On Your Radar - A speculative retrospective...

The sign of a good girl-band – and here we’re talking the ones that truly endure to place an indelible stamp on a decade of pop history – is how well they make that carefully balanced transition to ‘maturity’. Even the word itself is troublesome, because when we say ‘maturity’, we don’t mean mums dressed up all-sexy and riffing on the success of past glories (Spice Girls re-union anyone?). No, what we mean is that vital crux when the band crystallises within the public consciousness and take that step up to the next level, that degree of success where phrases like ‘national treasure’ and ‘pop greats’ can be employed with heft of not only long-standing enthusiasts, but with the voice of a nation whole.

Girls Aloud did it. Tangled Up (their fourth studio effort), via the cool, glacial beauty of Call The Shots, took them to the kind of band that could sell out arenas at the drop of a hat. Every member was a fully fledged celebrity (and woman) in their own right and with this album, that individualism was allowed to shine through in a way only glimpsed at before. It was a pop album that breathed richness and complexity in a way they only bettered in follow-up Out of Control.

And now the Saturdays stand at this point too – if we’re going by full studio albums (so Chasing Lights, Wordshaker and On Your Radar), they’re due their Tangled Up moment with their next release. And about time too. On Your Radar went by criminally underrated, charting poorly and receiving lukewarm reviews. Within a month of its release, it seemed to be already forgotten, in much the same way Wordshaker had before it. What was going wrong? What was stopping the Saturdays from becoming a band that could not only charm the airwaves with pop gems, but really make a stand in the album charts and linger around for weeks on end like your Adele types.

What did the reviewers (and perhaps more importantly, the public) want from On Your Radar? Maybe they wanted more depth, more meaning. But while On Your Radar might not be no 21, replete with love-lorn intensity and backstory, I’d argue it has meaning aplenty within it. As a pop album, it stands as brilliantly post-modern – an effort so sleekly synthesized that it almost becomes a girlband LP about being in a girlband. It posits the five Saturday girls as characters within their own contemporary drama, a world of celebrity get-ups, drink and glamour. It’s exciting, intoxicating; a world where the pace never dies and the every night holds its possibilities.

And this is the message the album sells to its fans. From the sexual politics and dancefloor allure of Get Ready Get Set and Move On U, the album propels itself forth on a hyper-drive of future-synths and breathy appeal. The album tells its listener: ‘this is the high life. We’re showing you what it’s like, now do you want a piece of it too?’. With a rub of well-oiled palms it invites you in throw the open door to a boutique paradise of hedonism, a sort of Great Gatsby for the pop age.

We hear the delectable Una Healy is working with Nerina Pallot on material for the next Saturdays LP – and for those in the pop-know, this is basically knee-tremblingly good stuff. Add in the fact there’ll be more Xenomania tracks (All Fired Up is for my money one of the best singles The Sats have ever released), and there really is the suggestion that the next Sats album could very well be ‘their’ Tangled Up. The girls still don’t have that long aspired-for No. 1 – maybe this time, that dream will finally become a reality. God knows, they deserve it.

Saint Etienne - Tonight

Amongst those whose eyes glaze over in ecstasy at the mere thought of certain Xenomania productions and other pop delights from the past ten years, Saint Etienne's new single Tonight will come like the embrace of a long lost friend, reunited at last.

In its dizzyingly soothing synth-spiral of electronic bliss the track marks a logical progression from the crystalline Method of Modern Love - it's intensely clever dance-pop; mature, clever, but most importantly possessed of the keen knowledge of what really, really works.

With former Xenomania man Tim Powell himself on production duties, the track shares all the beauty of some glorious Girls Aloud classic or a cut from the Pet Shop Boys stellar Yes album. Add in Sarah Cracknell's characteristically breathy vocals and Tonight sums up everything that make Saint Etienne such an enduringly wonderful part of British pop. A real gem of a track.

Best of all, Tonight is available as a free download from the band's website - a full album is due to follow later this year.

Latest tracks by Saint Etienne

Will we finally hear New Order's sessions with Xenomania?!

To put things simply, New Order are pretty much my favourite band of all time. If there's one other band they share that honour with, it's Girls Aloud. So the thought of finally getting to hear the fabled sessions conducted by New Order with Xenomania is positively off the scale of amazingness.

Xenomania's work with those other synth-pop giants of the 80s, the Pet Shop Boys, resulted in one of the best albums of 2009 in Yes, so the prospects for something truly special are high. I've always thought Girls Aloud's epic Untouchable sounded like a New Order out-take anyway.

So what exactly is happening? The agreement to release seven songs from New Order's final album Waiting For The Sirens' Call was reached by all the members of the band, including Peter Hook - now, we don't know for certain these seven songs are the ones made with Xenomania, but I really hope so.

Another track from the album sessions, Hellbent, was recently released on their Total compilation album, and represented a fitting summary of one of the greatest bands in music.

What's more, this news comes in the same week it's been announced that New Order will reform - without Peter Hook - for two special benefit gigs.

New order's acrimonious break-up feels like such a shame for one of the best bands ever - but in some small way, these gigs and the release of the sessions goes a little way to repairing that damage.

After all, it's better than nothing.

The Saturdays - All Fired Up

When I first heard Girls Aloud's masterpiece Sexy! No, No, No... I loved it right away. That feeling of eagerly listening in to a radio show, tuning in especially just to hear the new single from one of your favourite bands... there's nothing like it.

And so Sexy! No, No, No... became one of those rare songs that I absolutely loved from the out. No need for it to grow on me, the infatuation was there from the start - and the song remains to this date my favourite Girls Aloud single.

It brings me great pleasure then to be able to say that I'm experiencing all the same emotions with The Saturdays' spell-binding new single All Fired Up.

Initial reports and 30 second preview clips made it clear the track was a hyper-upbeat floorfiller, but hearing the full thing played on Radio 1 today, calling it merely a 'floorfiller' would be an understatement.

All Fired Up is positively alive, blasting away anything in its path with atomic levels of power and punch. Launching straight into the chorus straight from an ambient, moody intro, the Xenomania influence is clear.

For years the thoughts of The Sats working with Xenomania existed as a kind of Holy Grail of pop, a collaboration that seemed logical seeing as the band launched off the back of touring with Girls Aloud.

But of course, Xenomania in 2011 is in many ways a rather different creature to when dear Girls Aloud were putting out Tangled Up and Out Of Control, and it shows in All Fired Up. The DNA of tracks like Sexy! No, No, No... are there in the song; whether it be the structure, vocodered vocals or hectic pace. But it's an evolution of that sound - a FutureXenomania; a sleek space-rocket of pop amazingness that blasts away to stratospheric heights.

All Fired Up is the pop dance anthem to end all pop dance anthems - If there was a time when The Sats might finally claim that No. 1 single which is so overdue for them, then it is now.

With flirty, playful lyrics like 'we make the party super-naughty', All Fired Up is just as irresistible  - if not more so - as its forerunner Notorious was. And then there's Mollie's uber-cute 'We're all animal!' chant, oh, and Una's inspired 'Keep me on your radar...' outro, quite possibly my favourite bit from the song.

All Fired Up's real charm is that it channels repitition in a way that is impossibly exciting - by the time the song's finished you feel like you've already heard it ten times - and that's a good thing as it's So Damn Great!

This represents a big step for The Saturdays - in its entirety it sounds like nothing they've done before, yet zooming in, it stands as a very natural progression from what they began in Missing You and Notorious - now brought to full fruition.

It's The Saturdays go trance - and quite simply it sounds as brilliant in reality as it does on paper.
All Fired Up is released on the 2nd September and can be pre-ordered here.

Listen to The Saturdays All Fired Up & Ladykiller previews

Don't you just love it when Amazon/iTunes post those 30 seconds of preview of new songs ages before they're released? What this means is that we get to hear The Saturdays' frankly amazing new single All Fired Up, which gives its name to their upcoming winter tour.

Following in the more dancey tradition of Notorious, but stepping the drama and pace up another few notches, All Fired Up is a relentless onslaught of trance madness and My God does it sound good.

The lightning-quick repition of the chorus 'All Fired Up! I feel alive!' is hyper-catchy, channelling the song's energy and power on a non-stop track straight to your heart, delivering with it a massive shot of adrenaline. It's like the first time you ever drink Red Bull - but a hundred times better than that.

If this doesn't get you up on your feet dancing like it's your last night on Earth then I don't know what will. What's more, the track was written by Space Cowboy (he's done stuff for Lady Gaga!), Brian Higgins and Miranda Cooper (Xenomania - need no introduction!) and MNEK.

Meanwhile, Ladykiller looks set to continue the tradition of absolutely brilliant Sats b-sides. Their last effort Not That Kinda Girl stands as one of their best to date, so I have high hopes for the full length version of Ladykiller when it comes out.

Indeed, by this point in the Saturdays career you could quite easily put together a compilation of all their b-sides and it'd still be better than a good deal of other pop albums out there.

All Fired Up is released on the 2nd September.

Soundgirl - Don't Know Why

Soundgirl are the super-cool threesome about to blaze a trail of awesomeness across the UK - They've even worked with songwriting royalty in the form of Xenomania's Miranda Cooper, so there's a lot to get excited about. Their new single Don't Know Why represents a more straight-forward brand of pop than 'out there' taster track I'm The Fool, it wears its pop credentials on its sleeve and is all the more iinfectious for it. With its bouncy reggae feel and vibes of early Sugababes and All Saints' Rock Steady, its a revitalising shot of summery fun. There's even a little of Lily Allen's debut album to it too - remember that glorious time in 2006 where she came along and reminded us all that the UK stars could stand head and shoulders in the UK charts with their American cousins? Well Soundgirl channel that same essence and boy does it work for them - there's a refreshing confidence to their songs.

With its street-smart attitude and cutesy lyrics like 'I've been dreaming about the way you make me smile', Don't Know Why presents Soundgirl as instantly approachable and relatable to that crucial teen market. We've seen boy bands like The Wanted ride straight to the top of the charts of a tide of fan-power, and if Soundgirl can capture that same kind of audience and passion, they could quite easily do likewise. What's more, Don't Know Why is the perfect track to do it.

If all this has whetted your appetite, I'm The Fool is available as a free download from Soundgirl's official site.

Don't Know Why is released on the 20th June.

Are The Saturdays working with Xenomania on their new album?

With The Saturdays back from shooting their new video in LA, they were quick to hurry back into the studio, working on material for their new album. Una retweeted something very interesting indeed from producer Space Cowboy, who have remixed tracks for Lady Gaga and J Lo in the past:

"upp at Xeno studios listening and getting beats ready for Tha Satz sessions!"

Now, maybe this is just wishful thinking on my behalf but could 'Xeno studios' mean Xenomania?! How amazing would that be. A Saturdays song penned by those geniuses behind Girls Aloud's back catalogue would surely be a true pop masterpiece... Only time will tell.

INTERVIEW - Mini Viva

FROM APRIL 2010

The venue is London’s hallowed Hammersmith Apollo and I’ve come to see the dynamic pop duo that is Mini Viva.  Launched onto the music scene in 2009 with the irresistible Left My Heart In Tokyo, as the opening bars of that very track are met with a chorus of whoops and cheers from the audience, Mini Viva’s Frankee Connolly and Britt Love kick off their four track support slot for Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity in style.

Dressed in black, the two girls exude effortless chic, blasting through the song with an impressive energy. The choreography is slick and immaculately rehearsed; the perfect accompaniment to the crème-de-la-creme of pop music. Next we’re treated to the shimmering, melancholy vibes and dreamy synths of I Wish and the epic balladry of Emotions of Love, a standout track from the girls’ forthcoming debut studio album. Even within such a short set-list, Mini Viva pack in versatility, showcasing that they’re just as skilled at down-tempo numbers as the dancey singles which have led them to chart success.

The highlight of the night comes in the form of new single One Touch. With a delightful refrain of ‘Do you wanna candy, hey baby’, it’s quite simply one of the best pop tracks to come out of the UK this year. Feisty to the max and packed full of attitude and catchy hooks, all wrapped up in the girls’ sultry vocal delivery, it’s mindblowingly good stuff.

Before the gig I sat down with the girls for a chat and they filled me in on what it means to be Mini Viva.  The duo currently broadcast a weekly webchat on social networking site Twitter, giving fans a unique insight into their lifestyle.

“To us, all our fans are really important and to have an interaction with them is even better,” say the girls.  It’s through mediums like this that fans really see the band grow and Frankee outlines Mini Viva’s own beginnings.  “We had to work so hard, and we’re still working now.  When we weren’t even signed we would go gigging in these really grungy places in London.  It was good for us, it got us that experience.”

“We’ve performed for all different types of audiences now; we’ve learnt to be strong,” adds Britt.  “When we performed for Clubland people would be throwing glowsticks and being crazy and I think it’s made us realise we’re going to come across people who’ll either love us or hate us.”

And what’s the best thing for them performing live?

“It’s the vibe, feeding off people.  When you see people singing the words, enjoying themselves and dancing it just gives you that extra oomph!  Sometimes it’s hard for us because we don’t normally mime so when we do stuff for TV we have to do pre-records and it feels weird because we prefer singing live and with a band.”

Mini Viva are renowned for working with production house Xenomania, the team behind some of the finest pop records around.  Led by chief writers Brian Higgins and Miranda Cooper, from their recording studios in the heart of Kent they lead their assault on the British charts, having penned hits for the likes of Girls Aloud, Kylie and the Sugababes.

“When you’re in the studios it’s a totally different experience to on stage,” say the girls.  “Xenomania are amazing and we go there to write music - we never feel tense though, it’s really relaxing. Brian and Miranda have taught us so much.  With I Left My Heart In Tokyo, even though it was their song, we put our vocal influences on it.  And especially with One Touch, we co-wrote that with them and it feels like ours.  It’s like our baby.”

I then quizzed the girls on their musical influences and how they felt they slotted into the current music scene,

“TLC, Destiny’s Child, All Saints, En Vogue – all those greats from back in the day, they were so strong.  There hasn’t been a girlband like that for a long time.  We just take influence from all their little things.  We wouldn’t want to copy anyone else so we look at other bands from the past, take out what’s good about them and try and add that into our own style.  There’s so many amazing, strong female artists out there at the moment too like La Roux, Lady Gaga, Beyonce...  That’s what we want to be like.”

And can the girls envision what route their lives might have taken if they hadn’t become singers?

“Before I was doing this I was just at college studying to be a make-up artist but now I’ve got my music career, I don’t think I could have ever done that.  I can’t imagine anything else, It’s really strange!” explains Frankee.

Fate, it seems, has worked out just right.  Going back to the girls’ new single One Touch and its confectionary-based lyrics, the question had to be asked, what was the girls’ favourite sweet?

“Mine has to be jelly babies!” says Britt.

“I love those long red things with all the sugar on them.  Strawberry laces!” enthuses Frankee.

And if the girls had to describe One Touch in just three words...

“Feisty.  Cheeky.  Sugary!  It’s definitely feisty, but it’s got that sweetness to it too.”

The girls go on to explain about their eye-catching music videos, including their work with Norwegian director Ray Kay, who was also the brains behind Cheryl Cole’s Fight For This Love video.

“He likes to do really iconic stuff like that and he definitely brought that to Left My Heart In Tokyo too.  There’s like two million views or something of it on YouTube.  It’s incredible!  In the One Touch video we’ve got bright make-up on, but we didn’t want it to be too much, like really kiddy.  We like to keep a kind of Japanese inspired style to us too.”

The girls also revealed what it was like getting accustomed to the high-energy lifestyle that comes with performing live and dancing in music videos and on stage.

“I remember when we supported The Saturdays on tour - it was only about a year ago but it feels like a million miles away now and it was a shock to our system as it was the first tour we ever did,” says Britt.  “Now that we do more dance moves we’re more used to it and it feels more comfortable, so yes, we do have to train hard.”

“When we first started out it was hard trying to sing and dance at the same time, we were like getting out of breath, thinking how do people do that!  But now it just comes naturally,” adds Frankee.

At some point in every artists’ career, there’s always the opportunity for a spot of collaboration and the girls are eager to chat about the subject,

 “We’d love to do something with Jay-Z, maybe Will.I.Am... definitely some American artist.  We’ll be going over there soon so hopefully something might happen - we’re on the same record label as Will.I.Am and the Black Eyed Peas.  The R&B/Hip-Hop thing is really in at the moment – people like N-Dubz... Tinie Tempah...  He actually asked us ages ago if we could collaborate.  But first we just want to get our album out there though, so people know who we are, and then we can think about starting to collaborate.”

Soundgirl - I'm The Fool

I'm The Fool is a relentless, full on energy rush. The debut single from new British girlband trio Soundgirl, it's a feisty, catchy-as-hell pop track with a razor sharp urban edge. There's something of an early Sugababes to the band, they carry that same effortless attitude and swagger. But Soundgirl's sound is distinctly 'now'. Touching on some of the sounds being pushed across the Atlantic by the best in American Hip-Hop and R&B, the mechanical beats and auto-tuned male backing vocals mark I'm The Fool out from the crowd. It's the super-cool kid at school that everyone wanted to know.

Fresh from supporting Pixie Lott on tour, Soundgirl front up that same accessibility that made Miss Lott such a hit. The infectious-ness of tracks like Boys And Girls, it's all present in I'm The Fool too. And you'd expect that too, coming from such songwriting royalty as Miranda Cooper, the woman behind some of the best pop tracks of the last ten years. Kylie's Giving You Up... The Sugababes Red Dress... pretty much the entirety of Girls Aloud's back catalogue... When it comes to pop music, you can't get much better than that. Cooper is the hottest ticket in town when it comes to songwriting and he stamp is all over I'm The Fool, it's one of those songs that make sure you won't forget them; radio-perfect melodies and vocals, but with a real credibility and staying power. Soundgirl represent something new and exciting, and if this is the start, we can't wait to hear what they do next.

I'm The Fool is released 18th April.