Duffy on Jools Holland's Hootenanny on Dec 31st!

Here is a pic that has surfaced from the taping. (Ooops sorry to those of you who thought that the top celebs in music would give up their New Year's Eve for Jools and that his Hootenanny is live....)

HQ Pics from New York, October 23

UK charts: Rockferry is 2008's top selling album, Mercy 3rd biggest single

DUFFY has scored the top-selling album of the year in the U.K. with her debut LP ROCKFERRY.
The Welsh singer's record shifted almost 1.7 million copies to top the end of year chart, while Take That's Circus sold more than 1.4 million in just four weeks to become 2008's second best-selling record.
Rockers Kings of Leon, Coldplay and Leona Lewis rounded out the top five after each selling more than a million copies of their respective albums.
The soundtrack to Mamma Mia! The Movie was 2008's biggest compilation seller and the only various artists compilation to sell more than a million copies in the U.K.

23 Dec: Fab article from walesonline.co.uk

Duffy’s amazing year

Dec 23 2008 by Catherine Mary Evans, Western Mail

Today – as part of our week-long look at Welsh personalities who during 2008 have undergone an astounding rise from obscurity – reporter Catherine Evans profiles Duffy, the singer

ONLY this time last year, a petite blonde 20-something from a tiny North Wales town was standing on the brink of worldwide fame.

And just a few months later, diminutive Aimee Duffy – known simply as Duffy – had stormed into the charts with her updated twist on classic ’60s soul.

Duffy’s mega-hit single Mercy, which later won a Mojo award for Song of the Year, remained at No1 in the UK singles charts for five weeks in the spring.

Her debut album Rockferry sold more than five million copies and reached No1 in the UK album charts.

Meanwhile, music critics compared the 24-year-old Nefyn-born singer to everyone from troubled Amy Winehouse to legends like Dusty Springfield.

She picked up a stunning three nominations at this year’s Grammys, nominated for the highly coveted Best New Artist award, as well as Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Mercy.

Her debut album Rockferry was also up for the Best Pop Vocal Album award, alongside legendary artists The Eagles and James Taylor.

The year 2008 has been such a whirlwind year of tours and interviews, with success even in notoriously hard-to-break America, that Duffy has hardly had a chance to take it all in.

“I’ve been doing gigs all over the place. To be honest, I don’t even know where I’ve been. As far as I know, I’ve done Italy, France and some festivals here, but one seems the same as another,” she laughed.

Her career was launched when she was taken under the wing of Richard Parfitt of the band 60ft Dolls.

“He started writing songs and I sang them. It meant I was actually doing what I loved to do,” she said.

But it was when she came to London to meet Jeannette Lee of Rough Trade records that everything changed for her.

“Richard had told her about me. I was so nervous,” she said.

“I’d never been to London, but there she was in Portobello Road and she was so warm and lovely. I gave up my course at Chester and then commuted to London from Nefyn. It was a weird time because I was living in the back of beyond with my dad, trying to come up with stuff to show Jeannette.”

She’s come a long way since her beginnings in Nefyn.

“We were pretty poor. I spent most of my time listening to the radio. I love the radio. It’s what unites people.

“I used to practice What Becomes of the Broken Hearted. My twin sister, Katy, thought I was mad. We’re different, me and Katy. She’s dead funny and I’m not. She does things. She learnt to drive and stuff, and I didn’t. I was always keeping my head down, but not because I was studious. It’s because I was concentrating on my music.”

Duffy has turned to music to help her through hard times, such as when her parents broke up and she moved to Pembrokeshire with her mother.

Despite her massive success, she tries to stay as down-to-earth as possible.

“I try not to feel that I’ve changed. I still want to hang out with my friends and have a drink, but I don’t have any time.

“Sometimes it does my head in. But I wouldn’t have it any different. I mean, maybe my mum won’t know what to get me for Christmas because she likes to get me shoes and I keep on being given them, but that’s about it, really.”

Best acoustic Mercy revisited (recorded March08)

21 Dec: Duffy Live@ Barvikha Concert Hall Moscow, Russia

Thanks to Steve for finding these pics. We don't have any more info so if you find any info,links,pics,setlist please leave a comment.

The venue is quite small (750 people) according to this.

EDIT: a few more pics here.

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UPDATE 30/12: HQ photos from this concert

20 Dec: Duffy appears on Strictly Come Dancing

No not as a dancer... singing mega hit Mercy live. Anyone got a HQ vid?

19 Dec: Duffy Live at Bataclan, Paris, France

Duffy appeared tonight with Jamie Lidell as part of the Virginradio.fr tour. I believe virginradio.fr broadcast some of the concert live but as far as I can tell there is no listen again facility.

Setlist:
Rockferry
Hanging on Too Long
Serious
Rain on Your Parade
Syrup & Honey
Fool For You
Warwick Avenue
Breaking My Own Heart
Stepping Stone
Stop
Mercy
















Review with more pics here. They also have a video of Mercy from this concert:


There was also an interview on virginradio.fr on the show "Bruno et Camille" so hopefully that should be available soon, but meanwhile here are the photos:







Some more photos from the concert by Michel Monteils are below. Click the photos to see larger images.