Later Live with Jools Holland – Nicole Atkins, VV Brown, Carla Bruni, Metallica, more

Nicole Atkins

Last night I was excited to see that Nicole Atkins was scheduled to play on Later Live…with Jools Holland. A few months ago I was lucky to have had the opportunity to interview Nicole over the phone – and then the next day to watch her play an intimate show at the Soho Review Bar …

Nicole Atkins

Last night I was excited to see that Nicole Atkins was scheduled to play on Later Live…with Jools Holland.

A few months ago I was lucky to have had the opportunity to interview Nicole Atkins over the phone – and then the next day to watch her play an intimate show at the Soho Review Bar in London. I was able to see first hand what a talent she was and knew then that she had the ‘full package’ to reach out to many, many more people – with her excellent songs, charming stage presence and determination.

Originally from Neptune, New Jersey and having toured across the US, making appearances on shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien and David Letterman, Nicole is probably more known in the States than here in England, however, after her strong performance last night on Jools Holland (her British television debut), I’m sure she’s gained even more fans from across the pond.

Other acts included:

Kings of Leon (“Sex On Fire”); when VV Brown came on, at first I wasn’t quite sure what to think, but then as the song went on (“Crying Blood”), her quirky soulful/punk grew on me and now I’ll be interested to hear more about her; Sway featuring Lemar (“Saturday Night Hustle”); and the First Lady of France Carla Bruni was interviewed by a flirtatious Jools Holland and then later was on with her “Tu Es Ma Came” single. It’s strange seeing a President’s wife hanging out with musicians and then singing live with a band…a first for me anyway. Has this ever happened before? With any other country’s First Lady?!

Nicole Atkins performed her dreamy pop single, “Maybe Tonight” off of debut album, ‘Neptune City’ and then Metallica closed the 30 minute night of varied music with their single, “The Day That Never Comes”. All members ended up taking solos, which was interesting on live TV, coming dangerously close to running over time. Now that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll…BBC style!

Later with Jools Holland Official Website

By: Jenny May

Eurovision 2008 – Andy Abraham (X Factor) to represent UK with “Even If” – watch video

Andy Abraham was voted in as winner on BBC’s Eurovision: Your Decision Saturday night and is now set to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The show will take place in Belgrade, Serbia.

With the three judge panel consisting of John Barrowman, Carrie Grant and Terry Wogan, it was a close call for Andy. Terry Wogan was the only judge to vote for Andy to stay in for the public vote, as a wild card.

Andy’s soulful performance of his song, “Even If”, written by Andy Abraham, Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, was enough to convince the public to vote for him as the winner to go on to the Eurovision 2008 final.

Watch Andy Abraham – “Even If” video:

Other contestants included ex-EastEnders star Michelle Gayle, Simona Armstrong, Rob McVeigh, LoveShy and The Revelations.

Andy Abraham is best known in the UK as a former contestant on X Factor 2005. With memorable appearances that included a stand out performance of “Me and Mrs. Jones”, the former bin man was runner up to winner Shayne Ward.

Since the X Factor, Andy has released two studio albums, with a third on it’s way, set to include the single, “Even If”.

The 53rd Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, two Semi-Finals will be held to decide which 25 countries will be represented in the Final.

The first Semi-Final will take place on Tuesday, 20th of May.

The second Semi-Final is Thursday 22nd of May.

The Final is Saturday, 24th of May, 2008.

For more information, go to:

Eurovision Song Contest Official Website

BBC – Eurovision: Your Decision

Andy Abraham on amazon.co.uk

Andy Abraham Official Website
Andy Abraham on Myspace

Patriots lose Super Bowl, Tom Petty half-time show + no Eels ad

It’s been a slow start this morning, after staying up until well past three in the morning here in England, watching the Patriots lose the Super Bowl. Boooo. I was so disappointed with the loss, I wondered why I bothered to stay up at all. Now I’m paying for it today. Not only that – I somehow managed to talk two other people into staying up and watching the game with me – and now they’re paying for it too, I owe them big time – and it wasn’t even worth it.

As far as the half-time show went, it was certainly a safe bet having Tom Petty on as the act. As expected, the band sounded good and played through a tame set of familiar hits like “American Girl”, “I Won’t Back Down”, “Free Falling” and “Runnin’ Down A Dream”. We were surprised to see the guitar player pull out the double necked electric at one point – but that’s about as risque as it got.

There was news a few days ago that Mark Oliver Everett – or “E” as he’s known – from the Eels was going to put on a one second ad during the Super Bowl for their upcoming album, ‘Useless Trinkets’. The ad was supposed to be of E saying the first letter of the new album title – the letter “U” and would have been the shortest TV ad ever used during the Super Bowl, at the cost of a mere $100,000.

