We are going to be completely shameless here in the SOUTH WALES LIFE office and say that PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT are on our most played list, and we cannot wait to see them when they get to town. The date has been rescheduled for a second time, but trust us, they are more than worth the wait.
More importantly however, it gives us the chance to champion the brilliant songwriting talent that Paul is. I don’t think there’s any question he is one of our most prolific musicians.
Okay, gushing over, let’s get down to business. Paul & Jacqui are being beyond supportive to the NHS through the current crisis staging a couple of free gigs and raising much needed funds. More importantly, just a great big thank you for the work they have done recently. The tour dates have all been mixed up but the great new is, everything is rescheduled and we get to see them later this year.
PAUL AND JACQUI’S fourth studio album ‘MANCHESTER CALLING’ is out now and it made it’s way straight to number one. An album which has all the hallmarks of Paul’s beautifully bittersweet songwriting – effortlessly catchy melodies allied with an everyman’s biting exasperation at the modern world alongside some truly heartfelt love songs.
And in true Heaton & Abbott style here is the first single from it and it’s simple, catchy and simply really good.
Paul has some 15 million album sales under his belt, first came to public attention in the early 80s as front man of Hull-based indie poppers The Housemartins (the same group that spawned Norman ‘Fatboy Slim’ Cook), ‘HAPPY HOUR’ and their No 1 acapella Isley Bros cover ‘CARAVAN OF LOVE’.
In 1988 he formed The Beautiful South, who released 10 hugely successful albums and a stack of catchy, funny and memorable songs……
- A LITTLE TIME
- ROTTERDAM
- DON’T MARRY HER
- YOU KEEP IT ALL IN
- SONG FOR WHOEVER – Brilliant Live Version
- MANCHESTER
Jacqui was lead vocalist in The Beautiful South from 1994 to 2000 and she sang many of their signature hits including ‘Rotterdam’, ‘Perfect 10’, ‘Don’t Marry Her’ and ‘Dream A Little Dream’. Paul went on to release two further solo albums: ‘The Cross-Eyed Rambler’ and ‘Acid Country.’ Then in 2011 he wrote a musical called ‘The 8th’ based on the Seven Deadly Sins and asked Jacqui to sing one of the parts, and that, as they say, is where it all began for the pair.
They have since released three acclaimed albums as a duo: ‘What Have We Become.’ ‘Wisdom, Laughter and Lines’ and ‘Crooked Calypso’ a couple of years ago. Last year Paul released a career spanning compilation of his biggest hits and more entitled ‘The Last King Of Pop’ and if ever you were looking for an album to start with, that’s the one. This was the lead single from the album…..
So that brings us to the new album. Produced by long time collaborator John Williams who produced both Housemartins albums and the previous three PAUL & JACQUI albums. It was recorded was recorded at Blueprint Studios in Salford, Manchester. As is Paul Heaton’s habit the lyrics were written in various locations in North Holland and Belgium while the music was composed in a hotel in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria and in Limburg An Der Lahn in Germany. He told Steve Wright on Radio Two recently about his love of writing in these places.
Paul told us……..
“I’ve lived in Manchester for 17 years now and recording an album here for the first time, was looking forward to cycling to work. That was never possible as Manchester is now being turned into a business centre for the rich, which I can’t stand. If there’s a theme to the record, it’s anti growth, anti greed, against the continuous tearing down of old buildings and sticking up soulless offices, and the disappearance of local accents on TV, along with the creeping spread of Americanese. So, some curmudgeonly moans, plus some hopefully uplifting love songs. Originally it was set up to be a double LP like ‘London Calling’ but alas the double album has also become a victim of time”
Jacqui told us…..
“I’m so pleased and excited about the new album, it was wonderful to work on new songs and even more so that we did double what we have done for the last few records. It’ll be a joy to see others react to something we took such pleasure out of making”
To coincide with the album release Paul, Jacqui and the band will be embarking on a tour of the UK in April & May. As with the previous live shows, Paul & Jacqui have requested that the ticket price for the tour remains at £30, which is pretty amazing nowadays. As a thank you for that I thought it would be good to share a little blast from the past…..
PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT get to the Motorpoint Arena on another rescheduled date of Monday 19th April 2021, and with the tickets at only £30 you really don’t want to miss them, they are fantastic live. For more details and to get yours, go here. PAUL & JACQUI and the new album, MANCHESTER CALLING is out now and well worth adding to your collection.