ThePensmith

Apologies only just sharing this now but only just got round to uploading it! Last weekend I saw Nerina Pallot do a special one off gig at the Royal Albert Hall to mark her 25th anniversary in music. One of the songs in her set was her own version of the title track from this Kylie album that her and her husband Andy Chatterley wrote for it (along with "Better Than Today"):

Straight onto the B-list at Radio 2! Really liking this, it's got the most sonically in common with "Fantasy" but also has shades of the most recent All Saints albums on it as well, especially "Glorious" that was on the Testament album.

Single cover's here. First play is on Radio 2 tomorrow at 7:45am:

The EP is called Side By Side and will be out on 4th September. Tracklist is as follows: Ready To Begin Falling Into You Strange Kinda Paradise Monster Wichita Lineman (Live from BBC Radio 2 Piano Room) It will be available on CD and coloured vinyl as well.

Bit of a weird one this, but myself and my friend were out in Clerkenwell in London on Saturday night having dinner out - I'd just come back from Mighty Hoopla across town. Anyway, she was there filming what I can only assume was a new video or something. We didn't know who it was until somebody told us, the sheer hysteria was quite something to witness!

Here's my videos I took from their set at Mighty Hoopla yesterday. Awesome set and they also had Heidi Range from Sugababes v2.0 join them to do "Round Round" and "Pure Shores" as a surprise guest!

I was at Mighty Hoopla today and Heidi came out as a surprise guest during Appleton's set! They did "Round Round" and also "Pure Shores". I've got a video of the latter which I'll upload and post here in the morning ☺️ UPDATE: Here we go!

The second single is "Ready To Begin" which will land next Wednesday. That and "Falling Into You" will be on an EP which is coming in September: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/appleton-interview-nicole-natalie-all-saints-b2984603.html

New interview in The Independent today which also confirms there is an as-yet-untitled EP on the way in September: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/appleton-interview-nicole-natalie-all-saints-b2984603.html

Second single drops next Wednesday 3rd June: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY4GswEMe6q

Got Block A2 in pre-sale this morning 🙌🏻🔥

Nicola has had a baby girl ❤️ Such beautiful news: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYuouhPCGqp

LOVED "Buddy X '99"! I was a big UK garage head / fan of the Dreem Team (I used to listen to their show they had on Radio 1 on Sundays back in the day, I still listen to Spoony on Radio 2 now) and I still love that tune. An underrated anthem but a corker.

I mean "That Don't Impress Me Much" (the UK dance mix) is on Shania's own Greatest Hits vinyl so I can allow that this time. But yay for ATB being the correct version when I was fully expecting it to not be!

I think it's probably likely that there'll be a tour off the back of this, even if it's more mid-sized venues to begin with as that was where they usually toured the first time round like academies and theatres. Honestly though. I've been on a binge of all their singles today. Short but sweet and flawless. "B With Me" in particular is still absolute fire, as is "Scandalous", "All I Want" and "Can't Get It Back".

And once again, yet another reason why I'm glad I ditched Spotify and went to Deezer instead. Pardon my French but they are f***ing evil. Unless you're Taylor Swift or Beyonce, most artists I know are barely breaking even from touring, not to mention fans having harder work of getting tickets than ever before. How is this helping anyone's situation, really? Honestly. F*** Spotify.

It's on there now! (Well it is on Deezer anyway) So excited for this. Have signed up for presale so keeping everything crossed! M with the I with the S-T double E-Q!

"I Try" really was the little single that could that autumn, wasn't it? It was to 1999 what "Torn" was to 1997. Loved Diana Ross on the first episode, deservedly her biggest hit for a few years and probably the best of the divas who turned to the same team as Cher for a hit post-"Believe". So good to see Five get their first number one. "Keep On Movin'" is still such a banger, it was deservedly their first chart topper too I felt, especially after having to settle for number twos for so long. That Geri vs Emma chart battle is largely forgotten now but my God it was absolutely unhinged - more so from Geri's part than Emma's with the frantic promotion and the whole Chris Evans saga. "Lift Me Up" is the weakest of her Schizophonic singles for me. Always preferred "What I Am" more, in fact you're more likely to hear that these days on the radio than you are "Lift Me Up". Loved Savage Garden, Jennifer Lopez and Beck on the second episode as well, great song from the latter. I do remember however there was one stage where he was always up for Best International Male at the BRITs every year regardless of whether he'd actually released anything the previous year 🤣 Also. What was that Children's Promise thing about? An absolute noise. Can't think why it was touted as Christmas number one. It was certainly no "Perfect Day", that's for sure.

Just announced on The One Show she's on tour in April next year with the Naked Confessions Tour. Presale tomorrow, tickets on sale Friday:

"HE WINKED AT US!!!" 🤣🤣🤣

Good set of episodes last night. Shame that B*Witched fell off as swiftly as they did on their second album. The trouble is is that "Awake and Breathe" was a good album but possibly not a great album where singles for them were concerned, there was nothing like a "C'est La Vie" or "Rollercoaster" on their debut to really sell it. I do still love "Jesse Hold On" though, it's one of my favourites. Loved Honeyz and Steps as well, "After The Love Has Gone" in particular has always been one of my favourite singles of theirs. Ditto I was surprised re: 911 failing to go top 10 at least with their last single before they split. Maybe it was just they'd fulfilled their purpose once they'd had their number one earlier in the year. Again, I thought it was a good song "Wonderland" but I was clearly in the minority. Mind you the same could also be said of Eternal on the second episode. If anyone hasn't read Jazz Summers' book (renowned music manager in the 80s and 90s) I would highly recommend you do, as there is a rather interesting chapter in there about when he managed them in this period, post them sacking Kelle by fax. Eye opening / amusing to say the least. Hot chocolate was involved 🤣 Tina Turner being the first of multiple divas we'll see in the next few weeks all working with Brian Rawling / Metrophonic in hopes of having a Cher "Believe" moment. Good song (and what turned out to be her last major UK hit of her lifetime) but again, "Believe" was a lightning in a bottle moment that could only be truly captured once in terms of its success and impact. Never got the point of that Liam Gallagher / Steve Craddock / Jam tribute thing that's been on the last two weeks. Like a duller indie version of ABBAmania. Westlife were again, incredibly lucky to make number one when they did, but at least in the case of "Flying Without Wings" it did, in hindsight, feel worthy of it, it's a great song, their signature tune where their ballads are concerned. Plus it also always reminds me of this sketch from SMTV Live 🤣

Interesting couple of episodes tonight. How timely that as Mel C enjoys her highest charting album as a solo artist this week that she should be on the first rerun with the first single from her debut. "Goin' Down" was definitely a risky choice in sound and style, but as we'll see into the 2000 reruns it paid off in the end for her with the Northern Star era. Loved Gabrielle, Eurythmics and James tonight as well, "Just Like Fred Astaire" from the latter in particular is one of their best singles and it should have been bigger. Very surprised a few artists didn't make it on the episodes tonight, Adam Rickitt for one on the second episode. I actually thought "Everything My Heart Desires" was better than "I Breathe Again", and it was still top 20.

Yes! It was the following: Undefeated Champion What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Never Be The Same Again Northern Star Sweat / Attitude (Medley) Spice Up Your Life 2 Become 1 Drum Machine I Turn To You

You can get Thunderbugs' album on CD as well! I got a copy imported from Germany via Discogs a few years back for not very much. And YES to Nerina Pallot's cover of "Moving"! Beautiful version she did, sort of a soft Donna Summer disco vibe.

I was at the Union Chapel show last night. Never been there before and hopefully not the last time as it's such a beautiful venue! Here's my videos I took: