The graduates: from the new band stage to world domination

Lily Allen
Believe it or not there was a time when the multitudes were not hip to the lady Lily’s every hotel breakfast experience, bowel movement, soundbite and backbite as relayed by the Orwellian all-monitoring social networking apparatus of facebook/myspace etc etc. Back on the New Bands stage in ’06, Ms Allen was a sprightly and sparkling debutante promulgating Lahndan girly rap and sunshine reggae, weaving verbal dexterity with loping skank, cute as a button and brazen as you like, and right on the top of her game with a number one single (‘Smile’) and raved about album (Alright, Still).
Since that performance she’s gone on to become something of a phenomenon – and on. That not so difficult second album, the sarky and tartly titled It’s Not Me, It’s You, neatly hurdled the graduation barrier, and a very 21st century approach to self promotion – somewhere between Warhol and McLuhan – meant she was the talk of everyone’s Twitter list, not to mention a bit of a style icon to boot. But there’s substance here too. ‘The Fear’ will be perhaps the most unlikely single to have spent four weeks at number one this year – a WAG-satirising tune with oodles of soul. Which goes to prove Ms Allen has the brains and suss to offset the cash and the brash.

Paolo Nutini
Boy those Scots-Italians are a potent gene pool. The very photographable Mr Nutini was never destined for a future in his old man’s fish and chip shop and dodged the questionable lure of deep fat frying vats for piecemeal work as a roadie and merchandising hawker for Scottish rockers Speedway. Nutini moved to London’s bright lights, big city at the age of 17 to cut his songwriting teeth: there followed support slots with Amy and KT, next stop King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and Later with Jools and Oxegen 06, all the way to Carnegie. How did he get there? Practise, baby. Plus tunes like ‘These Streets’, ‘Rewind’ and ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’, which were substantial enough to score the lad a deal with Atlantic by his 18th birthday. That debut album, These Streets, made number 3 in the UK. The latest, Sunny Side Up, has just hit the number one slot. All this, plus the supreme honour of the Golden St Christopher medal awarded by his ancestral folks in Barga, Italy, and a spot of soundtracking the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy.