New York! New York! And some musical interludes from friends...

I'm back from blazing-hot Frankfurt, with its evening storms and electricity - One area on the banks of the city's river, the Main, is commonly known as Mainhattan because of the skyline.

Frankfurt is a city of many contrasts - High finance with its associated suits and heels, combined with well-dressed German pensioners eking out their pension by looking in bins for plastic bottles to take back for the refunds; A multi-cultured mix of people, 65% of whom come from cultures other than German, it's a family-oriented mix despite all and hugely cultured with all the city's political and economic history, new museums and art; There is good food and chi-chi pavement cafes to enjoy, with people begging for a few coins as they pass by... The thing for me about Germany too is that, while the people are fairly health-oriented, watching their diets and taking time spent in the outdoors seriously, they're terribly fond of smoking still, even in shopping malls indoors...

I saw a lovely long-haired young man on the Kaiserstrasse, walking with a ferret on a lead, which he was obviously looking after very well. I smiled as they passed and he told me as an aside that he had another one in his knapsack!

Who says Frankfurt isn't edgy?!



I love this piece of music, continuing my New York and Mainhattan themes....

I hope you love it too... Alicia Keys is da bomb!

She reminds me of Paloma Faith, or vice versa, as they say!

I'd love to visit New York one day and hope my friends on the East Coast are staying safe within Hurricane Irene's grasp...

A little vignette to brighten your day - Here's Paloma in all her quirky grace.

She used to work as a Magician's Assistant, with the same guy who appears in this video - Skip the ad! We're worth it!



I also like Jessie J and the meaning of this song, which is how it isn't about what you can have in life, the money, the price-tag of stuff... We don't need the bling!

There is much, much more to life... So true!

We all need love.

There's a message there for the recent city rioters, methinks.



Or if you would rather hear something moodier, here's the divine Adele:



I love the soul in all of their voices... and their beauty.

Have a nice one, as they say!

Do you want the truth, or something beautiful?

And what of Paloma?

We went to see Paloma Faith on Saturday. You might have heard this, New York, her hit single. She is currently working on her second album and treated us to a couple of songs from it, invoking a clap-ometer type approach to decide whether they'll make it on to the album or not. They will.

Paloma has an MSc in Theatre Design, and this comes through so much in how she portrays her music, her art, herself. The stage set was simple but striking. Black and white checker-board stage, black backing singers in red, band in shades of white rocking and rolling against a backdrop of cloud filled sky by turns flame red and electric blue. A tall tree festooned with lights providing drama by the bucketful.

Paloma herself is niceness personified, as mad as a badger, beautiful, chatting and chuckling away while trying to slither gracefully atop a white grand piano, threatening to give us all a flash of her knickers beneath her teal silk evening dress. She began the night berigged in what I could only describe as a large white lace fan in plastic masquerading as an angel's wings, which she put up or down like you would a fan to match the next song. She had to be helped out of the wings as if she were wearing an accordion.

Paloma admonished us all to embrace our wobbly bits, our bingo wings, and to eschew the gym and fruitless diets, asking the many men present whether they 'liked a bit of meat' on their women? Apparently they do!

Paloma might call herself, self-deprecatingly, a 'pop princess', but she deserves to be far bigger than any of the so-called pop divas de nos jours. Amy Winehouse might have opened the door for the Palomas and Duffys of this world, but Paloma with her range and depth, reminded me of Etta James and, in fact, her signature tune is 'At Last', which she manages beautifully. Later she parlayed through CeeLo Green's 'Forget You' with aplomb, setting aside the polite radio version, with apologies to all the parents of some of the little girls present for the swear words, and rocking it out skilfully, joking that she wished she'd written it herself.

In the encore, once more atop the piano and accompanied only by her highly talented and energetic pianist, Dom Pipkin, she managed Nick Cave's 'Into My Arms'... Spellbinding. And not easy to sing. She is far from a manufactured diva. Paloma is fresh and exciting, theatrical and wonderful, genuine and soul-ful.

The audience was very mixed, young and old alike. Heartening to see. Hopefully they will stick by her. She's certainly a far healthier, more accessible, role model for the young things than many today.

I hope I am not alone in having faith in Paloma. I loved her. So did my difficult to please husband. And that's saying something.

Paloma was supported by Eliza Doolittle. A very natural, as yet unspoiled, artiste. Clean voice, nice range. One to watch. And you can HERE

On impending doom and the beautiful people...

While I've got my eyes shut tight, my fingers are in my ears, and my tongue is rhyming out, 'Lalalalalalalalalalalalala!'. I prefer to be here and there, avoiding the inevitable at work, and I thought it might be time to rhyme off some of the acts I shall be lucky enough to see later this year.

You do recall that my husband and I have taken advantage of the fact that our son is now 18 and has growing independence; And we're pushing ourselves out to see new bands, and re-visit old ones of our acquaintance...

Earlier this month, we had the delight of seeing our favourite band from the Wirral, The Coral, play at The Sage... They were actually ear-splittingly terrific (more laters, mes bloggy musiciens!), and we also found new friends with Nev Skelly who supported the Coral. Please go to his site on Myspace and listen to He Looks A Lot Like Me, you'll love it, je te promets...

Cherry Ghost, the Ivor Novello award-winning act, were also in attendance, and although they were very good, I'm not buying the CD... I have got Nev's EP on order from his site, however!

This weekend, we're off to see Mr Peter Green in Carlisle. The incredible added bonus is that we can combine this with a visit to my Fab, Feisty and (whisper it!) Fifty friend, Saz...

Such pleasures; Wot larks, Pip!

I shall tell you all, don't you worry...

Later in the year, we're re-visiting with Mr Joe Bonamassa, this time in our home city, Newcastle, at the City Hall...

Later still, at the same venue, I've persuaded GJ to come with me to review the wonderful Senorita Paloma Faith, whom I just think is the bee's knees... She's being supported by Ms Eliza Doolittle, a young, up-and-coming folk artiste that GJ wanted to go to see in any case, so that's okay then!

Can I come out from under this blanket now?

Have the bad men gone yet??!

Gigging, Ligging and Jigging...

You'll have noticed, perhaps, that I've gone over now 't'other side'... Meaning, I'm now here at awomanofnoimportancedotcom

You might not have noticed anything different... I haven't, apart from the fact that I've lost you all from me blogroll! Ooooopppppssss! Meaning, I think, that I'll have to go back somehow and re-locate all several hundred of you that I flirt with, meaningfully...

D'oh!

Anyhoo, I am getting to that time of the year where I feel me another gig coming on... My dahlink, French Fancy, was asking me this the other day - Who am I going to grace with my presence this year...

I think I've already mentioned that we're going to see Bad Co. and my lovely, John Smith and Mr Terry Emm...?

I don't think I've mentioned this sweetie, Paloma Faith.

(Paloma means dove in Spanish... Paloma is half-Spanish)

Here she is on this year's Jools Holland's New Year's Hootenanny Celebration with her many fans!

And this is what Paloma, with her beautiful Dove Tattoos, has to say...

'The days were long and the nights so cold
The pages turn and the tale unfolds
He left me for another lady
She stood so tall and she never slept
The was not one moment he could regret
He left me for another lady

He took my hand one day and told me
He was leaving
Me disbelieving
And I I I I I I I I
Had to let him go

And it was New York, New York
And she took his heart away, oh my
And it was New York, New York
She had poisoned his sweet mind
Mmmm

The wolves they howled for my lost soul
I fell down a deep black hole
He left me for another lady
She poured the drinks and she poured the power
Diamond girl who could talk for hours
He left me for another lady

Now I am on my own
He told me he was leaving
And I was pleading
And I I I I I I I I
Had to let him go

And it was New York, New York
And she took his heart away, oh my
And it was New York, New York
She had poisoned his sweet mind

The greatest times
I don't want to hear it
Your new laughter lines
I don't want to hear it
The new-found friends she introduced you to
I don't wanna know them I just want to be with you
Please don't make me go to
New York

New York
And she took your heart away, oh my
And it was New York, New York
She poisoned your sweet mind

And it was New York, New York
And she took your heart away, oh my
And it was New York, New York
She poisoned your sweet mind

She poisoned your sweet mind'

Google and Blogger have poisoned my sweet mind. Obviously!

I read someplace, "Her mixture of soul influences and performance art delivery, might sound like an odd combination, but the result does seem promising (imagine Amy Winehouse after attending Bjork’s finishing school for girls)".

www.myspace.com/palomafaith