31 May: Duffy Live@Wychwood Festival, Cheltenham

Duffy performed a set at the Wychwood Festival today.

FestivalSpy got a few vids of Duffy's set. Warwick Avenue is below:


Tim Cheeseman got some great photos:

30 May: Duffy Live@ Venue Cymru, Llandudno

Tonight Duffy sang live at Venue Cymru, Llandudno.

If you have any setlist info/pics/vids/reviews please let me know.



Thanks to sas88sas for some quality videos from this gig!
'Please Stay' (Cryin' Shames cover) is below!

Oh Boy (Rockferry B side) is below:


Delayed Devotion:


Serious:


Rockferry:


Syrup&Honey:


Kevins978 got the following vids:
I'm Scared -


Mercy -


Syrup&Honey -

30 May: MTV NYC Exclusive Duffy Photo Shoot

Not sure how long this gallery by MTV has been around, but Ben Ritter's photos of Duffy are so good I thought I should post them.

30 May: I like this review

I like this review.

Duffy — she offers an easy recipe for good music. Her album insert is eight simple pages of black background with a selection of lyrics printed in white. The cover is a black and white shot of her face. (No black pleather leotard, with mouth open and legs spread.) And her music is a recognizable, well-sung, well-played, well-written blend of good ol’ school funk and a modern sensibility for alt-pop. The lyrics are unfussy, but then again it is refreshing to not have to ponder over seemingly impenetrable verses or be hit over the head with life-altering poetics.

29 May: Duffy interview (New Zealand TV)

Click here to watch the 5 min video.

Duffy, The Next Big Thing
Many of us are used to the 'next big thing' in British music.

So many 'next big things', yet so few that got that big, or stayed big for very long at all.

When a young woman called Duffy from a tiny community in Wales started getting talked up, it seemed like business as usual with a Welsh spin.

But Duffy is good, increasingly popular and has a rich soul voice for a woman of 23.

Campbell Live spoke to Duffy about her career and discovered she is a thoroughly good sort.

29 May: Duffy Live@ Manchester Ritz

Tonight, Duffy was live at the Manchester Ritz. If anyone has setlist info/pics/videos/reviews please leave a comment.

Please Stay:


Oh Boy:


Warwick Avenue is below:


Clip of Mercy:


Review below is from here.
Duffy @ The Ritz by Deborah Linton

IN a baby-doll dress and declaring herself 'a good Welsh girl' Duffy's sugary sweet image is out the window with one blast of her soul siren voice.

Launching straight into the bluesy 'Syrup and Honey' from her debut album, Rockferry, the soul sensation of the moment promised to deliver to the excited and expectant crowd that packed out The Ritz for her.

The self-assured 23-year-old dropped her first name – Aimee – both personally and professionally four years ago. And since being launched into the mainstream she has worked to drop the myriad of comparisons to the soul superstars that have preceded her and her retro, Motown-soaked tracks.

Duffy and A&M Records stable mate, Adele, were launched as 'the new Amys' – Winehouse – while her whispy vocals, blonde do, and smokey eyes all hark to Dusty Springfield.

The pint size stature and powerhouse voice are reminiscent of a young Lulu – but these are all parallels Duffy is keen to expel.

She does not want to be an imitator and her commanding and flirtatious performance confirms that the former waitress from the north Wales town of Nefyn is determined to put her own stamp on the industry.

Cooley belting out title track Rockferry – named after the area of The Wirral and birthplace of her father – and the soulful 'Serious', she takes a breather and working to preserve the naive, home girl image quips 'this is really close to Wales - I might pop home for a cup of tea later'.

Northern Soul boys

She dedicates the next track, 'Delayed Devotion', to the Northern Soul boys who featured in the video to her chart-topping career launcher 'Mercy' and were among the crowd.

The emotionally bruised lyrics of 'Hanging on Too Long', 'Scared' and the superb 'Stepping Stone' are definitive of Duffy's heartbreak infused sound. She's quick to admit she has 'a few ex-boyfriends in Manchester' and if they've inspired this kind of performance then she's something to be thankful for.

With only a handful of well-known songs and just 10 album tracks in total Duffy lets the crowd in on some well-received B-sides including the touch-of-disco 'Tomorrow', studio jam 'Put it in Perspective' and the stripped down 'O Boy' which she proudly informs her fans is the track that got her discovered.

As the '60s sounds run, it comes as no surprise that her only cover is a captivating rendition of Burt Bacharach's 'Please Stay' which sounds as though he could have written it just for her. In fact it is arranged for her by record producer and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler.

Her chart successes 'Warwick Avenue' – a wistful ballad, perhaps most reminiscent of the Bacarach era – and the explosive 'Mercy' which fired her into the mainstream earlier this year have the crowd delighted.

Encore 'Distant Dreamer' seals the deal. No imitations – Duffy has arrived.

29 May: Music is a piece of cake for Duffy

This feature appeared today on the BBC website.

Music is a piece of cake for Duffy

By Ian Youngs
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

With the UK's best-selling album of the year so far and an enthusiastic welcome in the US, Welsh soul singer Duffy has taken just six months to become the world's favourite new star.

Yet she is not interested in fame, she says.

"Do you want a cake?"

Duffy has only just sat down, but cannot contain her excitement about a basket of goodies at reception.

She gets up and returns with two buns topped with stars and stripes icing. Her debut album has just gone straight to number four in the US, and her record label has sent novelty baked goods to celebrate.

"Isn't that amazing?" she bubbles.

"This is for the American debut. Normally people would send artists champagne and the like. But me, cake. What does that say about my personality? Sweet?"

Her label has reason to be pleased. As well as her swift and seemingly painless US conquest, Duffy's album Rockferry has sold more than 600,000 copies in the UK, where her single Mercy was number one for five weeks and its follow-up Warwick Avenue is now in the top 10.

But as she begins talking, disaster strikes. With a gesture of her hand, Duffy's celebratory cake flies through the air and lands upside down with the thick icing sticking to her manager's wooden floor.

"Oh my God!" she shouts. "No, no - two second rule!"

She leans over and picks up it.

"Look, it never happened." Shoving it into her mouth whole, she mumbles joyously: "No-one will ever know."

Keeping it real

Those few words probably sum up Duffy better than an in-depth interview. She clearly does not belong to the breed of preened and paranoid celebrities who would never be seen dead eating a cake, let alone scooping one off a floorboard of questionable cleanliness.

She is not your average Spice Girl.

"I'm not lying to you, that was my breakfast and I probably only woke up about an hour ago," Duffy says.

"Threw things into a bag and left my house. People offer me hair and make-up all the time, but I do my own hair and make-up, wear what I want, say what I want and I feel as though that's the only way to survive.

"I'm just trying to be myself, not trying to kid myself. So I just kinda want to be real with it, because that's the only way I'm going to keep my sanity."

In a post-Winehouse world, the 23-year-old subscribes to the belief that image is less important and quality cannot be manufactured. "People want something that's real."

Her attitude towards image and fame can be traced back to her early attempts at pop stardom.

In her teens, Duffy "wanted the world and I thought I could achieve it", she says, speaking of a "dangerous ambition where I thought I could make a record".

But she continues with some bitterness: "I knew what I wanted for many years but people used me a lot along the way as a vehicle for their vision, not mine.

"And so I really pulled back when I was about 18 and decided I couldn't achieve what I wanted, I couldn't go all the way in music.

"I think then my shift changed completely and I just became almost a quite withdrawn singer."

Struggling with fame

After accepting that she would never realise her dream - or so she thought - she decided to make music just for her own fulfilment.

But once you stop looking for something, you often find it, as they say, and that personal project became Rockferry.

"And so now I get this place," she explains. "I made a record that was just about music. No dreams, no ambitions, no expectation, nothing. I just made a bunch of songs.

"The pop star thing really, really wasn't at all in my mind or a priority. I didn't want to be famous. I still don't want to be famous."

Six months into her newfound career, she is still learning how to deal with the attention and speaks with some bewilderment about how an album that was so personal to her has also become so personal to others.

One of the hardest things to handle is when people tell her she is amazing, she says. "I don't really know what that means, and I don't dwell on it but it doesn't make me feel any different.

"I feel like they're just being nice. I don't look for that reassurance. I'm not longing for people to tell me I'm great. I don't do this to be loved - I make music because I love music."

But like it or not, she is a pop star - so what is her new life like?

"The door's open to everything," she says. "You can go where you want, you can do what you want, you can have what you want.

"But I just don't want any of that. I don't want to become self-indulgent and consume everything you can possibly consume.

"My nan used to have a motto, which was: 'When you stop wanting, you stop wanting to live.' I don't want to have everything.

"So when the door's open to everything, I have to step back and say I don't want to fill my life with meaningless shit.

"Everything is meaningless unless it's something you're passionate about and believe in, and that's the music."

28 May: Duffy in the Movies

Yes, yes we know... LOL
The Daily Star printed this today. Their photo looks like it is from the Paul O'Grady show which aired on Monday 26th.

DUFFY IN THE MOVIES

WORKAHOLIC Duffy toasted her US success by recording new music for a movie.

The girl from Gwynedd’s Rockferry debut landed at No4 on America’s album chart last week.

But instead of throwing a boozy party, the Welsh warbler, 23, went back to the studio with producer Bernard Butler.

The ex-Suede man, 38, told me: “We celebrated the other day by recording a song. That’s as far as me and Duffy get to celebrate, going into the studio to make music.”

The pair have recorded a cover of Joe Meek’s Please Stay for a new film about the pioneering 60s producer’s life.
Bernard continued: “It’s based on the stage play Telstar: The Joe Meek Story, and stars Nick Moran.

“Duffy’s done the song for the playout credits, Please Stay – a great track and the last song Joe Meek recorded before he died.”

It’s the first new material Duffy has recorded since becoming an international star but Bernard insists success suits his muse.

He added: “She’s born to do it, a genuine star. The bigger she gets, the better she sounds.”

28: Duffy comments on Jay-Z@Glasto

The below interview is from Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk.....

Artist Spotlight: Duffy

In the first of a new series of interviews with acts playing at this year's Festival, we called up Welsh songster Duffy who's shot to worldwide success with the retro-tinged sound of her 'Rockferry' album. She plays the Other Stage on Saturday June 28th.

Hi Duffy. Will Glastonbury be the first festival you've performed at?
No, I played at Coachella this year, in the stifling desert heat. It was quite prim and well-behaved, to be honest. I'm not expecting that at Glastonbury.

Have you been to Glastonbury before?
No, never.

What are your impressions of it?
It looks massive and I get a sense of good ethics. And everyone goes there to have a blinder. People seem to work the whole year round just to have that weekend off for Glasto.

Are you going for the whole weekend?
Absolutely. I'm gonna pitch my tent, take my wellies and get knee deep.

Really?
Yes! Although, they have booked a posh hotel for me too. But out of principle, I'm only going to go there to wash my lady bits. Camping at Glastonbury is a must! So I'm gonna get myself a funky tent. And, I'm not gonna lie to you, I'll probably be having a couple of parties in it.

Do you have much camping experience?
Slim to none.

Have you ever slept in a tent?
Um, no. I've always wanted a guy to take me away on a camping weekend, but I've never been invited on one. People assume that I'm not into that stuff, but I'm actually slightly rough around the edges! Camping is my ideal holiday. The guy gets to be all macho and if it's raining outside you can snuggle up in the tent. I'm not really into sun-bathing and all that.

As you're staying for the whole weekend, are you planning to see a lot of bands?
Without a shadow of a doubt.

Is there anyone you're particularly looking forward to?
Jay-Z. I genuinely think he's a great musician.

Has it surprised you that there's been criticism of his appearance?
Well, nothing surprises me any more, but I was quite intrigued by it. It hadn't really crossed my mind that his appearance might be a problem. I've seen him live and it was one of the best shows I've ever been to.

Where did you see him?
At the Royal Albert Hall in London. He had these great string arrangements and was just an amazing showman. It was really fun and you left feeling good. I'm completely excited about seeing him again.

Anyone else you're looking forward to?
The Raconteurs.

They're on at exactly the same time as you.
Oh no! What were the chances?! How about MGMT?

They're on the Friday night, so you can see them.
I'm gonna try to get to that then. Apparently I've got a crush on the lead singer. Or so it said in print somewhere.

Is that true?
Well, I suppose there is an element of truth to it.

Is it odd reading about yourself in the papers?
I don't even read it, I hear about it from other people. They'll be like, "I didn't know you snogged that guy from Gavin And Stacey".

Did you snog that guy from Gavin And Stacey?
No! I didn't even meet him. I've never clapped eyes on him, let alone plonked my lips on him.

Anyway, back to Glastonbury. Do you decide which festivals you play at?
Definitely. I get a say in everything I do. But I often have actual physical fights with my diary. It's like mud wrestling.

How so?
Well, it's a dirty job dealing with the diary and it's also very physical and strenuous.

Right. So, what's the biggest crowd you've played to so far?
I think it was about 12,000 people at Big Weekend. I really enjoyed that.

There could well be double that for your Other Stage gig.
Really? That's massive.

Are you confident playing to huge crowds like that?
Well, I'm always nervous, because I don't quite think of myself as a performer yet, y'know? I still think of myself as a singer. I'll just have to see how it goes. It is always slightly scary playing live, cos you just don't know what response you're gonna get.

Is it nice seeing people singing your songs back to you, now that you've had hits?
Oh, that's the highlight. That's what makes it all worth doing. The reason I make music is so that it can become part of people's lives. And at a festival, you get the opportunity to play to an audience that maybe wouldn't listen to your stuff otherwise.

There are rumours that you may be appearing elsewhere on the site during the weekend.
Possibly. There may be some secret Duffy moments. But I can't tell you about them.

Hopefully it will be very sunny, but are you prepared for bad weather? Can you deal with rain and mud?
Oh, coming from Wales, I embrace that stuff. I love a bit of proper British weather. I was raised on a farm, afterall.

Really?
Yes. So don't be expecting any sparkly wellies like Ms Bassey from me. I'll be the one clad in an all-in-one farmer's rain suit!

[END ARTICLE]


The above interview has been picked up today by NME. Their article is below:

Duffy: 'Why is Jay-Z at Glastonbury a problem?'
Singer backs the rapper for the Somerset festival
May 28, 2008

Duffy has lent her support to Jay-Z, who is set to headline the Glastonbury festival next month (June 28) despite a bout of criticism about the organisers' choice.

The Welsh singer said she didn't understand why the decision to book the rapper had been slammed by the likes of Oasis' Noel Gallagher.

Noel Gallagher lashed out at the choice of Saturday night headliner, saying that hip-hop was "wrong" for the Somerset festival. Jay-Z responded by calling for more respect between musical genres.

Speaking to Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk, Duffy said she was looking forward to seeing Jay-Z more than any other artist performing at the bash.

"I genuinely think he's a great musician," she said. "I was quite intrigued by it [the criticism he received]. It hadn't really crossed my mind that his appearance might be a problem. I've seen him live and it was one of the best shows I've ever been to.

"[I saw him] at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He had these great string arrangements and was just an amazing showman. It was really fun and you left feeling good. I'm completely excited about seeing him again."

28 May: DUFFY - DUFFY OWES CAREER TO NOSE-BREAKING SISTER

Watch a Duffy interview on itv.com!

The below text from the same page:

Duffy's nose for music. Duffy explains how a bloody nose and a
psychic doctor inspired her career.

Duffy has revealed that she has a broken nose and a psychic doctor to thank for her successful singing career.

The Welsh chart sensation, whose debut album Rockferry has topped the charts, told itv.com that the bizarre incident came about when she was only four years old and her sister blindfolded her to play a game of chase around the garden.

Duffy said: “She forgot I was blindfolded. I ran into a fence and broke my nose… I went to the doctor, nose broken, everything was a mess, I was screaming and everybody was really upset. And the doctor said one day she’ll be a really good singer.”

Meanwhile, the star has also revealed that, despite her initial fear of fame, she now doesn’t give two hoots if she is caught looking worse for wear by fans – and has even dubbed herself “scruffy Duffy”.
[END ARTICLE]

Contactmusic.com have also picked up on this 'story'. Their article is below:

DUFFY - DUFFY OWES CAREER TO NOSE-BREAKING SISTER

British soul star DUFFY is thankful to her sister for breaking her nose when she was younger - because the accident helped her to develop her trademark singing voice.
The singer, famed for her husky Welsh tones, recalls being terrified after the incident - but she is now convinced the injury was actually a blessing in disguise.
The Mercy hitmaker, real name Aimee Ann Duffy, tells ITV.com, "When I was four-years-old my sister blindfolded me and chased me round the garden. She forgot that I was blindfolded and I ran into a fence and broke my nose. I remember it as well because it was so extreme, and I was really worried.
"I went to the doctor, I had broke my nose, everything was a mess. I was screaming and upset, and the doctor said, 'Don't worry. One day, she'll be a really good singer.'
"So, I don't know - maybe I owe it to my sister for breaking my nose!"
[END ARTICLE]

27 May: Duffy Live@ The Leadmill, Sheffield

Tonight Duffy was live at the Leadmill in Sheffield! AND I WAS THERE TO SEE IT! Wow it was my first Duffy gig and she didn't disappoint - Duffy is excellent live!

My husband and I arrived at 6:35PM on Leadmill Road in the centre of Sheffield city. It was only 12 miles away from our home and we found some free parking around the corner, although there was plenty of paid car parks in the area and even a limited amount parking on Leadmill Road itself. When we arrived there was already a queue of about 30 or 40 people. ALL ages were there - 15 year olds with their parents, students, middle aged and even older were in attendance. There was one much older guy we spotted (complete with zimmer frame that folded onto a highish seat).It just shows Duffy's wide appeal...

The doors opened just after 7pm and we all filed in... the place was obviously empty and we got a good view of the room and stage. Not very big, it lived up to its classic club reputation. The place looked dingey frankly, but for a small place tucked away on the back streets of Sheffield city (in a very studenty area) I guess it is what we expected! My mother said that she went to the Leadmill in the 80s and looking at it I doubted whether it had changed much since then. The total capacity (and it no doubt reached full capacity by later on) was probably only a few hundred - 300-400 is my estimate. I have seen school-hall larger and school stages higher!
We queued at a bar and perched on the retro springy tables and stools (not retro style, more like retro - I have a feeling they were genuine vintage from the 80s LOL).

Anyway, at 7:10pm we went back to the stage and there was already a couple of rows of people standing there just bleakly staring at the stage! Naturally, we joined them, picking a place in the centre, and continued to stand there for the next TWO HOURS until Duffy the band came on stage. It was really quite boring and tiring... Very loud music was continually thudding so you had to scream in each other's ears to be heard so we just stood there while the place slowly got fuller and fuller and we got more and more squished together LOL. I could have done with that guy's zimmer which converted to a seat, and I'm only 26 LOL. At about 8:45PM 3 kids with drinks came and shoved infront of the middle aged woman beside me. She tapped them on the shoulder and told them to buzz off and get to the back and they did... She too had been standing there for 2 hours and it was enough to bring out the 'school teacher' in her apparently.

Then at about 9:10PM Duffy and the band came out and played the following set, which took 60 minutes.

FULL SETLIST:
Syrup&Honey
Rockferry
Serious
Breaking My Own Heart (Duffy stopped this part way through)
Please Stay (Cryin' Shames cover)
Oh Boy
Warwick Avenue
Delayed Devotion
Stepping Stone
Hanging on Too Long
Put it in Perspective
Tomorrow
Mercy
(They then disappeared for a couple of mins before returning for the encore.)
ENCORE:
I'm Scared
Distant Dreamer


Duffy's voice was abolutely superb - very loud, it just filled the entire space. Her voice was just like on her record. When they recorded Rockferry there was obviously no 'tweaking' or messing about and you just know that when you hear her live.

But because of her very wide appeal I think some arena concerts (where the punters actually get a seat and don't have to stand for 3 and a half hours solid) will be well-received.



I managed to take a camera to the gig...
I have a couple of pics (not many as the camera was a bit dogdy compared to what I am used to -I didn't take my trusty 350D DSLR because I figured it would be too bulky... and also the 350D has no video.)

So like I say I borrowed this camera (Fuji 100) and, once I realised how load it was in there, I was expecting the video to be all crackly and no good (like many youtube vids turn out). This was the first time I had used the camera and if I'd have realised how good the vids came out then I would have concentrated a bit more on them and maybe filmed a bit more than I did....

EVERYTHING I filmed is below. Please forgive me for being such an amateur (I've never filmed anything before to be honest and only got the camera to practise with a couple of hours before we set of for the gig). Trying not to annoy people, I turned off the back screen and so didn't have an easy view of what I was filming exactly - sometimes you are lucky that Duffy is in the shot at all LOL!

So here goes... the first one is a snippet of Syrup&Honey - sorry I cut this short but it was the first song and I was more bothered about watching the show, taking photos (which I was doing with the same piece of equipment as the filming) and working out how to use the video function in the dark LOL.
I find it quite annoying when all the youtube vids cut the songs short LOL but since I didn't catch the start anyway.... gives you an idea anyway. ;-)

'Breaking My Own Heart' was the next one I attempted to record and this time it wasn't my fault that it was cut short... Duffy stopped this part way through saying she wasn't having any fun: She said 'Please Stay' was on her mind so she couldn't continue, saying 'It's like sleeping with a man whilst thinking about someone else'. LOL
I don't know whether she dislikes the song, feels she is having key problems or what but she did the exact same thing at Coachella last month. EDIT: Replying to the message - yes there were sound problems at Coachella at first, when she re-started the opening song Rockferry, but BMOH was totally unrelated - it was later in the set and she stopped the band saying the same words, that she 'wasn't having any fun'. Download the MP3 of the Coachella gig from the left hand box.

After stopping 'Breaking My Own Heart' part way through, Duffy started talking and I realised that it was going to be the song that not many folks had heard her sing before (she performed it at Cardiff so I heard, but no where else yet as far as I know) so I managed to find the video button in the dark yet again and managed to get the whole song! This was the best vid I think.... all downhill from there LOL
So here it is below - Please Stay (Cryin' Shames cover, which she and Butler recently recorded for the soundtrack of the new Joe Meek movie, "Telstar").

Oh Boy (Rockferry B side) is below:

Delayed Devotion is below. Sorry about the vid being all over the place! Everyone was jumping up and down at this song and I was getting jostled, but I kept it going for the audio...

Put it in Perspective is the next one I attempted to film. Having never heard Duffy live I was enjoying the show and filming one-handed but at least the audio is pretty good considering... I tried to film the songs that we haven't seen much of to be honest and since this one was only released on Monday I figured this one counted! ;-)

Tomorrow is my favourite Duffy song I think... I was hoping they would play it live and they did! Duffy said, "This one is one for the boys... Boys with their toys... The guys with the guitars kind of like this one so I put it in for them. I like singing it aswell... but it's about you not me..." LOL
The video is below - again I was dancing (along with everyone else)and we were so squished there was really much choice about the dancing LOL and with no back screen on it was a little hopeless so I had just about given up at this stage LOL I'm surprised I didn't just leave it swinging round my neck as it might just have ended up with a better video LOL. Still, since it's Duffy it's worth it just for the audio, right?

And to the encore... Duffy and the band came back out and played 'I'm Scared'. The lights changed so it was really dark with a green tinge and they even pumped stage smoke out onto the stage which soon envelopped us in the front few rows... I heard people saying "I'm Scared, are you scared?!" in mock horror LOL. So 'I'm Scared' is below. Sorry about the jiggling, we were all so squished together at this point I couldn't keep it still and then when you get the view of the ceiling LOL that is when there was some kind of incident over on my left. I didn't see what it was,but everyone was distracted a little (even Duffy looked over) as ALL the security guys at the front dived over there... and then quickly returned. Don't know what happened, whether it was false alarm or what. I realised at the time the video would be rubbish but I kept it going fort he audio as I know a couple of folks over on the Americanfo rum who claim "I'm Scared" as their favourite on the album and I don't think weh ave seen/heard it live, have we?

A tiny snippet of the final song Distant dreamer is below. I only filmed a few seconds and then someone behind was bugging me to stop, so since it was the last song and I had already filmed a couple of songs I did as they requested....

Well that's it on the videos - hope you like them. ;-)

I also took a few photos and I have put them all below: