Back from the other side of the world

After four weeks in Australia - where Delta Goodrem is literally lauded as pop royalty - I was looking forward to coming back to the relative sanity of the UK music scene. But what do I find? Kylie Minogue has failed to make the top ten, Boyzone have reformed and Leona Lewis has been at number one for a month. I mean, seriously. Jesus.

Not that the holiday was completely without musical merit. We were completely bowled over by Justin Timberlake's Futuresex/Loveshow after missing it in London earlier this year. That boy can dance, I'm telling you. Plus, at one point, he threatened to poo on a piano. You don't get that at a Shayne Ward concert.

I might do a full review later this week but the DVD comes out on Monday, so maybe you should just buy that instead. You won't be disappointed.

We also caught melodic acousti-rock troubador Josh Pyke in concert. He's a big deal in Australia at the minute - even more popular than Midnight Oil and Stefan Dennis combined!!! His best track is probably the current single Memories and Dust, which recalls a less wayward Sufjan Stephens covering a Crowded House track. Only with worse hair. Look here:

Josh Pyke - Memories & Dust


But the song that really sent the needle on my discopopometer^TM into the red was by identical twin act The Veronicas. Hook Me Up is the sort of song you could call gazumping, if gazumping was an onomatopoeic word that meant "barnstorming pop stomper" and not something to do with buying a house.

Pop fact one: Hook Me Up is produced by Greg Wells, who is responsible for Natasha Bedingfield and Mika among others.

Pop fact two: The Veronicas had one of their songs stolen by Tatu. In return they seem to have stolen Tatu's gimmick for going all lesbianic in the video. But they're sisters, so that's kind of weird.

The Veronicas - Hook Me Up


Finally, I bring you the song of the holiday - Mental As Anything's 1980s classic Live It Up. As we discovered, any waiter in Australia can serenade you with this song if you ask politely.

Mental As Anything - Live It Up


PS Kangaroos are brilliant

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