TOM JONES, PALOMA FAITH, RAG N BONE MAN SET FOR EDINBURGH

EDINBURGH and Glasgow are like sisters with a friendly rivalry that can only bring good results now that Edinburgh Summer Sessions has just been announced. 

The capital’s version of Glasgow Summer Sessions will see stars including Tom Jones, Rag N Bone Man, Paloma Faith and Kasabian all take to the stage this summer at the dinky Ross Bandstand, jist in front oftge enchantment that is Edinburgh Castle – providing a brand new music strand to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Welsh superstar Tom Jones joins the Edinburgh Summer Sessions line-up, taking to the Ross Bandstand on Monday 6th August 2018, with a set filled with hits from his 50 years in the music industry including ‘Sex Bomb’, ‘Delilah’, ‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘What’s New Pussycat’ and countless others. The singer has perhaps one of the most famous, and recognisable voices in the music world, and charisma to boot.  His unique sound ranges from pop to rock, R&B to soul and dance to gospel, proving that Tom Jones really can conquer any musical style he wants to. The Grammy Award winning singer played Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade almost 4 years ago and in 2018, will now once again be part of the capital’s iconic history by making his debut at Edinburgh Summer Sessions.

  

And if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, thr hugely talented Rory Graham a.k.a Rag’n’Bone Man takes to the Ross Bandstand on Tuesday 14th August 2018, another hugely exciting artist to join Edinburgh Summer Session’s line-up for its opening year in 2018. Mixing contemporary hip-hop with blues and rock’n’roll, Rag’n’Bone Man’s raw talent shines through in his immensely powerful voice and the ability to expertly command an audience and take them on a journey of loss and redemption. Rory’s bass-baritone vocals caught everybody’s attention with the release of hit single ‘Human’, and debut album of the same name which became the fastest selling debut album by a male artist in the 2010s, hitting Number 1 in the charts. Rag’n’Bone Man will stun Edinburgh audiences with tracks like ‘Skin’ and ‘Grace’, and combined with the beautiful settings of Princes Street Gardens, it is a show not to be missed.

London-born powerhouse songstress Paloma Faith plays Edinburgh’s Summer Sessions on Friday 17th August 2018, after scoring her first number one album with 2017’s The Architect and a nomination for Best Female at the Brit Awards this month. Paloma Faith’s debut album went double platinum in the UK, and set the precedent for her mesmerising career. With heartbreak tunes like ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’, ‘Crybaby’ and ‘Picking Up The Pieces’, Paloma’s songwriting skills are second to none and have proved her to be a real shining light in the UK’s music scene. Her eccentric retro style has garnered fans across the world, as well as the singer’s masterful blend of genres like pop, R&B, soul and jazz.

  

Heralded as one of the biggest rock bands of their generation, Kasabian will make their debut at Edinburgh Summer Sessions on Saturday 18th August 2018,  bringing with them a colossal career spanning over 20 years and culminating in 6 albums, 5 of which reached Number 1 in the UK.  The Leicester four-piece’s latest album For Crying Out Loudsolidified their penchant for combining dance beats with rock anthems, and captivating audiences around the world with their spellbinding live shows. With hits including ‘You’re In Love With A Psycho’, ‘L.S.F’, ‘Eez-eh’and ‘Fire’ plus the band recently winning NME’s Best Live Artist, there is no doubt that Kasabian will host a magnificent party at Edinburgh Summer Sessions.

Edinburgh Summer Sessions’ artists will be part of festival history as they contribute to the city’s exciting new era of music in Princes Street Gardens. With Tom Jones, Rag’n’Bone Man, Paloma Faith and Kasabian already confirmed as headliners at the gigs, fans have even more to look forward to, and should stay tuned to smmrsessions.com/ @smmrsessions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more announcements coming soon.

Geoff Ellis, CEO of DF Concerts said: “We’re delighted to return to Princes Street Gardens and  announce our first artists for the inaugural series of Edinburgh Summer Sessions shows. With the success of its sister event Glasgow Summer Sessions, we’re thrilled to be part of Edinburgh’s electrifying atmosphere and culturally rich arts festival with these gigs. To have a legend like Tom Jones plus mainstays of the industry like Kasabian and Paloma Faith and the undeniably talented Rag’n’Bone Man proves our commitment to making Edinburgh Summer Sessions one of the real highlights of the summer.”

