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
8) 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