SCOTS BAND THE RONAINS GET SEAL OF APPROVAL FROM LEGENDS

SCOTS band The Ronains have had the seal of approval from a legendary singer after their new single attracted more than 1.8 million views on YouTube. 

Rockers Jim Reid and Debi Ronain and their band first recorded House of The Rising Sun in 2019 and their atmospheric video even features their guitarist and ‘brother’ Shaun Scott who sadly passed away not long after the band released the iconic video by Partickular films which can be seen on YouTube. 

After notching up millions of views across their social media platforms online, and after it was picked up for Netflix by gangster documentary Faces, the band decided to release it officially for download this week.

They’ve now received a message from original lead singer of The Animals Eric Burdon who had a hit with the song in 1964. 

And Eric who is now 82 years old didn’t hold back on how great he thought their version was, with fans now calling it the ‘best version ever’.

After hearing Debi’s vocals Eric wrote in an email: “She's absolutely magnificent, raw and the harsh and acidic qualities you're hearing might just be the result of her unique vocal style and the raw emotion she pours into the song. 

That being said, music is subjective, and what matters most is how it connects with the listener.

 I Ioved it and loved the style of how the track flowed from start to finish.

This song is nearly 60 years old and it really hits my heart strings, makes me so proud to know young bands are still singing it. Great job. Up The Ronains.”

Eric’s manager also commented: “I let Eric hear your version of the song and I have to say he absolutely loved it. There's been a variety of covers over the years but certainly none as unique as this one and the vocals of the singer are incredible.”

Jim Reid said: ”We’ve had a lot of comments from all over the world saying it’s very possibly the best version ever. We teamed up with Simple Mind’s Gordon Goudie and Rolling Stone’s producer Matt Colton on this which was amazing and we changed the song up a bit at the start and end, adding some extra lyrics. To have the seal of approval from Eric Burden takes things to a different level and we are buzzing. 

Debi added: “When I heard the news Eric had listened to the song i was speechless. It’s such an iconic song, thats been covered a million times over so the very fact he heard it and  took the time to even email us left me gobsmacked. 

He described my vocals exactly the way I wanted them to be received. When I sing that song I do so from the pit of my stomach and feel every word, those lyrics are mighty and if even one person can be moved by them, well then my job is done.”

House of the Rising Sun is available for download on all music platforms now.

https://ditto.fm/house-of-the-rising-sun-the-ronains

https://youtu.be/gDhcUFWNSB0?si=TxEjkgSMIrxm3kzv

WET WET WET PLAN NEW MATERIAL NEXT YEAR

Exclusive 

Beverley Lyons 

WET Wet Wet have confirmed they are going back into the studio next year to record new songs, but the band admit they have some obstacles to overcome.

The Scottish hitmakers who have sold over 16 million records recently replaced front man Marti Pellow with Liberty X singer Kevin Simm.

Having toured in the last few months, the Sweet Little Mystery band have now confirmed that they are keen to get into the studio and make new tracks – their first misic release since 2013.

Graeme Clarke said: “We want to make new music and I think we all need a kick. It’s important because it’s always been a priority and that’s where I come from. It’s always been about trying to get new music and in this day and age it’s all radically changed. 

I can’t really see us going out on a tour and saying ‘Before we  play any hits, we’re going to play a new album man.’ We wouldn’t get away with that. We have to find a way of doing like what we used to do, of bleeding in new tracks. So for me, I think what’s going to happen is we will write a couple of tunes and will put it out maybe as an extended player an EP. Then maybe we can bring one or two into the set. That would be a way forward.
You know Neil and I have been venturing down. We’ve all been playing. Other musical jobs are up, so now we just need to set a bit of time and just go in and play.”

Graeme said the band will need to balance the old with the new. 

He explained:”If I came in with a 17-year-old get up and said ‘Hey guys how do I look man? It’s going to be pretty daft –that would be silly.‘ You know what I mean. I think in terms of musically we have to be true to the band and be true to who we are and what we are and who we are playing to. That plays a part. It’s exciting to write songs and I’m  excited about writing new music. You want to hear the hits and that’s unfortunately where we are in the musical world. And we can do a bit of that as well and hopefully sneak in a couple of tracks.”

Tommy Cunningham added: “Everyone has got different taste but I think the bottom line is it’s got to have a melody and it has to have structure. It has to make you smile and it has to lift you emotionally. Wet Wet Wet are about emotion so it shouldn’t be too hard a challenge. It shouldn’t be.”

Kevin is also keen to get a taste of Wet Wet Wet album sales. He joked: “I’ve not been party to these 16 million albums sales so at least 300 would be good.”

Neil said: “It’s exciting as well because we’ve got Kevin and we come from a different angle now. It’s something to really  forward to.” 

From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

HUGH JACKMAN SAYS DEEP FRIED MARS BAR IN SCOTLAND DIDN’T AGREE WITH HIM

Exclusive 

Beverley Lyons

 WOLVERINE might possess enhanced physical capabilities,  and a powerful regenerative ability known as a healing factor but Hugh Jackman admitted yesterday that his stomach was still reeling after trying out a deep fried Mars Bar in Scotland. 

The Australian X Men, Greatest Showman  and Les Miserables A Lister, who is  appearing at the SSE Hydro for a three night run from tonight (Tuesday), told the Daily Record of his encounter with the famed snack in Clydebank as he made his way into the SSE Hydro for two intensive rehearsals yesterday. 

And as he walked all the way from his stylish city centre  hotel at the top of town to the venue, almost unrecognisable in a green anorak carrying his red umbrella in case he got soaked in the downpour, he talked about his visit to a local chippy in Clydebank. 

He told us: “I liked my deep fried Mars Bar but unfortunately I don’t think my guts appreciated it.”

He added: “We loved the boat trip though. It was awesome.”

Hugh and his crew of dancers and musicians, who have been working out and staying at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, have wasted no time in getting to know the area since he arrived here on Saturday and to fans excitement online he kicked off his visit with a drive by The Hydro to check it out ahead of his opening night. 

He also put up a video of himself online listening to his tour being announced on Radio 2 as he travelled along the M8. 

Hugh decided to surprise locals at a nearby city gym early in the morning by going for a work out ahead of his packed schedule. 

In a picture believed to be taken in Glasgow’s Pure Gym he smiled as he worked out alongside some stunned fans and posed for a selfie.On Sunday afternoon, Hugh also chartered a boat on Loch Lomond to tour the sights including Inchcailloch cemetery in Balmaha and, after shucking oysters  on board, went into Spar in Clydebank to get the chocolate for his deep fried Mars Bar and Reece’s cups treats in a Scots chippy. 

When the heartthrob initially showed up at Bennies Chip Shop in Kilbowie Road, staff initially told his coach party that they didn’t have deep fried chocolate on the menu.
So Hugh and his gang offered to buy the chocolate themselves from the supermarket next door in order to try the special treat. 
Clydebank’s Stephen Boag was in the chip shop on Kilbowie Road when Hugh appeared. 

He said: “A coach pulled up outside and about thirty people came into the shop and they were all looking for deep fried chocolate. It was English and American accents and the shop wasn’t doing it but they offered to buy their own chocolate from the Spar next door.
“The shop agreed to do it but it wasn’t until someone else came back in that they recognised it was Hugh Jackman and The Greatest Showman cast. At first it was quite funny because they were just going mental in the shop and looking at everything they could get. There were about three cans of Irn Bru getting passed about everybody and they were ordering deep fried pizza and trying battered sausages. It was pretty funny just watching it all happening but when I finally clicked that it was Hugh I felt I needed to get a selfie. To be fair he didn’t really stand out at first. He just came in with the crowd and they were all pretty excited about trying out the deep fried chocolate. And he did selfies for me and a couple of people behind us.”
Yesterday Hugh said he couldn’t wait to hit the stage in Glasgow for the sell out gigs.

His costars were also delighted to be in Scotland including Keala  Settle, the bearded lady from The Greatest Showman Film who will be making a ‘surprise’ appearance to sing her now famous hit This  Is Me. 

She told followers on Instagram that she ‘made it’ to Glasgow from Heathrow following some rehearsals there. 

HUGH JACKMAN SPENDS THOUSANDS ON PRE-PARTY IN GLASGOW

Beverley Lyons 
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman spent tens of thousands on a pre tour party before ending up  in a Glasgow chippy yesterday .
The Aussie film star treated his 70-strong entourage to the bash, ahead of the tour on May 7, which began with a party at a 5-star hotel on Saturday night and included a private boat tour along the Clyde the following day.
The Wolverine star who was being driven around in a chauffeur driven Audi popped into the suburbs of Clydebank with his party posse who were on a coach to local chippy Bennies Fast Food for some deep fried Mars Bars and Deep Fried Pizza after spending thousands of pounds chartering his own boat on the water with his entourage just days ahead of the first night of his opening solo tour. 


