ThePensmith

My bundle was dispatched late afternoon yesterday. But I've now got to wait until Monday cause no one answered the door for it to be delivered today. I am a bit pissed off, yes 😤 Progress, much (not). I'm the same as you Jay, I wanted to enjoy mine this weekend especially cause I've got a busy full on day on Monday.

It's out now - the purple HMV one is now part of their Vinyl Week releases which are on sale today (although my pre-order of it was still fulfilled and got dispatched yesterday): @1669708526871035904 The colours look absolutely stunning on these 😍

I think between this and what is now apparently happening with Hannah getting lawyers in, I'm suddenly feeling quite worried...

With the exception of the Seeing Double album, their whole discography is now tagged as S Club on Spotify :(

I've gone for yes - and why the hell not I say! Having been to my first show of theirs last year and seeing just how wide their audience was - people my age of course, but also teenagers, kids, older people - I'd say there's definitely potential for them to have a "Padamoment" (I'm going with this). I dare say that in anticipation of such a moment that Peter Loraine and Fascination will now beaver away trying to find a song that has the wide connection this has had. And OK, you could argue that with "Padam Padam" it's been a perfect storm that's hard to replicate. But if this gives hope to other pop acts of a certain vintage to do the same, then there's nothing wrong with that. The charts will always throw up obstacles that work more to the favour of current acts than they do older ones. But they're not insurmountable if you have the right song and strategy in place.

Floor at all venues is now standing which is a bummer - but I got Block N6 seated for Wembley Arena in the pre-sale this morning! Fortunately was quite a smooth booking compared to other pre-sales I've done recently so can't complain with that at all. Looking forward to it ☺️

Another limited edition vinyl of the debut is coming on 23rd next month, this time in blue, limited to 1000 copies worldwide: https://townsendmusic.store/product/115004 Also "C'est La Vie" was officially released 25 years ago this week! What even?

Same. It's so much easier for me to get to, I know the area better, I literally get off my train in from Essex, hop on the Jubilee Line at Stratford and I'm there at North Greenwich in no time at all! Anyway looks as if the tickets aren't more than £60 or so for decent seats, which is what I'm aiming for!

Dates have now been announced. First five shows in UK and Ireland in February / March next year. On sale next week. Was kind of hoping it'd be The O2 and not Wembley for London just because it's a bast*rd to get to relatively speaking from where I am but I can live with it: @1660665314089000960

@1660317918389760002 Dates and cities coming tomorrow at 5pm! Mexico and South America dates are being finalised for next year also.

Every few months or so with almost timely frequency these sort of articles come along, usually from a chinstroker at The Guardian. Whilst I do agree to the principle of a Catalogue Chart for anything older than the last three years - which the OCC did actually do at one time. You look at any issues of Music Week from around the mid 00s and it was something they did - fundamentally, however people are choosing to consume an album, physically or digitally, for better or worse it's a good measure. It's essentially operating the same way the singles chart used to before streaming had a stranglehold on certainly the very top end of the chart and how much slower that moves now. This debate will run and run until there's some major shake up rules wise, but for many artists, especially the ones I love who still release new music regularly or semi regularly, but aren't considered to be current streaming wise or are considered - though I bloody loathe this term - "a heritage act", it forms a key cornerstone of their campaign and thus being able to tour with regularity and all the other things that come with that.

Acoustic version is out today:

Understandably, they've confirmed that Rachel has now pulled out: @1659157899568988169

First performance on the semi finals of The Voice last night in the States: TpymFyLqqbI Bloody brilliant. I need to see him on tour!

I have to get this off my chest so apologies in advance if any of this comes across a little coarse. I was so hoping that the wider reaction to this on socials etc was going to be a lot more supportive than it has broadly been. But this is where you see it's an impossible situation for them to go through, because whichever way they went, you're not pleasing everyone. But it's sad to think that three years on from Caroline Flack and #bekind, that there's still a load of entitled and unfeeling arseholes that shouldn't be allowed on the internet. Pardon my French Karen on Twitter, but bugger your refund for a second and read the room. This isn't a common or garden S Club 3 down your local student's union / bingo hall situation with one or two others not doing it. This is one of them no longer being on the same mortal plane, someone who was their bandmate and their brother from another who they grew up with and had a career with. It's still massively raw for them right now, you only need look at how Jon and Jo in that video in particular were barely able to end their sentences without getting emotional. The fact that the five of them are even finding the strength to go ahead with this when they could have easily - and understandably - cancelled the entire tour is bloody admirable in my eyes and shows such resolve and spirit. Of course Hannah won't now want to do it; of all of them, she was closest to Paul, and I admire her so much for doing what is best for her and her wellbeing. Quite frankly, when you're grieving the loss of anyone, there is no right or wrong way to feel or to handle it. The least thing people can do is respect their decision, whether certain members are now doing the tour or not. Until I saw that video yesterday, I was still on the fence about whether or not I'd still go. But I'm going because as emotionally bittersweet as this tour is now going to be, they got me through so much that I found difficult growing up and I now wanna do the same, and in a way say goodbye in my own way to Paul and remember the joy they bought to my life growing up and the memories of - pardon the pun - the good times.

Totally understandable that Hannah has backed out now. I cannot imagine that getting their heads around all of this whilst also grieving their bandmate and brother can have been easy at all, but they've absolutely made the right call as best as possible. And renaming it the Good Times Tour 😢 Beautiful way to remember him. I just really hope that they're kind to themselves through it all and take the time they need if it becomes too much.

Not me looking at the midweeks just now thinking Tunde from Lighthouse Family was back with a solo album that was about to go top 3 before realising it wasn't THAT Tunde 🤣

I was gonna say we did get a version without the movie scenes on the Girls on Film DVD didn't we? Mind you given the soundtrack and film were both Universal releases I think the use of the clips is probably gonna be OK!

Yeah I just got the same email too. I did wonder whether it was gonna go ahead or not as planned. Totally understandable though. I just hope that the plans to get their back catalogue on streaming sorted that were just getting under way when Paul died don't get totally abandoned. If anything they've got more incentive than ever to keep his memory alive, regardless of what happens with the tour.

So on 16th June, three classic pop albums from 2003 will be re-released to mark their 20th anniversaries. Girls Aloud will re-release their debut album Sound of the Underground on a expanded 3CD set, green vinyl and picture disc. Dannii Minogue will also reissue a special picture disc and expanded CD sets for her bestselling solo album Neon Nights. And All Saints members Nicole and Natalie Appleton will release their album Everything's Eventual that they released under the name Appleton on white and purple coloured vinyls for the first time. I'll definitely be getting all of them, but which ones will you be getting - and which reissue do you think will rechart the highest?

First single is "After All" and has its first play with Zoe Ball on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show tomorrow morning;

I mean I should point out that the "Sweet Caroline" cover is in memory of Caroline Flack so that one kind of goes without saying (I saw a video of it on socials and it is really beautiful). But he has seven albums' worth now, surely he shouldn't be so reliant on covers to prop up a setlist?

It's long been deleted but after tour started on Friday, someone Tweeted him asking why the setlist didn't have more songs off the new album and... I mean. This happens every tour TBF (I made the mistake of asking him why "What A Buzz" wasn't on the Right Place Right Time Tour setlist back in the day, but that's a story for another time). But honestly?

This! Likewise with "Getaway", that was a top 10 as well!

Saw this crop up for pre-order earlier - presumably before it was meant to, as they posted a social media teaser video to announce it all next week yesterday. Not quite their full singles as all of the ones from "Careful What You Wish For" and most from "Red Book" are missing. But if it means another tour I'm here for that cause I love Sharleen Spiteri's voice and would give my eye teeth to see her live.