Currently on a triumphant Pigalle Club residency, Duffy plays London’s sold-out Bush Hall, March 6th, 2008. Capping off a nationwide UK tour, it’ll follow the Radio 2 A-list single “Mercy” (February 25th) and the eagerly anticipated debut LP ‘Rockferry’ (March 3rd).

Written by the 23 year-old with a variety of songwriters - including Bernard Butler, Jimmy Hogarth, Eg White and Steve Booker - ‘Rockferry’ is a 10-track masterclass. Propelled by her paramount voice and foundation-shaking delivery, it’s essential listening for 2008.

Watch Duffy - “Mercy” video:

Duffy - Rockferry LP on amazon.co.uk

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

Big news! The wonderful Duffy is playing a free gig at Rough Trade Shops in Ye Olde London Towne on 17 December, 2007.

This is going to be an acoustic set in the snug area of the shop - so no guest list needed. It would probably be good to get there early!

If you want to go to the gig, here’s the information:

Duffy Rough Trade East In-store
‘Dray Walk’
Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London
E1 6QL
T: 020 7392 7788

Monday 17th December 2007, 2.00pm

Rough Trade Shops - In Store Gigs

Duffy’s latest single “Rockferry” was just released this week:

Duffy - Rockferry [7″ VINYL] on amazon.co.uk

Watch “Rockferry” video

Watch video: Duffy and Bernard Butler in studio - “Syrup & Honey”

Rough Trade Shops Official Website

Duffy Official Website

Singles release dates and information could change! This is not a complete list - other releases could be added.

Go to the bands and artists official websites for the latest release dates, news and information.

3rd December

The Ads - Maybe Tonight (7″)
Andrew Bird - Heretics
Annie Lennox & Friends - Sing
Arctic Monkeys - Teddy Picker
Ashley Tisdale - He Said She Said
Babyshambles - You Talk
Bearsuit - Foxy Boxer (7″) [Limited]
Black Lips - Veni Vidi Vici (7″) [Limited]
Blake - White Christmas
Bon Jovi - Lost Highway
BWO - Sunshine In The Rain
Cat The Dog - Gotta Leave
Connie Talbot - Over The Rainbow
Dannii Minogue vs Jason Nevins - Touch Me Like That
Darren B - Stand By You
Dashboard Confessional - These Bones
DT & Candy - Up Close
Duffy - Rockferry (7″)
Elvis Presley - Burning Love
Emmy The Great - Gabriel (7″) [Limited]
The Enemy - We’ll Live And Die In These Towns
Fightstar - Deathcar (VinylDisc) [Limited]
Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin
Future Of The Left - Manchasm (7″)
Gabrielle - Every Little Teardrop
Goo Goo Dolls - Before Its Too Late (7″) [Limited]
Ian Brown - Sister Rose
Ian Hunter - When The World Was Round
Interpol - No I In Threesome
J Holiday - Bed
James Blunt - Same Mistake
Jesse Malin - Tomorrow Tonight
Kate Walsh - Tonight
Lee Mead - Gonna Make You A Star
Maple State - We Swear By The Light Life
Marvin The Martian - Get By (Be Good)
Mary J Blige - Just Fine
Maximo Park - Karaoke Plays
My Little Problem - Elephants
Peter Gelderblom - Waiting 4
Riot In Belgium - La Musique (12″)
RyanDan - High
Shins - Sea Legs (7″) [Limited]
Stan Boardman - Stan’s Bin Bag Song
Stars - The Night Starts Here
Tellison - Gallery (7″)
Tom Baxter - Better
Turisas - Rasputin

10th December

Alec Empire - On Fire (EP)
Amsterdam - Home
Amy MacDonald - This Is The Life
Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game
Andy Williams - Its The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Asobi Seksu - Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
Bearforce1 - Christmas Is Here
The Black Arts (Art Brut & Black Box Recorder) - Christmas Number One (7″) [Limited]
Cascada - What Hurts The Most
Dab Hands - Supergood ‘07 (12″)
David Guetta feat Cozi - Baby When The Light
Dynamics - Seven Nation Army
Elektrons - Classic Cliche
Enrique Iglesias - Somebody’s Me
Foals - Balloons
Ghost Frequency - Never Before Have I Seen A Man Alive That Looks So Exactly Like A Skeleton (7″)
God Fires Man - The Dark (EP)
Ida Maria - Drive Away My Heart (7″)
Jack Penate - Have I Been A Fool
Jill Scott - Hate On Me
Kano - Feel Free
Lee Ryan - Reinforce Love
Little Man Tate - Boy In The Anorak
Miracle Fortress - Have You Seen In Your Dreams
Newton Faulkner - Teardrop
Paul Van Dyk feat Rea Garvey - Let Go
Plain White Ts - Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)
Rascals - Out Of Dreams (EP)
Sam Isaac - Sideways (7″)
Shaun The Sheep - Life’s A Treat
Soulja Boy - Crank That
Status Quo - Its Christmas Time
Stereophonics - My Friends
Treorchy Male Choir feat Elin Manahan Thomas - Faraway Place
Young Galaxy - Outside The City (7″)

17th December

The Displacements - Lazy Bones (7″) [Limited]
Faithless feat Cat Power - A Kind Of Peace (12″)
Filo & Peri - Anthem
Frightened Rabbit - Its Christmas So We’ll Stop (7″)
Hot Club De Paris - Will You Still be In Love With Me Next Year? (7″) [Limited]
Kate Nash - Pumpkin Soup
Mum - Marmalade Fires (7″) [Limited]
Scouting For Girls - Elvis Ain’t Dead
Sugababes - Change
X-Factor Winner - TBA

24th December

Booty Luv - Some Kinda Rush

31st December

Bjork - Declare Independence
Electrovamp - Don’t Like The Vibe In The VIP
Mika - Relax (Take It Easy) / Lollipop
Mutya Buena - B-Boy Baby
Orson - Broken Watch
White Stripes - Conquest (3 x 7″)

If you have any queries please contact manickangaroo at havenforum.co.uk

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

Duffy has just announced a string of tour dates for early 2008.

Recently I reviewed her excellent single, “Rockferry” and personally think that Duffy is the cat’s meow.

There’s plenty of time to plan to go see her play live. I would think that there will be some sell out shows, so book early! This is a highly recommended show.

Duffy’s debut single “Rockferry” is available to download now and released as a 2-track 7″ vinyl December 3rd, 2007 on A&M.

Duffy winter 2008 tour dates:

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

16 January - Pigalle, London (residency)
23 January - Pigalle, London (residency)
30 January - Pigalle, London (residency)
06 February - Pigalle, London (residency)
21 February - Thekla, Bristol
22 February - Ruby Lounge, Manchester
23 February - King Tuts, Glasgow
24 February - Cluny, Newcastle
26 February - Brudenell Social, Leeds
28 February - Clwb ifor Bach, Cardiff
1 March - Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales
5 March - Central Station, Wrexham
7 March - Bodega, Nottingham
9 March - Academy, Oxford
10 March - Komedia, Brighton
11 March - Glee Club, Birmingham

Duffy Official Website

By: Jenny May - Band Weblogs

Duffy is the real deal and is the next big thing. There. I’ve said it. Finally someone has come along - new on the scene here in the UK - who has managed to send chills down my spine.

When I listen to Duffy’s new single, “Rockferry” I’m reminded of the recent trend of old school Serge Gainsbourg, Burt Bacharach and Phil Spector influenced songs and female singers that have been cropping up lately. There’s something different, though with “Rockferry”. It’s Duffy. Her voice is unique and endearing and from the very first note, the song starts off a winner.

With the help of producer Bernard Butler, together they have created a piece of music that could have come out of a 60’s time capsule. Instead, as a new single release out 19 November as a download/vinyl 7″ on 3 December 2007, “Rockferry” will be a welcome addition for radio listeners, and I would hope, will be added to many a radio playlist before the year’s end.

Watch Duffy - “Rockferry” video:

“Rockferry” video link

Duffy on Myspace

Duffy Official Website

By: Jenny May - Band Weblogs

The twist of fate that marks out a favourite son or daughter to rise from the depths of a small seaside community in the North of Wales is hard to fathom. Duffy seems to have been chosen to sing. From her earliest memories, she just knew her destiny. She was going to be a singer.

Watch “Rockferry” video + single review!

In August 2004, Duffy came to the attention of Rough Trade’s Jeannette Lee who became both her manager and her mentor. Just as Vicki Wickham guided Dusty Springfield to the best musical collaborations of the day; or Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun helped Aretha find her true voice in the Muscle Shoals Memphis studio; Rough Trade pointed Duffy in the direction of Bernard Butler in London’s Crouch End.

The fruit of their very first musical session is “Rockferry” which set the tone and musical direction of the album. Duffy spent the next couple years honing and developing her songwriting skills all the while discovering hidden musical gems that inspired her.

The results will be unveiled with her forthcoming album next year but for now we have the single “Rockferry” available to download from November l9th, 2007 and released as a 2-track 7″ vinyl December 3rd on A&M.

The Observer Music Monthly said of “Rockferry” - “it makes the hairs on the back of your neck prickle with it’s bewitching grace”.

Duffy says “There’s a side of me that’s trying to hold it together but then there’s a side of me that just wants to scream, run out onstage and say “I’m here!”

Watch Syrup & Honey video with Duffy and Bernard recording in the studio:

Duffy Syrup and Honey video link

Duffy Official Website