This is from the BBC website, posted just before Christmas:

Listen to Florence and the Machine’s cover of Last Christmas

On Tuesday of this week, BBC Introducing hosted a very special Christmas gig at a tiny London venue to celebrate what has been a fantastic year for new music. You can read all about it in my previous post and check out the photos.

Headlining the gig was a good friend of ours, Florence and the Machine. Our love affair with Florence began back in March 2008 when, unsigned, we took her out to Texas to perform at the BBC Introducing showcase at South by Southwest, where she was introduced by Steve Lamacq. She’s gone from strength to strength since then, enjoying phenomenal success this year. So we were extremely proud when she came to the gig on Tuesday night to thank us by performing an acoustic set to a packed out pub. To say it was ‘intimate’ would be putting it lightly.

The highlight of Flo’s set was undoubtedly her hauntingly beautiful and forlorn rendition of Wham!’s Last Christmas. Accompanied by acoustic guitar and harp, Flo’s incredible voice had us all transfixed.

It’s been proving popular on Radio 1 this week, where Greg James and Huw Stephens have both been playing it, but for those of you that haven’t heard it yet, here it is in all its glory. If this doesn’t get you feeling festive, nothing will…

Is it just me or does it suck that the BBC is promoting this ‘artist’ (I use the term loosely, as to my mind this is the worst case of ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ since Little Boots and La Roux came prancing into town). ‘Flo’…the ‘wacky’ theatrical chick who actually cannot sing in tune. Sponsored by the BBC! Played by the BBC! Flown to Texas by the BBC! How ‘Alternative’, how ‘Indie’ that this stuffy old corporate institution is now informing us how great this ‘exciting new talent’ is. Wake up kids!

Cassie from The Vivian Girls was kind enough to answer the following questions today (6th March 2009), here they are:

DO THE VIVIAN GIRLS HAVE A MISSON STATEMENT?
“Vivian Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT YOUR MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE A MIX BETWEEN THE RAMONES, BEACH BOYS AND THE RONETTES. BUT WHO ARE YOUR ACTUAL INFLUENCES?
You’re not too far off actually. Our main influences are the Wipers, Nirvana and the Shangri-las, as well as Burt Bacharach and 60’s surf.

YOU’RE SIGNED TO A VERY SMALL INDIE LABEL. WOULD YOU EVER CONSIDER SIGNING TO A MAJOR LABEL OR DO YOU PREFER THE PERSONAL FEELING OF AN INDIE?
We never want to sign to a major label, to us they are scary and care too much about money and too little about the actual music. We love In The Red, the label we’re on right now.

YOU SEEM TO PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO YOUR PHYSICAL ITEMS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOUR 7″s ARE ALWAYS REALLY SPECIAL AND YOU DO LIMITED TOUR POSTERS ETC. ARE YOU FANS OF THE COLLECTABILITY ASPECT OF THINGS?
Sometimes! We like it when some records are limited but we also think that if someone wants to have the music, they should be able to.

WHICH CONTEMPORARY BANDS / ARTISTS ARE YOU FANS OF?
So many! Nodzzz, Woods, Cause Co-Motion, Crystal Stilts, Yellow Fever, Fucked Up, The Carrots, and Ariel Pink are all bands that we are huge fans of.

YOU HAVE TOURED ALL OVER THE WORLD NOW, WHAT IS THE BEST PLACE YOU HAVE BEEN SO FAR AND WHERE HAVE YOU HAD THE BEST REACTIONS / WORST REACTIONS?
We like pretty much everywhere we go. Cities like LA and London are really fun because there’s a lot to do there and a lot of people come to the shows. Smaller cities, like Pensacola Florida, Lawrence Kansas and Athens Ohio, are also really fun because there aren’t as many kids and bands don’t go through as often – so the scene is really united and everyone has a blast at shows.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT RECORD?
We’re recording it next week. It’s going to be a little longer than the first record and also a little darker – there are a lot more “Tell The World”s and “I Believe in Nothing”s than on the first record.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BAND IN 5 YEARS?
Hopefully doing exactly what we’re doing now – writing music we really like and touring a bunch.

SO X

Reblogged from Stroll On