Woo's that girl?

Pardon the pun, but Jonny Woo was asking for it. And not one to mince his words either he's called his latest stage show, Faggot. London's original and best bearded lady, queen of the the seen and he of The Night of a 1000 Jay Astons is playing to a packed house at Soho Theatre. Part childhood reminiscences - there's a lot of mileage in coming from the Medway towns. Who knew? - and part fantastical trippy stories, the show is clever, full of life and totally different. The man is a genius. Coming on like a punky Liza with a surprisingly legit voice, you get the impression this may be a run-of-the-mill cabaret show with a bit of, snore, attitude. But how very wrong.

The show backflips into a deluge of words. Memories, tongue twisters, raps and characters coming thick and fast. The only break from speech is a brilliantly conceived Bowery-inspired mime-thing about a shop worker's daily grind. With wry nods to clubbing, drugging and shagging Jonny's set is vare Mr Woo. Somehow, though, you know he has lived the tale first before telling it. But above all, it's FUNNY, in capital letters. A fistful of fairies in flat getting high on Sara Lee space cake? Or how about the Sausage Siblings, a tongue twister about a set of siblings who shoved sausages up themselves, read by a character called Spam Ayres.

Faggot ties in with his new EP of the same name. Unfortunately, I've searched high and low for a link to buy it but there isn't one. I'll gladly put one up if there is! But to make do, listen to the soundcloud widget below...

Faggot by Jonny Woo

For all things Jonny, who he is and where she's come from, read this recent Times interview. And here's Jonny on a wild goose chase through London...

Synth-tastic

And so the much-anticipated Synth Britannia aired in the UK last night on BBC Four. Here's Neil and Chris in their segment with nothing new to say, unfortunately, but it fits neatly into the documentary as a whole which concentrated on electronic music pioneers.



Overall, the doc scores a B+. There were a few holes, like not enough credit to Soft Cell and missing out completely on how they produced the first ecstasy-influenced dance music. There was too much of OMD and it overplayed their influence on the genre. But there was just the right amount of credence given to synth giants The Human League. This is Phil talking (see what I did there) about their first synthesizer.

Music journo, Simon Reynolds, was the glue which held everything together. His knowledge of the era was acutely observed - how The Human League parts 1 and 2 straddled and defined the non-human first phase and the popular emotion-led second phase. Very clever. Read his info-packed Guardian piece here heralding the documentary. It's also refreshing to see Gary Numan get the credit he deserves for being the first synth act to break through (even though he's a card-carrying Tory!!) and Depeche Mode being held up as the innovators they were, even though the serious music press were so hard on them at the time. I never noticed, really, too immersed in my Smash Hits mag.

With a few exceptions, the synth world of the 80s was a very laddish affair, which is why the women of the genre stood out a mile in this programme. They were also the wittiest. Jo and Susanne on the League being the first UK band to use the Linn drum machine: "The boys got so bleeding excited over this big black box with knobs on". And Alison Moyet describing seeing Depeche Mode around Basildon: "With their fluffy blonde hair they looked like little ducks".

For loads of other clips from the 90 minute doc, go here and here.

Thanks to Stuart for the Fauxlaroid of The Human League above.

A friend of mine emailed me her five thoughts after the programme:
1. Andy McLuskey looked like Anton Du Beke. Twat.
2. Why only one tantalising glimpse of Dave Sylvian? Swoon.
3. Martyn Ware looks like Martin Clunes.
4. GARY NUMAN'S WIG!! Get a lighter colour, mate.
5. Still don't know what a synthesiser is.

And I replied with mine:
1. The young Andy McLuskey looked like a wig on a stick.
2. Thompson Twins? Trite? (Or did they say 'shite'). Tut tut.
3. Phil Oakey looks just the same as he always has. He just looks like he's taken a wig off.
4. Gary Numan looks like Parker from the Thunderbirds now.
5. Bernard Sumner BUILT his own synthesiser. And it didn't work, so he obviously doesn't know what a synthesiser is either.

"At last, I'm on Jools Holland's show..."

Not a dicky bird and then? Another post about Paloma Faith. Hey ho! But this clip is worth it. From last night's Later... with Jools Holland Paloma does Upside Down and the mighty New York. She also does a cute little interview with Jools where she reveals it was an ambition of hers to play on his show. Sorted!

"She stood so tall and she never slept..."

Paloma Faith New York OFFICIAL Behind The Scenes

How can anyone NOT love this song. It has everything: a story, strings, sadness and sensation. I was on a train from Liverpool to London on Sunday and Paloma Faith was as happy as Larry two seats behind me. Maybe she'd just heard that New York had gone top twenty in the UK or maybe she was just on a high because she knew she had a brilliant record out. Whatevs. This is one of the songs of 2009 for me, and this sweet behind-the-scenes video just endears me more to La Faith. For the full, glorious version, go here.

Where has Alison Moyet gone?

Amaze. Go here for a typically entertaining and forthright interview with the all-new slimline Alf. Seeing her enjoying herself with Vince Clarke last year on the Yazoo reunion tour was a highlight of 2008. She dips in and out of the music business with regularity but always manages to stay up there as someone people want to hear, not only singing but for her opinions too. It's like she's become a national treasure. She says: "To be honest, I’ve enjoyed the career lulls as much as I’ve enjoyed the highs. You reconnect with your family and friends, you live a normal life; it grounds you. Fame and adulation are transient – you should only sing if you’re desperate to sing, because that’s what should drive you."

I'm off on me hols!

At last! Hoping to catch the rays I missed out on during the UK's hit and miss summer, I'm off to Croatia to stay here and island hop to here and here. And the musical accompaniment? Bananarama's Viva, Prefab Sprout's return with Let's Change the World With Music, MPHO's Pop Art, (although the release date has now been put back) and Marsheaux's latest Lumineux Noir. Expect a review of the Marsheaux album when I get back. And seeing as they're Mediterranean girls, the music will the perfect soundtrack to a day on the beach. Au reservoir!

Das return of Yello

Well, that's not strictly true. Much like Pet Shop Boys, Dieter Meier and Boris Blank as Yello never really go away. The last (brilliant) studio album was The Eye in 2003 and news via Electronic Beats is that the Swiss duo are doing that oh-so-noughties thing of combining visuals with their new music and having it linked to a suave website. It's some kind of film from what I can gather called Touch Yello performing on a "wertual stage". It doesn't look that far removed from all their videos in the past where the pair mimed in front of a projected backdrop. Whatevs. The portentious intro on the trailer above is pure Yello. And the music is classic Yello. This all heralds a new album for the beginning of October. Bona!

Their single I Love You hooked me as a teenager in 1983 and since then it's been an on/off threesome with Dieter, Boris and me. That song and Lost Again, below, have been constants throughout the years, while bigger hits like Oh Yeah and The Race, less so. Sniff. Mind you... I loved Ferris Bueller's Day Off!


Yello - Lost Again 1983



And with the news that Dame Shirley of the Bassey has recorded a PSB song, here's the duo who got in first - way before even The Propellerheads.


Yello with Shirley Bassey - The Rhythm Divine 1987

HURTS are signed to RCA

The post header couldn't be more literal, or ever say it in more than five words. From a reliable source, I found out HURTS have a deal with RCA Records. Quite what that entails, we'll soon find out, but suffice to say, if it means actual product then we can look forward to. Of course, there'll also be some arty Italian babble, some arty black and white videos and some amazing songs (like the above Wonderful Life). Basically, your Wednesday should be a little brighter than it started out.

After a few years of wishing Daggers would break through, it looks like HURTS could be the trump card for lead singer Theo. BTW, is it 'HURTS' in caps or plain old 'Hurts'? Let me know.

The Mary Onettes: I will hug them and squeeze them and call them my own

As the season turns, the perfect autumn fodder, The Mary Onettes are back with a Swedish smorgasbord of delights. There's a new single at the end of this month, Puzzles, and a new album in November called Islands.

I have a lonely obsession with this lot. They're much-liked around the globe, but I'm the only one in my world who likes them. Courtesy of the lovely people at Labrador Records, here's their new single just for me to drool over. It's just as melody-laden and gorgeous as their other tracks. Oh, er, and you can download it too...

Puzzles - The Mary Onettes (mp3)

Buy 'Purple Heart' NOW!

For once, this is a downright, self-promoting "give us yer fecking money" post. James Leon, London's darling of the electro scene, has a new single out and I have a remix on it (under my other moniker Phileastend). Woo hoo! I have to say, though, hats off to James for getting all of this together. It ain't easy, but he's managed to get his music out there and fully purchasable.

Two is the magic number here: there are two places to buy this lovely single and two tracks for the price of a loaf of bread.

1) iTunes UK: clicky here

2) Klicktrack (especially for those of you outside the UK): clicky here

Purple Heart is a right old throbbing monster of a track dripping in atmosphere. With so much to work with (so to speak), doing the remix was quite thrilling. I went for an old skool NYC feel and something that wouldn't be out of place at London's Horsemeat Disco.

Purple Heart (Phileastend mix) - James Leon

And here is the video for the original mix, shot at Trash Palace in Soho...