Now, we love a bit of Parade, and their new track Throw It Up In The Air is quite the mover and shaker - the kind of song to really work those carbs off down the gym (do we sound like one of those instructional exercise video tapes?) It's also a rather brilliant pop song. But have you ever fancied learning the dance routine to the track? Well now you can, by following this video from the Parade girls themselves! It reminds us a bit of being back in PE lessons at school where it was all 'One! Two! Three! Four!' and the squeak of plimsoles on the floor. But suffice to say, you couldn't ask for better teachers to get you dancing away to Throw It Up In The Air.
Those Parade girls certainly don't hang about - it's only been three months since the release of their debut album and already they're pumping out new material, and going by the sound of ace new song Throw It Up In The Air, there's a lot to get excited about!
Building on the street-smart PopR&B combo of their album, Throw It Up In The Air steps the Parade sound up to a bigger, more anthemic level via airy, glacial synths and an absolute killer of a chorus (seriously, how good are those 'oooooohhh' bits?!)
It's safe to say we're hooked, and we reckon the song will be netting them a whole new raft of fans as they perform it alongside old favourites like Louder and Perfume as they support The Wanted on their current arena tour.
So, you know we love pop music, especially girl bands. So imagine our excitement when we heard Parade are going to be jumping in the 'ol tour van with The Wanted and heading out on their upcoming series of arena dates. That's right! Parade + The Wanted, playing arenas!
Sounds like a pretty amazing pop show right? And remember, the Fanfair girls will be supporting too, so that's three great pop acts for the price of one ticket - pop deal of the year so far, I reckon!
The tour kicks off on February 15th in Nottingham and finishes on the 9th March in Dublin - don't miss it!
Parade and Christmas - two of the best things in life, seamlessly brought together for you right here. The girls recently did a fab photoshoot for Bliss magazine and you can see one of the shots above - we love it and think it taps into everything that's great about the fun-loving girlgroup and general festive cheer!
What do you do with a hot girl group on your hands? That's right, get them a cool promotion deal with beauty brand St Tropez for a new range of pocket-sized self-tan spray.
We think you'll agree the Parade girls are looking absolutely gorgeous in these new photos and help inject some much needed warmth and colour back into the cold winter days we've been having of late.
The St Tropez Perfect Legs spray is available from Superdrug stores and online at www.st-tropez.com/perfect-legs - priced at RRP £10.
It's a fascinating premise - could you survive on just twenty quid and a Blackberry if you were dumped somewhere in the wilderness (or rather, some rainy UK suburb)?
But that's exactly what girlband Parade will have to cope with as they become the latest to go Live And Lost in association with Blackberry. Following in the footsteps of Chipmunk and Rizzle Kicks, the girls must use their tight budget to somehow get to a gig hundreds of miles away. What will they do? Hitchhike, busk for a bit of extra cash? It's up to them.
You can catch the whole adventure on T4 on the 20th November. We'll definitely be watching!
It's one of our favourites from Parade's debut album - Weatherman!
Hard-core Parade fans will have heard the track performed acoustically at exclusive events like the Clean & Clear show in Hoxton, but the full studio version sees the track taking a decidedly R&B tilt.
What we love most about it though are the reedy 80s synths, and if you listen especially carefully, you'll even be able to hear actual raindrops. On the scale of song name/sound effects meta-relationships, this ranks pretty high for us.
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.
Parade's self-titled LP is one of our most eagerly awaited records of 2011 and the girls have treated us to a preview clip of one of the tracks - Shoes!
What's more, remember the super-cool animated video for the Parade album mini-mix earlier this year? Well they've done another one for Shoes, featuring, appropriately enough... lots of shoes!
Shoes goes for a smooth R&B vibe in line with Parade's hit single Perfume, we think it's great!
If anyone's in any doubt of how good girl-group Parade are as dancers, point them in the direction of this video.
Here, the feisty fivesome work through the complete routine for fan-favourite Rollercoaster, which I'm very pleased to see has been given a place on their album's tracklisting.
Those of you who remember the girls performing the track on tour will know how incredible it is - full on dance-pop brilliance. Personally, we can't wait to hear the full version on the album! Bring it on!
Earlier this week Parade announced that their long awaited debut album would definitely be coming out before Christmas - the 14th November to be precise. Fans have been hearing snippets of tracks from the girlband's record for a while now and it's exciting to see the album finally materialising.
The full tracklisting is as follows:
1. Louder
2. Like You
3. Ticking On It
4. Perfume
5. Just A Girl
6. Knock On My Door
7. Stars
8. Mr Right Now
9. Shoes
10. Pretty Ugly
11. Weatherman
12. Yes You Are
13. Rokstar
14. Rollercoaster
You can always count on the Parade girls to turn out a great little acoustic cover version of some of the biggest chart hits around at the moment. Carefree, laid-back, gorgeous harmonies - these are the essential ingredients of a Parade cover.
So, this time we see the girls sitting down in a park with their guitarist, with the remains of what looks like a picnic around them (plus some rather nice cushions) - their cover of choice this time? Ed Sheeran's The A Team.
Now, I'll be the first to admit I'm not a big fan of Ed Sheeran - in particular this track - but Parade's cover is absolutely gorgeous, one of their best versions to date. The song is one of those that seems to inherently benefit from a female vocal and the nice little adlibs and harmonies just seem to bring out a real tenderness in the track.
The hottest new girlband around, a super trendy venue in East London's Hoxton Square, coupons for free soft drinks, some great pop songs... oh, and lots and lots of balloons.
This was the scene for Parade's exclusive gig for skincare range Clean & Clear. With the venue kitted out with what seemed like a thousand helium filled balloons, little green crystals and plenty of sample bottles of facial wash, Parade took to the stage; fresh from their weekend slot at V Festival.
The girls played a fun, intimate set-list featuring hit singles Louder and Perfume as well as fan favourite cover versions Forget You, Yeah x3 and new addition Swagger Jagger.
The highlight for me came with one of the first ever performances of the full studio version of Ticking On It. A stripped-back version of the song with Bianca playing piano has been part of the girls' set for a while now but here we got the track in all its sunny, energetic glory.
There was also a gorgeous acoustic performance of new song Weather Man with Bianca playing along on the guitar - talk about multi-talented! What with these two new tracks, it's getting us even more excited for Parade's debut album - you can pre-order it on HMV here.
Here's a list of some of the tracks that should hopefully be ending up on it - snippets of them have appeared in the two mini-mixes the band have previously put up on YouTube for fans to hear:
Louder Shoes Weather Man Pretty Ugly Ticking On It Perfume Stars Knock On My Door Yes You Are Just A Girl Like You
I'm hoping my personal faves Rollercoaster and Rokstar end up on the final tracklisting too!
Back to the Clean & Clear gig and the amazing goody bags everyone was given - just take a look at all the fabulous stuff inside them!
Today One Direction debuted the video for their first single, What Makes You Beautiful - as you might have expected, it features lots of shots of the boys running around in the sea, generally exciting teen girls everywhere.
If you're looking for a version of the song with a bit more feminine charm though, look no further than Parade.
As with their recent cover of Swagger Jagger, they give the track a really nice little spin, adding their own touch and re-affirming why they're one of my favourite new groups at the moment.
It's the Number One single in the UK, and now hot new girlband Parade have done a cover of it!
I'm a big fan of the acapella versions the girls in the past; everyone will know their take on Born This Way that they frequently perform at live shows, and their Chris Brown cover is spot-on too.
What I like best about their version of Cher Lloyd's hit is that it really shows off their vocals - proper harmonies, transforming the track into a chilled out, soulful little number with real charm to it.
The girls are lining up for the release of their debut album in October and going by top pop tunes Louder and Perfume, it looks set to be a mega-success.
(There's a brilliant little style feature with the Parade girls in today's Sunday Mirror too - like The Saturdays before them, the tabloids and glossy mags have totally taken to the girls' street-smart glamour, a win-win situation for everyone!)
Parade's debut album (check out the cover shot above!) can be pre-ordered here.
OK, time to get really excited. I've been following hot new girl band Parade for a while now, and was overjoyed to hear them get their second Top 40 with Perfume a couple of weeks back.
Earlier in the day I caught up with the girls after an exciting exclusive performance at a flash bar under Chelsea's Stamford Bridge and they were all really thrilled with how well everything is going so far for them.
And now, with the release of their debut album on the horizon, they've released a new mega-mix of tracks from the album which you can download from their website now! How nice is that!
The mix features 'Perfume', 'Stars', 'Knock On My Door', 'Yes You Are', 'Just A Girl' and 'Like You' - All are brilliant, exactly the kind of fresh, modern pop I love and the band carries it really well. Seeing them increasingly frequently in the women's mags, they look stylish, trendy and every inch proper popstars.
Out of this crop though, I have to gush about Stars though because it's absolutely amazing - easily one of my favourite tracks the Parade girls have put out so far. It's something a little different for them, taking on a far more dancey angle, rocketing at you on a wave of trancey synths and feisty raps. Oh, and what's quite possibly my favourite lyric of the month: 'I've even got my own theme song!'
The first single proper from fesity new threesome Soundgirl, Don't Know Why is the kind of ingenious urban-tinted pop track that everyone wishes the Sugababes were still making. These girls are ones to keep an eye on.
One of the hottest new groups on the scene, Parade follow up debut Top 10 hit Louder with this deliciously catchy slice of R&B tinged pop. A real summer anthem if ever there was them, Perfume feels wonderfully British, and with its chanty chorus vocals, it’s one holiday essential you definitely need to buy before jetting off on your holidays.
Hard-Fi have been away for a while - but they sure announce their return with a bang on Good For Nothing. With it's Jay-Z inspired guitar riffs and rough, angled Stone Roses delivery, it's good old-fashioned Brit-rock - we like. A lot.
Previous album The Bachelor was met with mixed reviews, but Wolf's latest effort sees a triumphant return to the pop sensibilities he showcased on The Magic Position. A new, refined, more comfortable sound sees the enigmatic musician at his very best.
This week sees the release of Parade's brilliant second single Perfume and to celebrate, the band took to the stage at GAY dressed as school-girls. And if that wasn't enough, they rocked up at Westfield the next day to sign copies of their new CD as well as perform again.
With brightly coloured banners trailing down from the upper levels of the shopping centre, the band delighted fans with a six-song set including Chris Brown cover Yeah X3, Louder, Perfume, Ticking On It, Rokstar and an acapella version of Lady Gaga's Born This Way.
Shoppers definitely liked what they heard, taking a break from lightening their wallets to crowd the balconies overlooking the stage while the girls performed - rapturous bouts of applause greeting every track.
With slick dance routines, killer vocals and some lovely piano from band member Bianca, the day resounded with the professionalism and fun we've come to expect from the band.
With Perfume already surging into the iTunes top 50, the track looks set to follow in the footsteps of Louder and become another smash hit for the girls.
In this digital age of On Air/On Sale, b-sides are becoming something of an endangered species - so anyone who puts out real, quality tracks to back their latest chart smash are to be celebrated. Step in Parade, who's latest single Perfume comes accompanied by new track Just A Boy.
Going by the clip on YouTube, it sounds fantastic - big, epic echoey beats reminiscent of Beyonce (the verses are very Halo) and a lovely R&B flavour that sits well beside Perfume itself.
There's a delightful little chorus hook too of "I'm trying to let go, let go / I can't seem to get my heart to say no, say no", which we guarantee will be stuck in your head.
Parade are heading around the country this coming week to help promote Perfume with a series of CD signings - so we suggest you go along, buy the single, see the lovely girls themselves, getting yourself two brilliant tracks into the bargain! You can't say much fairer than that!
