‘The Graduate’ has piano-driven songs high on happy pills, woozy electronics and beefed up bass. Where guitars would once have swooned, now they swagger and there is a new-found feistiness to Pallot’s emotive vocals.

Occasionally, the Brit and Ivor Novello-nominated singer strays so far from the haunting sound of her former hit singles, she is almost unrecognisable. Sometimes, she pulls off a ballad of such breathtaking beauty it could be by no-one else.

Buy Music:

Nerina Pallot on amazon.co.uk

Nerina Pallot on amazon.com

Self-produced and recorded in the North London studio she shares with her husband, Grammy-nominated producer Andrew Chatterley, ‘The Graduate’ took shape after two turbulent years in Pallot’s life. The first found her struggling to deal with the fame Fires had brought her and the non-stop touring that entailed. The second was a case of writer’s block caused by meeting and marrying Chatterley, who hails from Pallot’s homeland of Jersey. The problem was one not often found in pop – she was too content to want to write songs.

“The idea of me writing tortured lyrics went out the window,” laughs Pallot. “After years of living out of a suitcase, watching my personal life fall apart and drinking too much, I was suddenly happier than I’ve ever been. At one stage, I wasn’t sure I’d ever make another album. I loved just being normal, having a home to go to and finally being able to attend friends’ birthday parties. I could have written a song about my fantastic fish terrine, but I doubt anyone would have wanted to hear it.”

The impetus to return to writing came only after Pallot’s record label, tired of waiting for a follow-up to Fires, sent her to the States to work with Linda Perry, the one-woman hit factory for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Pink. The pair recorded two songs together before Pallot fled home. Then came sessions with Rob Davis (who co-wrote Kylie’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”) and Rick Knowles (Madonna, Dido), with whom Pallot became good friends and wrote 15 songs, none of which appear on The Graduate.

“I adore Rick and we work okay together, but he told me what I already knew,” recalls Pallot. “That I didn’t need to write with anyone. I do a better job on my own.”

Pallot’s sense of self-sufficiency grew when she returned to material she had written on the road touring Fires, but never unfinished. Realising she already had several great songs, she set about completing them, determined to produce and programme the album herself, calling on friends to contribute, rather than outsiders and session musicians.

Among the songs was The Graduate’s stunning first single “Real Late Starter”, which sets sassy, self-depreciating lyrics to uptempo piano-pop that nods to ‘70s Elton John and one of Pallot’s more recent favourite bands, Scissor Sisters.

“Real Late Starter I began when I was touring with James Blunt three years ago,” explains Pallot. “I felt like a real loser, making my way to gigs on a train with my mate who was my tour manager while James was helicoptering in. I’d hear him arriving overhead and think ‘That’ll be me one day’ but it didn’t happen. I came home and, yes, still felt like a loser!

“I had so much fun when I came to finish that song because by then I was happy. There’s a real sense of ‘Yeah, sometimes life is shit, but hey, I’m actually doing okay’. Everyone feels like that from time to time and when I play it live, people love it. They seem to get it straight away.”

A major shift in Pallot’s sound was down to the music she was listening to.

“My tastes have definitely changed,” she says. “I’ve come to really love good pop music. Like everyone else, I was bored stiff of singer/songwriters and wanted to find something fresh. The band I became obsessed with was MGMT. I was inspired by their attitude to making music. It’s so creative. They just throw out lots of ideas, try out lots of mad sounds and have a laugh, but with the basis of really strong songs. I didn’t want to think about what would get on the radio or what’s the trendy sound right now. I just went for it and had fun.”

The result is a compelling collection of songs that range from the rocky “The Right Side”, Pallot’s attempt at a football chant, to the quirky, heavily-programmed funk-pop of “I Don’t Want To Go Out”, a co-production with Chatterley, to the strikingly-titled, Sheryl Crow-meets-Squeeze song “When Did I Become Such A Bitch”. More typical Pallot perhaps are strings-drenched slowie “Human” and love song “It Starts”. The biggest surprise is the dreamy, spaced-out, electronic-pop of “Cigarette”.

“I Don’t Want To Go Out and Cigarette in particular are completely different to anything I’ve done in the past,” admits Pallot. “That’s why I love them. Cigarette is my homage to Air, Pink Floyd and MGMT. It’s a song that doesn’t need a verse or a chorus or try to be commercial, it’s just a great soundscape.”

One of the songs on ‘The Graduate’ was originally destined for Kylie, for whose forthcoming Pallot and Chatterley have been writing.

“We’ve started writing for several pop artists,” says Pallot, “and that’s changed my own music. When you’re writing for someone else, you throw out ideas to see what sticks and try out new ways of working.

“Because I’m putting this album out myself, there was a freedom to do whatever I liked. When I first released Fires, I had to remortgage my house to pay for it. With The Graduate, there was no pressure at all. It’s just me having fun and I think you can hear that in the music.”