I’ve just found out that it didn’t air, and E has stated, “In the end we were told that the NFL would have to find 29 other advertisers to buy 1 second spots to fill a standard 30 second advertising slot and that they do not sell advertising time by the second. They also noted that a rapid fire 30 second segment of thirty 1 second commercials could cause people with certain medical conditions to have seizures and that it was against network regulations.”

That’s too bad. The good thing, though, is that you can still see a video of the 1 second ad here, and a 5 second version here.

We were watching the game on the BBC in England, so this was the first time that I’ve ever watched the Super Bowl with no ads. Not even British ads this year, which was great. Especially since a lot of people in England don’t like watching the NFL because of all the ads.

Anyway, congrats to the NY Giants fans – it was a close game. Condolences go out to my fellow Pats fans!

By: Jenny May – BandWeblogs.com

Later with Jools Holland Hootenanny: Duffy, Lulu, Kylie and more + videos

Later with Jools Holland

I woke up this morning with Eddie Floyd’s “634-5789” soul song going around my head. Better than a hangover, that’s for sure. Last night he and a few others performed on Later with Jools Holland for the traditional Hootenanny New Year’s Eve show on the BBC …

Later with Jools Holland

I woke up this morning with Eddie Floyd’s “634-5789” soul song going around my head. Better than a hangover, that’s for sure. Last night he and a few others performed on Later with Jools Holland for the annual Hootenanny New Year’s Eve show on the BBC.

Rather than go out, which is what we were planning to do, Dave and I stayed in for New Year’s. A very kind and generous friend had given us tickets to go out to see a few bands play at the Carling Academy Oxford and we ungraciously didn’t show up. Very naughty indeed. Hopefully he’s still talking to us.

So, we settled for a couple bottles of bubbly and the TV instead. Later with Jools was pretty good. Of course, the show isn’t filmed live, which is a bit of a let down, but it’s still fun to watch.

After Jools Holland arrived to the Land of the Hootenanny via Dr. Who’s Tardis (sounds crazy, I know) “Boogie Woogie Queen” Ruby Turner opened the show with “Jumpin’ at the Jubilee” along with Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Soul legend Eddie Floyd followed with “634-5789”. I used to sing that song in a band called Soul Wagon…crikey…about 15 years ago. The band was only together a couple of months, but that’s another story.

Other guest performers on the show included Kaiser Chiefs, Lulu, Madness, Duffy, Kate Nash, Kylie Minogue, Seasick Steve, Mika and Paul McCartney. Jools also spoke to a few guests in the audience like Lenny Henry, Dawn French, David Tennant, Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone, Gabby Logan and more.

Duffy performed a superb cover of the Cat Stevens song, “The First Cut Is The Deepest”. I’ve mentioned on several occasions, here on Band Weblogs, how much I like Duffy and that she’s the cat’s meow. Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra accompanied Duffy, for her classy rendition of “The First Cut Is The Deepest”, which could easily be released as a single. Duffy’s been on Later with Jools two times now – sometimes she reminds me of Lulu, who Jools will often perform with, so it’s apropos that he would seem to be enamored with her.

Speaking of Lulu, she sounded great, as always, singing “Where Have All The Good Guys Gone”. It would have been good to see her sing more songs, though.

Kylie Minogue was the star of the night. For her first number, Jools reminded viewers of Kylie’s recent stint on Dr. Who before she vamped it up with “Come On Strong”. She spent the song being sultry, sitting on the piano and singing, whilst Jools played along with the band.

The other “big star of the night” was Paul McCartney. Who would have thought that one day Sir Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue would be introduced together for a duet? That they were, and they sang Paul McCartney’s “Dance Tonight”. Later, Kylie performed “2 Hearts” from her album ‘X’, with Dr. Who’s David Tennant dancing along in the audience. She also sang a jazzed up lounge version of her hit song “I Could Be So Lucky” with Jools Holland on piano.

The Duffy and Eddie Floyd “Bring It On Home To Me” duet was a treat and Mika performed “Grace Kelly”, playing the piano – as I had first heard him play the song for his debut on Later with Jools Holland about a year ago. This time he played along with the Jools Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. It’s too bad the song gets so overplayed on the radio, because I really liked it the first time I heard it. Especially the stripped down piano version.

There were many more performances throughout the night and if you missed the Hootenanny on the BBC, luckily the Later with Jools Holland website has added video footage of the complete show.

For some reason, Ruby Turner doesn’t have a section on the Hootenanny page. Hopefully they’ll add one soon. In the meantime, you can go to Ruby Turner Official Website for more information about her.

Watch Hootenanny videos from Later with Jools Holland

Later with Jools Holland BBC Website

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

Duffy on Later with Jools Holland – watch videos!

