina, Britney Spears is apparently in talks to star as the female lead in time travel/World War II drama ‘The Yellow Star Of Sophia & Eton’. She would play the titular Sophia who “creates a time machine and travels back to World War II where she meets a Jewish man called Eton at a concentration camp.” Stranger things have happened I suppose!
* * *
Alan Pedder
Filed under: news, trouser shorts, video, where's the gigs | Tags: alan pedder, regina spektor, carina round, zooey deschanel, music, gregory and the hawk, st vincent, first aid kit, 2009, she & him
St Vincent has announced details of a short UK tour next month to fit in with her bookings at the Wireless and Oxegen Festivals. Support for all the non-festival dates comes from the wonderful Blue Roses. Should be pretty much unmissable so go see one of these shows if you can:
05.07.09 Wireless Festival, London
06.07.09 Thekla, Bristol
08.07.09 ICA, London
11.07.09 Oxegen Festival, Dublin
13.07.09 Night & Day, Manchester
14.07.09 Nice & Sleazy’s, Glasgow
* * *
Gregory & The Hawk return to Europe this month in support of last year’s critically acclaimed Moenie & Kitchi album. Kicks off tomorrow with a single show at the Brixton Windmill in London, but she’ll be back in a few weeks if you can’t make it.
05.06.09 The Windmill, Brixton
21.06.09 Infirmary, Cork
22.06.09 Whelans, Dublin
23.06.09 Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
24.06.09 Queen Of Hoxton, London
* * *
Recent Wears The Trousers interviewees First Aid Kit are back in the UK this summer too with a string of festival dates and a new headline show in London. That’s the good news; the bad news is that the anticipated release date of their debut album has been pushed back from the autumn to early next year. We hear the new songs are sounding fantastic though. Patience, patience.
27.06.09 Park Stage, Glastonbury Festival
19.07.09 Latitude Festival, Southwold
28.07.09 The Lexington, London
31.07.09 Standon Calling, Hertfordshire
01.08.09 Field Day @ Victoria Park, London
02.08.09 Underage Festival @ Victoria Park, London
16.08.09 Summer Sundae, Leicester
* * *
Carina Round makes a much anticipated return to her native UK with three shows scheduled for July. First she’ll be playing a sort-of-hometown gig at the O2 Academy in Birmingham on July 15th before a two-night stand at Water Rats in London.
15.07.09 O2 Academy, Birmingham
21.07.09 Water Rats, London
22.07.09 Water Rats, London
* * *
She & Him have contributed a cover of The Smiths’ ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’ for the soundtrack of She’s (i.e. Zooey Deschanel’s) new film ‘500 Days Of Summer’, released July 14th through Sire Records. Full tracklist and trailer below:
Filed under: news, trouser shorts, video | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, ane brun, annie lennox, beth gibbons, david gray, emilie simon, jolie holland, music, news, rickie lee jones, robyn, siouxsie sioux, yelle
What do Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Jolie Holland and UK pop icon Annie Lennox have in common? Not much at first glance, perhaps, but apparently both are set to appear on David Gray’s latest album, Draw The Line, duetting with the wobbly headed Mancunian on separate tracks. Jolie crops up on ‘Kathleen’, a song David describes as one of the album’s quieter moments, adding “It’s got some charm to it, that one. It’s just held its own amongst these bigger numbers. Holland’s vocals just lifts the song out. She’s a star; she’s a rare thing.” Annie also gets major props from the singer, who says she “absolutely transformed” album closer ‘Full Steam Ahead’.
Draw The Line is released on September 21st.
* * *
Rickie Lee Jones has completed her as yet untitled 11th studio album, tentatively pencilled in for a September release. Reunited with producer David Kalish, who worked with Rickie on her 2003 comeback album The Evening Of My Best Day, the record is said to be influenced by everything from Bob Dylan’s band recordings to Appalachian folk and 1960s soul.
