Fresh from presenting the Eurovision Grand Final results, and ahead of swinging by Bristol Beacon on her biggest ever headline tour, Sophie Ellis-Bextor talks to us about her favourite thing to do in the city, her new album Perimenopop, and the power of naked dancing…
Is there anything Sophie Ellis-Bextor can’t bring a little joy to? From injecting some much-needed disco into lockdown kitchens across the world a few years ago, to sound-tracking Saltburn’s disturbingly multifaceted anti-hero’s victory lap in ‘that’ iconic film scene (plus, most recently, stepping in last-minute to present the UK’s jury vote in the Eurovision Grand Final) – you’re in safe hands if Sophie’s about. She’s been singing for 30 years, flirting with a multitude of genres, but in her words: “my heart beats fastest for pop”. And her pulse shows no signs of slowing down. Having already mastered five top 10 albums and eight top 10 singles, her eighth studio album Perimenopop is due to land in September. Before then though, she’s setting off on her biggest ever headline tour, with an all-important pit stop at Bristol Beacon on 8 June. We managed to steal a few minutes with one of the UK’s favourite disco divas, and here are five things we learned…
She prefers to keep a low profile off stage
“I am more socially introverted, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a full blown introvert. I get what I need from my gigging, so when I do a mixture of my work and having downtime, I feel really calibrated. I really noticed this a lot during lockdown, where I obviously didn’t have the chance to sing and perform, and I realised how intrinsic those things are to how I tick.
“I’m just very happy pootling about by myself when I’m off the stage, keeping a low profile, slinking around whatever town I find myself in, wandering all over the cities, having a little mooch, and then getting ready for the gig gets me into the right headspace. I’m happy with an hour or so of quiet time, then I’m good to go. Then the music and the crowd lift me up!”
Bristol’s vintage shops are a favourite hangout
“My best friend since school lives in Bristol with my godson, so I come to Bristol anyway and have loads of places I like to go – she takes me around her local area. I spent time here with another school friend while she was at uni here – we’d go out to clubs and explore, then I’d crash on her floor. Now, when I come to Bristol, I like to go around the vintage shops. It’s my favourite thing to do, and there are some great ones in Bristol. It’s a really fab place. I love Bristol.”
The new tour will get you bopping
“Kitchen Disco [the successful Instagram live shows streamed during lockdown] is what we created when we weren’t able to perform live, and I didn’t have a stage or a tour, so I took my touring energy into my own kitchen. But this tour’s energy and vibe is mainly an escape; a tonic; joy. I love what I do, but I also love what it gives me, and I love trying to get that dialogue going with the crowd and taking us all to the same place by the end of the show. I’m always smiling and bopping about, but underneath it all, I’m kind of stealthy, and I aim to get everybody there bopping… and I usually do!”
Last year’s rocket-fuelled success energised work on the new album
“I wrote Perimenopop when I was in the absolute momentum and head rush of everything that happened with Murder on the Dancefloor last year [which appeared in key scene of the aforementioned smash-hit movie Saltburn]. That is actually a really glorious way to make pop music, because pop music thrives on momentum. It’s something that needs that rush of vitality in its veins. So it was the perfect time.
“I was already going to make a pop dance album anyway, but having all of this rocket fuel with Murder on Dancefloor returning to the charts and taking me all around the world with it again just injected this real fizz into the project – and also into the people I was lucky enough to get in the room with. I’ve worked with some incredible people, artists, producers and writers on Perimenopop. I just wrote a wish list and managed to get in the room with most of them. Happy days – and lucky me. I took full advantage, quite frankly, and this album is joyful, it’s celebratory, it’s inclusive, and it’s also about how lovely is to have all of those feelings.”
Naked dancing seems to be the key to success…
When asked Sophie if she could soundtrack another one of her tunes to any iconic film scene, what would it be, she replied: “Well, seeing as Barry Keoghan dancing naked [in Saltburn] did so well for Murder on the Dancefloor, I think I should just put other songs in exactly the same spot, please, so maybe Barry can now dance naked to Taste or Groovejet, or one of the other songs from the record. I think naked dancing and my music seem to be quite a good combo…”
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is performing at Bristol Beacon on Sunday 8 June.
Limited tickets were available at the time of publishing, visit bristolbeacon.org for more information
Pre-order Perimenopop via sophieellisbextor.net (out 12 September).
All images supplied courtesy of PR.
