Electroqueer

Temposhark Announce New Live Dates in London and New York

The boys from Temposhark announced some new live dates over on their MySpace which includes two new shows in London during April.  Colour me excited!  Who's coming along?!  You'd be pretty daft to miss them this go round because the boys are about to blow up - we're pretty hopeful of that.  Believe it or not, EQ hasn't had a chance to see them live yet either, so expect full reviews and maybe even some extras if you're lucky. 

Although their ace album"The Invisible Line" is out on digital download now, you should wait (if you can) for the album to drop in physical format because it's "really purdy".  Oh what the hell, buy both, I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind.  And while you're doing that, to psyche you up before their upcoming London performances, make sure you check out their behind-the-scenes video footage of fantastic track "Blame" below. 

Oh, we KNOW you read our little two-part interview with Rob too, right?

MySpace Discovery : Sylvia Powell

Move over Amy Winehouse, Alice Smith and Adele ain't got nothing on today's MySpace discovery, Sylvia Powell.

I have to admit, I've been a fan of Sylvia Powell's music for quite some time when I discovered her first album "Revue" by accident a few years ago.  She has just completed her second album "The Script" and I have to say that it is so beautifully orchestrated that it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.  This isn't your usual pretty voice doing a so-so album - this is an singer/songwriter that quite simply makes your heart melt when her silky smooth voice seduces you into a listen. "The Script" is what Mutya Buena should have been doing and it's what Sade and Skye would love to come back with.

I broke Sylvia's fantastic tune "Endless" quite awhile ago on EQ and the buzz about this track is starting to build.  Just one listen to the beautiful and haunting ballad "Edge Of Time" on her MySpace profile will make you want to embrace Sylvia's music with a passion.  Sylvia has received rave reviews at the industry's biggest music conference MIDEM in Cannes recently and she is ready to get on stage and deliver.

Take two minutes out of your day today to discover Sylvia Powell for yourself - you'll be so glad that you did and if you have any sort of musical taste like I do, you'll know that Sylvia is one to watch out for in that "non-electro-I-need-something-fresh-and-new-to-listen-to" sort of way.

Free Download : The B-52's "Hot Corner"

The B-52's are back EQs! Head on over to Rolling Stone to read a very good interview with Kate Pierson where she talks about the realisation of becoming famous. And while you are there, you'll even find a free download of "Hot Corner", track number two from their forthcoming album "Funplex" that we SO can't wait to hear!

Their new poptastic new single of the same name "Funplex" is available now to download if you are in the USA...it's not on UK iTunes yet - boo-hoo.

EQ TV: Tilly And the Wall - "Beat Control"

EQ reader Lorne sent in this great video to "Beat Control" by Tilly And The Wall. It's so much fun that we had to post it today for ya. Lorne went onto explain that normally these guys are all indie (with a bit of tapdancing) but have stepped out of their usual music box to put together this fun little electro-pop diddy for the world to adore.  It's EQ approved, thanks Lorne!

Guestblogger Electrowoman Gets Her Fix On Hot Chip!

   

The most hyped electro offering of 2008 thus far, hit the high street shelves a few weeks ago.  Yeah you know what I’m referring to is Hot Chip's new album 'Made In The Dark' – only monkeys on the moon have probably avoided the media promotion surrounding this release.  Since lil ol EW had a burning curiosity about it, I managed to bag myself a purchase at a barginous £5.  But it now looks like the fiver now seems to have inflated to £7.99 and I have therefore, been listening it all week.

It occurred to me that Mr. Blogstar Rajabulous has NOT a single day off blogging in months, so I thought I’d give the owner of the EQ Empire an opportunity to tools down for the day whilst I’ll attempt to occupy you EQs with my usual "banter-cum-review" style on Hot Chip's latest...

The album opener "Out At The Pictures" has one of the longest intros in the history of electro me thinks! A synthesized drone of 1min 10 secs no less!  If you can however, wait out the full 2 minutes until Alexis Taylor entertains with his comical lyrics based around the UK’s No 1 value for money hostely "Wetherspoons" then it does turn out a teensy bit exciting after all.

"Shake A Fist" see’s the boyz really playing with their keys – glorious rhythmic pulses make way for a "sounds of the studio" interlude – crazee but genius – sorta Chemical Brothers-cum-Space Invaders. Other tracks "Bendable Poseable"/"Don’t Dance" all very similar in style – as Alexis instructs "Crank up those headphones EQ’s!"

Without doubt the kookies fabbiest track of the collection is the current single release "Ready For The Floor". I don’t think I need to elaborate more as for once the Great British public and I see eye-to-eye and have sent this track spinning faster than a mirrorball into a top 10 position in our hit-parade.
If however, you are an EQ-er not from our little plot on the planet or are from Britannia but have had your woolly hat pulled too tightly over your ears during the last 2 months and haven’t heard, then you can check out "The Chips" live performance on the Jonathan Ross Show at the end of this summary.

"Ready For The Floor" is by no means the only quirksome lil ditty on offer here. "Touch Too Much" -has a flava reminiscent to that of New Order, whereas "Wrestlers" although rather plinkety plonk in it’s notation has the lyrical repetition that previous Hot Chip smash "Over and Over" had back on their 2006 album release "The Warning".

Amongst the throbbing throng of electro-beatz nestles a smattering of introspective electronica ballads. My personal favourite being the trancy dreamy "Were Looking For A Lot Of Love" – for me this is on the of the best electro lurve toones I’ve heard since EQ Royale member Darren Hayes – "The Only One".
The next single release is slated as being "One Pure Thought" a more guitar infused offering that makes EW ponder how well it will fair after the pure electrofest of "Ready For The Floor".

All in all there’s been enough dancy keyboard fabulousity to satisfy EW’s music whore hunger and to justify the fiver I spent. 

Finally a few other interesting "Chips facts" for you...

• Did you know that Kylie approached them for contributions for her "X" album?
• Guitarist Al Doyle tours with LCD Soundsystem!
• Vocalist Alexis is recording an album with Green Gartside AKA 80’s Scritti Politti!

Well if that isn’t enough "Chips" info to quell your curious EQ’s requirements then you might likey to take a looky looky at their myspazzage. Or alternatively just enter "Hot Chip" into that "Gurgle" search engine thingy and it’ll be ever so obliging and reward you with links galore to clicky clicky on.

Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor (Live on Jonathan Ross 2008)

Hot Electro Alert : Meet The Slips

Meet The Slips - these guys were on fire on Sunday night when they opened for Darren Hayes at London's Islington Academy.  In the spirit of The Chemical Brothers and Digitalism (but somewhat better in my opinion), this act is definitley one to watch out for. 

Having already worked with heavyweights like Madonna and Gwen Stefani (namedropping namedropping) - David and Rob of The Slips certainly have that special sound that defines what good electro is now.  Even Bjork has worked with them and you know how testy she can be...garrhh!

Make sure you give The Slips the ol MySpace whirl and if you like what you hear, you can purchase their latest single 'Girl At The Back Up' there...and you might even find a free download of their remix for CSS of 'Music Is My Hot Hot Sex' - one of my fave tracks of last year!

I'm looking forward to hearing more from The Slips!

EQ Candy : Jim Verraros

You know, I haven't done this in awhile, but here's a little EQ candy for ya.  Remember Jim Verraros, well I stumbled across this picture of him today on MySpace while I was doing a little catch up of artists I dig and seriously...it's on his profile!  So cute and so inappropriate!  LOL. 

Apparently this was a picture taken for a National Underwear Day or something...somehow I missed that holiday in the UK.

Jim - I still like, ahem, your music you naughty boy.

Final Night Of Darren Hayes' Side Two Tour

Last night's final show of Darren Hayes 'Side Two Tour' was utterly incredible.  Emotions ran high in the packed-out Islington Academy in London as hardcore fans from around the globe realized this may be a long time until Darren Hayes takes to the stage again.  There were smiles, there were tears, there even were a few fans that fainted from the experience, but all-in-all the show was one of Darren's career bests.

Darren looked really happy on stage - joking about live technical fuck-ups to the endless exclaimations of love he had for his guitarist Steve Young and the keytar maestro Justin Shave.  Treating the London fans to some setlist extras including 'Unlovable' and the energetic 'Carry On Amedeaus' (even the bouncers were enjoying this tune) it was a very special show to say the least.  Darren even paid tribute to Madonna by incorporating lyrics to 'Vogue' into 'Dirty' and 'Get Together' into 'So Beautiful'.  Leona Lewis even got a nod as Darren belted out the chorus to 'Bleeding Love' in one track.

After the show I chatted to Darren about what he had planned now that he's finished the last show and he was quite happy to say that he was looking forward to his downtime and getting to do a whole lot of nothing!  Hearing Darren say this was a joy because if there is any musician out there that deserves a bit of a break - it most certainly is Darren Hayes.  He has toured and promoted 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' tirelessly over the past year and looks forward to making more music for the legions of fans that embrace what he does.  It doesn't matter if radio or the music industry "get it" anymore - he's going to be making music for all of us who do.

And with that said, we look forward to seeing Darren again in the future when he has a new story to tell through his music in that fascinating way that he does it.  Thanks Darren for entertaining us all this past year with your beautiful record and generosity.

Make sure you buy the epic single 'Casey' when it drops on 3 March and if you want to relive the magic of 'The Time Machine Tour' make sure you pick up your copy when it drops on DVD soon. 

MGMT Are Ones To Watch

I could very easily get obsessed with new psychedelic electric popsters, MGMT (pronounced "Management"). Doing my weekly cruise of iTunes, I ran across their cleverly named album 'Oracular Spectacular' and based on the comments alone by other music fans, I thought it was worth checking out.

What can I say about the album? Well, it's simply delicious. It's like everything I don't like about 70's rock music, turned good. It bakes my brownie. It lights my cigarette in a non-smoking world. It makes me want to become a barefoot hippie-synth touting bohemian. 'Kids' is like an electronic orgasm. 'Electric Feel' could have easily been the next Scissor Sisters hit (watch out Jake Spears), 'Weekend Wars' sounds somewhat reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins a wee bit, and single 'Time To Pretend' is just gorgeous.

It's as clear as day why the boys are on the hot tip in 2008. They are blowing up in the UK now and have definitely peaked my curiosity. I don't think their MySpace or official website really gives you a clear feeling of how brilliant they truly are, so have a look if you must, but take my word for it and quickly go download their masterpiece album now.

Here is the YouTubage to 'Time To Pretend'...but you may also want to view this in high quality on this link as well.

We'll be watching MGMT in 2008!

Don't You Forget About Me : Deepest Blue

Remember Deepest Blue?  They had a few hits in 2003 with their title anthem 'Deepest Blue' and 'Give It Away' which we quite liked.  We even bought the album.  And just like that - poof - the boys were gone. 

Well after a couple years of hiatus, Deepest Blue are back with their new single 'Miracle' which is again quite good, quite danceable and has some honest-to-goodness cool bassline stuff going on. 

Make sure to check out their MySpace page to hear a few different mixes of 'Miracle' which will be released some time April - we thinks you'll quite like em just as much as we do. 

Ranting About The Brit Awards

Mika and Beth Ditto do a medley of
'Love Today' / 'Standing In The Way Of Control' / 'Grace Kelly'

• Mika and Beth Ditto were the best part of the Brit Awards last night which were broadcast live from Earls Court in London. Check out the uber fabulous opening number above.
• I've decided that Rhianna is officially "pretty". Would have liked to see more Klaxons in the "collaborative" performance though...it just seemed like Tina Turner electro Thunderdome performance of 'Umbrella' with the Klaxons playing live behind the vocal...
• Amy Winehouse is still a fucking train wreck.  OMG.
• I don't think the Arctic Monkeys are any indication of what quality British music is.
• Gary Barlow looked rather shagable last night - and I've never been a fan of his. I was so proud of Mark Owen from Take That winning Best British Single for 'Shine' for the group. His vocals are just so great. I still hope he decides to churn out more solo music.
• Adele is a little highly overrated if you ask me. She's alright, I downloaded her single, but isn't it a little too early to be giving her awards?
• Kylie - her outfit didn't really coordinate with her dancers. But oh well. Nice to see her win an award anyways and knocking em all to the floor with 'Wow'.
• I love that they can cram all those awards into a 2 hour telecast and still manage to have the entire Osbourne family host the show, who were great!  Sharon Osbourne is so mental, but I love her.
• Kate Nash really does speak like that!
• Mark Ronson - I still don't get how he can win 'Best Male Artist' when he doesn't even sing his own songs. I know I'm not one for rules, but I think the award should have gone to Mika.

All in all - A decent show this year, and I'm not even a fan of most British mainstream pop.  I tuned off when the Sir Paul McCartney tribute came on. 

Kylie wows with 'Wow' in a performance of
robotic electronic amazingness

Popshow Valentines Party - Review Part 2

QBoy and his dancers getting all black and blue backstage at Popshow!

Welcome to Part 2 of our Popshow coverage EQs.  One thing we really love about Popshow is that there is a plethora of talent to hit the stage from all over the world.  We probably wouldn't have ever heard of Romanian electro synth band Insound if they wouldn't have muscled their way onto the Popshow stage.  Having traveled all the way from Romania for the show, it was quite a thrill to get to see them strut their stuff for the London audience.  We can't recall the names of the songs they sang, but we can tell you they were quite good and you can take a listen to them on MySpace on this link. 

Insound traveled all the way from Bucharest, Romania to perform for the Popshow crowd!

One surprise on the bill was Andrew Stone.  Andrew burst onto the stage with his dancers with such an energy and enthusiasm that it was really hard not to get fixated on him.  A lot of the comments about Andrew from the audience was that he had a certain Wham! 'I'm Your Man' vibe about his performance.  You can check out Andrew Stone and his "ready-made-pop-stardom" over on his MySpace page as well.

Andrew Stone and his dancers works the crowd over with his dazzling whites and dance moves!

It was great to see Rhea again on the Popshow stage.  Rhea's brand of R&B really isn't our cup of tea, but she has definitely stepped up her performance a great deal from her last Popshow appearance.  It's easy to see where Rhea's music is going and she definitely has the voice, the attitude and the persistence to go places in the UK R&B scene - great job Rhea.  To check out Rhea for yourself, make sure to visit her MySpace.

Rhea gives Popshow another go in her rollergirl disco getup and gets a great reaction from her brand of UK R&B funk!

And because we can't get enough of The Electric Dolls lately, here is another great shot of them doing their thing. 

So all-in-all another great Popshow by DJ Adamis and the Popshow team.  Make sure you check out Popshow on MySpace to stay updated on the UK's best pop and electro music showcase.  Next Popshow is on 14th June and if you're interested in performing at the event, make sure to get in touch with the team on their MySpace page as well!

Electric Dolls Popshow Extra...

Since we are on the subject of The Electric Dolls today, it's worth a mention that the gals unveiled two new songs on their MySpace today called 'Big Mouth' and 'Modern Love' and you can check out a BBC Upstaged performance of 'Baps R Bakin' above.

Love them dolls.

Popshow Valentines Party Review - Part 1

Madison and The Electric Dolls strike a pose backstage at Popshow

Popshow's Valentines Party was so much fun on Friday night.  Probably their best show to date and yeah, we know we keep saying that - but that pretty much goes to show you that this is one party that keeps getting better and better and that's why EQ is always there dear readers.  First of all, huge thanks to Nik Pate who captured the great shots you'll see throughout this post today.  Nik has a special way of capturing the magic on film that resonates very nicely.  Getting good shots of live acts is always a difficult job so huge thanks to Nik again for sharing his wonderful images with us.  Nik will be launching his edgy photography site very soon as well so if you're an artist looking for some great shots with a twist, then email us and we'll put you in touch with Nik.

Aren't the Electric Dolls the picture of total cuteness below?  The fiesty fivesome did a great performance of 'Baps R Bakin' and 'Love Me Long Time' to the energetic crowd having just come back from performing in Bristol as part of the BBC Upstaged competition.  The Electric Dolls are getting more and more exposure lately and it's nice to see the crowd go wild for their saucy and highly-charged performances.

    

Baps R Bakin and asses-a-shakin - The gospel as according to The Electric Dolls

So here's the scoop on Madison.  Madison is now a duo featuring the electro vocal stylings of the man himself alongside the eye-turning and playful antics of the lovely Sarah.  The duo performed their thumping and throbbing track 'Club' alongside their latest track 'Iconic' which you can listen to now in the 'Press Play Bitch' section of EQ.  Sarah was 'truly iconic' having cat-walked onto the stage in a huge blond wig and petticoat in which she diva threw it aside to reveal her hot Kylie-esque blue dress that, well, we just couldn't take our eyes off of.  Madison's performances are stepping up a level and if you haven't seen them live yet, you really need to make an effort to.

 

"You're looking good tonite, well most of you"...quips Madison.

So going into Popshow, we weren't quite prepared for QBoy (pictured below).  We had seen a few of his YouTube videos and thought' "eh, not really our thing" but after seeing his live performance, we were nothing short of blown away.  Performing his new track 'Coming Out 2 Play', QBoy absolutely rocked the audience.  It was quite nice to see a hip-hop artist blend in and win the hearts so easily with the pop pimpers crowd.  EQ can easily say that we are fans now!

    

QBoy and his dancers rang our bell that's for sure...

James Leon (below) had the tough responsibility of warming up the crowd by being the first on the bill and he did just that with style and finesse.  Performing his funky-dory track 'Never Been Cool', James got a great reaction from the crowd.  We had a chance to catch up with James at the bar and we are so excited for what he is doing now.  He's a fantastic artist on the up and up and we can't wait to hear more of what he has in store for us.

   

Although he sings about never being cool, James Leon is 2 cool for school to us.

The Ultrasonics (below) were of course fantastic as usual and announced that their single 'Why You Had To Leave' is getting a release in Germany as well as being featured on the next electro compilation CD being put together by Electronically Yours as well.  There is just no justice in the world if 'Why You Had To Leave' doesn't become a hit for The Ultrasonics.  Being a staple at Popshow now, the group are bound to win over new fans with every performance.  We had quite a few people ask us where we can get their music after wards and that is always a good sign.  Kudos to the group for being the picture of electro perfection - and Johanna is just as cute as a button isn't she?

    

Johanna of The Ultrasonics working the gold lycra as only she can do...

Continue reading Part 2 of our Popshow Valentines Party Review...

Look - It's EQ On A Coffee Mug!!!

One special EQ reader gave us this cute handmade coffee mug at the last Darren Hayes gig and well, it's just too cute that we thought we had to share it with you.  Thanks so much for making our day a little brighter - you know who you are!

The mug sits nicely on our DVD shelf next to classic TV such as Felicity and Queer As Folk. 

It's Totally Electroqueer and we are treasuring it forever!

Róisín Murphy Continues To Turn Heads...

Róisín Murphy continues to turn heads with her new artwork to the brilliant 'You Know Me Better' which is released late March.  We have to hand it to Róisín, we are loving the british trash-tastic vibe she brings to the visual foray of her promotional images.  High fashion mixed with a pint of lager at the local pub.  Flawless.  What's next for Róisín?  A bit of couture on the drunken night bus?  A catwalk on the conveyor belt at Stanstead airport?  A fashion show in Argos?  Loving it.

In terms of the music, 'You Know Me Better' is definitely our favourite song from 'Overpowered' and we can't wait to hear the remixes she has in store for us. 

If You're Sexy And You Know It, Clap Your Hands! At Home With Basshunter...

Basshunter is one funny dude.  Watch the charttopping naughty boy get outta bed, fuck about his flat and talk about his upcoming trip to the UK - It's hilarious.

Thanks to Bally for sending this to us!

What Are You Doing On Friday? Come To Popshow Valentines Party!

This Friday, Febuary 15th sees the retun of Popshow's legendary music showcase to The Soho Revue Bar in London.  This special show is for charity and it's one of the best new talent showcases there is!

Performing at the event is a pleathora of EQ favourites including The Electric Dolls, The Ultrasonics, James Leon, Madison and queer hip-hop maestro, QBoy.  Also confirmed on the bill are:

• Toochi
• Every Inch A Gentleman
• Rhea
• M2K featuring Don Dee
• Lauren Rose
• Insound
• The SuperBlondes

All those coming to the party will also receive an invite to The Enclave, a great new club in Soho!  So get your tickets in advance from Tickeweb on 08700 600 100 or on the door as the show kicks off from 7pm!  If you're an EQ reader, make sure you come up to me and say hello, and if you're cute, I may even buy you a drink!

Visit www.myspace.com/popshow for more details about the show and expect EQ to have the full details on who was hot and who was not!

James Leon - Live At Trash Palace

James Leon did an great live gig at Trash Palace a few weeks ago and here are a few pictures of James strutting his stuff for the party-goers.  EQ has been very interested in James' funky electronic-based tunes for quite awhile and it's a thrill to see him get on stage and singing his heart out.

The setlist included EQ favourites 'Never Been Cool' as well as 'Camera Shy' and 'The One Before Me', all of which you can listen to over on his MySpace now.  James also performed new track 'Nothing On Earth' which we've been happily bopping around to lately in the EQ office.

We're looking forward to seeing James live again sometime very soon as his brand of quirky and "melodramatic" electropop really pleases our senses.

My Huge Thing For Andy Scott-Lee - 'Unforgettable'

Indulge me for just one moment EQs.  I most certainly do have a 'big thing' for Andy Scott-Lee. It's not because he makes great music (yet, he has potential), but it's pretty much that he's just a bit of 'phroww'.  I'm sure you can appreciate that. 

Anywho - he has released his single 'Unforgettable' in the UK and it's not normally something I would write about here on EQ, but I've decided to be a bit random today and put it up here. 

Thanks for indulging me.

4th Child Works His Superhero Mojo

4th Child has been working on some new tracks after the dancefloor success of 'Now I've Found You' and the brilliant electronic ballad 'Lovers And Best Friends'.  One of his new tracks is called 'Superman' and at first we were a little skeptical of it, but it really grows on you after awhile.

If you're a fan of Christopher Reeves in all his red, white and blue jumpsuit glory, then you will enjoy this little video mashup which features the 4th Child song as it's soundtrack.

If you haven't yet discovered the edgy 4th Child, please take a look and listen over at his MySpace where you'll find a lot of his new songs, his official music videos and even some more video mashups.

Justin Timberlake Talks About Madonna's Old But New Sound...

We are in full Madonna mode lately impatiently waiting for the her new track '4 Minutes To Save The World' to officially be dropped or leaked.  Timbaland played the track recently at a show in Philadelphia and from what we heard on a dodgy bootleg recording, it sounds fucking amazing.  We were rather concerned the collaboration wouldn't set to well in our ears, but we're pretty sure now that it could be Confessions-mania all over again.  And that is good in our books, just not on our wallet - we're already saving some cash for Madonna's rumored tour this summer - there is even some dates in July being talked about in London already...

Justin Timberlake recently did an interview with Hollywood Daily People and he had this to say about Madonna's "old but new" sound he's worked on...

Hollywood Daily People: You worked on Madonna’s new album with Timbaland. In what direction did you take her?

Justin Timberlake: Basically, our job was to reinvent her sound. My thing was producing her vocals – really experimenting with rhythm. Everything she does with rhythm is straightforward. What I do is more staccato and R&B. So the challenge for me was writing songs, then saying, “How can I make this sound more like Madonna?” I’m a big fan of her first album.  So my mission was to write a modern-day 'Holiday'.  I wrote a cool house record for her called 'Miles Away' that I think is a smash! She sounds great on it.

HDP: So is it an R&B Madonna?

JT: It’s an R&B/pop/dance record, but it’s still Madonna. Her voice still sounds like she’s 18 year old! It trips me out that she’s 49. She’s always been rough and tough. Her last couple of records, she’s like, “Rrrrrrr!”

HDP: How did she react to your ideas?

JT: A couple of times I pushed her in a direction where it took a minute before we saw eye to eye. Her approach was, “Well, I just haven’t done that.” And I was like, “Yeah, that’s why you should do it.”

Hey Look, It's A New Young Love Video for 'Underground'

This kinda came outta nowhere, but was a rather nice suprise from Young Love we must say.

We still dig this dude. He knows how to put a good synth in to keep our juices flowing...Young Love has confirmed that he is indeed working on a follow-up record to the brilliant 'Too Young To Fight It'. And if this is a taste of what's to come, we say 'marvelous'.

Listen And Watch Alcazar's New Single 'We Keep On Rockin'

What do you think of the new Alcazar song?

And while we await the new video for 'We Keep On Rockin'  with baited breath, why don't you check out the first live performance of it here...Andreas' hip swingin never ceases to put us in a huge trance...drool!

How brilliant is YouTube eh?

I Am Totally Loving The New B52s Track - Funplex

Oooh - you broke my heart, at the FUNPLEX. Was it because I ate too many grande burrito supremes at the Taco Tiki Hut?

New Robyn Interview! Robyn Talks About Her Sexuality And Her New Single...

Robyn recently did an insightful and entertaining interview with Logo's New Now Next blog.  In the interview she talks about her sexuality, her next single 'Who's That Girl' and goes on again about her cage fighting Swedish boyfriend...

Robyn, sweetie...we want piccies please! 

Robyn New Now Next Interview - click here.

Come On Girl - Here's The New Taio Cruz Video...

Both Taio and Luciana look hot. Let Go. Electro. Take it nice and slow EQs...

We Are Freezing in the UK - Sergey Is Wearing Cut-Offs...So Unfair...

So while we have been freezing in the UK for the past month, Sergey Lazarev has been galavanting around Miami in an effort to make us all jealous.

Anyway, you may have thought we'd forgotten all about our favourite Russian boy wonder, but we haven't.  Here's a little video of him on his recent Russian tour performing 'Shiver' and gettin all 'bump and grind' on us.

It's Sergey bitch.

The Big EQ Giveaway

Hey EQs - We got a few things you may like hanging around the EQ office that we want to giveaway.

• Two single tickets to Darren Hayes London 'Side Two Tour' performance on 24th February (thank you Maria)
• Two Darren Hayes black and neon green 'Delicacy' t-shirts size Medium
• Two signed copies of Nelson Clemente's awesome debut EP '6th Perception'

Here are the instructions and rules:

• Send an email to eq@electroqueer.com with your name, mailing address and contact details and the prize you wish to receive along with a short, one sentence reason for wanting the prize (creativity is a plus).  We will only be giving out the Darren Hayes tickets as a pair.  Only one prize request per entry.
• Winners will be notified via email - if you do not receive an email from us, please assume you didn't win.  No cash offers please.

Good luck!

Basshunter Still At Number One...

Basshunter warned us that he would get all nude again if he remained at Number One in the UK for a second week with 'Now You're Gone'.

Well he's still Number One and as you can see, he stays true to his word - Borat style!

My.

Oh.

My.

We're quite curious as to what he will promise if he's Number One for another week...

Darren Hayes Side Two Tour - A Treat For The Hardcore Fans

Last night we made our way up to Islington in North London to see the opening night of Darren Hayes 'Side Two Tour' and it was nothing short of incredible.  Around 300 hardcore fans (including ourselves) were already lined up from 4pm in the cold to make sure they got a place at the front of the stage for this extremely intimate show which is Darren's last leg of promotional effort before he goes on hiatus.

To truly enjoy this show, it's pretty safe to say that you have to be a real fan of his music to begin with as a fair amount of the songs in the setlist were older obscure tracks that haven't been performed live yet.  Having said that, we noticed that there were a lot of new faces at this show, proving that Darren and his epic double album 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' are still attracting new fans.

You know when Madonna goes on tour and she doesn't sing her hits, albeit just a few gems, well this tour for Darren is pretty much along the same lines - Don't expect to hear 'I Want You', 'On The Verge Of Something Wonderful' or 'Insatiable' on this tour EQs.  This one's for the hardcore fans.  Although the show isn't what you would usually come to expect from Darren, you still go away thinking, wow - that was beyond great.

Here are some highlights of the show - and please LOOK AWAY now if you don't want to read the SPOILERS.

• The show opened with Darren performing 'Hero' - one of our favourite songs from 'The Tension And The Spark'.
• 'Bombs Up In My Face' made a triumphant live return to the setlist, resurrected from Darren's earlier shows at The Soho Revue bar.
• Darren debuted 'A Conversation With God' during this live set - a masterpiece and one of the best songs from the new album that sounds wonderful live.
• '100 Challenging Things A Boy Can Do' and 'Sense Of Humour' was just stunning.
• Staying true to his penchant for resurrecting old Savage Garden songs - Darren gave us a treat in the way of 'Gunning Down A Romance' which featured some amazing guitar work by Steve Young.
• Proving once again (as if we needed more proof) that Justin Shave is an electronic god, 'Setting Sun' was performed solely on Justin's 'keytar'.  It was mesmerizing to witness an entire song with funky beats and blips coming out of just a keytar and Shave's fingers.  Magnificent.
• 'Random Blinking Light' was a performed to many o fan's delight.  It was really cool to see most of the faces singing along to this obscure track from 'Tension And The Spark' era.
• 'Dirty' also got an electro makeover which was just flawless - I never really cared too much for this early track from 'Spin', but hearing this new version of it really got me excited.
• Darren did of course sing his new song 'Casey' not once, but twice.  The crowd got a little over zealous with their thunderous clapping that it threw even Darren off, so he had to sing it twice being that it was being recorded for exclusive single download.
• 'I Don't Care' and 'So Beautiful' closed out the show as the encore with 'So Beautiful' being remixed into a danceable diddy which sent everyone home on a high.

By all means, the above isn't a complete setlist, but it's best if we leave a few things as a surprise for anyone who is lucky enough to have scored tickets for the rest of the tour.  Something tells us that the show may change slightly a little on the way as this tour almost seems like an little experiment for Darren.  It's no surprise either a lot that the hardcore fans have bought tickets for almost every performance.  We'll be back to see the show on 24th February to see how it has evolved from opening night. 

Darren had this to say today about his unusual yet interesting setlist:

"In many ways as a show it reminds me of what ‘The Tension and The Spark’ was as an album.  A bit uncomfortable but utterly pivotal."

All in all - a hugely relaxed and euphoric atmosphere with a healthy dose of intimacy.  The show almost felt like a reward.  The perfect send-off for Darren and his fans as he "goes away for awhile" as he stated onstage. 

Our only question is this - What if 'Casey' becomes a huge hit when it is released in March?  Darren may have to get on the promotional trail a bit again if the song so deservedly takes off...and we wouldn't be surprised if it's just as popular as Robyn's sleeper hit 'With Every Heartbeat' was and still is. 

We can only wait and see.

Rant Like There's No Tomorrow

Hello EQ's - Here are some rants I've been saving for you this week. Try to contain yourselves. LOL.

• The new Paula Abdul song 'Dance Like There's No Tomorrow' is good. It's not the 'Straight Up' of 2008 as quoted by Randy Jackson, but it's pretty good. I welcome the Paula Abdul comeback with open arms. With Janet Jackson back with a decent song in the way of 'Feedback' it's like high-school all over again, Janet or Paula - which side are you on?

• So Madonna's untitled candy-themed album supposedly has a release date of April 29th now as according to MTV. Madonna had better give us some free Hot Tamales candy with every purchase. I demand it.

• Want to know how to make a good website for your debut album? Ask Nelson Clemente...Damn, his new website is pretty good and entirely handmade!

• Remember James Murray? Well the acoustic crooner has went and changed his name to Murray James and is wondering why you all aren't stalking him on MySpace...so here's his new profile link and you should drop by and say hi and make sure you check out some of his new stuff...

• We were at Harvey Nicks yesterday getting our hair did and saw a familar-looking guy working one of the makeup counters and thought to ourselves, hey where do we know that guy? About an hour later, we exclaimed - 'oh my god, that was V.I.K.T.O.R - our next superstar!' At least we know he gets a decent discount on his makeup!

• Popshow has unveiled it's list of acts for their Feb 15th Valentines show. On the bill, EQ faves The Ultrasonics and the Electric Dolls. Madison may even make a guest appearance. However we are curious to finally get to see Q-Boy. Will the openly gay british rapper surprise us or create a reason for us to escape to the bar? Bring it Q-Boy. We were supposed to be in San Franscisco that week but our plans got screwed so expect normal Popshow coverage as per usual!

• So the new David Jordan song isn't that bad. However we saw him perform when he opened for the defunked Unklejam and thought he wasn't that great. A certain record company just happen to be sinking a ton of money into his career and well, we'll sit back and see how he develops before we make any final judgements. He's certainly a lot better than let's say, Craig David's horrible new song...aarrgh!

• I am totally STILL IN LOVE with Naommon's 'Allnighter' album, I can't get enough of it. Naommon sent me an email saying he liked what I wrote about him on EQ which made me smile. I urge you all to go out and buy his album now...you'll be humming his quirky and infectious electronic pop tunes just like I am. He very well could be a new member of the EQ Royale...

• And finally we leave you with this...Don't let Big Brother 7 Winner Pete Bennett alone with his webcam, he'll get stoopid and start doing dodgy Bon Jovi covers...yikes...Obviously he has too much time on his hands - girlfriend also put out a video to his song 'Cosmonaut' but you can do a search on Youtube for yourselves if you're interested...

PS : NKOTB and Alcazar are back peeps!

Alcazar Are Back - We Knew They Couldn't Stay Away For Long

Hands down my favourite disco divas of this decade, Alcazar (minus Annikafiore and Magus plus new gal Lina) are back with a new single 'We Keep On Rockin' which is sure to be leaked somewhere sometime soon. I heard a 30 second clip of it and it sounds like some real fun, as expected from Alcazar!

The fact that the group are back together and making music is outstanding and exciting. We knew they couldn't stay away!  A new album could be in the works and it's been long overdue, but we are excited that the Alcazar party will be opening it's doors again for us to dance on down to the disco docusoap in 2008.

Welcome back Alcazar! We love ya Andreas, Tess and Lina! I am polishing my platforms now.

'Casey' - Epic Single Release Details

Darren Hayes is going above and beyond a normal single release of 'Casey' on 3 March by offering his UK fans a live recording of 'Casey' from each night on his UK Side Two Tour which kicks off this Sunday in London. That's NINE different live versions of 'Casey' that are being released as part of the single. Very innovative we say! And if that wasn't enough, the single is also being released in a variety of digital formats as well on iTunes and via www.darrenhayes.com for the serious Darren Hayes fan.

'Casey' is quite easily one of the best songs of our time. I can't think of a better song of the moment that defines the word 'epic' to a tee. The first time I heard it, I couldn't quite believe how good it was. When I heard it for the first time in glorious HQ on the album, I cried like a baby...it's that good peeps. We all have to make this single release a hit for Darren Hayes - it's our EQ duty. Please support quality independent electronic music by buying 'Casey' when it comes out and if you haven't yet purchased Darren's incredible double album 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' yet then, well I can't even speak to you.

And to close - LOVIN the Star Wars-esqe artwork.