SCOTLAND’S BIGGEST GLUTEN FREE PANCAKE IS HERE

Beverley Lyons

Could this be Scotland’s biggest gluten free pancake? 

Dakhin South Indian restaurant in Glasgow’s Candleriggs will be making loads of the special South Indian crepes this pancake day.

 Known as dosas, they are made from rice, lentil, a little bit of sugar and salt so are gluten free.

They can be filled with mashed potatoes, chicken, lamb, seafood or even ice cream, or other treats for those who like a bit more sugar. 

And although staff reckon they’ll be serving up hundreds this pancake day, the special crepes are available all year round. 

At two to three feet in diameter have you ever seen anything this big? 

Rakesh Kandari from Dakhin said: “Dosas are a very popular dish in South India and only take a few minutes to make. They are maybe a bit big for people to make at home but they are ideal for hungry customers who want something more than the average plateful.”

EX RANGERS PLAYER GORDON SMITH CLEANS UP WITH NEW BUSINESS

Exclusive 

Beverley Lyons 

FORMER SFA chief exec Gordon Smith and ex Celtic forward Jim Melrose are hoping to clean up with their new business idea - quite literally. 

The two former Manchester City players have teamed up to score in the disinfectant business and are even planning to approach the Scottish government with their plans to start selling their long lasting germ busting formula. 

 Gordon, a director at Rangers before it went into administration, who declared bankruptcy shortly after, believes their Bacoban product will revolutionise the way people sanitise products. 

Speaking at the launch of Falkirk’s Envisage Dentist surgery where he showed off his new product he said: “I’ve set up a company called Bacoban with Jim Melrose, a former teammate at Manchester City. We’ve been friends for years and he told he was getting a license for the uk for this German made product and I thought it looked very good. It’s really unique. Normally when you clean something it can become reinfected  in an hour but Bacoban lasts for a week to ten days which means you have security for that amount of time which  is fantastic.”

I think it’s going to take off. It’s not long on the market but it has all the licenses and certifications now. It kills most of the infections out there.”

The product which comes as spray or wipe can be used on door handles of toilets and public places and it’s also available as a smaller spray for shoes or football boots. 

Jim said: “You can’t buy it off the shelves yet. We have a lot of infections in this country and this kills all known infections and all the flu viruses. It’s ideal in certain environments like schools, hospitals, airports, transport and hotels. I believe it will be of major benefit to people in this country.” 

Gordon laughed: “The Germans are very good at creating things. You can trust their products and manufacturing and never ever come out with anything less than 100 per cent of what they say it is. The Germans were very good at football and still are. They win world cups and we don’t.” 

The two men are scouring the UK market for sales and hope to pitch it to government ministers in a few weeks. 

Gordon said: “The government should be looking at this. People tell us that the government looks at cures rather than prevention and that has been a problem and we are trying to get beyond that and say we really should be looking at prevention first. This will make a big impact to prevent major illnesses and infections coming into Scotland.

I’ll be speaking to the minister of health or education in weeks to come about this because I do want to get to a high level on it.”

Gordon added that it was difficult to change career paths after football and said he wouldn’t rule out going back into the game. 

He said: “I’ve not applied for the new SFA job but I never rule anything out. It’s hard when you give up the game and such a fantastic lifestyle. I’ve been an agent and assistant manager and always had plans to do coaching but it didn’t happen until I was out of the game for three years, working as a financial advisor. I’ve had a few offers since to be back in football as a coach and assistant manager of other clubs  even down in England and I haven’t taken them cause everything was going well with my business and what I had.”

IS THIS AN EARLY PICTURE OF PAISLEY LAD PAOLO NUTINI?

Exclusive 

Beverley Lyons 

YOU might think this is a picture of Scots singing talent Paolo Nutini - but it’s not.
The Paisley heartthrob had an even more famous doppelgänger in 1916 - in the shape of the superbly talented Charlie Chaplin.

 Paolo’s fans have been going crazy over the facial similarities between the famous silent movie star from London and the Sunny Side Up and New Shoes singer. 

Though decades apart they both appear to sport the same hairdo, have similar eyes, lips and jawlines and even seem to have the same taste in trendy clothes.

The picture of a 27 year old Charlie was posted online by Brazilian digital colourist and restorer Marina Amaral who decided to restore the old image and show it to her followers.

She told them: “Chaplin became a worldwide icon through his screen persona "the Tramp" and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977.”

As soon as she showed off her new image it was shared throughout the net. 

Sound engineer Martina Brennan said of the pic: “Image of Paolo Nutini. #Charliechaplin #paolonutini #lookalike #1916.”

And she wasn’t the only one. 

Gazza from Glasgow added: “Looks like Paolo Nutini” while  Lydia Hannah said: “Yes he does resemble him.”

Jen McPartland from Manchester also commented on a black and white original version of the photo saying: “This is a picture of a young Charlie Chaplin !! Who else can see the similarities with Paolo Nutini?? This along with the famous speech of Charlie's that Paolo put into his song iron sky !! That some weird synchronicity right there 😲 #paolonutini #charliechaplin #ironsky #lookalikes

Both talents do have some other creative things in common.

Like Paolo, Charlie Chaplin was an accomplished  songwriter having had hits with his composition Smile from Modern Times in 1936 and his Oscar winning music for Limelight as well as Petula Clark classic This Is My Song.  

Meantime Paolo’s monster song Iron Sky from the album Caustic Love features an audio excerpt of the famous speech Charlie Chaplin gave in his film The Great Dictator in (1940). Like Chaplin Paolo feared that man is slowly being replaced by machines and pleads for unity and humanity in our world.

STRICTLY’S JOE MCFADDEN IN TAGGART BID

Beverley Lyons 
STRICTLY winner Joe McFadden has thought of the perfect follow up to Holby City - playing legendary Scots detective Taggart in a remake of the series. 
Joe, who recently left the hospital soap was a guest on STV2s Late Show with Ewen Cameron when he told the presenter he’d be right up for the famous crime role. 
The 42 year old who is currently in Scotland to star in the live Strictly shows at the SSE Hydro revealed: “There are rumours of a remake of Taggart actually. That would be amazing. I’d do love to play Taggart. I’d do it in a heartbeat totally. It would be amazing. Should we start a campaign? It makes total sense. They are bringing all those shows back from eighties and it would totally work and you’d have to go different with him .  You couldn’t be all gruff. Mark McManus was amazing but you  couldn’t go similar to what he was. You’d have to shake it up a bit.  From your mouth to God’s ears. If Taggart comes back I’m absolutely interested.”
After Ewen suggested they have a meeting with the execs in the STV building after the show Joe roped in his dancing partner Katya and said: “We could have a glam Russian dancer killer in the first episode.”
The role would take Joe back to his first telly appearance when aged 12 he played a schoolboy on an episode entitled ‘The Root of Evil’ in 1988. 
He said: ”My first acting role was thirty years ago in a Taggart episode called the Root of Evil.  Every time I appeared on screen they played angelic choir music. I went to a really posh school in Edinburgh for it - George Elliot’s and being a little scrunter from the the south side of Glasgow I was like ‘oh god what am I doing in uniform?’ I had never worn a uniform before in my life .”
It was the test of the Glasgow Garden Festival and we had the wrap party on a boat.  It’s been enough time now that I can go thats a different person  now and not me anymore. I was a kid and didn’t know any better. Hopefully I got a bit better over the years.”
Joe has been enjoying his time back in Glasgow and as well as seeing friends and family went on a night out on Friday to the Polo Lounge with judge Craig Revel Horwood. 
An onlooker said: “Both men looked relaxed as they mingled with punters and were happy to away from the rigorous rules of the dance floor.”
Excerpts of this article have since appeared in the Scottish Sun 
From Scotland with Love - theshowbizlion.com

