Morrissey in quotes

March 2015

“The Brit Awards are ghastly. I would never accept a Brit. It would be like Laurence Olivier being happy getting a TV Times award.”

“The Brit Awards are ghastly. I would never accept a Brit. It would be like Laurence Olivier being happy getting a TV Times award.”


“Long hair is an unpardonable offence which should be punishable by death.”


“I wish that Prince Charles had been shot. I think it would have made the world a more interesting place.”


“I’m not very good at being dull.”


“The smell of burning animals is making me sick. I can smell burning flesh …and I hope to God it’s human.” – exiting the stage at Coachella in 2009.


“It’s the refuge for the mentally deficient. It’s made by dull people for dull people” – on dance music and club culture.


“Bring me the head of Elton John… which is one instance in which meat would not be murder, if it were served on a plate.”


“Life would be so colourful if only I had a drink problem.”


“Bob Geldof is a nauseating character. Band Aid was the most self-righteous platform ever in the history of popular music.”


“I would rather eat my own testicles than reform The Smiths, and that’s saying something for a vegetarian.”

“All human activity is fruitless unless pitted against the girls and boys singing on pop television, for they have found the answer as the rest of us search for the question. I will sing too. If not, I will have to die.”


“The Smiths only happened because I had walked home in the rain once too often.”


“The monarchy is foremost a business, and it’s important to them that the British public continue to finance the excessive luxurious lifestyles of the now quite enormous, wasteful and useless ‘royal’ family. I find it very sad.”


“Age shouldn’t affect you. You’re either marvellous or you’re boring, regardless of your age.”


“It is really on the same moral level as child abuse. It’s the same thing. Animals are like children, they look to us for protection.”


“If I met Vic Reeves, I’d have no desire other than to smack him in the face.”


“Just as the Mercury Prize lands like a voodoo doll in the hands of the unlucky recipient (who is usually to be found selling mattresses ten months later), a Brit Award generally goes to a lot of shriveled young souls who have not earned it.”

“(Sigmund Freud) made people feel so neurotic about their lives. I mean, if you dreamt about a lampshade, it meant you wanted to be whipped by the local vicar or something.”


“I am capable of looking on the bright side – I just don’t do it very often.”


“What’s the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning? Wish I hadn’t.”


“I do maintain that if your hair is wrong, your entire life is wrong.”


“(Richard Madeley) referred to me as an ‘insufferable puffed-up prat’. This is a bit rich coming from a man who actually married his own mother.”


“The rhino is now more or less extinct, and it’s not because of global warming or shrinking habitats. It’s because of Beyoncé’s handbags.”


“If more men were homosexual, there would be no wars, because homosexual men would never kill other men, whereas heterosexual men love killing other men.”


“My parents were worried about me, certainly when I became so deeply interested in music and people like the New York Dolls who, at the time, were very peculiar indeed.”


“I don’t iron anything. Never have and never will.”


“The Smiths was an incredibly personal thing to me. It was like launching your own diary to music.”

“It seems unlikely that an end-of-the-world announcement would be believed nationally unless confirmed on BBC1 by Cheryl Cole whilst conditioning her hair.”


“We’re all lonely, but I’d rather be lonely by myself than with a long list of duties and obligations. I think that’s why people kill themselves, really.”


“Lady Gaga said to me, ‘You showed me how it’s done.’ I have no idea what she meant by ‘it.’”


“I have no love for myself as a human being, but I have immense pride in the music I make, and I believe it has an important place. Others do, too, and the thousands of people with Morrissey tattoos certainly proves something.”


“I think I’d be a prime candidate for canonisation.”


“The solo years have been more meaningful to the audiences than the Smiths years, but the press in England only write about me in relation to the Smiths era.”


“I never imagined I’d be a solo artist. And now I couldn’t imagine being part of a group.”

“I think we were all initially swept along with the Obama win, but he’s proven to be simply a set of teeth, and useless in every other regard.”


“Britain has been encouraged to become a nation of idiots (which, of course, is what it is not).”


“The fire in the belly is essential, otherwise you become Michael Buble – famous and meaningless.”


“The Smiths are never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to reunite – ever.”


Morrissey comes to the Capital FM Arena on Friday, March 13. Tickets are priced at £50.40 and £72.80 (includes admin fee), from the box office. Call 0843 373 3000 or visit capitalfmarena.com.

X Factor Live 2015

February 2015

A MATTER of days before it was announced that Sam Bailey had been dropped by Simon Cowell’s label Syco Music, the X Factor 2013 winner was asked what advice she had for Ben Haenow.
“You need to stay grounded, be prepared to work hard and most importantly be respectful,” said the mum-of-three.
She should have added: “Enjoy it while you can.”
Bailey’s debut single, Skyscraper, was the Christmas No. 1 in 2013. Her debut album, The Power Of Love, also topped the UK chart.
She even got to support Beyoncé at one of her UK shows. But no sooner had her own tour, which came to the Royal Concert Hall earlier this month, had ended, she was dropped. Or rather her contract was not renewed. Which is a good indication of how Cowell views the longevity of X Factor champions.
“I kind of knew it was coming,” Bailey told Gaby Roslin, standing in for the host of ITV’s Lorraine.
“I’m not silly, I’ve been around the block a bit,” added the former prison officer from Leicester.
Fourteen months after winning the show, she was cast adrift.

Bailey plans to continue but without major label/management behind her she is unlikely to repeat her past success.

Haenow is mirroring Bailey’s journey from the winner’s podium, topping the Christmas chart with Something I Need (the fastest-selling debut single of 2014), then signing Syco Music on his 30th birthday.

He’s in the process of working on his debut album for the label.

“To say I’m excited to become part of the Syco family is an understatement,” said the former van driver from Croydon.

“Getting to work with Simon during the show was incredible. He is a great guy and amazing mentor – and really helped me as an artist.”

Like Bailey, he is the main attraction on the 25-date X Factor tour, which comes to the Capital FM Arena on Sunday.

Joining him will be runner-up Fleur East, for a long time the favourite to win the series, plus Lauren Platt, Andrea Faustini, Stevi Ritchie, Jay James, Only The Young and Stereo Kicks.

The tour opened in Belfast with Fleur East first on stage singing Can’t Hold Us, followed by Lauren Platt with Happy and How Will I Know.

Only The Young took on the Jungle Book classic I Wanna Be Like You, while Stereo Kicks ran through a medley of Beatles hits, among them Let It Be and Hey Jude.

The second half included the obligatory group performance before headliner Haenow’s show-stealing set of six songs, including AC/DC’s Highway To Hell, an indication of his rock leanings.

Stevi Ritchie, whose clowning on the TV series rather bafflingly landed him in the final, will be seen suspended in mid air dressed as Freddie Mercury for his karaoke version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

His first number is Livin’ La Vida Loca, backed by a troupe of backing dancers dressed in bright pink.

Other outfits include a Bond-style tux for Jay James’ cover of Skyfall, described by one reviewer as “the best times to nip to the toilet”.

There’ll be interpretations of songs by The Beatles, Elvis, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Snow Patrol and two Disney tunes, Let It Go from Frozen and I Wanna Be Like You from Jungle Book.

Maintaining her credibility and the most likely to succeed from the 2014 series is Fleur East.

