ThePensmith

Looking back objectively, On Your Radar should have been the killer double platinum campaign. It's still their most consistent album for me and the one I revisit the most. "Notorious" and "All Fired Up" were and still are that killer 1-2 punch of opening singles so that set it up perfectly. But I think "My Heart Takes Over" was an ideal choice for third single - it was the right time of year for it, it had wider crossover appeal and the video was gorgeous, and I don't believe it deserved to foot all the blame for the album then not doing as well. Those with short memories may forget but between "All Fired Up" charting and "My Heart Takes Over" being released, that was when Una announced she was pregnant with Aoife and when Frankie took her sabbatical, which as we now know was for her depression. That did set off a chain of "Are they gonna split" type rumours which sad but true, was still happening as commonplace for a girl group back then, and which, on a wider public scale, did somewhat overshadow the fact a new single and album were imminent. Also I remember seeing the girls during promo for "My Heart Takes Over" when they filmed a TV show - think it was The Album Chart Show special they did, I remember because Olly Murs and JLS filmed theirs that night too, and I was in the audience for all three. It was just the four of them cause of course this was when Frankie was still off of promo duties. They were juggling all that with the arena tour rehearsals - at some point something would have to sacrifice one thing over another. I don't really remember The X Factor performance rumour. It's a shame if it's true that was on the table because it does bring up a "what could have been" style scenario. But on a positive at least the arena tour was everything they deserved and more. I saw the Wembley show and I was so proud of them when they did it, especially because exactly two years before I'd seen them at my students Union Christmas party (when someone bottled Mollie - how dare they?) so it was a bit of a YES moment for me. Like "Go on girls!" I still say "30 Days" should have been tacked onto a deluxe reissue with the tour DVD. It had no place being on Living For The Weekend TBH.

I've just had my first listen. I think I was right to have my initial reservations. Admittedly, Olly has released records that sound like nothing else he has released in the past - "Kiss Me" and "You Don't Know Love" for example - but they worked because whilst they were something different sound wise, melodically and aesthetically they were still an Olly song and he made it his own. This feels, sound wise and visually based on the campaign imagery we've seen so far - and I'll be completely honest here - like him trying to sledgehammer himself into a box that he doesn't need to. Which is why I made the point of reference to McFly and "Above The Noise". On that album, somewhere between working with Dallas Austin and another major label getting involved, they started releasing songs like "Party Girl" which couldn't decide what they wanted to be and it flopped. I just hope the album has better songs than this but so far? I'm not here for this.

Huge batch of HMV album signings confirmed for release week. I've booked for the Westfield one!

Olly's profile page on the German Universal Music website has a new press shot and the following press biography which confirms the album is called "Marry Me" and is out on 2nd December: I must admit, between what I'm reading here and the "soft launch" on TikTok, I am bracing myself for this album to be to Olly what "Above The Noise" was to McFly; trend chasing and fitting in when that was never the point of either act in the first place. But I'll reserve full judgement until the single drops Friday. He's on Zoe Ball on Radio 2 that day to give it it's first play.

Title track from the album had its first play on Radio 2 this morning and is out today. It's a bit of a banger: SWRadLH8WpU

I think, especially after listening to Rochelle's episode of Steven Bartlett's podcast recently (The Diary of a CEO), I've made peace with the fact that it's still not the time for her. She's not in that place in her life where she wants to revisit whilst she has her presenting / baby brand / the interior design thing she does on W at the moment (which just seems to be "Here, have a white and beige k!tchen with bifold doors and an island". I digress) Which you can understand on one hand - let's not forget that her and Frankie were both in S Club Juniors and OK, there was a gap of about five years between their last single and The Saturdays' first. So they basically were in pop longer than any of the other girls in one form or another. But that time will eventually come, and probably when we least expect it. I dare say Peter Loraine and Fascination, knowing how meticulously they've done other reunions in the past - Steps, Bananarama, All Saints - will ensure this is done serving everything we want!

See I've always loved boybands as well as girl groups equally. In terms of the ones I am solidly invested in, it's always been Take That, JLS, McFly, Blue, Five, Busted, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and A1. I also loved Damage as well, I thought they were brilliant.

I must admit Jay I liked Shayne as well, he had such an amazing voice, one of the show's best in its history. He was just messed around a lot in terms of styling and releases, which I think is the reason why his career under SyCo Music was so short. He won X Factor pre-Leona winning, so this was before the template of the winner disappearing for a year to establish themselves and come back as a fully formed artist in their own right with the new series was established. The second album was brilliant - I had it on again on Spotify last night just to remind me and it was the moment where they captured lightning in a bottle. So many missed single opportunities - "U Got Me So" and "Damaged" would have been brilliant in particular. I'm half tempted to get this boxset I must admit!

I think it must be a wider thing with the old SyCo roster - a label called Cooking Vinyl are doing this reissue, and I saw the other day that Alexandra Burke's first album "Overcome" is getting a vinyl reissue too that they're doing.

Well this is definitely under the category of "definitive boxsets no one knew they needed"! All three of Shayne Ward's first three studio albums are being reissued as deluxe versions with previously unreleased demos, mixes and bonus tracks, in a boxset called Anthology on 9th December, and his self titled debut album will also have a release on vinyl for the first time too: https://shayneward.tmstor.es/product/102846

So - not so much this week for obvious reasons - but I've noticed their Instagram has been quite active of late and that they've been hanging out again. Also tomorrow is unbelievably twenty years since "What I Go To School For" came out. Would be lovely if they're planning something to mark that!

Whilst it's been a very long time - reckon it must be nearly 10 years - since I listened to the chart on Radio 1 last, he's only had the job five seconds, give him a break. Besides, nothing will be as bad as when JK & Joel did it in the mid 00s, they were bloody awful, even accounting for the editorial decisions to try and make the chart relevant when CD singles had gone through the floorboards but downloads hadn't yet taken off, they basically talked over half the records played, and replaced the chart with inane crap like DVD charts and celebrity gossip.

Third single "Magnetic" is out tomorrow morning:

BBC Radio 2 Live In Leeds that Mel was due to be performing at next weekend has been cancelled in light of the Queen's death: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/statement...e-in-leeds-2022

Pretty amazing news on the grapevine I've heard tonight: B*Witched will apparently be joining the tour as support along with Megan McKenna now! My 9 year old self who bought "C'est La Vie" is fully here for this :)

I just listened just now. Found it compelling but so heartbreaking at the same time. Honestly her family should be ashamed, they're - apologies for my French - f***ing lowest of the low. I really hope some justice for her comes out of all of this, and more importantly that she gets to a place she deserves to be - happy, fulfilled, well and around people that truly love her and want the best for her.

There's a rather lovely merch range she's released today ahead of the tour in October which includes previously unseen photos taken from the video sets of both "Torn" and "Big Mistake": https://natalie-imbruglia.backstreetmerch.com/ I've ordered one of the "Torn" tees for Shepherd's Bush, looks awesome!

Delighted Series 2 is confirmed!

So pleased for them. What a fantastic achievement as well! Who'd have had this down back when "5, 6, 7, 8" first came out? Truly national treasures.

Great news about the new deal. My money was on BMG so I was initially surprised to hear EMI is his new home. Although one of his new label heads is Jo Charrington who was on his team with Nick Raphael when he was first signed to Epic all those years ago (they also signed JLS and Lemar), so it makes perfect sense given they delivered his first three albums together.

Don't think there's a topic for this lot just yet... c20ADOxRSK4 The Future X are a new seven piece pop group from the States and Canada - Andrew Venegas, Angie Green, Luke Brown, Maci Wood, Sasha Maria, Tray Taylor and Jayna Hughes. Perhaps unsurprisingly because there's seven of them and the fact Simon Fuller has put them together, the S Club 7 comparisons are very obvious. Song's very catchy but I foresee this being another project of his like Now United where it doesn't get pushed at all here - although according to their biog online they've promoted this quite heavily on TikTok?

That's without question. Even I'm well aware that they are a fanbase concern these days. It's not an ideal set of circumstances - in fact it's starting to feel like a self fulfilling prophecy at this stage - but if they get the album out and do the tour with Lee back in tow for both that'll be nothing short of a victory, however small.

Don't think this has been posted about anywhere else but apparently a tell all documentary exposing allegations of abuse and bullying behind the scenes on the show is forthcoming: https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/14/x-factor-doc...works-17179971/

Blue have now pushed back the release of their new album to 28th October.

Perhaps not unsurprisingly the album's release has now been pushed back until 28th October. I've had an email just now from their official store for my pre-order.