Speaking about the album, Rickie says: “It’s songs I wrote over the past 25 years,” she says. “Some of them that didn’t get finished. Sometimes you have to know who you’re talking to when you write your lyric. Finally I knew who I was talking to and was able to finish it.” Working titles include ‘Bonfires In Hell’, ‘Rehab’, ‘The Downtown Serenade’ and ‘Charlotte’s Birthday Suite’ – a song she wrote for her daughter’s 21st birthday.
* * *
The iconic Siouxsie Sioux is set to DJ at London venue Matter on July 4th as part of club night Circus that runs from 10pm to 6am. Hosted by the inescapable Jodie Harsh, the night will also feature sets from Frankmusik, Kissy Sell Out and Dan Gillespie Sells, frontman of The Feeling. More info available at Thisiscircus.com.
* * *
Beth Gibbons is encouraging Portishead fans to join her in participating in the SunWalk, a charity event in Bristol that’s raising money for breast cancer charity Walk The Walk. Kicking off from the grounds of Ashton Court in the city, walkers in the July 5th event can opt to tackle 5, 10 or 21 kilometres in aid of the cause. Find out more here.
* * *
Current Wears The Trousers cover star Ane Brun recently recorded her first live session for the Daytrotter website, who put the files up over the weekend. Download free, exclusive acoustic versions of ‘The Treehouse Song’, ‘The Puzzle’, ‘Changing Of The Seasons’, ‘Linger With Pleasure’ and ‘True Colors’ here. Registration required. Last week’s Anni Rossi session is also well worth listening to while you’re there!
* * *
Yelle have recorded an exclusive French-language cover of Robyn’s ‘Who’s That Girl’ for the iTunes Foreign Exchange series of split digital singles that gets bands from different countries to cover each other’s songs. Robyn returns the favour by transforming Yelle’s ‘A Cause Des Garçons’ into the English-language ‘Because Of Boys’. It looks as though the Robyn song isn’t available in the UK iTunes store just yet, sadly, but the Yelle one is. You can also hear it over on their Myspace. The first instalment of the series, released in May 2007, saw German rockers Wir Sind Helden pair up with US band +44.
* * *
Most famous internationally for composing the soundtrack to penguin documentary ‘La Marche De L’empereur’ (although her full recordings were limited to the European release), French artist Émilie Simon will follow-up the worldwide release of her compilation The Flower Book with her first album of all-new material since 2006’s Végétal. Released digitally on September 14th and physically on September 21st, the entirely self-penned The Big Machine was recorded in New York with producer Mark Plati (David Bowie, Natalie Imbruglia) and will be preceded with the online-only release of first single ‘Dreamland’ on June 8th. Listen below:
Alan Pedder
Filed under: news, trouser shorts, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, alison mosshart, bat for lashes, laura marling, music, rose elinor dougall, the dead weather, the kills, the pipettes
Short notice amazingness. Laura Marling will play a 30-minute set tonight at new London venue The Flowerpot. Entry is free, but get there early to avoid disappointment. She’ll be on at 10pm. In other Laura news, she’ll start recording the follow-up to Alas I Cannot Swim – Wears The Trousers readers’ #1 album of 2008 – in a fortnight.
* * *
Bat For Lashes fans can have a go at creating their own remix of Two Suns track ‘Pearl’s Dream’ using a neat little gadget called GoMix. Visit the Bat For Lashes Myspace to find out more. [UPDATE: 'Pearl's Dream' has been announced as the follow-up single to 'Daniel' and will be released on June 22nd]
* * *
The Dead Weather, the new band formed by Alison Mosshart of The Kills and The White Stripes’ Jack White, have announced their debut UK show. The band will perform at the Forum in London’s Kentish Town on June 24th. Their debut album Horehound is released on July 13th through White’s own imprint Third Man and major label Columbia. Pitchfork have the album cover here.
* * *
Two-time Wears The Trousers interviewee Rose Elinor Dougall will launch her second post-Pipettes single ‘Start/Stop/Synchro’ at ace London venue The Luminaire on June 8th. Tickets are £5 + booking fee and on sale already through We Got Tickets. Release details here.
* * *
Alan Pedder
Filed under: mp3, news, trouser shorts, video | Tags: a camp, black lips, devendra banhart, juana molina, lilith fair 2010, nina persson, planningtorock, sarah mclachlan, the gossip, the knife
Nettwerk boss Terry McBride has surprised us all by announcing on his blog that Sarah McLachlan’s groundbreaking all-female tour Lilith Fair will make a comeback in 2010 for a fourth season, 11 years since the last. Perez Hilton picked it up too, as a so-called “exclusive” (bless). That really is all the information we have at the moment; there’s no word on whether the Fair will hop over the Atlantic again like it did for one lonely little show in 1999. We’ll be following this story closely so more news when it comes. [UPDATE: from Terry's Twitter: "lilith fair will look at doing 2 weeks in the UK/Europe in 2010" – whee!]
* * *
The Gossip have announced five UK live dates next month ahead of the June 22nd release of their new album Music For Men. Tickets are on sale now.
10.05.09 Radio 1 Big Weekend, Swindon
27.05.09 Digital, Brighton
28.05.09 Scala, London
29.05.09 Club Academy, Manchester
30.05.09 The Arches, Glasgow
* * *
The Charles Darwin-inspired opera written by Swedish sibling duo The Knife, ‘Tomorrow, In A Year’ will make its stage debut at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen on September 2nd. The project sees them collaborating with Bolton-born, Berlin-based electro artist Planningtorock, German DJ Mount Sims, and Danish theatre group Hotel Pro Forma. After a three-night run at the Royal Danish Theatre (other dates are Sept. 4, 5), ‘Tomorrow, In A Year’ will take itself off to the Geneva Festival in Switzerland (Sept. 10, 11), the European Centre For The Arts in Dresden, Germany (Oct. 15, 16), and back to Denmark for a pair of shows at the Concert Hall in Århus (Nov. 27, 28). Tickets for the Danish shows go on sale on May 11th through BILLETnet.
* * *
Nina Persson’s A Camp will release new single ‘Love Has Left The Room’ on May 18th. The B-sides are covers of Pink Floyd’s ‘Us & Them’ and David Bowie’s ‘Boys Keep Swinging’. The band arrive in the UK for their first UK shows in eight years next week in support of the excellent Colonia.
28.04.09 Glee Club, Birmingham
29.04.09 Academy, Dublin
30.04.09 Spring & Airbrake, Belfast
02.05.09 ABC2, Glasgow
03.05.09 Cockpit, Leeds
04.05.09 Academy 3, Manchester
06.05.09 Kings College, London
FREE MP3: A Camp, ‘Love Has Left The Room’ [live, via RCRDLBL]
Fan-made video for ‘Us & Them’
* * *
Juana Molina has contributed a new song to the soundtrack for ‘Y Tu Mamá También’ screenwriter Carlos Cuarón’s directorial debut ‘Rudo y Cursi’, which reunites ‘Y Tu Mamá También’ actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as two brothers who work at a banana plantation and dream of becoming football stars [trailer]. Two English- and Spanish-language covers of Cheap Trick’s ‘I Want You To Want Me’ aside, all the tracks are covers of regional Mexican songs. The soundtrack album will be released physically in June through Nacional Records, but can be snagged on iTunes from May 5th onwards (May 19th for other digital outlets). Devendra Banhart and Black Lips also feature.
* * *
Alan Pedder
Filed under: news, trouser shorts, video, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, annie, beth ditto, love is all, michelle branch, music, natalie maines, news, peaches, sheryl crow, stevie nicks, the gossip, vanessa carlton
In case you need a reminder why Peaches is just so damn well amazing, the Canadian electro-rocker has conveniently posted a mini-documentary recapping her career so far up on her website. Billed as “A Brief History Of Peaches”, the video features several clips from old TV interviews and plenty of performance footage of Ms Nisker in hotpants and knickers. Classic quote: “All of us have sex appeal and all of us feel sexy; it’s not just people who shave every part of their body, with blonde hair and big tits.”
Watch right to the end and you’ll catch a glimpse of what’s to come when the new Peaches album, I Feel Cream, is released on May 4th.
* * *
As tattle tale goes, this news is so yesterday, but it seems we will have a brand new Gossip album on June 21st. Pointedly titled Music For Men, the band’s fourth album will be their first for major label Columbia. Recorded in Malibu, California, and produced by Grammy-kissed studio boffin Rick Rubin, the album is said to feature, in Beth Ditto’s own words, “a shit-load of love songs”. Speaking to NME.com about the album, she said: ”Writing down the tracklisting, we had about 14 songs and seven had the word ‘love’ in the title. I had no idea I was so romantic.”
The first single, ‘Heavy Cross’ will be released on June 15th. Tourdates are coming.
* * *
Fresh from last month’s long overdue UK release of their second album A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, Love Is All have recorded a new covers EP made entirely of classic Swedish pop songs. Bearing the straightforward title Love Is All Play Swedish Covers, it finds the band repeating the formula followed for their Wishing Well +5 tour EP in which each of the five members got to pick one song to record without the input of their bandmates. The EP will be sold in a limited run of 200 copies on the band’s upcoming European tour, packaged with a small fanzine. Taking advantage of the new 10-song Myspace player, you can listen to all five covers here. Currently the band only have two UK dates, both in London:
09.05.09 Proud Galleries, London
10.05.09 The Lexington, London
* * *
Listen to the new Annie single, ‘Anthonio’, produced by Richard X. Out on May 4th.
* * *
Stevie Nicks is apparently harbouring a desire to form “an all-girl choir” featuring Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines, she revealed to WWD.com. Currently in the midst of a lengthy US tour with Fleetwood Mac, Stevie also told WWD that she’d like to “do something crazy with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake” and revealed her love for R&B tunes that move her feet. The singer released her first live album in the UK last week; The Soundstage Sessions features 10 (of 18) songs recorded in front of a small audience in Chicago, including a duet with Vanessa Carlton on Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Circle Dance’ and a solo cover of Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Crash Into Me’.
* * *
Alan Pedder
Filed under: news, trouser shorts | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, alison moyet, amy winehouse, annie lennox, dusty springfield, geri halliwell, kate bush, kylie minogue, leona lewis, music, news, queens of british pop, sandie shaw, siouxsie sioux, suzi quatro
Tune into BBC1 tomorrow at 22:45 for the first in a new two-part series chronicling the careers of 12 iconic female singers and musicians from the 1960s to the here and now. Narrated by Liza Tarbuck, the first installment of ‘Queens Of British Pop’ spans the ’60s to the cusp of the ’80s with features on Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Suzi Quatro, Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux.
Kate Bush herself unfortunately does not provide new interview material, but longtime collaborator Del Palmer crops up to talk about the halcyon days of her early career. Obviously there’s no fresh input from Dusty either, but Marianne, Sandie, Suzi and Siouxsie will look back in fondness at their own remarkable trajectories to stardom. Other contributions comes from various friends and fans, including Sir Tom Jones, Lulu, Burt Bacharach, John Lydon, Martha Reeves, Nancy Sinatra, Mark Radcliffe, Henry Winkler, Marc Almond, Peter Gabriel, Claire Grogan, Jarvis Cocker, Kiki Dee and Adele.
The second programme, aired next week, traverses the last two decades by looking at the impact made by Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet, Kylie Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis. If you can’t wait ’til then, you can watch plenty of preview videos from the programme here. The BBC are also running a public poll to determine “the ultimate Queen” that will run until midnight on April 21st. The winner will be announced on the 24th. Choose from 60+ artists here.
* * *
Online dating site and chroniclers of all things sex, Nerve, has published a list of their Top 40 sexiest frontwomen in the history of rock. Not sure when the likes of Liz Phair, Fiona Apple and Peaches – there are others – were ever technically frontwomen, but whatever. It makes for interesting (if sometimes angering!) reading, and you’ll never have predicted the winner. If you did, we’ll send you a lollipop. Read it here.
* * *
Alan Pedder
Filed under: news, trouser shorts, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, cassandra wilson, joanna newsom, marina and the diamonds, music, news, shirley manson, thea gilmore
A new documentary featuring exclusive footage and commentary from Joanna Newsom’s 2004 tour with Devendra Banhart and Vetiver is due to premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival in California early next month. Filmed by occasional Vetiver member Kevin Barker, who also fronts the band Currituck Co., ‘The Family Jams’ provides a fascinating insight into the rise of “freak-folk” with performances from all three acts and from like-minded musical guests such Espers, Antony & The Johnsons and more. The festival runs from March 27–April 5 and will host the first public screenings of the documentary on April 2nd and 3rd. More info here. Watch the trailer here.
* * *
Thea Gilmore will release her first ever live album, Recorded Delivery, in late May through Fulfill Records and distributor Universal (tracklist TBC), and she’s inviting fans to send in any live photos they may have – of her, obviously – for potential use as the album cover. If you have a photo you think could be suitable, email it along to Thea at info@theagilmore.net before April 10th. Thea is currently in the process of writing her ninth studio album and has a couple of festival dates lined up for the summer. More info on her Myspace.
* * *
Rumours circulated in recent news reports that Shirley Manson’s budding solo career had been put on ice indefinitely – seemingly provoked by comments made by the Garbage frontwoman during her recent appearance at America’s WonderCon convention – were promptly dismissed as “absolute nonsense” by the lady herself. As if to underline this, she has provided her Facebook fans with an exclusive listen to a demo of new song ‘In The Snow’, co-written with The Bird & The Bee’s Greg Kurstin “a year or so ago”.
“It’s one from the ‘So Called Noir’ Series,” she writes. “I just stumbled upon it tonight when I was looking for something else and I listened to it and thought: fuck it why not post it for all the people who wrote me lovely things about my mum when she died. It’s the least I can do. I owe you a song for sure.” Listen to it here.
* * *
Marina & The Diamonds have announced a short series of live dates kicking off next month in Lancaster and finishing up at the beginning of May in Salford. Catch her/them at the following venues:
11.04.09 The Library, Lancaster
16.04.09 Limbo, Edinburgh
17.04.09 Twisted Wheel, Manchester
18.04.09 Moshulu, Aberdeen
19.04.09 Home Game Festival, Anthuser
30.04.09 Deaf Institute, Manchester
03.05.09 Live At Leeds, Leeds [early show]
03.05.09 Sounds From The Other City, Salford
Marina is currently working on her debut album with producers Pascal Gabriel (New Order, Kylie) and Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps, Catherine AD).
* * *
Ostensibly a jazz singer, double Grammy winner Cassandra Wilson has recorded several ‘pop’ covers throughout her career, including Cyndi Lauper/Rob Hyman’s ‘Time After Time’ and Ann Peebles’ ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’, and you’ll soon be able to get a bunch of the best on a single disc. Collated from her seven albums for the legendary Blue Note label, Closer To You: The Pop Side features 11 tracks spanning 15 years from 1993 to 2008. It’s out on April 7th.
Closer To You: The Pop Side
01 Love Is Blindness [U2 cover]
02 Time After Time [Cyndi Lauper cover]
03 Fragile [Sting cover]
04 Closer To You [Jakob Dylan cover]
05 Last Train To Clarksville [Monkees cover]
06 The Weight [The Band cover]
07 Tupelo Honey [Van Morrison cover]
08 Harvest Moon [Neil Young cover]
09 I Can’t Stand The Rain [Ann Peebles cover]
10 Lay Lady Lay [Bob Dylan cover]
11 Wichita Lineman [Glen Campbell cover]
* * *
Alan Pedder