Her six songs (as many as winner Haenow), include Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass, Jessie J’s Bang Bang, Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk, Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and Macklemore’s Can’t Hold Us.

And she is the only other X Factor finalist from last year’s series to sign a record deal... with Cowell’s Syco Music.

There’s a video before the group finale – Take That’s Never Forget – showing some of the more interesting characters from the series and you’ll have to look out for Gamston’s Lauren Lovejoy, whose depiction of the four judges as animals (Simon Cowell – lion, Cheryl Fernandez-Versinia – Persian cat, Mel B – panther and Louis Walsh – seal) was one of the highlights of the early shows.

Although they’d be wise not to include that clip as the broadcast edited out the part where the 25-year-old explained that it was her autism that made her see people in such a way.

As for Haenow, he’d be wise to enjoy every moment, considering X Factor winners who have gone before. For every Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke and Little Mix, there’s a Steve Brookstein, Leon Jackson or Sam Bailey.

The world of Twitter has certainly helped keep him grounded.

He recently asked his social media followers “Fancy a little #AskHaenow?”

Among the questions about his life and music, there were a few swipes to the kidneys, including “Who are you again?” (@Our_manPLA) and “When you go to McDonald’s do you ask the staff what their names are to build up a rapport with your future colleagues?” (@ItWasJustBanter).

The X Factor Live Tour comes to the Capital FM Arena on Sunday at 7.30pm. Tickets, from £21.84, are available from 0843 373 3000 or capitalfmarena.com.

Lacey

December 2014

After being handpicked by James Blunt to support him at the Capital FM Arena last month, Nottingham’s Lacey are back in action with a show at Rock City this weekend. Bassist Graham Turner explains how it was playing the city’s biggest venue

THE whole day was surreal, from the moment we arrived and began unloading our gear behind the stage.

When James Blunt was soundchecking we had a little peak behind the curtain and saw the empty arena, thinking that it would be filled with 7,000 people later.

They really looked after us. At the soundcheck that we did they made sure were sounding spot-on.

He introduced himself to us, which he didn’t have to do. And he was thanking us for playing. He was an absolute gentleman.

He was given the opportunity when he was starting out (by Elton John), so he’s been there. And I guess he’s just trying to give a bit back, to the up-and-coming guys like us.

There were waters, beers and snacks in the dressing room but... and this shows how ignorant I was about the whole thing... I walked into the green room where there was a cold buffet set out. I sat down with some of that and then a waitress came to my table and asked what I’d like to order! I ordered the beef stroganoff, obviously. People were opening doors for us... it was crazy.

Half an hour before we went on we were really focused. All the banter stopped and we got our professional heads on. This was our biggest show, the biggest night of our lives.

It went as well as we had hoped. There were no hiccups. What surprised us most was the reaction of the crowd. They were really responsive and really involved. They were clapping along, they were cheering.

You can’t really see anyone, apart from the first couple of rows but you could hear them. After you finished a song the noise of the cheers was crazy.

Straight after the set he came up to us and gave us a few compliments. We didn’t know he was watching because we couldn’t see him.

And the guy was flawless for two hours during his show. I’ve not seen anything like it. He’s an incredible musician. He was smaller than I thought but that shows how he carries himself on stage. And yes he’s very posh but I’m not going to hold that against him.

We had a bit of spike on social media after the show, in terms of Twitter followers and Facebook likes. And people were leaving positive comments about the set.

We did 30 minutes at the arena but we’ll be doing an hour at Rock City and showcasing a lot of material from the album. That’s ready to go and we’ll be releasing it early next year.

Lacey play Rock City on Saturday, December 20 with Layby and Cut the Heroics from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets are £6 from 0845 413 4444 or go to alt-tickets.co.uk. For more about Lacey find them on Twitter and Facebook: Lacey OfficialUK. 

Lacey

October 2014

NOTTINGHAM guitar band Lacey will support James Blunt at the Capital FM Arena in November.

The multi-million-selling chart-topper chose the quartet from five local artists shortlisted by EG.

“Lacey seem like a lot fun, full of energy,” says Blunt. “I’m really excited to have them as my support act for Nottingham.”

He asked EG to help him find a support act from Nottingham for the date on November 22, part of his worldwide Moon Landing tour. Over 100 singer-songwriters, bands and rappers applied by sending in a link to a video of them performing.

EG chose the best five to send on to Blunt. As well as Lacey, whose Hometown video was filmed in the city centre and at the Albert Hall, the lost included rapper Ashmore, teenage singer-songwriter Tyler Nugent, soul pop musician Rob Green and quirky band 94 Gunships.

“It’s fantastic – we’re blown away,” says Lacey’s drummer David Pearson.

“Hopefully it’ll be a game-changer for us.”

Lacey, which also features Graham Turner, Josh Lewin and Pete Maksymiw, has been together for three years and picked up a strong enough following to pay for a debut album, which is soon to be released.

“The three others went to uni here and I lived with their housemate,” says David.

“We played in a five-a-side football team together and we were awful so we had to start a band instead.”

They toured the UK earlier this year.

“We were playing to 500-capacity rooms mostly, which is pretty good, but this one is absolutely huge.

“We’re confident we will be able to win over the 10,000 crowd. We put on an entertaining show.”

All band members live in the city centre.

Says David: “I actually live next door to the Arena so it’ll be a short stumble home for me.”

Blunt’s rise to fame was helped by Elton John, who invited him to support him on tour in 2002.

“One night I was playing to 40 people and then next I was playing to 40,000,” says the 40-year-old.

“It was a fantastic opportunity and I want to be able to do that for someone else.”


Tickets are £42-£88 from the venue. Call 0843 373 3000 or go to capitalfmarena.com. For more about Lacey search LaceyOfficialUK on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Watch their Hometown video at /entertainment. 

Review: Jake Bugg, Capital FM Arena

February 20 2014

Pictures by David Baird

There is a line in Storm Passes Away, the final track on Jake Bugg's second album, Shangri La, that sums up what a lot of us have been thinking.

"They keep telling me that I'm older than I'm supposed to be," sings the 19-year-old, stood in front of 9,000 people in the city's largest venue, his latest achievement in a two year career that includes two hit albums, tours with Noel Gallagher (a mate who he texts music queries to), a show with the Stone Roses, another with the Rolling Stones, US TV appearances, a worldwide fan base as far as Japan and South America, award nominations, a million record sales... and then some.

It's hard to believe he is still a teenager, from Clifton, who four years ago was playing open mic nights for free at the Maze and the Rescue Rooms.

After tonight's gig Wollaton actress Vicky McClure, currently starring in the BBC drama Line of Duty, who appeared in Jake's video for Two Fingers, admitted she was mouth agape for much of it. "He was incredible. I can't believe how good he was up there on that stage. And so young..."

That older-than-his-years songwriting attracts the broadest fan base I've seen at any gig. There are kids here, some as young as six. One mum at the bar said her three-year-old is a big fan and sings along to the words of his songs in the car. One imagines she skips past Two Fingers on the CD player - a toddler singing "skin up a fat one" at nursery wouldn't go down well.

There are the Mod cropped middle-aged blokes who miss Oasis. And even granddads who just appreciate classic songwriting that they first fell in love with during the Sixties.

Jake's music is drawn from that decade's folk, psychedelia, garage rock and pop but also the Seventies for country and even punk.

But it's back further still for the intro music, an old blues number accompanying the dimmed lights before he appears with a four-piece band and rips into Shangri La's opening track There's A Beast Inside And We All Feed It, before treating the crowd to their first singalong; Trouble Town, the early single about growing up in "speedbump city".

The lights from a sea of phones illuminate the thousands standing on the arena floor, who sing every word to Seen It All, another track from his million-selling self-titled debut.

He's in black, of course, but it's a suit jacket rather than leather, maybe smartening up because mum, dad and grandparents are there.

He does country rocker Me And You then another homegrown anthem, Two Fingers, about his escape from a Nottingham council estate.

No-one begrudges that. The boy done good.

It's half-an-hour before the acoustic is replaced by one of his two £20k vintage electric guitars, as the jacket comes off to reveal the uniform Fred Perry shirt, collars up.

Messed Up Kids, Kingpin, Slumville Sunrise, Taste It, What Doesn't Kill You... they're the rockier side of Jake, prompting a spray of beer and old school moshing in the middle of the floor.

But then he sedates with the tender Broken, the highlight for many of his debut. 

Like his heroes Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Bugg says little on stage. He never has. He isn't a talker, a showman, an extrovert... just a musician. But he knows this is special.

"Thank you for making this night very special," he says, adding: "I never thought i'd get to play here."

Apart from introducing the odd songs and thanking us, it's all he says for the whole 80 minutes he's on stage.

Yes he's played to bigger crowds; 17,000 saw him headline Splendour last summer. But this was a landmark gig. Family and friends were in the crowd. He even had his cousin Scott Bugg's band The Swiines open the show. They looked nervous, almost apologetic, but no doubt lived up to little cousin's expectations, keeping the crowd busy with a set of powerful Mod rock.

For the encore Jake stood alone and delivered Song About Love, the new single that is Shangri La's answer to Broken. But he was always going to end with an explosion and Lightning Bolt did just that, the crowd at their liveliest.  

As the band walked off, Jake stayed to applaud those who'd supported him along the way, waving to every corner of the vast arena and no doubt taking it all in.

Those of us who have been following Nottingham's music scene for a decade or two know his success is unprecedented. For Jake, well, he doesn't know anything else. When I spoke to him last year as this gig was announced, he was dreading turning 20, as if time was marching on. But when he does leave his teenage years behind next Friday, what else is there left for him to achieve?

Jake Bugg on the Brits

February 2014

JAKE Bugg will be heading to the Brit Awards in London tonight to see if he can beat the likes of David Bowie and John Newman to pick up the British male solo artist gong.

But the 19-year-old from Clifton doesn’t think he’ll win. And nor is he a fan of the event.

“It’s boring,” he says. “I don’t really want to go but I might as well. I’ve got nothing else to do.”

The ceremony at the O2 Arena, which will be broadcast on ITV1 tonight from 8pm, includes performances by Katy Perry and Arctic Monkeys.

“I love the party afterwards, don’t get me wrong, they’re great but the actual event is pretty boring when you have to watch those crap acts perform,” says Jake, who is also up against Tom Odell and James Blake in his category.

He went to the awards last year when he was nominated for British breakthrough act, losing out to Ben Howard.

London Grammar, the band who met at the University of Nottingham, are up for British breakthrough act tonight.

“I haven’t got a speech prepared – I don’t expect to win,” says Jake.

After shows in Australia and the US, he recently started his UK tour that comes to the Capital FM Arena tomorrow.

It will be his biggest indoor gig to date, with 9,000 people expected, and follows his headline slot at Splendour in Wollaton Park in front of 17,000 people.

He will be the first Nottingham artist to headline a show at the city’s biggest venue. It follows the No. 1 success of his self-titled debut album, which has sold more than a million copies, and the No. 3 success of the follow-up Shangri La.

It will be the first time he’s been back to the city since Christmas, when he spent three days with his family.

Prior to that was a fleeting visit in November when he played a secret gig in front of 200 people at The Maze in Mansfield Road.

Later this year Jake, who turns 20 on February 28, will be touring South America for the first time.

Today and again on Friday, Jake will be teaching songwriting skills to 16-18-year-old students at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

He’ll be showing them how to perform his song Broken and one of the students will join him on stage at the 5,000-capacity venue on Friday night to perform it.

“We need initiatives like this to inspire young musicians,” he says.

It will be his first gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

“It’s such an iconic venue and so many of my idols that inspired me have performed there. I can’t believe I am following in their footsteps.”

The Swiines

February 2014

THE band opening for Jake Bugg at the Capital FM Arena tonight admit they’re more than a little nervous about facing 9.000 people in their home city.

“Every time I think about it my stomach’s going,” says The Swiines guitarist Scott Bugg, Jake’s 29-year-old cousin.

“The lads have been texting each other all morning. One of them is a mechanic and he’s serviced the wrong car. No-one can concentrate.”

Scott asked Jake if they could open for him at his biggest indoor gig to date, “as a bit of cheek” says Scott.

“I didn’t think he’d let us do it. He could have any band he wants. He said yes but I didn’t believe him. When he came round at Christmas he said ‘are you still up for the arena then?’ I thought, hang on, let me just change my pants.”

That he’s got his cousin’s band opening for him will no doubt attract accusations of nepotism.

“But he’s not going to have a substandard act on first when people have paid good money to see him,” argues Scott.

“He wouldn’t want us to embarrass him.”

The Swiines have been together for around eight years and a pre-fame Jake was an occasional member.

“He was always coming to gigs and in the studio and when we were doing interviews,” says Scott, who is an engineer by trade.

“When we lost our first bass player, Jake stepped in. He was only 14 but he was good. And when I broke my hand he played guitar for a few gigs.”

He jokes: “I’d say I’m about 99 per cent responsible for his success.”

He adds: “I’m just so proud of him. He deserves everything he’s got.”

That success inspired Scott and the rest of The Swiines to make more effort with the band, whose biggest crowd to date was around 2,000 people when they supported The Subways at Rock City.

Although have been on stage at the Capital FM Arena before in a battle of the bands competition..

“It has given us a kick up the backside,” he admits.

“That little rat has come along and done amazingly well.”

Scott is allowed to call him such names; he’s his cousin and best mate.

Every time Jake is back in Nottingham he heads straight to Scott’s house in Clifton for a few beers.

“Well, it’s where the party’s at,” he laughs.

“He comes round, we have a jam in the kitchen and have a few beers.”

As well as the Capital FM Arena tonight, their own headline show at the Rescue Rooms on Saturday and a support slot with Circa Waves at The Bodega on Sunday, next month they’ll support Reverend and the Makers at Rock City and then join The Rifles on their UK tour.

“I don’t want to say it’s all down to Jake” Scott says.

“We’ve been down London every week and getting a following.”

They played the Queen of Hoxton in London a couple of weeks ago and Jake was there to watch.

“We had to double security and get a room for him. I thought ‘hang on, it’s our gig not yours’” he laughs.

“I’m glad he came. It was a good gig, the vibe was there. He knows we’re up to it.

“Besides he’s got no choice but to keep us on the bill; I’d just tell our grandma and she’d slap him.”

He adds: “Jake has chucked us a massive bone and we are going to go for it. Now is the time to get two Buggs out there. I’m sure there’s room.”

