Andre 3000 run for cover! Rita Ora, a rather beautiful young lady puts an acoustic version of this polaroid-shaking hit on the table and we can all say grace that she did not get carried away on the Eurovision Song Contest train. That is a spectacle reserved for only the greatest of Europe’s eccentrics and Rita should steer clear of sparkling dice shoulder pads, unicycles and cone hats for now.

“In the middle of the night, when the time is right
Sexily right, I’m gonna do the right thing
Gonna move you slow, much harder though
Sexily so, I’m gonna do the right thing”

Oh yeah, Simply Red making sexy times music! How is that not cool? Incidentally, why does no one use the word ‘sexily’ anymore, especially in songs? Can that make a comeback? More importantly, will Simply Red make a comeback?

And just on a side note, I really like the cut of Mick’s waistcoat at the back.

Is it just me, or does he love her a little bit? Look at his face when he looks at her. Or am I being a douche, and they are actually a couple? That ‘everyday is the 14th’ lovey stuff has confused me now. 

I digress. This acoustic version of ‘Take Me There’, recorded for the Beatnik Sessions, is absolutely stunning. I’m dreaming of a big diva house rave with classic Adeva, Crystal Waters and Ultra Naté tunes and a live PA from 14th in the middle were Tracey drops the acoustic version of this and everyone starts hugging everybody else.

That’s all from our first catch-up day. Until next time, goodnight!

This is the part where we all take a break and go spend some of our hard-earned mullah on the Hide Yourself EP. It’s £2.49 – I spent more than that on a carton of Innocent Smoothie juice this morning and it’s not going to sing to me anytime soon! No wonder the music industry is falling to pieces – they need to expand into the healthy fruit juice market.

Listen to ‘Lights Off’ below and weep some more…

This what this girl’s dreams are made of! Diva vocals on a nineties beat that pays serious homage to UK garage and Nightcrawlers’ ‘Push The Feelin On’? This song was practically written for me.

Listen to ‘Take Me There’ below and weep.

This is an official catch-up day. I only found out about London duo 14th a couple weeks ago, and there’s just so much good stuff to share that I’ve decided to do it all in one day.

First off, is the super eerie video to ‘Hide Yourself’, an absolute banger [yeah, I said it] of a tune. Singer Tracey Duodo plays an East London Alice In Wonderland where the white rabbit does the Carlton dance outside a laundromat and there’s a little girl who eats cake the way a real lady should. Tracey’s sparring partner Tom Barber, takes a back seat in all this madness, preferring to get a few good ‘look at me running’ shots in.

They were giving this Sarah White tune away on Afro-Punk a couple weeks ago. So in the spirit of Chinese Whispers I am passing on the word – keep your fingers crossed that by the end of the chain ‘Limitless’ is still as it started and hasn’t turned into something that vaguely resembles relaxing whale song.*

*Here is an informative video about Chinese Whispers.

I don’t care if my body sags

or my breasts hang to my belly button

or my face gets eaten by wrinkles

just as long as I can

pull a tailored coat over it

and a pair of boots

and look as cool as Patti Smith

walking in the park.

Happy Kate Bush’s New Video Day!

I’m beginning to think that Kate Bush doesn’t exist anymore. She hardly gives interviews, she doesn’t appear in her own videos, she doesn’t go on tour, perform live or make public appearances. From this well investigated evidence, I conclude that Kate Bush is a collective figment of our imaginations.

P.S. I really like shadow puppetry. If Kate Bush wants to put on an arena tour shadow puppet show, I’m in.

When I grow up I would like to be a Claudette and shake my stuff in a musical notation leotard. I’d have all the funkiest dance moves and I’d definitely be next to the ever-so-nimble Claude Francois in the line-up [not in the back where no one would be able to see my fancy footwork]. Don’t laugh, this is a serious plan.

In fact, I’m  gonna move to Paris, find a little studio flat just below the Sacre Coeur, and start a tribute band. Who wants to be the main man, Mr Francois himself? [Apply in the comments section below - only serious offers will be taken seriously]. We’re going to start by learning the breakdown from ‘Magnolias Forever‘ that hits in at 1:25 on the second video. That is dancing!