RAUNCHY diva CharliXCX has got swaggerin truckloads.She’s also got the musicindustry’s ‘cool’ gang eatingout of the palm of her hand.They love her and her edgysongs. But the West London girlhas a confession . . .Charli, 19, said: “I’m a mas-sive nerd. It’s really nice andflattering that people considerme to be a cool artist but I’mnot setting out to do that.“I’m just being me and if thatfalls into the hands of hipstersand all that group, that’s great.“But that’s not the goal. Iwant my music to be accessibleto little girls, teenage guys

and older people. I’d never con-sider myself cool.“On the way to Germany forthe Coldplay tour, I listened tothe Justin Bieber record twotimes in a row and then Chris-tina Aguilera.“I like that and I’m also intomy Bowie and my Kate Bush. Idon’t even know what cool is.”Charli is chuffed to be joiningColdplay on their stadium tourof Europe.She added: “They have thefinal say on any of the acts thatthey pick.“I know Chris Martin hadheard a few songs of mine andthey wanted me on board.”

ShyDue to Charli’s in-your-faceimage, she admits most peopleexpect her to be a pain in thebackside — but again, that’s notthe case.She explained: “It’s weird,when people meet me theyare surprised how shy andawkward I am. I’m not ab****.“I think a lot of peopleexpect strong female musi-cians to be b****es off stage.“Sometimes I do that kindof thing on stage as I like it,but off stage I don’t have amotive.“Just because a femalemusician is strong, do theyhave to be horrible off stage?“I’m super awkward and I

actually have social anxiety, Idon’t do well face-to-face.”One thing that is doing well

is Charli’s new single, You’reThe One, which came out onMonday.It’s earned rave reviews andpoints to her future plans.She said: “I’m really happywith how it’s gone down.“It’s a bit different from theother two tracks I put outbefore, it’s a bit more pop.“But it definitely leans tothe more dark and mysteri-ous side,“I’m happy people areplaying it — Radio 1 areinto it and when I playit live, people are goingf***ing crazy.“To be honest, I’ve

always wanted to be a popmusician. I never wanted to belike one of those cool musicianswho doesn’t ever sell a record.“I love music and I love myart but I want to be pop — Iwant loads of people to hearwhat I’m making.“I could write a load of superrubbish pop songs and probablybe in the charts, but I’d ratherdo it my way.“I want to write them with abit of edge and a twist.“I don’t want to go the easyway — that’s not me.”Right now, it’s all go — afterthe Coldplay gigs, she’s off toAustralia.Then it’s back home to theUK for a tour and to wrap upher debut album — out in early2013.Her only Scots gig is at Ste-reo in Glasgow on November 6.But Charli admits her biggestmarket right now is the US.She said: “The Americans gotme a bit quicker — I neverexpected that.“They are on a massive Brit-ish kick at the moment. I did atour out there and most of theshows sold out.“It made me think that Iwant to be doing this backhome. I’m so excited as it’s myfirst headline tour.

Rumour“I haven’t done that many UKshows, actually. And it’s goingto be exciting, especially inGlasgow. It’s every musician’sfavourite city as the crowds gomad and don’t give a f***.“I’m really looking forward tothat night.”Charli is also keen to clear upa rumour about her stage name.With people speculating whatthe C stands for — with somesuggesting it’s something crude.She snapped: “It’s definitelynot the X-rated thing that’sgoing around on the internet.“I came up with this namewhen I was 13.“I used to sign off when Iwas online or in texts like that,it’s kiss Charli kiss. That’s it.”Q Get Charli’s single and freemixtape, plus tour tickets atcharlixcxmusic.com

CLUBBING

ByTOM

ByTOM

CHURCHILL

CHURCHILL

THE MAGINOTBAND

WHO: Jordan Shearer(vocals), Calvin JohnWilson (bass/vocals),Kevin Swanson (guitar/vocals), Jamie RobertSwanson (guitar), LiamWhittles (organ/piano),Darren Coghill (drums)WHERE: CaithnessFOR FANS OF: StoneRoses, The La’s, DodgyJIM SAYS: It’s more than20 years since I last ven-tured to Caithness insearch of fresh sounds.I was compering a festi-

val at a hotel in Thurso.Great fun, but perhaps abit of a new music backwa-ter. Some great blues andpub rock acts on offer, butvery little happening in theway of original acts.These days it seems

very different. It’s abouttime I made a return trip,especially if there’s morewhere The Maginot Bandcome from.I first came across them

as Maydays, but theirrebirth as The MaginotBand seems to haverevitalised them.Organist Liam Whittles

said: “As our sound pro-gressed in different direc-tions, we decided that anew start was a must.“The Maginot Line was

a grand scheme thatturned into a somewhatepic failure. The sense of

the best-laid plans goingawry and the fact we havehad a few false starts our-selves, The Maginot Bandjust seemed to fit.”Their debut EP Quiet &

Peace — recorded at therenowned Chem 19Studios in Blantyre, Lanark-shire — is a delightfulcollection of summerypsychedelia. Elements ofthe Beach Boys, TheBeatles, Britpop andMadchester are all there.Ultimately, they’ve

come up with somethingthat’s rather timeless.Day jobs have meant

the band have been scat-tered across Scotland,which must be a logisticalnightmare. Liam said: “Itjust means we have tomake the most of the timewe do get together.”As for the scene back

home, Liam reckons it’spicked up since my trip.He said: “There’s a bit

more going on now. RyanCook is a local promoterwho’s done a lot to raiseawareness by attractingbands. And the likes ofOskar Empire are makingreally good music.”The Maginot Band’s

debut EP Quiet AndPeace is out now. Theyplay Madhatters in Inver-ness tomorrow night.MORE: themaginotband.comQ Jim will be playing The Magi-not Band on In:Demand Uncutthis Sunday from 7pm on Clyde1, Forth One, Northsound 1,Radio Borders, Tay FM, WestFM & West Sound FM. Seeindemandscotland.co.uk

!SUBCULTURE @ Sub Club, Glasgow,tomorrow: Chicago pioneer Lil Louis isback to rock the country’s premier

house institution. The man behind crossoversmash French Kiss absolutely tore it up onhis last visit and this should be no different.Louis, below, is also bringing his House

Music Art Gallery and Mobile Museum totown — the European debut — which youcan catch at the All That Is Solid gallery onOsborne Street from 4pm tomorrow.Co-curated by the Sub as part of their 25th

anniversary celebrations, it’s a must-see forany self-respecting house-head, featuring anexclusive collection of rare memorabilia, pho-tography and audio and video installations,gathered from Louis’s three decades at theforefront of the scene.

$SKREAMISM @ The Arches, Glasgow,tomorrow: A monstrous line-up of UKbass music heavyweights join forces for

the Scots leg of Skream’s tour.The dubstep poster boy — and recent

Radio 1 recruit — is joined byOneman, Scuba and Glasgow’s very ownJackmaster for a night of founda-tion-rattling beats.

%ELECTRIC FROG @SWG3, Glasgow,tomorrow: The first

in a series of warehouseparties at this excellentspace in the West Endfeatures Swedish technooverlord Adam Beyer andBirmingham veteran Sur-geon.They’re joined by local legends Slam and

the Animal Farm crew.

&JACKHAMMER @ Liquid Room, Edin-burgh, tomorrow: This ever-reliabletechno bash welcomes Brit hero Dave

Clarke to the turntables.One of the longest-established and best-

loved spinners on the scene, he alwaysbrings the heat. Wolfjazz, Keyte andHammay warm up.

(WHITENOISE @ Chambre 69, Glas-gow, tonight: Rounding off a weekendwhich features some of techno’s biggest

names is yet another legend – Speedy J.The Dutchman has been at the forefront of

the scene since the early 90s and he’ll beshowcasing his Electric Deluxe label.Support comes from Paisley rising star

Hans Bouffmyhre.Q Email your newsand listings totom.churchill@the-sun.co.uk

ONE2SEE

THE Pet Shop Boys havebeen chart regulars sinceemerging nearly 30 yearsago with West End Girls.So no surprise they were a keyfeature in the London 2012 closingceremony — to celebrate Britain’smusical heritage.The duo performed their Grand-master Flash-inspired classic hitwhile spinning around the stadiumin two rickshaws.“We really were chariots offire,” laughs Chris.Neil Tennant and Chris Lowehad originally turned the gigdown. “The thing was,” explainsNeil. “It was all a bit confusing.“It sounded like we were goingto be on the floats, with theathletes, which all seemed a bitweird. So we said no.“Then we were in Berlin withour manager Angela when BorisJohnson rang.“Well, Angela’s iPhone rang buther four-year-old daughter Jaggerwas watching a film on it at thetime, and wasn’t happy to beinterrupted!“So after Angela had wrestledthe phone off Jagger, this voiceboomed out, ‘HELLO, this is BorisJohnson, I’m the Mayor ofLondon’.”Chris says: “The day was veryexciting. We saw the athletes aswe waited to go on. ‘Oh my godit’s Mo Farah and Tom Daley.’“All these faces we’d beenwatching on television. It wasquite a moment, really.”There have been many surrealmoments for the pair who met asstudents in 1981 in Chelsea.Guinness Records cite the three-time Brit Award winners as themost successful duo in UK history— with more than 100 millionrecords sold and approaching 50Top 20 singles.SFTW is in a private members’bar in east London to chat aboutalbum number 11 — Elysium.“It has a certain sombre moodthroughout which is nothing likethe last album,” says Neil.“The feel of the record is inthe choice of the songs. It couldhave been a completely differentrecord and originally it was goingto be another mood.“We weren’t going to includethe song Winner but ourproducer Andrew Daw-son said we’d be madnot to include thattrack.” With lyrics thatinclude: “This is themoment we’ll remem-ber every day for the

rest of our lives./It’s been a longtime coming./We’ve been in therunning for so long but now we’reon our way,” you could beforgiven for thinking it was anOlympics-influenced song.It was written before the Gamesbut they did influence it beingreleased as a single.“Leaving was always going tobe the main single but we addedWinner right at the very end as itwas perfect coming out aroundthe Olympics,” says Neil.Chris adds: “Leaving is a PetShop Boys classicof the future.“It’s a very specialrecord, originallytwo songs.“It’s firstly a verydifferent kind ofsong for us, but atthe same time, withits rich chords, youcan tell it’s by thepeople who madeWest End Girls.”Neil continues: “I

was worried about the lyricsbeing about death until Chrispointed out the first line of WestEnd Girls is ‘sometimes you’re bet-ter off dead.’“It’s partly influenced by myparents both dying in the two orthree years before this.”Best known for his work withKanye West, Andrew Dawsonmight seem a surprise choice toproduce this downbeat album but,

says Neil: “We wanted that LAsound that’s not Fleetwood Mac.“Andrew has worked on recordsby Drake, Jay-Z as well as Kanyeand also has a classical back-ground.“We wanted an electronic soundthat’s still the Pet Shop Boys butwith lots of bass and more space.“Our last album (2009’s Yes)was real British pop. It’s grandand it’s great.“This was really a moodierexperiment with amazing backingvocals. We hired the WatersFamily — Oren, Julia, Luther and

Maxine — who are likeThe Jacksons and sang onAdele’s 21.“They’ve got an amaz-ing smooth sound.”Renting a house andliving in LA for monthswas an eye-opener forthe lads.“We did a book 20years ago called PetShop Boys VersusAmerica and Idismissively describedLA as being like Milton

Keynes!” smirks Neil.“I hadn’t even been to MiltonKeynes then but we went to seeEminem play there a few yearsback and I actually liked theplace.“But this time LA was a verydifferent experience for me and Igrew to love it, though not atfirst.“We rented a house, which wasgreat, but my bedroom door

wouldn’t lock andwe lived around thecorner from where the CharlesManson murders happened.“Chris told me after he’d doneLA’s Death Tour (a bus tour ofwhere celebrities lost their lives) sohe had a map of how close thehouse was. I was spooked.”Elysium was going to be calledHappysad, because, states Neil: “Itmade you feel like dancing andcrying at the same time.”One song, Your Early Stuff, is asarcastic swipe at those who thinkthe Pet Shop Boys are long gone.Neil says: “Oh, that comes fromtaxi drivers in London who thinkwe haven’t been around for years.“I take a macabre fascination inwhat they say. I remember onesaying, ‘I suppose you’re retirednow, are you Neil?’“And I said ‘Actually you’redriving me to the BBC, wherewe’re going to do Top Of ThePops.’“This was in 2006 and he wasflabbergasted.“Though, of course, now they’veseen us close the Olympics we’reall right!”As pioneers of dance music, Neiland Chris are witness to changingstyles throughout their career. Arethey fans of the genre today?Neil yells: “NO! Dance musictoday is like a Vegas pool party.“We always play in Las Vegasnow, and the last time I was thereI went to my room and said, ‘Corblimey, where’s this noise comingfrom?’“I looked out of my window andit’s like a Prince Harry pool partywith House Of Pain’s JumpAround blaring, and then it wasall about David Guetta.“I had to go and sit in the bath-room with my hands over myears, it was just TOO noisy.”America is still a country thatloves the Pet Shop Boys, Neilsays. “We still have theaudience there and a verystrong gay following.“Unfortunately we are nolonger the fourth mostsuccessful act in theAmerican Dance Chart.“We were, behind JanetJackson, Donna Summerand Madonna — thoughstill ahead of MichaelJackson.“I think Lady GaGa’s

taken over.” “Jesus,” butts inNeil. “We’d better start mak-ing some more dance recordsand more thunderclaps.”Elysium is out now.

NEWMUSIC

ONE2HEAR

ByCHRIS

SWEENEY

By JACQUI SWIFT

With JIMGELLATLYWith JIMGELLATLY

LOUIS ISA LILBIT SPECIAL

BAD girl rapper Angel Hazeisn’t lacking in confidence.And her hard-hitting lyrics

certainly don’t take any pris-oners. She snarled: “I willsay to anyone’s face I amthe best out there right now.”Her current single New

York is a thumping track.Check it out at facebook.

com/AngelHazemusic

WAKA FLOCKA FLAME has gota hell of a name. Plus he’s apretty big deal in the US, sell-ing shedloads of albums.He’s on a massive world FFF

— Friends, Fans and Family —Tour at the moment.And it’s last stop is at The

Arches in Glasgow on Decem-ber 8. Tickets are atthearches.co.ukO

NES2WATCH

8 SFTW Friday, September 21, 2012