Kaiser Chiefs have done a song with Xenomania

Imagine Kimberley and Nicola singing this.

If only. If only...


Parachute is the first single from Kaiser Chiefs' sixth album, Stay Together, which features collaborations with MNEK and Wayne Hector. I think it's safe to say that guitarist Andrew White won't have much to do when they take it on tour.

In a press release, Ricky Wilson talked about working with Xenomania lynchpin Brian Higgins on the album: "If Education, Education, Education & War was our protest album, then Stay Together is our relationship album.

"Brian brought a very different approach to song writing and recording, it was a steep learning curve but together we tried out new ideas and sounds and ended up with a new and fresh sounding Kaiser Chiefs album. Like no Kaiser Chiefs record you have heard before.”

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Xenomania, er... mania

Last night, I popped out to see six (yes, six) new acts who've been indentured at the Girls Aloud hit factory known as Xenomania.

These events are always a mixed blessing. On one hand, you could be seeing the future of pop. On the other, you might have to endure two hours of shit and spend the next three months avoiding awkward phone calls from everyone concerned.

Thankfully, this was a good one - like sticking your head into a bowl full of chorus juice and having a long, cool drink.

The acts ranged from Maxine, a 16 year old from the Bronx with a shocking pink quiff, to JFK, Xenomania's "house band" (pictured above) whose Merseybeat harmonies skillfully disguised their Aussie origins. Watch out for a song of theirs called Hummingbird - it's going to be massive. Perhaps as massive as The Promise, which they co-wrote, fact collectors.

Closing the night were a boy quartet called Nitevisions who, I kid you not, were the second coming of Duran Duran.

Xenomania already have already sent a few acts out in the great wide world - Vagabond, Mini Viva and Jessie Malakouti, to name just a few - but all of last night's artists were brand spanking new. The production house is essentially acting as a talent agency - scouting and developing young musicians then selling them on to record labels as a complete package (thus reducing the chance of the big labels interfering with their, ahem, "artistic vision").

Although none of the newbies have signed a deal yet, I saw various bigwigs hanging around the venue, as well as some people with normal hair, and plenty more who had mistaken the Flight Of The Conchords' hair gel episode as an educational documentary.

So, big things on the horizon? Maybe...

Brian Higgins told us he wants a "100% hit rate" for his stable of artists. They're certainly distinct enough to make an impact but the recent successes of JLS and Peter Andre don't exactly instil me with confidence in the nation's appetite for finely-tuned, cutting-edge pop.

Let's hope Xenomania can convince them otherwise.

Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo


Further Reading:
Xenomania Records
Xenomania fansite

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Praise you

Time for another 'deleted scene' from our series of songwriter profiles on the BBC website.

In this vignette, Brian Higgins waxes lyrical about Sugababe Mutya Buena:

"Our best pop singers are very underrated, though I accept that there are not that many of them. As everyone knows, the press in our country can be very savage about celebrities regardless of what area of entertainment they are from.

Mutya for instance is incredibly talented. Her voice can make your heart melt, its tone is so beautiful. She is also an excellent lyricist and melody writer. She's only 19 and is making her 4th album. I think it is unfortunate that you would struggle to establish that information in our press.

It is naive, but we should publicly support - not destroy - the talented people in this country. That does not mean letting them off the hook if they seriously mess up, it just says show them the respect that their talent is clearly due at all times."

Well said, that man.

BBC News: The Hitmakers - Xenomania

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