Hugh, had spent the day sailing with his party on the waters of Loch Lomond with Sweeney’s Cruise crew aboard flagship vessel the Silver Dolphin. 
The vessel which claims to be the most luxurious passenger boat operating in Scotland boasts warm teak panelling, thick-pile carpeting, and nautical brass fittings akin to a bespoke private members club. The dining area on the lower deck offers panoramic views of the Loch and flexible seating while the upper deck with has its own teak dance floor, retractable sun roof, bar and entrance to the forward viewing deck. 
Described as ‘the perfect party venue’ prices start around £2,000 for hire of the boat which used to sail on the Thames. 
Hugh, who arrived in Glasgow on Saturday wanted to treat his cast and crew of the show after an intensive six weeks of rehearsals and also held a lavish party costing tens of thousands of pounds at his Scots hotel the night before to welcome them to the first leg of the tour. 
Hugh, who had been rehearsing in New York and London ahead of the show, is due to appear at Glasgow’s Hydro on May 7,8 and 9. 
Around seven pm on Saturday night staff at Glasgow’s prestigious Blythswood hotel opened the doors of their new Bo and Birdy restaurant venue for the first time. 
The lavish bar and brasserie restaurant which has just had a million pound makeover is due to open to the public later this week after an official party but Hugh and his fifty plus entourage got exclusive use of the facilities before anyone. 


Hugh who is believed to have been staying in the £2,500 penthouse of the hotel since he arrived on Saturday morning treated each of his crew to free drink and canapés all night as well as  gifting them each with a hoodie from Hugh himself. The black and white hoodie promoted his own ethical coffee brand Laughing Man.  
One of the guests commented: “Hugh has been really generous and put on a free bar for everyone all night. Preparations have been intense over the last six weeks so this is a chance for everyone to get a bit of chill before the tour begins.
Guests who were merry after knocking back the booze and partying till midnight were treated to songs from musicals as well as the latest charts while Hugh did a tour of the room. 
At midday on Sunday, a relaxed looking Hugh treated around twenty of his more senior entourage to a private boat trip round the Loch. 
He took in the surrounding islands on the route to Balloch. 


He was met by fans including Ailie, 17, and Lewis Carroll, 9, along the way. 
Lewis said: “Hugh signed my Greatest Showman CD and I told him I couldn’t get tickets to his show because it was sold out.  My dad asked if he could put us on the guest but he told us he couldn’t even get his own mother  on the guest list.”
Back at the hotel Hugh who says he will be featuring his own dogs Dali and Allegra in his musical extravaganza petted our very own basset hound Bertie on his way into the hotel and told a couple of fans outside that he’d absolutely ‘loved’ the boat trip. 
He said he couldn’t wait to hit the stage in Glasgow. 

We’ve been following Hugh’s every move this week- read more on theshowbizlion.com 

Excerpts of this article have since appeared in The Sun and Daily Mail online. 

From Scotland with Love

KEVIN BRIDGES AND HIS HEREDITARY LOOKALIKE

A Kevin Bridges doppelgänger is making fans laugh out loud when they go to see scary movie Hereditary. 

The little girl in the scary movie looks like a younger version of the thirty one year old stand up comedian from Clydebank - and fans can’t get over it. 

The young girl Charlie played by Milly Shapiro is meant to terrify audiences as she makes dolls from stray items that she finds including a birds head - and makes a strange clicking noise with her tongue. 

Even celebrities like Katy Perry have been unnerved watching the drama unfold. 

Instead, Scottish fans have come out giggling at her likeness  to ‘hoose rice’ jokemaker Kevin. 

Fans on Twitter were amongst the first to comment with Bethany Black saying: ”Saw an advert for that Movie Hereditary. Looks terrifying, imagine being haunted by Kevin Bridges? Doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Shannon added: “Watched hereditary last night and spent the whole film laughing at how much Charlie looks like a mini Kevin Bridges. It’s uncanny.”

Goal Pooch added: “Just seen 'Hereditary'. Two hours of a little girl who looks like Kevin Bridges creeping around the seemingly immortally preserved mum from 'The Sixth Sense'. Absolutely mind boggling.

Iain Riley joked: “Kevin Bridges' new stand-up show, Hereditary, looks terrifying.”

Catherine Kieley said: “Everyone’s tweeting about Hereditary but honestly I can’t get past how much that kid looks like Kevin Bridges.”

And Jade Milliken added: “See that “Hereditary” movie that’s getting called the scariest movie ever? I’m sorry but watch the trailer and tell me that the wee lassie isn’t Kevin Bridges wae a wig on and il tell you you’re a liar.”

 Ally Finnan also suggested Kevin might have a secret offspring. 

She laughed: “Here @kevinbridges86 have you seen that new horror Hereditary? The wee lassie in it is your ringer #secretwain”

So far Kevin whose favourite movie is Ghostbusters has not responded to their enquiries but were not sure we’d like to meet him in a dark night out.”