Over the past four years, Twisted Folk Tours have become known for adventurous, hand picked line-ups representing the best in modern folk and twisted popular music.

It’s Twisted Folk who put together this year’s highly successful collaboration between UK pastoral pop group Tunng and Malawian desert bluesmen Tinariwen. Who assembled Nina Nastasia, Jeffrey Lewis and William Elliot Whitmore for an extra-special special tour. Sent Howe Gelb and the Voices Of Praise Choir off on a nine-date jaunt around the UK, packaged King Creoste with Jose Gonzalez and Vetiver (then featuring Devendra Banhart) with Micah P Hinson and Vashti Bunyan.

They’ve outdone themselves once again with this latest tour, showcasing two of the most talented young acts in the country – Stornoway and Beth Jeans Houghton – in what promise to be some truly unmissable shows.

Buy Music:

Stornoway on amazon.co.uk

Named after the Hebridean island but hailing from Oxford, Stornoway are a four-piece band of songsmiths, scholars, scientists and men of the earth.

The last couple of years have seen them quietly honing their art in the shadows of the dreaming spires, and earlier this year they released their first official single; the critically acclaimed “Zorbing”. Their charming brand of quintessential pop, steeped in pastoral hues, won them fans across radio and press.

They were booked to play an unprecedented 4 stages at Glastonbury Festival 2009, Radio 1 asked them to headline their ‘Introducing Stage’ at their Big Weekend and they are one of only a few bands that both Radio 1 and 6 Music have agreed to collaborate on, granting Stornoway a shared broadcast session from the prestigious Maida Vale studios.

The band, who embarked on their first tour of the UK in mid-October to coincide with their second single “Unfaithful”, also performed on Later With Jools Holland in November alongside JayZ and Foo Fighters.

“It’s only our second time on the road and we are right chuffed to be following in the footsteps of such twisted folks, and to be performing alongside MegaBeth. We look forward to challenging her to a hand of poker and training her in the art of hackisack. There’s nothing we enjoy more than playing live, playing cards, and playing hackisack.” Brian Briggs from Stornoway

Beth Jeans Houghton is the Newcastle singer who, to paraphrase The Guardian, joins the dots between Gwen Stefani and Vashti Bunyan. Beth Jeans Houghton has been playing guitar since the age of 16. She’s only 19 now. In the meantime, she’s supported Tunng and Tinariwen, hobnobbed with Vetiver, the late John Martyn, Bon Iver and Joanna Newsome and recorded a single, “Golden/Nightswimmer” with Adem and more recent an EP ‘Hot Toast Volume 1’ with Mike Lindsay from Tunng.

She was the popular hit at 2009’s Green Man festival and has been hitting the road with her band, The Hooves Of Destiny.

An album is on currently being produced by Ben Hillier, the production mastermind behind Elbow’s Cast Of Thousands, Doves’s Some Cities and Blur’s Think Tank.

“I plan to dip my toes into many genres before I quit this mortal coil,” says Beth. “I don’t define my music and I try not to let music define me. We are two separate entities, but we get together for a shindig once in a while – and I intend to keep it that way.”

The Twisted Folk Tour runs as follows this coming February, tickets £8-10 advance.

February 2010 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Mon 8 Feb EXETER PHOENIX ARTS CENTRE – 01392 667080 / www.exeterboxoffice.com
Tue 9 Feb READING SOUTH ST – 0118 960 6060
Wed 10 Feb BRIGHTON KOMEDIA – 01273 647100 / tickets@komedia.co.uk
Thu 11 Feb LONDON RICH MIX – 020 7613 7498
Sat 13 Feb NORWICH ARTS CENTRE – 01603 660 352
Sun 14 Feb GATESHEAD THE SAGE – 0191 443 4661
Mon 15 Feb LEEDS BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB – 0113 2454650 / www.lunatickets.co.uk
Tue 16 Feb MANCHESTER BAND ON THE WALL – 08452 500 500
Wed 17 Feb BIRMINGHAM GLEE CLUB – 0871 472 0400

Beth Jeans Houghton Official Website

Stornoway MySpace

Coupled with its perfectly timed 11.35pm extended version on Friday nights, the show truly exists as the most visible and consistent champion of quality music on the nation’s TVs, a fifteen year institution that has become as valued a friend and resource to the artists and musician featured on the show as for the audience themselves.

Like its TV counter-part, ‘Later Live 2… with Jools Holland’ the album is unrestricted by the age limits or genre categories, resulting in a joyously diverse eclectic tracklist brought together by one vital requirement, quality song writing and spectacular performances.

Featuring 2 CDs of some of the world biggest megoliths of modern music, including Lily Allen, Muse, Radiohead, Adele, Elbow, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preacher, Keane and many more, Later Live 2… with Jools Holland’ also embraces the hottest new young acts currently rocking the charts, including Little Boots, MGMT, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Paulo Nutini and Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner and Miles Kane’s band The Last Shadow Puppets.

With a mind bending array of genres on display, from Folk – Bon Iver, to Drum n bass – Pendulum, Soul – Al Green, to Punk – New York Dolls to out and out Rock – The Raconteurs, Electro – Friendly Fires, Reggae – Natty and cool Nu Jazz – Melody Gardot, Later Live 2… with Jools Holland’ delivers a unique line-up of 5* stellar quality.

Add to the mix the fact that every performance across the 2 CDs exists as an exclusive one- off LIVE performance only to be heard on this album, and Later Live 2… with Jools Holland’ stands out as an absolute must have for fans of the featured artists, fans of the show, and fans of thoroughly good music everywhere, regardless of age, gender, background or taste.

Fans will not be disappointed.

Later Live 2 With Jools Holland
Released 12th October 2009
Rhino (Cat. No. WMTV105)

Buy Music:

Later Live 2 on amazon.co.uk

Later Live 2 with Jools Holland Tracklisting

(Information subject to change.)

CD1

1. Muse – Uprising
2. Elbow – Grounds For Divorce
3. Little Boots – Remedy
4. Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor
5. Keane – Spiralling
6. MGMT – Time To Pretend
7. Lisa Hannigan – I Don’t Know
8. Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement
9. Nicole Atkins – Maybe Tonight
10. Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman
11. Bon Iver – Skinny Love
12. Friendly Fires – Jump In The Pool
13. Radiohead – Bodysnatchers
14. Santigold – L.E.S Artists
15. Adele & Jools – To Make You Feel My Love
16. Manic Street Preachers – Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
17. Pendulum – Granite

CD2

1. Lily Allen – It’s Not Fair
2. Paolo Nutini – Candy
3. Al Green – Let’s Stay Together
4. Melody Gardot – Sweet Memory
5. Vampire Weekend – Mansard Roof
6. Morrissey – Something Is Squeezing My SKull
7. New York Dolls – ‘Cause I Sez So
8. Paul Weller – Push It Along
9. Seasick Steve – I Started Out With Nothin’ And I Still Got Most Of It Left
10. Jools Holland – I Went By
11. Golden Silvers – True Romance
12. Madness – Forever Young
13. Natty – July
14. Karima Francis – Use Somebody
15. Goldfrapp – Happiness
16. Monkey – Monkey’s World
17. The Raconteurs – Salute Your Solution

Later with Jools Holland Official Website

For a band that named its forthcoming Capitol Records debut album ‘Mind Chaos’, which will be released on August 25, 2009, the collective thinking on modern dance-rockers Hockey is already crystal-clear: this is a band set for a worldwide breakout this year.

With a cohesive album marked by ingenious, assured song craft and fresh, loose-limbed new-wave-flavored dance-rock propulsion — “debauched, joy-inducing floor-fillers,” according to Arena Magazine — Hockey may have already located and embodied the zeitgeist of 2009 with lyrics and an outlook that’s both “soulful and knowingly sarcastic” (Arena).

Watch “Too Fake” video:

Hockey played four hotly-anticipated gigs at the famed South By Southwest music festival in mid-March, following a series of downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn shows that stoked a chorus of on-line cheers and a notice in Paste Magazine’s 10 New Artists to Watch in 2009.

Two smashingly successful visits to the U.K. in December and in February (with Passion Pit) have built Hockey’s international momentum right up to the U.S. release of their “Too Fake” single – the video and digital single is available now and a vinyl 7-inch will be available May 19. The video has been officially added at mtvU and has seen play on LOGO and mun2. MtvU has also selected Hockey to participate in their “Ahead Of The Curve” initiative with promo spots running on the network and mtvU.com April 20th and continuing throughout 2009.

