If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it, they say. The new one from DJ Fresh feels like a prime subscriber to the philosophy, with Hot Right Now treading a familiar path to No. 1 single Louder. On the plus side, it feels like more of a 'song' than its predecessor, boasting a larger vocal element, this time courtesy of Rita Ora.
The downsides though are that it not only lacks the instant-grab appeal of Louder's immense hook, but it also feels like a by-the-numbers retread of Louder's DNA. While other dance producers like Nero and Chase & Status have managed to offer a bit of variety from single to single, Hot Right Now feels like an urgeful pushing of second helpings.
But with January one of the prime times for dance tracks to surge up the charts, Hot Right Now could very well sneak its way into the public consciousness as one of the first big hits of 2012 - after all, there's nothing like the appeal of the safe and familiar.
For British girl group Parade, it’s all in the name. When I first interviewed the band earlier this year, I described to them how their name conjured up the image of a marching band type procession traipsing down the road, trailing a banner of brilliant pop colours amidst a world of grey identikit stars who pursue trends like their life depended on it. Parade are something refreshingly different, five incredibly down to earth, street-smart girls who came with the looks and the tunes to win a nation of music-lovers around.
Debut single Louder did exactly that. From its beginnings on the Rimmel adverts through to it landing a place in the UK Top 10, it set the agenda loud and clear – Parade had arrived. Along with its follow-up, Perfume, Louder mined a vein of sleek, modern R&B-laced pop that played to all tastes. A little bit of this, a little bit of that; the girls were just right for this age of instant-access audience gratification – forget The X Factor and its public votes, Parade were right there, leading the charge on Twitter, chatting with fans and getting feedback on exactly what their next move should be. Here was a band that were evolving right in front of the public eye – an exciting new group for the Internet age.
What of their self-titled debut album then? Alongside the confident duo of singles, Ticking On It stands out as an obvious highlight - pop at its most pure. It might be nearly winter now, but this track’s sun-kissed vibes and calypso rhythms can make us believe the last hints of summer are still hanging around for a while yet. With its snazzy little horn riffs and slab bass, this is good old fashioned pop, the way it should be done. The vocals are light, carefree; the voices of genuine goodtime girls instead of sexed-up pop puppets.
Like You feels like a close cousin to Ticking On It, more sunny vibes and party grooves; the middle eight is brilliant. A track devoted to finding the right boy and all the things this ideal man will do, it underpins the core Parade ethic: the band work because their songs speak out to their target audience. There’s not a teen girl out there who won’t have felt these feelings, and for them, Parade are the role models, the aspiration to get out there and be whatever you want to be, do whatever you want to do.
Just A Girl strikes out for a kind of limbo between Beyonce’s forceful, empowered anthems and the soulful Supremes style retro-pop that’s all the rage at the moment. It’s a mix that really gels together and gives Parade what could quite easily be a toasty Christmas hit. You can practically imagine the jingle bells on this track already.
Looking again to the big US stars, Knock On My Door is fizzy light-hearted stuff that could slot effortlessly onto a Rihanna or Katy Perry album. Of course, with Parade, the track – like all the album – is given an unmistakeably British sheen. It’s playful, coquettish, always there with a cocked eyebrow or a wink. Parade never take themselves too seriously, and the freedom and fun that affords them comes through time and time again in the songs.
Mr Right Now is another Katy-esque track, bringing the guitars out in force for a super-cheeky innuendo-laden number. With a chanty ‘all I want is Boys! Boys! Boys!’ chorus, the song also boasts what is already my favourite ‘naughty’ lyric of the year: ‘you think you’re such a sex pistol / you want to fire off a missile’ - Oooerrr indeed!
Stars, with its hypersonic trancey synth riff, is properly amazing. Oh, and the girls even rap on it - Did you know they’ve even got their own theme song? The fans have been raving about this song ever since they heard a snippet of it on the album mini mix and you can hardly blame them, it’s a real all-out club banger. Stars is one of those instant ‘my god this is the one’ tracks. ‘We’re looking like stars in here,’ sing Parade, hitting on that feeling of rocking up in a club, feeling absolutely on top of the world - Nothing anyone says is going to dent that rock solid confidence, not tonight.
Next up are the super glossy mid-tempo R&B jams that are Shoes, Pretty Ugly and Yes You Are. Both are at heart classic ‘stand up for womanhood’ anthems, retail therapy in musical form. Those pick yourself up and dust yourself down moments, a call to turn things around with an immovable positive attitude. Parade don’t give you a chance to be sad, upset or down – if you’re with them, you’re having fun: Fact. And that sounds pretty good by us. Weatherman is of much the same shape, throwing a lovely 80s riff into the pot too.
These four tracks are the meat and gravy of Parade’s debut album, the foundations from which a pop career is built – this is their sound, their stamp. In a world where Sugababes members change every few years and bands are dropped from their labels at a moment’s notice, establishing that unique place for yourself in the market is crucial, and in the consistency and togetherness of their album, Parade have certainly achieved that.
The full studio version of Rokstar on here sounds totally different from the acoustic piano version we’ve had for so long - it’s transformed into a massive beat-heavy ballad. I’m talking Jordin Sparks No Air type stuff here. It’s dramatic, passionate; everything you’d want from an epic lighters-in-the-air pop moment. I don’t think it can quite replace the shivers-down-the-spine feeling I felt when I first saw the girls perform the live version with Bianca playing piano, but it’s great to see the track given new life in this format.
For me though, it’s final track Rollercoaster that stands as the strongest statement on Parade’s debut. It’s sure-fire single material; upbeat, sexy, and riding on a filthy synth bassline – the vocals are pumped through all kinds of distortion, racing to keep up with the relentless pace of the track. Teasing, catching; the girls have all bases covered here and by the time it gets to the laser-tastic sci-fi middle eight you’re lost, bewitched, whatever you want to call it – just watch the YouTube video of the band performing the Rollercoaster dance routine and you’ll know what I mean.
What a lovely day for a trip down the Thames! If you've ever wanted to see a music video where a hot new girl band gets on a boat and takes it on a ride down a river, all the while dancing with pinpoint precision, then Parade's Perfume is most definitely the video for you.
I read a recent interview with the band where they said far more akin to the Spice Girls than they did to contemporaries Girls Aloud or The Saturdays, and I can see where they're coming from. There's a real up-and-at-'em girl power attitude to Parade, a relatability that their fans can tap into. They look cool, their style is distinctly street-smart and you feel like you could be their best friend.
Perfume is one of those classic songs that shout 'summer anthem' louder than the sun itself. From the first few bars of those glorious, buzzing synths in the intro you can already imagine getting the shades out and strolling down to your local park; kicking back and escaping the daily grind.
The chanty 'If you wanna get it, get it...' vocals in the chorus again radiate the whole girl-power ethic - you feel like it's not just them chanting away, but each and every one of their fans too. And it's also so wonderfully British too - a fitting sound for a song that so casually places the Houses of Parliament in the background of its video.
Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner myself... (resists temptation to burst out into song), but there's such an inherent beauty in the shots of the Thames, all dreamy pink and gold. And when you add that to someone as effortlessly stunning as Parade's Jessica singing Perfume's middle-eight, you're onto a winner for sure.
Every year there are a handful of tracks that rise above the rest and enter the hallowed halls of genuine pop classics, and Perfume, for me, is easily one of those.
Now, where's that ball-pond? We want to jump in too... here we go... here we go...
Yesterday I went along to the filming of the latest episode of T4's music show KOKO Pop at, yup, KOKO, in Camden. After a rather extended period of queuing (not all bad, I caught quite a tan in the sunny weather) we got let inside to act as the studio crowd. It's fair to say everyone was rather excitable, which I imagine is exactly what the show's producers want. To be fair, it was a pretty amazing line-up, so a win-win situation for everyone really.
Heading things up was Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who blew me away with how stunning she looked. I've always thought Sophie was pretty, but just WOW, she was smoking today! Freemasons collab Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) got the crowd suitably warmed up and it was great to hear beautiful new single Starlight too. Next up was Clare Maguire, who sung Shield And Sword, one of the highlights from her rather good debut album.
For me it was all about Parade though, this was why I'd come, after all. Having seen them live quite a few times now, I had a fair idea of what to expect, but in the intimate grandeur of KOKO, the songs really came alive. The sound quality was incredible, showcasing the band's harmonies to their very best. It's so easy for people to dismiss girlbands as being average singers, but what you get with Parade is five extremely talented girls who easily possess the considerable vocal talents to match the quality of their songs.
Fan favourite Perfume was first up, followed by Top Ten single Louder, both accompanied by some seriously hot dance moves. Again, the girls excel in this department - every move is slick and rehearsed, but enlivened with the innate sense of fun and sheer force of personality that the band bring. Parade's performances are all about having fun and enjoying yourself. They definitely won over a few new fans too, the girl stood behind me in the audience couldn't keep quiet, so full of praise was she for the band.
Then out came the piano for one of my personal favourites Rokstar - if you haven't already downloaded this from Parade's website then you really need to right now as it's an utterly beautiful track that, heard in a live setting like this, sends shivers down your spine. Completely enchanting. We were all in for a treat next as the girls gave us an exclusive premiere of new song Ticking On It. Again featuring Bianca playing piano, it was a fun and frisky up-tempo number infused with the spirit of the band - girl power at its very best.
Me with Parade's Bianca and Lauren after the gig:
The complete line-up/setlist was as follows:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer), Starlight
Clare Maguire: Shield And Sword
Parade: Perfume, Louder, Rokstar, Ticking On It
Parade are Bianca, Emily, Jessica, Sian and Lauren. The feisty five-some are the latest girl-band making waves in the pop scene and with their infectious first single hitting the shops this month, they’re making sure they’re heard loud and clear.
Hi girls! Where did you get the name Parade from?
Well, we did this mood board right back at the start of the band. We wrote down the names of people who were musical influences to us, picked out colours - stuff like that. And we really liked this font that spelled out ‘Parade’ so we cut it out and it turned out to be from an 80s porno magazine! That was rather funny! But it was just slap bang in the middle of the board and we all loved it so we decided to go for it!
It makes me think of you guys flying the flag for British pop music!
Yes! And we want everyone to join the Parade! That’s our motto!
Your song Louder is currently being used on the Rimmel TV adverts at the moment, how does that feel?
It’s amazing! We feel so lucky to be associated with a well-known brand like Rimmel. When we first saw the finished advert on the TV it just felt crazy!
And how easy was it to get into the swing of the ‘popstar’ lifestyle?
We absolutely love it! We’ve had about ten interviews today and done a bit of filming too! There are so many girls and boys out there who’d love to do this so we feel really fortunate.
You’re all keen users of Twitter, how does that play a part of being in the band?
Twitter has been a brilliant for us; we’ve really been able to get to know our fans through it. It really helps with building up your fanbase and it’s great that it lets you have that element of direct communication with people. It’s just so reassuring to see we have all those really loyal fans out there – they’re hardcore!
You’ve just finished touring with Alexandra Burke; did she have any good bits of advice for you?
She was really lovely, we’d see her in the canteen before she went on stage and she’d come up and give us big cuddles and a little pep talk. It’s great to meet someone who’s been so successful and who is just such a nice girl. It was brilliant to see her show too; she’s such an inspiration for us. It was an amazing experience and we feel honoured to have been a part of it.
You’re supporting Shayne Ward on tour too – so I take it you’re all big X Factor fans?
Yeah! We had a few favourite contestants last series like Rebecca and Cher – it was a really strong year!
So when you need to get up early for a busy day, do you have any techniques to make sure you’re all raring to go?
Caffeine! Energy tablets!
And when you’re not working, how do you all like to chill out?
We’re so busy at the moment we’re lucky if we get a day off ha! At weekends though we like to catch up with friends or go shopping. We just try and relax really, oh, and sleep if possible ha!
Seeing as your song is called Louder, are you all quite loud people? Like a bit of a party?
YEAH! We love a party! Yes we do! The louder the better!
And will we be getting an album from you guys later this year?
It’s hopefully due this summer! We’re so excited for it! We’ve got a few more things to finish off on it but it’s going to be fantastic, we can’t wait!
As part of your promo you went on a tour round schools across the UK? Did that feel like a bit of an adventure?
The school tour was great! It was really good to get a reaction from kids as they don’t hold back – they’ll stand up and scream. We’d get them to come and sing with us on stage. And then it was brilliant going from small schools to big arenas when we supported Shakira last December.
Who’s music are you listening to at the moment? Are there any big influences on you?
We all love Jessie J! Bruno Mars too! Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry - they’re all amazing.
And as a band, what do you think is the key to being a successful group and all getting on together?
We actually all live together so we’re so tight; like family really. Because we spend twenty-four hours a day together we know each-other inside out. It’s nice as you’re sharing everything and if any of us is having an off day, we know we have each-other. It’s like we’re sisters!
So, Parade's brilliant single Louder is out in the UK and as I write, it currently stands at No. 8 in the iTunes chart. For any band, this is a great achievment, but for a new group, breaking into the ever competitive pop scene, this is frankly amazing.
I went to see the Parade girls perform at GAY on Saturday night and they most definitely gave it their all. Opening with a feisty cover of Cee Lo Green's Fuck You, they had the crowd whipped up into a frenzy of excitement (best of all, it was the expletive laden album version and not the mild-mannered radio edit of the song). The girls' look is perfect too, striding the vital balance between street-smart trends and poppy flash. Continuing on to their performance of Louder, it was plain to see just how much fun they were all having - and it's this enjoyment that really shines through in their music, taking it up to the next level. As for the rest of the night and Olly Murs stripping on stage, I'll leave that to your imaginations... but let's just say it involved him wearing a cow-shaped thong.
The next day, Parade held a signing at that temple of retail enlightenment, Westfield. So it was off on the tube to Shepherd's Bush! The centre's HMV branch had the Louder singles pride of place at the front of the store as well as conveniently placed by the till-points themselves. It made for a refreshing change from music stores who have become so alienated to the CD single format in recent years.
The signing itself was brilliant, well organised and packed with eager fans. Everyone seemed really up for the event and the cheery faces all round definitely inspired a sense of strong community amongst the fanbase. It's bonds and memories like these that'll get the fans sticking with an artist right through their career. Parade are well on their way to dazzling their way across the UK pop charts and this weekend was a energising reminder of how Britain gets it SO right when it comes to girlbands.
If you haven't already, join the Parade and download Louder from iTunes here!
I have a big soft spot for piano ballads sung by girl bands, and the brilliant acoustic version of Rokstar by newcomers Parade are currently offering as a free download is one of the very best. The harmonies are spot on, beautiful and powerful in the chorus; which is just the way it should be. Here, the vocals feel real, the lyrics heartfelt and genuine. I love the 'I'm in love with a Rolling Stone' reference too.
There's something distinctly British about Parade and the energy and enthusiasm Emily, Jessica, Lauren, Sian and Bianca give off is undeniable. I can't wait for their album and going on the strength of songs like Rokstar and the amazing Louder - currently soundtracking the Rimmel adverts - it's going to be awesome.
Parade are the latest in a set of fresh new girl groups bursting onto the scene in 2011 and with a glossy, fun-loving look and great voices to match, they're well worth checking out. They remind me a lot of an early Saturdays, when they were fresh off from supporting Girls Aloud and their single Louder is an infectious Pixie Lott-esque slice of pop brilliance. Sugary and sweet, it's the perfect introduction to Emily, Lauren, Bianca, Jessica and Sian.
You can also get a free download of their acoustic track Rokstar on their website here.