Catch Nerina on tour this Autumn – tickets are on sale now.

Nerina Pallot October 2009 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Tue 6-Oct Aberdeen Lemon Tree
Wed 7-Oct Glasgow Oran Moor
Fri 9-Oct Preston 53 Degrees
Sat 10-Oct Manchester Ruby Lounge
Sun 11-Oct York The Duchess
Tue 13-Oct Birmingham Glee Club
Wed 14-Oct Bristol Trinity
Thu 15-Oct Milton Keynes The Stables
Sat 17-Oct Tavistock Wharf
Sun 18-Oct Cardiff Glee Club
Tue 20-Oct Brighton Komedia
Wed 21-Oct London ICA
Thu 22-Oct London ICA
Sat 24-Oct Penzance Acorn
Sun 25-Oct Gloucester Guildhall
Tue 27-Oct Wakefield Theatre Royal
Wed 28-Oct Norwich Waterfront

For the latest tour dates and information, go to:

Nerina Pallot Official Website
Nerina Pallot on Twitter

North American fans of international pop superstar Kylie Minogue will finally get a chance to experience the icon live in concert when her 6-city tour kicks off in Oakland, CA on September 30, 2009 (full schedule below).

Watch “In My Arms” video:

Over the course of her extraordinary 20-year-career, Kylie Minogue has been a global force in pop music with more than 40 million albums sold worldwide, 50 hit singles including the U.S. Billboard dance-chart toppers “Can’t Get You Our of My Head,” “Love At First Sight,” “Slow,” and the Grammy-Award winning “Come Into My World,” countless awards and accolades including an OBE from the Queen and 8 sold-out world tours including last year’s KylieX2008 tour which traveled to 21 countries throughout Europe, South America, Dubai, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, generating and estimated $70,000,000 in ticket sales. Kylie couldn’t be more excited about her first tour through North America.

“I’ve wanted to tour in America and Canada for years and know that fans have been waiting a long time for this,” said Minogue. “I’m thrilled that the opportunity has finally arrived.”

The tour is being produced by Los Angeles-based concert promotion firm Bill Silva Presents (BSP). Company CEO Bill Silva commented, “Kylie has such a successful career outside of North America that it has taken quite a while to find a window in her schedule for the U.S. and Canada. Her amazing fans in North America will be well rewarded for their patience when they experience her show and its entire spectacle. We are confident in the tour’s success, and hope that Kylie will make this the first of many tours to our shores.”

Tickets will go on sale in each market on the weekend of May 15, 2009, however early access to tickets in the U.S. will be available to American Express Cardmembers beginning this Thursday, May 7, through Ticketmaster. Members of Kylie.com’s mailing list will receive an email that contains information of special ticket pre-sale offers.

Kylie’s last visit stateside was in early 2008 with a promotional trip to support the release of her 10th studio album X (Astralwerks/Capitol) in which she performed on Ellen, Dancing With The Stars and the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Kylie has since toured the globe with KylieX2008, hosted the prestigious Brit Awards, earned her 5th Grammy® nomination, released a range of bed linen called “Kylie at Home,” released her 5th fragrance “Couture,” released Boombox: The Remix Album 2000-2008, and traveled to Mumbai to participate in the most expensive Bollywood feature film ever made entitled “Blue.” In addition to a cameo role in the film, Kylie performs the main musical number written and recorded with internationally renowned composer AR Rahman. Kylie shows no signs of slowing down with the announcement of the North American tour and plans to commence work on her 11th studio album.

Kylie Minogue released her first single “Locomotion” in July 1987. The Little Eva remake became an instant hit around the world and launched the music career of the now icon. Kylie is one of the world’s most successful female artists with over 40 million albums sold, 50 hit singles, ten studio albums, two live CDs, eight live concert DVD’s, plus her Greatest Hits and Ultimate Kylie double album, multiple video packages and eight world tours.

Since 1979, Bill Silva Presents (BSP) has produced over 10,000 events from small clubs to major stadiums all over the world. Shows produced have included such prodigious talents as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel, The Police, Madonna, Nirvana, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. BSP have also produced North American Tours with Dr. Dre’s “Up In Smoke Tour,” the most successful hip hop tour of all time; and international tours with comedian Margaret Cho.

The Multi-Platinum Aussie Superstar is also set to make an appearance on NBC’s “TODAY” with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb On May 8th.

Latest Release Boombox: The Remix Album 2000-2008 available now.

Kylie Minogue 2009 North American Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Sep. 30 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
Oct. 3 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl (Palms Hotel & Casino)
Oct. 4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Oct. 7 Chicago, IL The Congress Theater
Oct. 9 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Oct. 11 NYC, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Buy Music:

Kylie Minogue on amazon.com

Kylie Minogue on amazon.co.uk

For more on Kylie Minogue, including news updates, photos, streaming audio and video, and downloads, please visit:

Kylie Official Website

International pop icon Kylie Minogue will continue to rule the dancefloor with the release of a brand-new collection of remixes of her classic songs, entitled Boombox The Remix Album 2000-2008, on January 27th, 2009 on Astralwerk Records.

Watch “In My Arms” video:

Kylie Minogue on amazon.com

Kylie Minogue on amazon.co.uk

The collection features remixes by some of the world’s most sought-after producers, including Chemical Brothers, Fischerspooner, Mylo, and Sebastian Leger.

The Aussie superstar has attracted a loyal US fanbase drawn to her dreamy electro-pop dancefloor fillers ever since the release of her 2001 breakout hit album ‘Fever’.

She has racked up successive Billboard Club chart-toppers such as “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” the Grammy-Award winning “Come Into My World,” “Love At First Sight,” and “Slow,” all of which receive the remix treatment on Boombox.

Some of these mixes have only existed as promotional vinyl 12″ singles, like “Love At First Sight” (Kid Creme Vocal Dub) and “Red Blooded Woman” (Whitey Mix), while others are highly sought-after rarities, like the much boot-legged Kylie/New Order mash-up “Can’t Get Blue Monday Out of My Head,” and previously unreleased tracks, like “The One” (Bitrocka Remix) and “Boombox” (LA Riots Remix). Now old fans and recent converts alike will be able to experience the full range of Minogue’s dancefloor catalog in all its party-starting glory.

Boombox comes on the heels of a busy 2008, which Minogue began by being honored by the Queen with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her services to music and winning a BRIT Award for “Best International Female Solo Artist.” In April, Minogue released her tenth studio album in the US, entitled X, which is her first all-new set of songs since 2003’s Body Language.

The album has been nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award for “Best Electronic/Dance Album,” earning Minogue her fifth Grammy Award nomination. She also embarked on a three-month, 50-date European tour, entitled KYLIEX2008.

Boombox The Remix Album 2000-2008 Track Listing:

1. Can’t Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head (Bootleg with New Order)
2. Spinning Around (7th District Club Mental Mix)
3. Wow (Death Metal Diva Scene Mix)
4. Love At First Sight (Kid Creme Vocal Dub)
5. Slow (Chemical Brothers Mix)
6. Come Into My World (Fischerspooner Mix)
7. Red Blooded Woman (Whitey Mix)
8. I Believe In You (Mylo Mix)
9. In Your Eyes (Knuckleheadz Mix)
10. 2 Hearts (Mark Brown’s Pacha Ibiza Upper Terrace Mix)
11. On A Night Like This (Bini & Martini Mix)
12. Giving You Up (Riton Re-Rub Vocal Mix)
13. In My Arms (Sebastien Leger Vocal Mix)
14. The One (Bitrocka Remix)
15. Your Disco Needs You (Casino Radio & Club Remix Mix)
16. Boombox (LA Riots Remix)

iTunes customers can download the following exclusive tracks in addition to the above:

17. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (Greg Kurstin 2007 Mix)
18. Butterfly (Mark Piccotti Sandstorm Dub)

Photo: William Baker

For more on Kylie Minogue, including news updates, photos, streaming audio and video, and downloads, please visit:

Kylie Official Website
Kylie Minogue MySpace

Kylie Minogue will be making the rounds this week on US TV, and we’ve got her schedule.

If you’re a Kylie fan, then tune in:

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Kylie will be performing “All I See” and “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Interview with Kylie and she’ll be performing “All I See” on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Monday, April 7th, 2008

Performing “All I See” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Check local listings)

For more music, dates and information, go to:

Kylie Official Website

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

For some reason I’ve had the song, “Where The Wild Roses Grow” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue going around my head today. It’s such a beautiful and haunting song.

I hadn’t heard “Where The Wild Roses Grow” until I moved to England and a friend turned me on to the song via the video a couple years ago. I never knew Kylie could sound so good. I’m not a huge Kylie fan, but since I heard this song, I’ve continued to keep an open mind and hope that one day she’ll record something with a similar feel. Of course, Nick Cave sounds good and their voices work well together on the track, which he wrote and was originally released in 1995.

Watch Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue – “Where The Wild Roses Grow” video:

Kylie is set to release her tenth studio album, ‘X’ on November 26, 2007. “Sensitized”, one of the tracks expected to be on the album and apparently written by Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis and Serge Gainsbourg, sounds pretty good – though I’m hoping that before it’s released “they’ll” remove the woo sounds in the background and “clean up” the muddy bass – but most likely doubtful at this point.

Either way, something tells me that ‘X’ is going to be a BIG album for Kylie.

“Where The Wild Roses Grow” YouTube video link

Kylie Official Website

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs