Thursday, July 31, 2008

31 Jul: Duffy Live@ First Avenue, Minneapolis

Tonight Duffy kicked off her US tour at First Avenue, Minneapolis.

SETLIST:
1. Syrup & Honey
2. Rockferry
3. Hanging on Too Long
4. Serious
5. Breaking My Own Heart
6. Warwick Avenue
7. Cry To Me (cover)
8. I’m Scared
9. Delayed Devotion
10. Stepping Stone
11. Tomorrow
12. Mercy

ENCORE
13. Oh Boy
14. Distant Dreamer


If you have pics, vids, reviews please leave a comment!

The below review is from the Star Tribune here.

Concert review: Unnatural stage presence mars Duffy's appearance


Unnatural stage presence mars First Avenue appearance by British sensation Duffy.

Last update: August 1, 2008 - 12:19 AM

Why are U.S. music fans so skeptical of every Next Big Thing from England? Is it because of the hype generated by the British press? England's quirky tastes? Too many one-hit wonders? Too many acts that just don't translate here?

It was easy to be skeptical Thursday night about the Twin Cities debut of Duffy, 24, whose "Rockferry" is the biggest-selling album in England thus far this year. She had no history of performing in clubs after being discovered on Wales' version of "American Idol" in 2003. Earlier this year, she received mixed reviews for her U.S. performances at Coachella, South By Southwest and the Apollo Theater. And there's been quite a bit of backlash about her back in Britain.

The first night of her first formal U.S. tour at First Avenue left this first impression: Intriguing voice, cool retro sound and striking presence, but unnatural, affected performing style and too many midtempo tunes.

This 65-minute, '60s-flavored performance would have been more effective in grainy black-and-white, but Duffy was all red, white and blonde. She had glossy red high heels, lips and earrings to go with her short, poufy white sundress (think Marilyn Monroe in "Seven-Year Itch") and long blonde hair in a ponytail (think a leggy Kristen Chenoweth). Her songs mostly sounded like 1960s soul and girl-group pieces, her echoy, girlish but potent voice enveloped in a wall of sound (think Dusty Springfield with Lulu's voice).

Duffy (born Aimee Ann Duffy) received an enthusiastic reception from the full house at First Avenue, but her flirty performance was very mannered. She was a mixture of fetching wholesomeness and coy coquette. She paraded around the stage like a burlesque dancer, acting out her songs, twirling her microphone cord more like a take-it-off stripper than the Who's Roger Daltrey. Then she would strike a pose at song's end: Side to the audience, head cocked back and hands frozen in a fanciful dance. Everything she did onstage seemed calculated and self-conscious.

Musically, Duffy's songs seemed geared more for the radio than the stage. "Warwick Avenue," her second hit in England, was a seductively retro Southern ballad, defined by its lazy bass line. It was one of the few times when she sang a song instead of acted it out; same thing happened with her rendition of the '60s soul chestnut "Cry to Me." The night's big payoff, of course, was the U.S. and U.K. hit "Mercy," a foot-stomping '60s soul workout and the only truly uptempo tune in her set.

However, one terrific song does not the Next Big Thing make -- even if the singer is from England.


To respond directly to this article post a comment here.

31Jul: Watch Duffy Live At Lollapalooza

If you can't make the trip to Chicago to see Duffy play the Lollapalooza Festival - don't despair, you can watch her whole set live and direct when it streams on AT+T's Blue Room webcast.

Visit The Blue Room website at 4:30PM CST on Saturday, August 2nd to check out Duffy's performance.

31 Jul: Duffy's Shopping Spree in London (26th July)

Duffy on a shopping spree on Kings Road in London, 2008-07-26

Duffy, treats herself to a Saturday afternoon shopping spree at Wilde One's, an Aladdin's cave, crammed full of items, artefacts and delights from around the world, on Kings Road in London, England.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

30 Jul: WHO IS DUFFY'S CELEB FRIEND?

This article appeared in the Express today:

WHO IS DUFFY'S CELEB FRIEND?

Wednesday July 30,2008

DESPITE rumours of ill-feeling between Duffy and veteran pop crooner Paul Weller, the rising Welsh singer reports that the unlikely new friendship is actually going swimmingly.

Chart-topping Duffy was said to have turned down the chance to sing with the Modfather at this year’s Mojo music awards when he was presented with the Outstanding Contribution To Music gong and she scooped Song Of The Year for her hit Mercy.

But the 24-year-old insists she and the grizzled former Jam frontman, 50, have bonded over their love of music.

“We’re friends,” she says.

“He’s a really great bloke. When things chill out we’ll hang out a bit more but we’ve had a few moments and it’s been so nice to talk to him about music – he’s really into it.

“Our paths are slightly similar – we were both 14 years old when we started getting into music and hanging out at clubs, knowing this was going to be our lives. It’s pretty cool, really, although we’re a generation apart.”

30 Jul: Jack White and Alicia Keys for Bond theme

Looks like those rumours that Duffy was a "cert" for the Bond theme were out of line then... According to this article anyway.

Jack White and Alicia Keys for Bond theme

Jack White and Alicia Keys are set to go down in history as the first duet to record the James Bond theme.

Following rumours that Duffy was a 'dead cert' to sing the track, the pair will reportedly record the theme to 'Quantum Of Solace', entitled 'Another Way To Die'.

According to Billboard.com, White, frontman in both The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, wrote and produced the song, and will also play drums.

Earlier this year, Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson entered the studio to work on the theme, but the effort proved fruitless.

'Quantum Of Solace' will once again see Daniel Craig in the lead role, as he did in 2006's 'Casino Royale'.

The movie will come out November 7 in the US. The soundtrack to 'Quantum Of Solace' on October 28.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

29 Jul: Duffy: Misquoted - 'Illegal downloading is a good thing'

Shortlist unveiled this interview with Duffy:

Exclusive Duffy interview

The Welsh wonder talks weekend disguises and illegal downloads

By Matt Hill
From a tiny North Wales town to touring the world in less than six months, diminutive 24-year-old Aimee Duffy has well and truly blown up (to the point that a first name seems no longer necessary). Now, ShortList.com has been touting her for superstardom since last October, so it was only fair that we were exclusively invited to catch up with her in LA to see exactly how big she’d got. And as she belted out her hit ‘Mercy’ on Microsoft’s upcoming ‘Lips’ karaoke game in front of thousands at its E3 keynote address, we were left thinking: yep, pretty big…

So you’ve conquered the mainstream and now the geeks. Are you a technology fan?
Yeah, I am, but I don't understand it. I'm the type of person who needs assistance turning on the computer. But I'm getting there. I didn’t really get into downloading till two or three years ago, but it's amazing. When you think about that I had literally no access to music all my life… I don't know if you know North Wales, but we're talking two hours on a bus to a really great record store. So I think it’s amazing all this access.

We’re presuming you mean legal downloads?
Well, I mean, it can go two ways – there are pros and cons to everything. Some people think it creates illegal access, but I think the big wheel is round, y’know? I think it’s got more positives because it basically gives people access, what’s the harm in that? Somebody asked me the other day what I thought of illegal downloading, and I thought, “You know what? I don't care,” because I think the majority [doing it] are kids and as they get old and get more income they'll probably buy records. So it’s just making music a part of everyone's lives, which is what I think this game [‘Lips’] does in the home. It’s really credible and fun, not gimmicky.

So have you been involved much in the making of the game?
No, they’re literally just using my song on the game. There's loads of other artists that are going to be featured as well, it just so happens that 'Mercy' is one of the songs that they've decided to use really early on. And so they asked if I wanted to come along and do a performance on the game.

Which, unsurprisingly, you aced. We think you deserve more of a test – what’s a very un-Duffy song people would be surprised you like?
‘Smack My Bitch Up’ by The Prodigy. It's actually my favourite music video – what a classic.

We can’t imagine you blurting that out after a few soft drinks at a karaoke bar.
Probably not. It would have to be a classic – something like ‘Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay’ by Otis Redding. It kind of sums up karaoke's soul, it's such a beautiful song, the history of it is unbelievable. I can murder that when I'm doing karaoke, but the thing is that Otis Redding never heard the completed version of that song because he died in a plane crash, so it’s like the saddest, most amazing song that you can somehow take into your living room and make it your own. Blah, blah, blah… Sorry, I'm really into musical history - one moment I'm slaughtering a song, but on the other hand I'm really aware of what it means.

Do you have many music epiphanies while you're drinking?
Yeah, and I start crying! [laughs]

So aside from karaoke, how do you get away from everything and be yourself?
A glass of wine is definitely up there. Whatever I can manage to find - just 10 minutes by myself normally does the trick.

That doesn’t sound very exciting for an international star.
Well, I obviously I do other things, but that's my private life, isn't it? I can get up to a little bit of trouble with my sisters and my friends, but I’ve spent months pretending that I’m so clean-cut, so I’m not going to change that now. So I do whatever, I chill out, party in secret locations around London.

Do you get people chasing you around the capital then?
I think everything is manageable if you're smart about it. I just have to plan my routes carefully – where I go, what I do and normally a boiler suit, black moustache and a wig doesn't go amiss. Good times. My friends call me 'Bob' on the weekends. I was walking down the street in LA about four months ago and this girl ran up to me screaming, "Duffy!" and my record wasn't even out here then. It was the most bizarre moment ever.

It’s been a huge year for you, how are you taking it all in?
You know what, it's actually been a huge 18 weeks – we've discovered that that's how long my album's been out, it's not even a year, is it? [laughs]. People say, “How’s your year going?” and I feel like I'm in 2010, reminiscing. It's like, “Wow, I'm still in the middle of it.”



Duffy's comments on illegal downloads have provoked further articles online. The below article is from NME:
Singer says online sharing puts 'music in people's lives'

Duffy has suggested that she supports illegal downloading - as she believes it will ultimately inspire fans to buy more music.

In contrast to the recent agreement between the Government, music industry and internet service providers to send warning letters to people who download music illegitimately, this year's biggest selling artist so far says she is comfortable with fans listening to her music for free.

"Well, I mean, it can go two ways – there are pros and cons to everything," she told Shortlist. "Some people think it creates illegal access, but I think the big wheel is round, y'know? I think it's got more positives because it basically gives people access, what's the harm in that?

"Somebody asked me the other day what I thought of illegal downloading, and I thought, 'You know what? I don't care', because I think the majority [doing it] are kids and as they get old and get more income they'll probably buy records. So it's just making music a part of everyone's lives."

Her comments follow an interview with the star in this month's Uncut, where she repeated her views, explaining: "What I've begun to think [about illegal downloading] is, when kids can get access to music, it's only a good thing."


The below article is from ContactMusic:

DUFFY - DUFFY SUPPORTS ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS

Welsh star DUFFY is happy for young fans to download her music for free - as long as they buy her records when they get older.
The singer believes most people who use illegal file-sharing websites only do so because they can't afford to buy CDs.
She says, "There are pros and cons to everything. Some people think it creates illegal access, but I think the big wheel is round, y'know?
"I think it's got more positives because it basically gives people access, what's the harm in that?
"Somebody asked me the other day what I thought of illegal downloading, and I thought, 'You know what? I don't care', because I think the majority (of people who download) are kids and as they get old and get more income they'll probably buy records. So it's just making music a part of everyone's lives."
The U.K. government recently launched a crackdown on illegal downloading, with internet service providers planning to send warning letters to customers who access file-sharing sites.


EDIT: I thought I'd update this today (30th July) since The Guardian have this sarcastic anti-Duffy article which there is totally no need for. The state of this:

Duffy: downloading music illegally is 'amazing'

The Welsh warbler becomes the unlikely spokesperson for Generation BitTorrent

Duffy spends every second of spare time on Pirate Bay. Possibly. Photograph: Linda Nylind

Duffy may not be working on the new James Bond film, but at this rate she may still have an assassin after her. And that assassin will have been hired by her record company. The 24-year-old singer has come out as a defender of illegal downloading, celebrating it as a way of "making music a part of everyone's lives".

Alhough Duffy is No 2 on the charts at illegal download site MP3 Fiesta, the Welsh belter doesn't seem much bothered. "[Illegal downloading] can go two ways," she explained to ShortList. "Some people think it creates illegal access, but I think the big wheel is round, y'know?"

"Somebody asked me the other day what I thought of illegal downloading, and I thought, 'You know what? I don't care,' because I think the majority [of downloaders] are kids and as they get old and get more income they'll probably buy records."

Take young Duffy, for instance. Two or three years ago, the singer started downloading music. She was just a poor kid living in North Wales, "two hours on a bus to a really great record store". But now she's older, wealthier, and surely she gets her music at the shops. Everything in deluxe 180-gram vinyl? Right? Duffy doesn't say. All she says is: "[Downloading is] amazing. It basically gives people access, what's the harm in that?"

Perhaps she should ask her manager.

29 Jul: Stepping Stone Review


The below article appeared here.

Duffy - Stepping Stone

29-07-2008 14:06

Released September 1

Duffy’s new single ‘Stepping Stone’ is the latest single to be taken from her widely acclaimed, phenomenally successful debut album ‘Rockferry and is set for release on September 1st.

The track was penned by Duffy and Steve Booker who also produced the track, and will be released on CD and 7” vinyl as well as a two-track digital single available exclusively on iTunes.

‘Stepping Stone’ is one of the many album highlights, it is a song about self-possession, strength and restraint . The music is dramatic, pulsating yet sparse, compelling the listener to focus on Duffy’s remarkable vocals and evocative lyrics.

Duffy is soon to embark on a string of U.S. dates, before returning to the UK next month for three festival dates - V Festival (August 16th, 17th) and Hydro Connect (August 31st) - having already demonstrated her festival credentials with a stunning debut performance at Glastonbury.


Since the release of ‘Rockferry’ in March this year, Duffy has gone on to sell over a million albums in the UK making her the year’s biggest selling artist to date. ‘Rockferry’ has sold in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide, and is now certified gold in fifteen countries (including the U.S.) and platinum in a further ten.

See Duffy live this summer:

AUGUST

16th V FESTIVAL, Chelmsford

17th V FESTIVAL, Staffordshire

31st HYDRO CONNECT FESTIVAL, Argyll

Monday, July 28, 2008

28 Jul: Japanese release of Rockferry album w/bonus content?

The Japanese edition of Duffy's album Rockferry is set for release on 24th September. According to this site the cd will contain bonus content which is currently TBA. SO watch this space!

Friday, July 25, 2008

24 Jul: Duffy: Retro rocket (Star Tribune article)

The below article appeared today at the Star Tribune.

Duffy: Retro rocket


Hailed as "the new Amy Winehouse," Duffy zoomed up the British charts with a vintage sound. But will a backlash stall her ascent in the States?

Duffy's laughter instantly filled the phone.

"I just had the weirdest moment ever," blurted the newly minted British pop star, who had been on hold, listening to recorded music as her record-label rep connected the call. "I'm singing to myself on the phone."

How did she sound?

"To be honest, I thought the sonics were a bit off," she said. "I thought it suffered a bit on the bottom end. But overall, I was quite pleased."

The much ballyhooed 24-year-old newcomer, who will make her Minneapolis debut Thursday, is playful, innocent and disarmingly honest. Those qualities have been useful in combating the detractors who question her R&B cred and bemoan her rise to No. 1 in England with the retro soul smash "Mercy" and the album "Rockferry."

"I'm not too precious about things, you know," she said from Barcelona, Spain, where she was wrapping up a European tour two weeks ago.

"I can't be something that I'm not. You don't have to love my record, that's fine. I know I'm going to grow and I'm going to explore many things. We all change."

Some British singers have had harsh words for Duffy. "We've had Amy Winehouse, so now let's have 10 of them and we'll train them up," said Alison Goldfrapp, the voice of arty popsters Goldfrapp. "That's what Duffy is. I think she's got an amazing voice, but she's been trained to sound like that. It was a business plan."

Some critics suggest that Duffy is to soul music what Norah Jones is to jazz -- pleasing to the Starbucks crowd, but a shadow of the real thing. This past spring, the Star Tribune's Chris Riemenschneider called Duffy the biggest loser at the trend-setting South by Southwest festival: "Her cutesy soul music (that should be an oxymoron) was reminiscent of Joss Stone's 2003 debut here."

Cities 97 DJ Brian Oake disagrees. He has been a big backer of Duffy, playing "Mercy" on his weekly indie/import "Freedom Rock" program for eight consecutive weeks during the winter.

"It didn't sound like anything else that was coming out," Oake said. "Even Amy Winehouse has a more modern vibe. Duffy seems more old-school, period. It's got a sultry vibe; it's a very funky song."

He understands the backlash from the British music media, which like to build up a newcomer and then tear her down when she reaches a pinnacle. But he thinks the issue of R&B credibility is misguided.

"I don't think the fact she's Welsh or white or 24 years old should be a knock on her," Oake said. "I think she's talented. I think 'Mercy' is a fantastic song, one of my favorites of the year."

Although Duffy played a few U.S. shows in the spring (including Harlem's Apollo Theater and the Coachella festival), she considers this her first proper stateside tour. In many cities, she'll sing at festivals with huge crowds, but she'll open the tour at Minneapolis' legendary First Avenue, which holds perhaps 1,500.

"It makes no difference whether it's 50,000 or 1,500," she said. "It's a group of individuals who've gathered for music. I try to think of it like that rather than the fear factory of 'Omigod, there's 1,500 people -- what happens if I mess up?' It's like trying to think of every kiss as your first kiss."

Duffy's first trip across the pond was a little daunting. In Austin, Texas, she said she was afraid to cross the road. "I was genuinely fearing for my life. And I had to ask these girls to come over and help me," she said with a beguiling giggle. "I was like an old woman. It was new to me."

Welsh 'Idol' runner-up

Aimee Ann Duffy comes from Nefyn, a fishing village (population 2,500) on Wales' western coast. Growing up without records in the house or even a record shop in town, she learned about music from the radio and her father's tape of an episode of the 1960s TV show "Ready, Steady, Go" featuring the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Walker Brothers ("The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"), Sandie Shaw ("Always Something There to Remind Me") and Millie Small ("My Boy Lollipop").

After her parents divorced (her dad still runs a pub in Nefyn) and mother remarried, Aimee started at a new school where, on the first day, the music teacher asked her to sing solo. A voice was discovered. At 19, she finished second on "WawFfactor," a Welsh version of England's "Pop Idol," singing sweet ballads in Welsh. (Go to YouTube and search for Aimee Duffy.)

A Welsh rocker introduced her to Jeannette Lee, co-owner of the landmark indie label Rough Trade and former bassist for John Lydon's (aka Johnny Rotten) Public Image Ltd. In London. Lee exposed Duffy to all kinds of new and old music and paired her with producer Bernard Butler, former bassist for 1990s Brit poppers Suede. As Duffy collaborated with Butler and several professional songwriters, four years passed between signing a contract and releasing "Rockferry."

The rookie was clever enough to come up with the 1960s-sounding "Mercy" and its "yeah, yeah, yeah" refrain (perhaps an answer to Winehouse's "no no no" in "Rehab").

"I was so frustrated in this situation with a boy and I wanted so much to do something but I couldn't, so I wrote a song about it," said Duffy of the hit, in which she begs her man to remove the spell he has over her. "It was like a big tantrum. I was screaming. It was a release from the horrible control that somebody had over me, this kind of power and temptation."

Amy, Dusty and Sir Tom

"Rockferry" has sold more than 1.3 million copies worldwide -- it was No. 1 in England, Ireland, Greece, Switzerland, New Zealand and Sweden -- before it was released in May in the States, where it debuted at No. 4.

Despite the impressive sales, the naive newcomer insists that she is more about art than commerce.

"I want to make a difference. I want to give something in this life, I don't want to just be a taker," she said. "I want to make music and try to search for beauty and quality and try and be honest and just be a good person along the way."

Because of her success with both art and commerce, the 2008 upstart is often compared to 2007 sensation Winehouse -- the Grammy-winning British siren who has a taste for mixing vintage soul, a modern vibe and too many vices -- and Dusty Springfield, a blond Brit who had a flair for understated U.S. soul music back in the 1960s ("Son of a Preacher Man," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me").

Duffy, whose heavy eye makeup also evokes Springfield, bristles at both comparisons. With Winehouse, it's more about timing than style, she figures. As for Springfield, she says, "it's like a mysterious connection to the past that I just don't find for myself."

She'd rather talk about someone a little closer to home -- Welsh icon Sir Tom Jones.

"What does he mean to me? He means sex," she said. "It was very liberating. That was a Welshman doing that in the days when people were quite well-behaved, for lack of a better word. He was kind of cool, you know, he was kind of a bit punk. The guy is still going. He's still probably got the sex drive of a 21-year-old. He's a great bloke.

"I've never, ever met him. But I've got a feeling that introduction is going to happen."

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

23 Jul: Duffy SPIN magazine FULL ARTICLE

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE LARGER READABLE TEXT!












This article has already spurned a few news articles, such as this below from The Sun.
Duffy dolls up for mag front

DUFFY has unleashed her super-sexy side on the cover of US mag Spin.

To tell the truth, I never knew she was capable of pulling off such a smokingly hot look.

Wearing a low-cut top, the Welsh singer bares her legs and bends over teasingly for the latest issue of the music publication.

In the accompanying interview Duffy credits BON JOVI with helping her to realise she’d hit the big time – when the rock giants covered her tune Mercy.

She said: “It’s a strange feeling when a person at that level is playing a song I wrote.

“It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm really here now. Bon Jovi knows that I exist.’

“A girl from Wales – that’s all I am, really.”

23 Jul: Duffy artwork by Garnabiel

Artist Garnabiel posted their link on my blog so I thought I'd post their artwork for everyone to see! (Click the photos for larger images).

Well done Garnabiel - do leave a comment if you do anymore Duffy artwork! Beautiful!



Tuesday, July 22, 2008

22 Jul: Duffy videos T4 On The Beach

A million thank yous to Snoop for these videos! Download the vids and rename the file extension to .VOB to play with a DVD player such as PowerDVD.

Duffy - Mercy & Stepping Stone - T4 On The Beach - 20th July 2008


Video 1 - Stepping Stone



107mb Mpeg2 on Rapidshare

http://rapidshare.com/files/131444686/D-T4-OTB-01-SS-20July08.zip

107mb Mpeg2 on Sendspace

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5dcy08

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Video 2 - Mercy



111mb Mpeg2 on Rapidshare

http://rapidshare.com/files/131173982/Duffy_-_T4_On_The_Beach_-_02_-_Mercy_-_20th_July_08-snoop-.mpg

111mb Mpeg2 on Sendspace

http://www.sendspace.com/file/c0380m



UPDATE:
As predicted, they saved 'Warwick Avenue' for the "Buried Treasures" series and so this aired in the UK on 26th July.

Thanks alot to snoop!

Duffy - Warwick Avenue - T4 On The Beach: Buried Treasures - 26th July 08



111mb Mpeg2 on Rapidshare

http://rapidshare.com/files/132565747/D-WA-T4OTBBT-26July08.zip

111mb Mpeg2 on Sendspace

http://www.sendspace.com/file/o2vjc6




Snoop also capped an advert for 4Music which features many artists including Duffy:

4Music Advert - August 08



30mb Mpeg2 on Rapidshare

http://rapidshare.com/files/134278305/4Music_Advert_-_The_Saturdays_Duffy_Sugababes_Aug08-snoop-.mpg

30mb Mpeg2 on Sendspace

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vqdtkz