The band is currently on a series of April appearances on the West Coast, some with Friendly Fires, and will cross the Atlantic with Friendly Fires for another month-long U.K. swing with them later this month.

While in the UK, Hockey is confirmed to appear on the popular BBC late night show Later with Jools Holland on April 21st.

Formed in Los Angeles five years ago by founders Ben Grubin, lead singer, and Jeremy “Jerm” Reynolds on bass, Hockey is now based in Portland, Oregon as a quartet with Brian White on guitar, and Anthony Stassi on drums.

‘Mind Chaos’ was released independently, and the group signed to Capitol late in 2008. The album will be remixed and remastered, with new songs added, for the August 25th, 2009 international release.

With “song away” acting as a holistic mission statement wrapped in a nod and a wink, “These scruffy bike-riding vegans could easily be enjoyed by fans of Dylan, Springsteen and the Hold Steady as much as they could by devotees of LCD Soundsystem” says U.K.’s Guardian newspaper. “See them now while they are still playing small rooms,” advises Time Out New York.

“Get used to this band, they’ll be around a lot.” – NME

“The band who might just provide the soundtrack to 2009.” – Arena Magazine

HOCKEY on the West Coast, April 2009:

4/16 Visalia, CA Cellar Door
4/17 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop

Mind Chaos Tracklisting:
1. Too Fake
2. 3am Spanish
3. Learn to Lose
4. Work
5. Song Away
6. Curse this City
7. Wanna Be Black
8. Four Holy Photos
9. Preacher
10. Put the Game Down
11. Everyone’s the Same Age

Buy Music:

Hockey on amazon.com

Hockey on amazon.co.uk

For more tour dates, music and information, go to:

Hockey MySpace
Hockey Official Website

On Tuesday it was announced that The Beatles’ entire back catalogue has been digitally remastered for the first time. As a result, the catalogue has never sounded better without losing the authenticity of the original recordings. The worldwide CD release will coincide with the eagerly anticipated Beatles: Rock Band video game, on September, 2009.

Karima Francis’ performance of her glorious track “Francis” from her debut album ‘The Author’ is on Later with Jools Holland tomorrow night, Friday the 10th.

You can also see her exquisite version of Kings Of Leon’s hit “Use Somebody” for the BBC Jools Holland website.

Karima’s next single is set to be “Chasing The Morning Light” out June 22, 2009.

Russell Brand releases his highly anticipated Radio 2 shows as a 4-disc box set on Monday. Titled ‘The Best Of What’s Legal’ the box set features Russell Brand’s radio cohort Matt Morgan, resident poet Mr Gee and sometimes stalwart Noel Gallagher. There are also guest appearances from Simon Amstell, Alan Carr, Noel Fielding and many more.

Russell is currently bringing his hugely popular live comedy tour to a close with shows in Glasgow, Hammersmith and Cardiff. He then brings the curtain down in spectacular fashion at the O2, April 17th.

Kasabian unleashed their explosive track “Vlad The Impaler” last week and the reaction was incredible. The track achieved over 65,000 downloads and the video featuring Noel Fielding received over 30,000 hits on YouTube.

Jason Mraz finished off his short jaunt of the UK this week, which featured two sold out gigs at Hammersmith Apollo. He releases his infectious new single “Make It Mine” on Monday. The track is on the Radio 2 A-list and Radio One B-list.

Vagabond brought their stunning live show to Madame JoJo’s last night, as they showcased tracks from their impressive debut album ‘You Don’t Know The Half Of It’. The irrepressible front man Alex Vargas was in fine form, much to the delight of their growing legion of fans. Stay tuned for more news of a Vagabond tour shortly.

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

Goldfrapp and their electronica/pop have subtly and endearingly eased into my musical life. With each single release and TV appearances on shows like Jools Holland (watch video) and Jonathan Ross (watch video), I’ve found myself looking forward to their quirkiness and unpredictability more and more over the last few years.

With their latest single, “Happiness”, Goldfrapp has once again caught my attention, and I’m happy to have it as part of my CD collection. The single is off of the British group’s fourth studio album, ‘Seventh Tree’.

“Happiness” is superbly produced, with excellent instrumentation, vocals and harmonies. Their familiar marching beats are there and singer Alison Goldfrapp’s breathy vocals float around them with ease.

At first it’s easy to assume that with a song called “Happiness”, that it’s simply about being happy. Instead it seems to be about finding happiness – and how the vulnerable can often be lured in and lead astray by certain groups of people in the quest to find happiness. That’s how I’m interpreting the lyrics, anyway – if anyone else has any ideas, please leave a comment!

Alison Goldfrapp looks great on the CD cover. Her outfits are usually quite eccentric – this time she’s wearing a multi-color harlequin jumpsuit and a highway man/pirate hat, standing, bent over in what looks to be the natural lighting of either a sunrise or sunset.

“Road To Somewhere” acoustic version is the second song on the CD. A slower number, it’s good to hear Alison’s voice accompanied by a more stripped down production. Very nice.

Goldfrapp music on amazon.co.uk

Seventh Tree on amazon.co.uk

Goldfrapp Myspace
Goldfrapp

By: Jenny May – BandWeblogs.com

“All You Need Is Me” is among a handful of new songs to have graced Morrissey’s set list over shows in recent months and was performed earlier this year on Later With Jools Holland along-side “Something Is Squeezing My Skull”, “That’s How People Grow Up” and the classic “The Last Of The Famous International Playboys”.

The “All You Need Is Me” single formats will feature new songs as exclusive b-sides.

“My Dearest Love” and “Children In Pieces” were recorded in LA with multi-award winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla who has won Oscars for his scores for the films Brokeback Mountain and Babel and Baftas for his scores for Babel and The Motorcycle Diaries. They feature additional production and were mixed by Jerry Finn, producer of 2004’s widely acclaimed ‘You Are The Quarry’ (a #2 album in the UK).

A third b-side, a cover of David Bowie’s “Drive-in Saturday” recorded live at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska in May 2007, completes the set.

Finn has also produced the ‘A’ side “All You Need Is Me” and is currently finishing production of Morrissey’s new studio album, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2006’s #1 ‘Ringleader Of The Tormentors’ which is due for an Autumn 2008 release. ‘Greatest Hits’, spanning Morrissey’s 20 year solo career, is out now on Decca/Polydor and features 9 top 10 singles amongst its 15 tracks.

“All You Need Is Me” Single formats and B-Sides:

CD single

Track 1: “All You Need Is Me”
Track 2: “Children In Pieces”

7″ #1

Side A: All You Need Is Me”
Side B: “My Dearest Love”

7″ #2

Side A: “All You Need Is Me”
Side B: “Drive-in Saturday” (written by David Bowie, Recorded Live at the Orpheum Theater, Omaha, Nebraska, 11th May 2007)

Morrissey on amazon.co.uk

Morrissey on amazon.com

Morrissey has chosen Beck, The New York Dolls, The Courteeners, Black Kids, Siouxsie Sioux, Guillemots, Dirty Pretty Things, The Wombats and Noise Is The Best Revenge amongst others to be his guests at Hyde Park.

Wireless Festival

Morrissey

Duffy and her new single, “Mercy” are the UK’s current #1 for a second week, on downloads alone!

“Mercy” is released physically today, February 25th, 2008. The single is the second track to be taken from Duffy’s debut LP ‘Rockferry’, due on 3 March.

Duffy was a good sport recently, and filled in for Alicia Keys last minute on Later…with Jools Holland (watch video footage), which aired Friday night on BBC Two.

If you want to catch her highly recommended live shows – be sure to get tickets before they sell out! Duffy and her 6-piece band will be playing nine new live dates for May and June, 2008. They’ll be performing tracks from ‘Rockferry’.

Tickets are priced at £14 plus booking fee regionally (except London , £16 plus booking fee).