Duffy

Last Friday night, Duffy was a guest on Later with Jools Holland. It was good to finally watch her on TV after only seeing her YouTube videos …

Duffy

Last Friday night, Duffy was a guest on Later…with Jools Holland. It was good to finally watch her on TV after only seeing her YouTube videos! She’s got such a soulful voice, and she sounded great. Surprisingly she didn’t perform her debut single “Rockferry” – not sure why. Either way, it was good to hear her other two singles, “Warwick Avenue” and “Mercy”, which I think will be her next release.

I didn’t know that Duffy was scheduled to be on Jools Holland until that day – but I’m not surprised that she was. Jools (and his people) are very good at spotting quality talent for the show.

Other guests included Manu Chao, James Blunt (a last minute replacement for Babyshambles), Orchestra Baobab (awesome), Kano and Damon Albarn and Dion.

Here are videos of Duffy’s performances. Not quite TV, but at least available to watch.

Watch Duffy – “Warwick Avenue” video from Later with Jools Holland:

Watch “Mercy” video

There’s additional footage of Duffy singing “Rockferry” that wasn’t on the show, an interview with her as well as other guests that performed on the Later with Jools Holland Official Website – episode 4.

Duffy tour dates

Duffy Official Website

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

A Thousand Suns ‘Destroy Create’ review

A Thousand Suns

A Thousand Suns is an up and coming band from South Wales, set to release their debut EP, ‘Destroy Create’. The three founding members Dan Greenall, Tom Latham and Joe Latham formed the band in 2006 (with the later addition of Super G on bass), and in the past year have played all over South Wales … Read the review!

A Thousand Suns

A Thousand Suns is an up and coming band from South Wales, set to release their debut EP, ‘Destroy Create’. The three founding members Dan Greenall, Tom Latham and Joe Latham formed the band in 2006 (with the later addition of Super G on bass), and in the past year have played all over South Wales, sharing stages with bands such as Kill The Arcade, 12 Gauge Alliance, Working Class Heroes, Klay and Resonate.

‘Destroy Create’ was produced by Romesh Dodangoda (Kids In Glass Houses, Dopamine and The Blackout) and is set for release in December 2007, with a launch party at the Cardiff Barfly planned for December 5th.

A Thousand Suns

I’m not surprised that A Thousand Suns has been getting airplay on BBC Radio One and BBC Radio Wales. I can hear hints of Muse and Metallica in their music, which is interesting, and the more I listen to their new EP, ‘Destroy Create’, the more it grows on me.

They’ve produced some excellent chord progressions and changes within songs. The drummer sounds great, and is an obvious influence to their sound as well. There’s no denying the high quality of musicianship within A Thousand Suns. If you like your rock heavy, and rock music that caters to long attention spans, then they are definitely a band worth checking out.

A Thousand Suns Official Website
A Thousand Suns on Myspace

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

The Priscillas Superhero review + video

The Priscillas - Superhero

London all girl band The Priscillas have been turning heads with their latest single “Superhero” and B-side “Y.O.Y.” by touching the heartstrings of those nostalgic for 80’s punk. They also bring to the table their own style and pop sass and something tells me, their live shows are not to be missed if you’re looking for a fun night out on the town […]

The Priscillas - Superhero

London all girl band The Priscillas have been turning heads with their latest single “Superhero” and B-side “Y.O.Y.” by touching the heartstrings of those nostalgic for late 70’s punk. They also bring to the table their own style and pop sass and something tells me, their live shows are not to be missed if you’re looking for a fun night out on the town.

The Priscillas formed in 2004 and as mentioned on their Myspace page, they’ve played shows with “Art Brut, The Pipettes, The Subways, and, uh, James Blunt” and have supported “all-time heroes such as The Damned, The Cramps, The Seeds, The Monks, and The 5.6.7.8s at bigger venues, including London’s Astoria.” This past weekend The Priscillas played the BBC Introducing Stage at the Bestival Music Festival and went down a storm.

They have a few videos available on YouTube and they’re quite a treat to watch. The video for “Superhero” features dancing Barbie dolls, red and blue satin superhero-like outfits and Superman. It’s great to see a band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously and yet are able to convey the talent to entertain.

I know it’s not the time of year to bring up Christmas, but The Priscillas have a great Christmas song called “One Christmas Wish”. The video for it is in their YouTube Profile. I see that it was added one year ago, but hopefully they’ll release it as a Christmas single later this year and if they do, I would look forward to watching it climb the pop charts.

Trivia: Top designer Anna Sui mentioned The Priscillas in a recent interview with Metro New York. She saw them play in Cornwall, England while she was there for a literary festival.

Watch The Priscillas video for new single “Superhero”:

The Priscillas band members are:

Jenny Drag (vocals), Guri Go-Go (guitar), Kate Kannibal (bass) and Hege Hotrod (drums).

The Priscillas Official Website
The Priscillas on Myspace
YouTube video link for “Superhero”
The Priscillas Fan Forums

Related: Klaxons mystery song hijack solved – The Priscillas

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

Related: The Priscillas interview