Jake Bugg and Clifton zombies

February 2014

HE may be able to breeze through an arena gig in front of 9,000 people in his home city but when Jake Bugg sleeps he has bad dreams. Well, one in particular.

“I have a recurring nightmare that I’m being chased by zombies through Clifton,” said the 19-year-old yesterday, ahead of his headline show at the Capital FM Arena.

“I survive for ages but then at the end of the dream I always get eaten. I sometimes wake up sweating.”

He added: “Nothing else really bothers me but I do keep getting those dreams. I met a bloke the other day who had them as well so I think it’s pretty common.”

Where does it come from? Perhaps being chased in a dodgy tracksuit through the streets of Nottingham for his Slumville Sunrise video?

“My sister’s dad used to watch all these Seventies films when I was about four. It’s probably that,” said Jake, who has appeared in front of millions of people on US TV and attracted 40,000 people to his Glastonbury set last summer.

He started a UK tour last weekend and last night’s homecoming was his biggest one on the tour. In fact, it’s his biggest indoor gig to date.

“I have been to gigs at the arena. The amount of people there for the Kings Of Leon was crazy.”

And last night he faced the same size crowd playing songs from that self-titled debut and the follow-up, Shangri La, which reached No. 3.

His visit home was fleeting.

“I’m only back for the one day,” said Jake, who is off to London to the Royal Albert Hall today for the second of two workshops he’s leading with 16-18 year old music students.

“I can’t tell them how to write a song or how to sing or anything like that but I hope I can inspire them,” said the Notts County fan.

The first session was on Wednesday and part of it was to teach them how to play Broken, one of the singles from his million-selling self-titled debut album.

One of the students will then join him on stage tonight to play the song with him during his Albert Hall gig, in front of 5,000 people.

“We’ll see if they can nail it,” he said.

“If they can then it’d be great for them to do that.”

The last time he was home was at Christmas for three days.

“That’s the longest I’ve been here in something like two years.”

He didn’t move back in to his old bedroom at his mum’s in Clifton but stayed in a hotel.

“I was just knocking around and minding my own business. On Christmas Day I was round at my grandma’s with my dad,” said Jake, of David Bugg, who lives near Jake’s mum, Leeysa Kennedy, in Clifton.

“It was nice to have a break. It’s not like I’m going to be sat round at my grandma’s and she’ll say ‘Play Slumville Sunrise!”, he laughed.

“I saw my mum, my nana and grandad, my cousins Grant and Scott.”

Scott Bugg is the singer and guitarist with Nottingham band The Swiines, who opened for Jake at the arena last night.

“I think they’re a cool band but I might be biased,” he admitted.

“They’re a good act to have on before me to get the crowd riled up. They did a show in London last week and I went down to see them. It was pretty cool. The crowd were great. I haven’t been to a gig and had a few beers in ages so it was cool.”

Scott is ten years older and The Swiines have been around for eight years. Jake played with them a few times, even as young as 14.

He’ll still have a jam with Scott round at his house in Clifton when he’s back home but he’s a little too busy to play gigs with them these days.

The Swiines have secured support slots with Reverend and the Makers at Rock City and a tour with The Rifles.

Said Jake: “Things are going pretty well for them. Scott is writing some good songs. If he can keep doing that things could get even better.”

Jake, whose next single will be A Song About Love, has played across Europe, Scandinavia, the US, Japan and Australia over the past two years and he’s just booked his first tour of South America.

And that has meant back to back phone interviews.

“I did 26 the other day,” he sighed.

“And it isn’t easy when their English isn’t that good and the connection is poor. You feel like an idiot asking them four times what the question was.”

The most common question was about Noel Gallagher, whose band High Flying Birds, he toured with across Europe and the US two years ago.

He recently sent a text to the former Oasis guitarist asking about seventies musician Terry Reid.

“Apparently he got asked join Led Zeppelin and he turned it down. Everyone thought he was a bit stupid but he went on to make these cool records. There’s one called Super Lungs which is a cool album but my favourite is River.”

There was hope that he’d pick up the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist on Wednesday night as it was Gallagher presenting the awards but Jake lost out to the 67-year-old David Bowie.

He’s up against Bowie again in the same category at next week’s NME Awards.

Said Jake: “I never prepare a speech because I never expect to win.”

Jake Bugg: Shangri La

November 2013

WAYNE Rooney has more guitars than he has but the England star can’t play a note.
“He came to the gig in Manchester the other night and he wanted his guitar signed,” says Jake Bugg.
“He’s got about 40 guitars but he can’t play; he gets them signed by people. He said he’d got one signed by Paul McCartney.
“It was nice because he gave me the shirt he wore for his last England game against Poland and signed that.”
The Manchester Utd forward tweeted a photo of the meeting saying: “Just been to see @JakeBugg in Apollo. Great gig.”
On this tour Bugg has also had the likes of comedian John  Bishop and British tennis player Laura Robson turning up to see him.
“To be honest, I don’t know who most people are,” says the 19-year-old, making a rare visit back to the city.
He was only here for 12 hours before heading off again to continue with his sold out UK tour.
After checking in to his hotel (he no longer stays with his mum in Clifton), he went to see his cousin and “had a few cans.”
There was a lie-in,  a couple of interviews, then the gig at The Maze.
“I’ve only been back to Nottingham maybe three or four times this year. It’s pretty full-on.”
And it will continue. Tomorrow he’s heading to Scandinavia, then Europe, back to the UK, more European dates, then North America in the New Year.
“Hopefully the routing of the tours will be a bit more organised so we’re not going from New Zealand to Canada to Japan,” says Bugg, who kills time on the road by playing darts, table tennis, football and computer games.
In February, he’ll be at the Capital FM Arena, not just his first headline arena show but the first for a local musician at the city’s biggest venue.

“Yeah man, it’s great,” says Bugg, who headlined the Splendour festival in Wollaton Park in July.
“I never thought I’d be playing it. Obviously you dream of it but you don’t actually think it will happen. I remember how many people were there for Kings Of Leon; it’ll be crazy.”
Tickets to the Maze gig on Saturday afternoon were free to those lucky enough to win them through his website. It brought him back to one of the first places he played four years ago as a 15-year-old.
“It’s nice to do those little gigs again,” says Bugg.
“The first time I played The Maze there weren’t many people there. A lot of venues wouldn’t let me play because of my age. I played a few Monday night gigs in the little bar at the Rescue Rooms after school. People were eating their dinner and not taking much notice. I was probably wearing a tracksuit, maybe that freaked them out.”
Not as hideous as the one worn in the video for Slumville Sunrise, filmed in Nottingham by director Shane Meadows.
“That was a pretty bad one but that was the idea,” he laughs.
“It was a fun day shooting that. I was in Malibu finishing the album the day before. Coming back brought me back to reality. Although I was robbing a jewellery store in a shell suit with old ladies running after me, which I’d never done before.
“It was funny, man. I haven’t had that much fun for a while.”
The video featured Rosamund Hanson and Andrew Shim, both graduates of The Television Workshop. Its director has watched the five minute scene at the end of the video where Bugg has to deliver dialogue. He reckons he’s good enough to join the Workshop.
Bugg seems surprised: “Acting is an exaggerated version of yourself. I can probably express more emotion like that than I can by being interviewed. I’m not very expressive in interviews.
“I like the idea of putting myself in a situation that I’m not used to.”
There won’t be much of an opportunity for any more acting as the momentum gathers pace with the release of Shangri La next week.
It comes just 13 months after his self-titled debut topped the chart.
“Music is about making records,” he says of the quick turn around.
“You’ve just got to get on with it.”
Shangri La is released the same day as the new Robbie Williams album and it’s not a battle he thinks he’ll win.

Besides, if it does reach No. 1 next Sunday, it’ll mean knocking One Direction off the top spot and he’s not keen on the tabloids reviving his verbal spat with them.
Like the debut, Shangri La is a diverse collection, jumping from hillbilly Elvis, to Neil Young country rock, with a fair few folk and pop ballads.
Lyrically, it doesn’t name-check Clifton like the debut but still includes tales of working class life; of drugs and fighting.
“That life is strange to me now because it’s not mine any more,” he admits.
“I’m an outsider looking in from a completely different perspective.”
It was named after the studio in California where it was recorded by Rick Rubin, the co-founder of Def Jam Records and producer for the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Metallica, AC/DC and Adele.
Rubin also revived the career of Johnny Cash during his final years with a series of acclaimed  American Recordings albums.
“We became friends and I’m sure I’ll go back to hear a few Johnny Cash stories because when I was there I had to be pretty focused on making the record and didn’t really have time,” says Bugg, who has sold a million copies of his debut album.
He has indulged in his passion for guitars, buying two vintage models worth over £20,000 each but he has yet to buy property, despite rumours that he had bought a house in Southwell and a Mercedes with the personalised number plate 8UGG.
“I don’t know what that was about,” he says.
“I can’t drive. And I’m not sure I’d live in Southwell. Is it a nice place? I’ve never really been.
“I’d like a little retreat in Malibu or a flat Paris.
“But I’m not in one place for long enough to buy anywhere. The two weeks that I recorded the album in Malibu was the longest I’ve stayed in one place for two years.”
Does he miss home?
“I miss the people. I don’t really miss Clifton because I was there for 17 years. I knew there was a big world out there and I wanted to see it. That’s what I’m doing.”

Shangri La is released on Monday. Tickets for his date at the Capital FM Arena on Thursday, February 20 are £22.50 from the venue, call 0845 413 4444 or go to alt-tickets.co.uk.

Jessie J

October 2013

SHE has been delayed by two hours due to London traffic.
“I wish my car could fly,” says a frustrated Jessie J, finally arriving at rehearsals for her debut UK arena tour.
“Traffic and rain is never a good combination.”
The tour, which comes to Nottingham next week, is up and running but when we speak she’s just about to go through her first full production rehearsal.
“I feel like I’m back in a musical at school,” says the 25-year-old who walked away from the BBC’s The Voice to concentrate on her music career.
“I have someone in my ear saying ‘exit stage centre and walk through the doors...’ because there is so much to remember,” she continues.
“It’s the biggest show and the longest setlist I’ve ever done. We have pyros, fire, five costume changes, footage on the screen...
“I’m, like, sweating three songs in.”
She says ‘like’ quite a lot. It’s an Essex thing.
She adds, excitedly: “The band just ran through Do It Like  A Dude and they were saying ‘it was so hot!’ I was like ‘Why?’ and they were like ‘There’s so much fire!”
She laughs: “At least there are no wigs to set on fire.”
The hair, now blonde and cropped, is a stark contrast to the black bob she sported for her first album. There has been a lot of fuss over the change, which came about when she shaved it off for Comic Relief in March.
“I’m surprised that people think I’ve got a plan for it. Of all the things in my life, the hair is the thing I think least about. I just need a haircut every now and again.”
So has she got a plan for it?
“I might go dark again soon. It’s just hair. It doesn’t define me it doesn’t change my voice or my personality.”
She says that there are dozens of people involved in the staging of the tour but Jessie J is the one calling the shots.
“I remember Beyonce once said: ‘Being polite isn’t always fair to yourself’. That really struck a chord with me because, as a female, so many people can make you live your dreams through their eyes and their vision.
“When you’re talented people take it for granted and it becomes their thing instead of yours.
“There are moments I look back and I’m like ‘I wouldn’t wear that... I wouldn’t wear my make-up like that’ but someone convinced me that it worked.
“Now I go ‘No, no, no... I don’t want to look like that!’”
She adds: “This is my life and I have to look back at it and go ‘Yes, that was me!’”
One imagines it would be easy to exercise her fame and success to gain control but she says not.
“Because everyone has an ego.”
Jessie has taken control of the show, creating a narrative that runs throughout.
“When I found out I was doing an arena tour I wrote a treatment and I said ‘this is my idea and this is what I want to do’. It’s a little story that’s kind of explaining the album,” she says, referring to Alive, which reached No. 3 last month.
It was kept off the top spot by Haim and Justin Timberlake, while her debut had to sit behind 21 by Adele, a fellow graduate of the Brit School.
It was there that she transferred her passion for musicals to pop music.
“I wanted to do musical theatre from when I was really young,” says Jessie, who was 11 when she was cast in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of Whistle Down the Wind.
“I did musical theatre until I was about 18 but when I started writing songs I got excited that music is really the only global language and I’d be able to share my feelings with the world through my music.”
In many ways, Jessie J, who was born Jessica Cornish in Chadwell Heath, prefers the theatre to pop.
“It’s a lot harder playing yourself,” she says.
“That sounds weird but playing a character means you can go home after work and no-one knows you. Being you is weird sometimes because you get asked questions and you’re like ‘I’ve never really thought about that, I know I have to answer it but I don’t know what I’m going to say.’”
So I need to ask one of those questions you’ve never been asked before, don’t I?
“Yeah, basically. Go!,” she says, playfully.
OK, if you were a biscuit, which biscuit would you be?
She’s quick to reply: “I think I’d be either a Hobnob; you can dip them and they won’t break; or a bourbon.”
She pauses, then wonders: “Is a Twix a biscuit?”
Sort of.
“It’s got biscuit in it. It’s mostly biscuit.”
There are different layers...
“Yeah”.
And it’s soft on top.
“Oh God,” she sighs.
At 17, while still performing in stage musical, Jessie was signed to a record label and recorded an album but before it could be released the label folded.
She then found success as a songwriter for artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus.
Eventually, Universal signed her and released Who You Are, which produced the singles Do It Like A Dude and Price Tag.
She thinks the new album is a more mature offering.
“My demographic is changing with this album, so I’m excited to see who comes along to the shows. Three and four-year-olds were at gigs when I toured with Who You Are. I’d like to think that I’ve now caught the attention of an older crowd too.”
She has never been to Nottingham before and only knows that it’s a big student city. So what is she expecting?
“Everybody dressed as Robin Hood,” she quips, when I remind her of the local legend.
“I’m just really happy that people are going to see something that I’ve dreamt of,” she says of the show.
“But you never know if people are going to like it or not.”
She’ll soon find out because she is in touch with fans through social networking sites such as Twitter and the photo based Instagram.
“I love Instagram,” she beams.
“And you can set the story straight using it.”
What?
“Ever since I’ve been doing Instagram the stories in the papers are taken from my Instagram. It’s something that I’ve put out there, not something that’s come from someone hiding in the bushes or in a car park in a creepy car with a creepy camera...
“I’d much rather it came from me.”

Jessie J plays the Capital FM Arena on October 24 and 25, where she’ll be supported by Lawson, the band featuring Ravenshead guitarist Joel Peat. Tickets are £28 to £36.40, available from the box office, call 0843 373 3000 or go to capitalfmarena.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @JessieJ or Instagram: isthatjessiej

John Bishop (the autobiography)

October 2013

NOTTINGHAM is known for many things but for comedian John Bishop it conjures up one particular memory.
“It’s the only arena gig I’ve had to pause because there was a fight in the audience,” he laughs.
This was at the end of last year when he played four nights at the Capital FM Arena on his Rollercoaster tour.
“I stopped the show, we got all the lights up in the arena and just watched while I did a commentary from the stage.
“It was brilliant,” he adds, continuing to chuckle.
“The security dealt with it, everybody cheered and we carried on with the gig. Afterwards they told me after it was two families who’d had a rumble in the street or something, found themselves sat next to each other and a few words are exchanged. You know what it will have been about; the girls will have had too much wine, one of them will have started arguing with the other...”
The incident doesn’t make it in to Bishop’s autobiography, How Did All This Happen?, which follows his journey from council estates in and around Liverpool and Cheshire to becoming one of Britain’s best known comedians.
Along the way he has a spell as a semi-professional footballer, travels across the US in a sports car, rides home from Australia on a bicycle and carves out a relatively successful career in medical sales.
It was the breakdown of his marriage led prompted him to pack that in and try out stand-up comedy.
He and his wife Melanie didn’t stay apart for long and the couple have now been together for 20 years, living at home in Cheshire with their three teenage sons.
“I spoke to a few people who had written books and they’d spoke to family members and friends to get stories or looked through photo albums... I didn’t do any of that,” says the 46-year-old, who was born in Liverpool, one of three children to Ernie and Kathy Bishop.
“If I didn’t remember it, it didn’t happen to me,” he continues.
“The only story in the book that came out of a conversation with someone else is when I was in the Comedy Store and a fella tried to commit suicide and ended up in the audience. That came out of a conversation I had with another comic who was there. I’d forgot all about it.”
To write the bulk of it he decamped to Spain and rented a villa on his own. Once he’d finished the first draft, Bishop sent copies around the family.
“I said ‘is there anything in that I’ve got wrong or you object to?. I did all that and it was OK. I finished the second draft, gave it to the wife to read, then it goes to print, they publish it, I send me dad a copy and he’s says ‘I’m 72, not 74!’.
“I couldn’t believe it.”
He adds: “Me dad’s dead funny and dead straight; you know where you are with me dad. My mum and dad both read the book and my mum phoned up saying how wonderful it was, that she’d laughed and cried... then she put me dad on. I asked him if he’d read it and he said ‘Yeah, it was good that, yeah.”
The reaction of his three teenage songs was similarly downbeat.
“One morning over breakfast they said they’d  all finished it and I asked them ‘what did you think?’ They said: ‘Yeah, it was all right’”, which makes him howl with laughter.
“That was probably glowing praise from them. And it was the longest conversation I’d had with them in six months.”
Details of his marriage breakdown and his wife’s miscarriage opened up his family to public scrutiny; something he was well aware of when writing the book.
“I asked her if she was OK with all of it. I said ‘I’ve come to a point where I don’t think I can write anymore unless I put those aspects of it in because I can’t mentally explain why I’ve done all the other things I’ve done in my life.’ And fair play, Melanie was very supportive. I hope I’ve represented what it all meant to her as well.”
He adds: “I’m not going to lie, there’s a little bit of nervousness. If you’re in the limelight you get the praise and you learn how to deal with the criticism but if you’re a family member you don’t get that thick skin.”
Unlike many celebrity autobiographies, How Did All This Happen? doesn’t grind to a halt just as fame is looming.
“I told the publishers that this would be one book,” he says.
“I’m not doing that thing where I write a book up to the age of 21 then you get another one next year.”
He’s written it up to the end of last year, therefore covering the sell-out arena tours, TV shows and Paris to London challenge which raised over £4m for Sport Relief.
“If I do another book it’ll be in another 46 years time,” he promises.
“I gave it that title because it’s what I keep asking myself. Even now. You get used to certain aspects of it and there is a tipping point where you think ‘well that’s it now, I’m officially famous’”.
He concedes: “Even if they kick me off the telly I can’t go back to the person I was but I want to let people know who that person was.”
Bishop will be back on tour next year and returning to the Capital FM Arena, despite the punch up last time.
“Nottingham is a great city to play.”
He adds: “Doing stand-up is what my job is now. Everything else is an add-on.”

A League of Their Own.

"I had a few issues with availability with the last series but I made myself available with this series. I was asked to do one and I said no. I’m still really good mates with the lads. I’ll go on holiday with Jamie and I’ll see James a lot, I was seeing Freddie every week over the summer. Sky don’t know why, the producers keep saying 'I don’t know why'... it just didn’t happen."

Torvill & Dean - the end of Dancing On Ice

May 2013

NOTTINGHAM’S ice dance legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will bring the Dancing On Ice series to a close next year.
The final TV series will begin in January with a UK tour to follow in the spring.
“As we are running down at the end of each series we always look ahead to the upcoming year and talk about what’s going to happen,” says Dean, 54, who grew up in Calverton.
“With it being the 30th anniversary of Bolero in Sarajevo next year, it would be fitting to have a big celebration.”
It was he and Torvill who made the decision to do that and took the idea to ITV to make the series the last.
“And they said they didn’t want to make the TV series without us so this will be the last one,” he says.
It doesn’t spell the end for Torvill and Dean as they have other projects they will be looking at together.
“This will give us the opportunity to do new things,” says Jayne, 55, who grew up in Clifton.
The pair who won Gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics, earning a perfect score for their Bolero routine. They won bronze at the Olympics in 1994, then quietly retired four years later.
“We didn’t announce the retirement we just did it quietly,”  says Chris.
“The when we started talking about Dancing On Ice in 2005 we couldn’t resist it. That taught us to never say never.
“But the Dancing On Ice era is coming to an end next year.”
It’s too early to say which celebrities will join them for the final series but they have their dream list.
“I’ve got my eye on David Beckham because he’s retiring and he’ll need a job,” laughs Jayne.
“Maybe Kylie Minogue might want to do the show,” wonders Chris.
“And we can get Sir Alex Ferguson as a judge.”
Their team are already contacting possible contestants for the series, they say.
Admits Jayne: “We will very soon be starting auditions for the series.”
The subsequent tour, which comes to the Capital FM Arena for three shows in April, will be a look back at the whole seven years of Dancing On Ice.
“It’ll be like the greatest hits,” says Chris, who became a constable with Notts police in 1974.
“We will have some of the best and our favourite skaters from the past on the tour.”
“We’ve had some early discussions about the tour with Kim Gavin who did the Olympic closing ceremony,” adds Jayne, who worked as an insurance clerk at Norwich Union in the city centre.
“We’ve worked with him before quite a few times and we’re coming up with ideas of how to make it special. Obviously, there will be a lot of Bolero in it.”
Adds Chris: “It is potentially the last outing for Bolero.”
Bringing the tour to their home city is always a special event, they say.
“We love coming back to Nottingham,” says Chris, who now lives in Colorado.
“We grew up there, we know the city very well and, of course, it’s home. It means so much to us.”
Adds Jayne, who lives in Sussex: “I was back in Nottingham at the weekend for a family party.”
That they are household names 30 years on from their Olympic gold is still a surprise to them.
Says Jayne: “In those days when people retired from amateur skating competitions they’d join a well known ice show for a couple of years and then retire. But we never went down that route. We continued to perform and be creative.”
The couple hit the headlines recently when they admitted on Piers Morgan’s ITV chat show that they’d once had a romantic encounter. Albeit a minor one. Chris told Morgan that he had kissed her on the back of a bus while she was asleep.
“We hadn’t planned it, that was spontaneous,” says Jane of Chris’ confession.
“I think a few people were surprised,” adds Chris.
“But I think the main thing that came out of that show was that it was the first time we had sat down and done an in-depth interview. People don’t get to hear us as we are as people. I think people were surprised the way we came across.”
They have always resisted being in the public as celebrities, he says.
“We have never courted media attention. It’s not our character. We’re not looking to be in heat magazine or Heat magazine.”
Says Jayne: “We don’t mind being in those magazines as long as it’s for the right reasons. But it was fun. There was no harm done.”

Dancing On Ice: The Final Tour comes to the Capital FM Arena from April 8 to 10. There will be three shows at 7.30pm on each evening.
Tickets go on sale on Friday priced from £32.50 to £57.50. They will be available from the venue box office, by calling 0843 373 3000 and online at www.capitalfmarena.com.

Justin Fletcher

March 2013

I KNEW I wanted to work in children’s entertainment when I was in my third year at drama school.

I had some good advice from Phillip Schofield, who told me to put a show reel together. At the time he was presenting in the broom cupboard with Gordon the Gopher.
So I did that and put it out there. Within a couple of weeks I had an audition at ITV and got the job. It was on a show called Fun Song Factory and away I went. I’ve been involved with children’s television and theatre ever since.
I was taught by the three ‘c’s of children’s presenting which is contact, clarity and commitment. It’s about engaging with the audience all the time.
I’m in Berkshire now and I’d like to have a family of my own. In fact, I am planning some time off so I can have a bit more of a family life but this year is so busy.
This week we released the new album The Best Of Friends, which is our third album for children.
People are often surprised that it was written with a guy who used to be a member of David Bowie’s band The Spiders From Mars. But he has an amazing track record as a producer and songwriter, including some big hits for The Nolans, Bros and Ant and Dec, when they were known as PJ and Duncan.
He worked on my first album, Hands Up and we got along very well. He has a fantastic team at his studio who co-wrote, produced and engineered that so he was the natural choice to work with again.
It’s a real party album that doesn’t really let up. It’s a great funky pop album for children with some classic songs from The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins. We always ask live audiences what their favourites are so we included them on the album.
We’re also working on the Justin and Friends tour that will be coming to Nottingham in April.
It’s a kind of rock ‘n’ roll show for families.
It’s the first time I’ve showcased my three CBeebies shows under one roof.
There’s Something Special, which is known mainly for the Mister Tumble character. And we teach Makaton sign language to children with learning difficulties, so that’s going to be on the show along with the Tumble family.
We also have Gigglebiz, which is a sketch show, with characters such as Nana Knickerbockers, Lost Pirate, Arthur Sleep, Keith Fit... the list goes on; there are around 20 characters.
And the third show is Justin’s House, where we will open the arena show.
And along with that we have all the supporting characters like Robert The Robot and Little Monster, plus the other presenters Andy Day, Katy Ashworth and Nina from Nina and the Neurons.

There are 60 people on the road and we have a great time but it always goes so fast. It’s a two week tour but we’re playing an arena every day and I always find that you blink and it’s over.
After that there’s a new series of Gigglebiz that we start shooting in May, then a new series of Something Special, celebrating our tenth anniversary.
Then it’s panto time for me. I’ve not done it in Nottingham yet but I am looking forward to going back there with this show.
We don’t get a huge amount of time on tour to see the sights but I’m quite an early bird so I tend to get up early and have a look around. I have very fond memories of playing Nottingham.
In an arena you really have to bump your performance up because you are playing to six or seven thousand people at each show but you have the adrenalin pumping because you’re riding on the children’s energy levels.
Quite often this is the first theatrical experience that they’ve had, so they have no inhibitions. They love jumping up and down and singing along. It’s infectious.

Justin and Friends comes to the Capital FM Arena for two shows on April 12. Tickets are priced from £13, call 0843 373 3000 or go to www.capitalfmarena.com.

Kimberley Walsh

January 2013

IT is a silly idea but she’s up for it.