MAY 2008

Dates could be added or changed! Go to Duffy’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

Sunday 25th, CARDIFF, Great Hall.
Monday 26th, NEWCASTLE, Evolution Festival
Tuesday 27th, SHEFFIELD, Leadmill
Thursday 29th, MANCHESTER, Ritz
Friday 30th, LLANDUNDNO, Venue Cymru
Saturday 31st, CHELTENHAM, Wychwood Festival

JUNE 2008

Monday 2nd, GLASGOW, ABC
Tuesday 3rd, WOLVERHAMPTON, Wulfrun
Wednesday 4th, LONDON, Shepherds Bush Empire

Watch Duffy – “Mercy” video

Duffy – “Rockferry” single review + video

Duffy on Myspace
Duffy Official Website

Rhino UK is proud to present a fascinating 39 track, 2 CD set of highlights from the groundbreaking BBC 2 TV music show Later…with Jools Holland – the selections drawn from more recent series of the long running show. ‘Later…Live with Jools Holland’ is set for UK release January 28th, 2008.

The 2 CDS reflect Later…with Jools Holland’s mix of established and new acts drawn from every walk of musical life. The full track listing is below but featured artists include Amy Winehouse, Kasabian, Lily Allen, The White Stripes with Jools himself, Muse and Kings Of Leon rubbing shoulders with the more upcoming likes of King Creosote, Adele, Duffy and Seasick Steve.

Later…with Jools Holland has been the most sought after TV outlet for both stellar names and relative unknowns (many of whom have gone on to much bigger things) since it was first broadcast in 1992. 25 of the 39 acts on this CD made their TV debut on Later and 13 of the tracks featured are debut performances anywhere in the world including those by Mika, Adele, Duffy, The Fratellis, Seasick Steve and Kate Nash.

Later…recently completed it’s 30th series and more than a thousand artists have performed well over 2,500 songs during the shows’ first 15 years. Rhino’s 2 CD set is released the week that Later…celebrates its 200th show on Friday February 1st, 2008 with guests including Radiohead, Cat Power and Dionne Warwick.

The program has always presented a unique blend of acts on each show and has a reputation that always brings the best, often presenting the artist in a novel setting – Mika here performing solo, Gnarls Barkley with their string section, Kano and Damon Albarn. This is a remarkable collection of solo artists and bands, reflecting a phenomenal mix of music styles. Where else are you likely to hear James Blunt, The Flaming Lips, Kaiser Chiefs, Jose Gonzales and Green Day under one rafter-rattling roof?

Later…Live with Jools Holland track listing:

CD ONE

Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm
Amy Winehouse – Tears Dry On Their Own
Kate Nash – Foundations
Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby
KT Tunstall – Black Horse & Cherry Tree
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
Mika – Grace Kelly
Adele – Daydreamer
The Fratellis – Henrietta
Hard-Fi – Suburban Knights
Stereophonics – It Means Nothing
Richard Hawley – Valentine
Scott Matthews – Dream Song
Seasick Steve – Doghouse Blues
The Flaming Lips – Yeah Yeah, Yeah Song
CSS – Let’s Make Love
Damien Rice – Coconut Skins
King Creosote – Admiral
Muse – Knights Of Cydonia

CD TWO

The White Stripes & Jools – My Doorbell
Lily Allen – Smile
Razorlight – America
Paolo Nutini – Last Request
Editors – Smokers
Bernard Butler with Duffy – Rockferry
Keane – Crystal Ball
The Strokes – Last Nite
James Morrison – You Give Me Something
Primal Scream – Country Girl
David Gray – The World To Me
Kings Of Leon – Bucket
Jose Gonzalez – Heartbeats
Mutya Buena – Just A Little Bit
Estelle – Wait A Minute (Just A Touch)
Ray Lamontagne – Trouble
Green Day – American Idiot
Kano featuring Damon Albarn – Feel Free
James Blunt – Same Mistake
Kasabian – Empire

Later …Live with Jools Holland (2CD) on amazon.co.uk

Later…with Jools Holland on BBC

Duffy is possibly the most exciting prospect for the next year. Her ascent from the Llyn Peninsula to 2008’s pole position continues on February 25th, 2008 when the 23-year old artist releases her rapturous new single “Mercy”. A statuesque soul gem propelled by rich, torch song vocals, it’s the second track to be taken from the eagerly anticipated debut LP ‘Rockferry’, March 3rd, and seals a dynamic arrival.

A masterclass in mature, resonant pop, “Mercy’s” hook-laden bassline hails straight from the Motown canon. Written by Duffy with Steve Booker, who produced the track, it’s a highlight of her recent standout performances on BBC2’s Later with Jools Holland & Radio 2’s Music Club.

Watch Duffy performing “Mercy” on Later with Jools Holland video:

“Mercy” follows the critically acclaimed, Bernard Butler-produced debut single “Rockferry”, which was made Record Of The Week by both Jo Whiley & Edith Bowman at Radio 1.

Following live shows at London’s Royal Festival Hall (as special guest to The Magic Numbers) and Union Chapel, Duffy begins the New Year with a 4-week residency at London’s Pigalle Club – Jan 16th, 23rd, 30th & Feb 6th – before nationwide dates through February and March.

Previewing tracks from her forthcoming ‘Rockferry’ LP, Duffy’s live shows will also feature her impressive band – Toby Oyerinde (guitar), Tom Meadows (drums), Ben Epstein (Bass), Ayo Oyerinde (Keyboards), Jon Green (Guitar) and Josh McKenzie (Percissuion) – tickets available now.

Duffy winter 2008 tour dates

“A star in the making” – The Sun

“Remember Duffy – she will be the sound of 2008″ – Evening Standard

“The new soul-pop genius on the block” – Time Out

Duffy Official Website
Duffy on Myspace

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

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

Jools Holland shows what friends are for as he releases his twelfth studio album in as many years on 15 October, 2007 on Rhino. Entitled ‘Best Of Friends’ this album is a personal collection of some of Jools Holland’s best loved and most memorable tracks from his collaborations over his last six albums.

Featuring world class artists from across the musical spectrum, ‘Best Of Friends’ sees Jools join forces with legends and luminaries of the music industry, including giants such as Bono (“If You Wear That Velvet Dress”), Sting (“Seventh Son”), Tom Jones (“Think”), Chrissie Hynde (“Out Of This World”) and a cover of “I Put a Spell on You” with Mica Paris and David Gilmour, whose distinctive guitar style gives the song an entirely different tangent.

The album also features a brand new remix of the track “Horse To The Water” with vocals provided by the great George Harrison. Co-written with his son Dhani this is one of the last songs George ever wrote. Jools described the experience by saying: “George Harrison is one of the true giants of popular music. This was probably the orchestra’s greatest honour of all, to back George on a brand new song that he had written”.

Contemporary collaborations featured on the album include Norah Jones (“In The Dark”), The Stereophonics (“First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”), India Arie singing of her home state with “Georgia On My Mind” and KT Tunstall, who lends her rich vocals to “Darkness on the Face of the Earth.”

In addition to previously released material, the album contains two brand new recordings with soul songstress Ruby Turner (“To Love A Child”) and the ever delightful Lulu on “Where Have All The Good Guys Gone?”, both of whom will appear with Jools on the forthcoming Autumn tour.

Other highlights of the album include tracks such as “Snowflake Boogie” with the late Edwin Starr, “Oranges And Lemons Again” with Madness lead singer Suggs, and “Mabel” with soul and country music pioneer Solomon Burke and guest appearance by guitar maestro Eric Clapton.

The CD also comes with a bonus DVD that contains real gems for established and new fans alike with footage taken from the recording sessions across the Jools & Friends albums. This includes an exceptional, previously unreleased, 49-minute long documentary, which features an extensive interview with Jools, cut with exclusive footage documenting the creation of songs on “Best Of…Friends”, with stars from the album such as Sting, Bono, KT Tunstall, Solomon Burke, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Lulu and Edwin Starr, not to mention people like Shane MacGowan, Ronnie Wood, Sugababes and Robert Plant also making an appearance. The bonus DVD also contains a selection of music videos and an interview with former Squeeze drummer and long time Jools collaborator, Gilson Lavis.

This spectacular collection of Jools’ best loved collaborations will follow his first ever autobiography which is released through Penguin Books on 4th October. ‘Bare Faced Lies And Boogie Woogie Boasts’ is a marvellously witty memoir by Britain’s most popular pianist and bandleader.

Jools Holland has had a fascinating life. From playing on bombsites as a boy in south-east London, to skiving off school and then rocketing to international success with Squeeze, the first twenty years of his life were eventful, chaotic and colourful.

From playing pubs in the East End docks as a teenage greaser, presenting The Tube and Later With Jools Holland, to leading his rhythm & blues orchestra and selling millions of records this century, it is his passion for music that has made Jools Holland into a doyen of the music scene and it is passion which suffuses the pages of this fascinating and delightful autobiography.

Watch video footage from Jools Holland’s new CD/DVD:

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Coinciding with the release of ‘Best Of Friends’ Jools will embark on a 32-date UK tour. Kicking off on the 26th October, Jools Holland, performing with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, will tour the UK with special guest Lulu and will play two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall. See below for full list of dates.

Jools Holland – ‘Best Of Friends’ Tracklisting:

CD 1

1) Tuxedo Junction
2) Where Have All The Good Guys Gone? with Lulu
3) Out Of This World with Chrissie Hynde
4) Snowflake Boogie (2007 remix) with Edwin Starr
5) In The Dark with Norah Jones
6) Horse To The Water (2007 remix) with George Harrison
7) To Love A Child with Ruby Turner
Enjoy Yourself with Prince Buster
9) First Time Ever I Saw Your Face with Stereophonics
10) Seventh Son with Sting
11) Just To Be Home With You with Shane MacGowan
12) Darkness On The Face Of The Earth with KT Tunstall
13) The Return Of The Blues Cowboy with Joe Strummer
14) I Put A Spell On You with Mica Paris & David Gilmour
15) Rock Me with The Blind Boys Of Alabama
16) Georgia On My Mind with India Arie
17) Think with Tom Jones
18) Valentine Moon with Sam Brown
19) Oranges And Lemons Again with Suggs
20) Mabel with Solomon Burke & Eric Clapton
21) If You Wear That Velvet Dress with Bono

CD2 – Bonus DVD

1) Best Of Friends – The Story
2) Gilson Lavis – Interview
3) I’m In The Mood For Love – with Jamiroquai (video)
4) Oranges And Lemons Again – with Suggs (video)
5) It’ll Be Me – with Tom Jones (video)

Jools Holland Autumn Tour Dates 2007:

Dates could change! Go to Jools Holland’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

October

Friday 26 Norwich UEA
Saturday 27 Bradford St Georges Hall
Sunday 28 Ipswich Regent Theatre

November

Thursday 1 Nottingham Royal Centre
Friday 2 Nottingham Royal Centre
Saturday 3 Cambridge Corn Exchange
Sunday 4 Oxford New Theatre
Thursday 8 Brentwood Centre
Saturday 10 Harrogate International Centre
Sunday 11 Harrogate International Centre
Thursday 15 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Friday 16 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Saturday 17 Manchester Apollo
Wednesday 21 Reading Hexagon
Thursday 22 Bristol Colston Hall
Friday 23 Cheltenham Centaur
Saturday 24 Portsmouth Guildhall
Wednesday 28 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Thursday 29 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Friday 30 London Royal Albert Hall

December

Saturday 1 London Royal Albert Hall
Wednesday 5 Sheffield City Hall
Thursday 6 Sheffield City Hall
Friday 7 Glasgow SECC
Saturday 8 Glasgow SECC
Friday 14 Plymouth Pavilions
Saturday 15 Bournemouth Bic
Sunday 16 Birmingham NIA
Wednesday 19 Newcastle City Hall
Thursday 20 Newcastle City Hall
Friday 21 Cardiff CIA
Saturday 22 Brighton Centre

Jools Holland ‘Best Of Friends’ (CD + DVD) at amazon.co.uk

Jools Holland Official Website

Tinariwen has been a band that I’ve had my eye on since I saw them on the cover of a magazine a couple months ago. Their look alone intrigued me enough to look forward to finding them on the internet as soon as I got home.

Listening to their music for the first time, I remember thinking that this is a band that is perfect for outdoor music festivals. After reading about them, I learned that they were in fact “noticed by the western world” because of their performance at a music festival. The festival was the Festival in the Desert (Festival au Desert) held in Tin-Essako, Mali, a remote region of the Sahara Desert in 2001.

Since then they’ve continued to play festivals around the world with many more scheduled for 2007, including their recent appearance at the Glastonbury Music Festival which I was fortunate to have watched. I also caught their performance last month on Later with Jools Holland, as I pointed at the TV yelling to Dave, “There’s that band I was talking about!” Santana has played with them and they’ll be supporting the Rolling Stones on August 18th 2007 at Slane Castle in Dublin, Ireland.

As I naively romanticize of the Sahara, camels and Tinariwen, the actual reality is that before their music was introduced to the west, members of Tinariwen were soldier-musicians in Libya, living a difficult life, dreaming of the modern world and the freedom that comes along with it. They come from the Sahara desert and although they struggled, they are proud of their identity. Their ancient and contemporary cultures of the nomad and Touareg people are very important to them.

The lyrics in Tinariwen’s songs are French and Tamashek and their sound is guitar based with elements of rock, American blues and the traditional African sounds of the Niger bend.

There is a lot to learn about this band and their music.

Watch Tinariwen Aman Iman: Water is Life documentary video:

Tinariwen 2007 music festivals and tour dates:

*Dates could be added or changed! Go to Tinariwen’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

June 25 2007 Exeter Festival Exeter
June 29 2007 Festival Mediterraneo Loule
June 30 2007 Open Air Festival St. Gallen
July 1 2007 Furia Festival Cergy Pontoise
July 2 2007 Festival Les Nuits de Gignac Gignac
July 4 2007 Festival Les Hauts de Garonne Bassens
July 5 2007 Africa Festival Lisbon
July 6 2007 Evora Festival Evora
July 7 2007 Festival Mar de Musica Cartagena
July 9 2007 Piazza Della Republica Monfalcone
July 10 2007 Villa Arconati Milan
July 11 2007 Fiera Cagliari
July 13 2007 Latitude Festival Southwold
July 14 2007 Nuke Festival St Polten
July 15 2007 Teatro Greco (w/ Robert Plant) Taormina, Sicily
July 16 2007 Festival Sotto Le Stelle Ferrara
July 17 2007 Villa Ada Rome
July 19 2007 Italia Wave Festival Firenze
July 22 2007 Lovebox Festival London
July 23 2007 Festival de Radio France Montpellier
July 24 2007 Festival de Radio France Montpellier
July 25 2007 Festival de Radio France Montpellier
July 26 2007 Festival de Neoule Neoule
July 28 2007 Paleo Festival Nyon
July 29 2007 WOMAD Festival Charlton Park
August 1 2007 Pilldamms Park Malmo
August 2 2007 Savoy Theatre Helsinki
August 3 2007 Berns Stockholm
August 4 2007 Urkult Festival Urkult
August 5 2007 Tragarn Gothenburg
August 7 2007 Voxhall Arhus
August 8 2007 Oya Festival Oslo
August 9 2007 Sziget Festival Budapest
August 10 2007 Festival Les Nuits Secretes Aulnoyes-Aymeries
August 11 2007 Le Festival Du Bout Du Monde Crozon
August 14 2007 Festival Musique De La Rue Luxey
August 18 2007 Slane Castle (supporting Rolling Stones) Dublin
October 12 2007 Shibuya AX Tokyo
December 7 2007 L’Olympia Paris
December 9 2007 The Olympia Dublin
December 12 2007 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London
December 13 2007 Rohstofflager Zurich
December 14 2007 Kesselhaus Berlin
December 15 2007 Gloria Cologne
December 16 2007 WUK Vienna

More information: Official Tinariwen Website
Tinariwen on Myspace

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

Watch The White Stripes video for Icky Thump

Last Friday (June 1st) I watched The White Stripes perform as a replacement for The Who on Later with Jools Holland. They played Icky Thump, Effect and Cause, My Doorbell featuring Jools Holland on piano (love that song) and a short interview with Jools Holland and a somewhat nervous Jack White talking about the concept of Icky Thump, the recording process for the album and producing records. Click on the links to go to the video for each performance that night.

The White Stripes’ upcoming tour dates include locations in Europe, the UK, USA and Canada.

For tour dates and more information go to:

The White Stripes on Myspace
The White Stripes Official Website

Buy Icky Thump by The White Stripes on Amazon.com.

By: Jenny May