X FACTOR’S CAITLYN VANBECK HINTS AT RETURN TO ITV SHOW

Beverley Lyons
FORMER Scots X Factor contestant Caitlyn Van Beck says she turned down Love Island but has hinted she may return to the reality series after notching up an incredible 64 Million view’s online in just four hours.
The Edinburgh born singer appeared on X Factor 2016 and got through to the judges house before being eliminated from the competition.
A video of her first audition was posted up on the Facebook channel of X Factor Global just days ago and was viewed 64 million times by an audience around the world - in the first hour hours.
Fans then inundated Caitlyn with direct messages in a bid to know more about her and find out what she is doing now.
Caitlyn, who has been training to be a primary school teacher in amongst gigs has now revealed that she will consider reentering the show.
She said: “It’s just magnificent it’s still doing the round and had racked up so many hits in just a few hours. It has all has gone a bit hectic.  When I first entered X Factor I  was at teacher training so it was very hard for me to focus on one particular thing. My journey ended where it do and although it was unfortunate it gave me time to work on myself and do my thing and work on my degree but obviously  Music is where my heart lies and it’s where I want to be. I did get an offer from Love Island and turned it down. Everybody is looking for love but music is my passion at the minute and the love will follow.”
Caitlyn also revealed she is in the midst of recording a song with Chandler Riggs who plays Carl Grimes on telly series The Walking Dead.
The two became friendly after Caitlyn was asked to sing at The Walking Dead convention in London last year.
She added: “We’ve been working on some material and although it’s not official yet there is potentially something coming your way from both of us.”

BELLSHILL BELTER SHEENA EASTON SAYS HER KIDS DONT KNOW HER SONGS

Beverley Lyons

SHEENA Easton claims her children wouldn’t be able to name her hits because she never played them when they were growing up. 

The Morning Train, For Your Eyes Only and Sugar Walls singer who is currently starring in 42nd street in London’s West end revealed: “My kids don’t listen to any of my stuff. You’d be lucky if they could name you three of my hits. I don’t know if they listen to any of my hits. I made a point my whole life of just saying ‘mum is going to work’. There are no shrines to me in my house, no gold records on the wall or awards sitting around. It’s not one of those houses. The children grew up in a normal house.”

Bellshill born Sheena, 58, who now lives in Nevada, has never encouraged her two adopted kids Jake and Skylar to follow her into her profession after seeing friends in the business struggle. 

She said: “Neither of my kids is in the business and I bless the day for that. I know I’m an anomaly in the sense I managed to make a living out of this, managed to support myself and had a career where I worked. I earned but worked always whereas so many friends struggled to put food on their tables and had to work two or three other jobs. As an industry there is not a lot of work from it on a steady basis and as a mum you want a job where your kids can afford to pay rent and fortunately my kids do. I have loved earning a living from it.”

Sheena also revealed she once hated hearing her hits but has now come to love them.

She said: “You have a hit and then you go ‘I never want to hear it again. Then the circle comes back around and I’m very fond of my hits because there is enough distance now. 

I can look back on the early hits and think ‘wow’.

I also love when I start the intro to a song and I see peoples eyes light up or they nudge or grab one another and it’s their favourite song and it helps connect me with other people.”

Sheena also said she doesn’t envy the pressure now placed on young artists to keep in touch via social media preferring to stay low profile. 

She said: “There was an isolation to a lot of the early years with the travelling and I took it for granted that was part of gig. When you went away you’d tell people you were going away and tell them ‘I’ll call you when I get back’. Now they expect to be connected to you no matter where you are and what you are doing.

In some ways it was beneficial because it kept me focused and centred on what I needed to do and today I’m grateful I’m not a young artist starting out today. They expect the younger kids to be on twitter and Instagram all the time and to document what they had for lunch that day. I’m a very private person and I don’t think I would have handled that well. I think that would have made me crazy. Isolation can be negative and hint at loneliness but it gives you the chance to focus what you’re doing and get the job done and then get back into the real world.”   

Excerpts of this article have since appeared in the Scottish Mail on Sunday 

From Scotland with Love theshowbizlion.com