“When I next go to Nottingham I’m going to ask the driver to go via Kimberley,” laughs Kimberley Walsh, who promises to tweet a photo of her next to the town sign.
“I have heard of it because someone on Twitter mentioned that it was an actual place. I need to go and check it out.”
The Girls Aloud singer has been this way numerous times with the girl group but even before that she made trips down to the city from Bradford.
“My best friend went to uni there so I stayed with her a few times. I like Nottingham a lot. You can have a good night out there.”
Does she remember any?
“Well they wouldn’t be that good if I could remember them, would they? And these were in my student days so... not really.”
She adds: “Obviously we toured there every time we went out and always had great experiences.”
It’s the reason she will be back in March, for the Girls Aloud tenth anniversary.
“We always knew that we were going to come back, we just didn’t know when it was going to be,” says the 31-year-old, who hadn’t toured or recorded with Cheryl Tweedie/Cole, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle since the group announced they were taking a year off in 2009.
They had planned to return a year later but apart from two shows supporting Coldplay with Jay-Z at Wembley Stadium, it wasn’t until the end of last year that they announced another greatest hits album and tour, along with Something New, the official charity single for Children in Need.
“I guess we’ve been lucky enough to be able to pick and choose when that would be,” she says of the reunion.
During the extended sabbatical, each of them pursued solo projects, from music and acting to, well, becoming a brand, in Cheryl’s case.
“I stayed in touch with all of them but I probably see Cheryl and Nicola the most,” says Kimberley, who spent the break from the group working in musical theatre.
“Cheryl lives nearby and Nicola and I do a lot of dinners. We make the effort to see each other, I guess. We’re quite sad, really,” she laughs.
“You’d think we’d have seen enough of each other.”
The 21 date tour, dubbed Ten: The Hits Tour, which comes to the Capital FM Arena on March 19, isn’t necessarily the first of many, she says.
“We will do the tour and see how we feel. If we want to do another album, we will. If we want to take a break and do stuff on our own again, we will. That’s how it’s always been for us. It’s not a bad position to be in. We’re quite lucky.”
The girls were put together on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, an X Factor style ITV show that resulted in the creation of a girl group and a boy band.
Their debut singles were then pitched against each other in the race for the Christmas No. 1. Girls Aloud won with Sound of the Underground. Close behind them at No. 2 were One True Voice with Sacred Trust/After You’re Gone.
While their boy band rivals disappeared before the Easter eggs were hitting the shelves, Girls Aloud went on to become the biggest girl group of the decade, with 22 hit singles, two No. 1 albums, sell-out arena tours and numerous awards.
Rehearsals for the tour started this week.
“We’ve had more than 20 hit singles so it will be a really strong show,” says Kimberley.
“Every song that we do, everyone will know.”
There are no plans for any of the girls to include their solo material in the set.
She says: “I think it’s a novelty, us being back together, so it’s best to just keep it to all of our hits.”
Cheryl Cole (now calling herself simply Cheryl since her divorce from Ashley Cole), had the most success, selling ten million copies of her three solo albums, two of which topped the UK chart. She brought her debut arena tour to Nottingham last October.
Roberts reached No. 17 with her album, Cinderella’s Eyes, while Coyle’s album, Insatiable, failed to reach the UK Top 40.
Although Harding contributed three songs to the soundtrack of the film St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold, in which she appeared, she concentrated on acting and lingerie modelling.
Next month Kimberley will release her debut solo album, Centre Stage, a collection of songs from hit musicals.
Why not pop or death metal or dub reggae?
“Hardcore or rap, I know,” she says.
“The most obvious choice would have been to do a pop album but I feel like I’ve had the most amazing experience doing pop music with the girls, so I wanted to leave that where it was.
“And I didn’t really feel I had any burning desire to try and find my own sound. I didn’t really feel like I had that in me.”
Aside from the recent stint on Strictly Come Dancing, Kimberley has spent the last few years in musical theatre.
“When we took the break I went in to the West End and that kind of unleashed the musical beast in me again. That’s where the album came from.”
It was where she started as a child.
“I went to stage school and did a lot of musicals so I really got the bug from a very young age.”
It was while playing Princess Fiona in Shrek in the West End last year that she was approached about recording the album.
“Vocally, I improved a lot and strengthened my voice,” she says.
“The record label came to watch the show and when they suggested this album it felt right.”
The album includes Memory (Cats), Somewhere (West Side Story), On My Own (Les Miserables) and One Day I’ll Fly Away (Moulin Rouge).
“They are all my favourite songs,” she enthuses.
“And I know my stuff. I am a proper fan.”
Vocally it recalls the softer side of Madonna.
“Do you think?,” she says. “That’s not a bad thing.”
There is a possibility she will do a solo tour to promote the album later in the year.
She says: “I would love to do something live but it would need a big band, a mini orchestra and full on Hollywood glamour. I’d want razzmatazz.”
More musical theatre is another possibility.
“I’m happy to do the pop thing and I love what Girls Aloud are about. We really go for it on tour because there are no boundaries. But I’d also love to go back in to the West End at some point and maybe do a bit more acting.”
She appeared alongside Burton Joyce’s Mathew Horne in the 2011 film Horrid Henry, playing Prissy Polly.
“He’s a nice guy,” she says.
He’s from Nottingham.
“Yes, I could tell that from the accent. And he was funny. On film sets there is a lot of waiting around and we managed to entertain each other.”
No, not like that... Kimberley has a long-term boyfriend and the couple only recently returned from Barbados with her family. It was her treat.
“It was their Christmas present,” she says.
“I said ‘I’m sorry, I haven’t had time to get any presents and they were like ‘yeah, I think I’m all right with that’,” she laughs.
“We got a big villa together and it was nice family time.”
Talking of which... marriage and children?
“I’m sick of the peer pressure about the clock ticking!” she laughs.
“I’m not that old really.
“It’s something that I want to do at some point. Kids are important to me, so I’m not going to leave it too long but it’s not really the right time just now.”

Girls Aloud appear at the Capital FM Arena on Tuesday, March 19. Tickets are £42.50 from the box office, call 0843 373 3000 or go to www.capitalfmarena.com.
Centre Stage is released on February 4.

Donny Osmond

November 2012

MY brothers bid farewell to touring this year but I don’t see an end in sight. In fact, 2013 is a landmark year for me.

I’ll be releasing my 60th album in my 50th year in showbusiness. And I think it’s the 40th anniversary of Puppy Love.

So I’ll be very careful how I put the album together. I don’t know what it will be yet but it will be one that I want to make.

I won’t be trying to prove anything because I think I’ve done that over the last 50 years. This one will be for me.

And I’ll definitely follow that with a tour in the UK.

Before that I’ve the tour with my sister Marie, which is going to be more than the Vegas show we’ve been doing since 2008.

In Vegas we’re limited to 90 minutes so on this tour we’re going to add a lot more.

The show actually got the award for the Best Show in Vegas for 2012. So we’re bringing the Best Show in Vegas to the UK. Even better than the Best Show in Vegas. How is that for an egotistical statement?

A lot of people wondered when we first started it four years ago whether it would be like the Donny and Marie Variety Show of the Seventies. It’s anything but that.

Obviously you’ve got to do a little nostalgia; you’ve got to do thew old hits. There’s a lot of dancing, costume changes, multi-media... the puppet show is amazing, the juggling fire, the sword swallowing, the elephants dance up a storm... I’m joking.

It’s a variety show with a heart and soul.

A lot of variety shows turn my stomach to be honest because producers will throw a ton of money at it thinking that the more expensive it is, the more entertaining it is. That’s not necessarily the case.

There are times in the show where we shut it down, sit on the stools and sing a song, so it’s not just a big production.

Do I still get fans screaming at shows? It’s different in Vegas but in the UK I think we will get that because they love to do it. It reminiscent of the days of old, particularly when I do Puppy Love. But it’s fun.

The audiences are so diverse now. Primarily it’s the Puppy Lovers, as they call them, but they’re bringing their kids now and their grandkids.

The other night we had four generations at the show and the teenagers liked it the most. Obviously the mom said ‘I grew up with you and she loved Puppy Love’ but the teenager only knew me from Dancing With The Stars.

When I’m at home I live an extremely normal lifestyle because that’s the environment I wanted to raise my kids in. I have four. I have five sons and they range from 14 to 33.

My eldest is going for his business degree, the second one is a doctor of physical therapy, another one is an advertising executive in Boston, my fourth is interested in the music industry but not being a pop artist. He’s DJing and stuff like that.

I’m a Bond fanatic. I’ve got every one of the films but I have yet to see Skyfall. I had planned on seeing it while I’m over here in the UK but the night I thought I was free Gary Barlow wanted me to go to the Music Industry Trusts Awards, where was to be honoured.

So it was either Gary Barlow or Daniel Craig. And Gary won. We’ve worked together before and he produced one of my albums.

The last movie I saw was Hotel Transylvania that my 14-year-old wanted to see it. It’s aimed at teenagers and I didn’t think I’d enjoy it but I did. I thought the writing was so clever. Adam Sandler is amazing.

The book I’m reading now is Quiet by Susan Cain. It’s about how powerful introverts can be and how ineffective extroverts can be. It’s intriguing to me because by nature I am an introvert.

I know, you wouldn’t think so because I’m in showbusiness.

I’d rather read books where I learn something although I really enjoyed Angels and Demons (by Dan Brown) and the first one he did (The Da Vinci Code). So much so that I got the illustrated version.

Muse are probably my favourite band right now. My 22-year-old son turned me on to them. Katy Perry’s new album will be my next purchase because that’s been getting amazing reviews and I want to get the new Maroon 5 album.

I think you have to keep up with what’s going on if you are going to be in the music business. If not then rest on your laurels.

You’ll see that in the show we’re bringing to Nottingham. It’s not just the old stuff.

Donny and Marie Live is at the Capital FM Arena on Sunday, January 27. Tickets are £40 to £70 from the box office, call 0843 373 3000 or go to www.capitalfmarena.com.