With authentically Anglo-Saxon aplomb and her voice imbued with melodic nuances, Sophie Ellis-Bextor stages, with the acclaim of social media, her definitive pop show. It&#39;s called “Songs From The Kitchen Disco” and travels on disco revival coordinates, between sequins and mirror balls

Together with her husband Richard Jones, bassist of The Feeling, she put on one of the most memorable shows in times of lockdown. Live from her Instagram profile, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has provided us with an essay of pure entertainment like never before. An apparently simple thing: she just had to wear glitter shorts, a pair of vintage roller skates and hold a microphone in favor of the camera to reproduce a real live show within the walls of her home. In reality, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been able to pack much more than a mere social curtain, she has allowed us - and first of all allowed herself - to escape from the monotony of days marked only by &quot;bad news&quot; clinging to the lightheartedness of music pop. As an artist Sophie has already shown several times that she has a different sensitivity, a little shy towards mainstream trends, but equally capable of giving the history of music exquisite hits such as &quot;Murder On A Dancefloor&quot;, &quot;Get Over You&quot;, &quot; Bittersweet &quot;. Today the reverberations of the golden Disco Music are felt in its nostalgic interpretation of “Crying at the Discotheque”, Alcazar cover and leading single of his first Greatest Hits. It is called “Song From The Kitchen Disco” and summarizes a twenty-year success that deserved to be worthily celebrated. With a bright smile and glittery shoes, Sophie performs for an audience of empty chairs, of deserted discos, of abandoned arenas. A perfect allegory of the present, built with that totally London aplomb and with a delightfully pop style that is never cloying. “Song From The Kitchen Disco” is a gem of pop perfection that Sophie didn&#39;t plan. The best musical project of the moment together with those of Kylie Minogue and Róisín Murphy. All three focused on the concept of Disco. This is by no means a coincidence. We miss the Disco, we need it, not as a real space in which to physically go, but as a dimension of the dream through which to exorcise the ugliness of the world, the frustrations of an imperfect life, the fear of aging. Thanks Sophie. During the months of lockdown you have been in the spotlight of Instagram like never before. What made you want to be so present? I totally followed my instincts. The start of the lockdown and what is happening in the world has scared us all, but at the same time it has prompted people to want to connect with each other to share their emotions. I find it very intense. Even though I was able to spend those months with the people I love most, my husband and my five children, I felt the weight of the stress generated by that situation and I wanted to create something joyful through music. Thus was born the project “The Kitchen Disco”, but I must admit that the idea of broadcasting everything live on Instagram was my husband. It was crazy, but it made us feel better.

Photo Sophie Muller

Performing in front of a virtual audience can be limiting, but what do you think are the positive aspects of an online performance? “The Kitchen Disco” does not want to be a substitute for an in-person performance - singing surrounded by my children is not quite the same thing, haha - but a way to gather in a community, a place where you can find yourself united. Anyone can participate from anywhere in the world, simultaneously and without an entrance ticket. Everyone can do what they want, sing or dance. A real concert, on the other hand, presupposes many expectations, making a show on Instagram is only a way to seek company. Before life, as we knew it, changed radically, what were your plans? A very busy year was looming ahead of me. I was supposed to be on non-stop tour from April to December. I was working on the making of my new album with Ed Harcourt, former producer of the previous records, Familia and Wanderlust. I was very busy and focused. So in 2021 will we see a new album of yours? How will it be? Yes, it is close now. It will be a pop record with dance thrusts, but in a progressive key. Was the Greatest Hits already in the pipeline or was it born on impulse during these months? No, there was no Greatest Hits scheduled, it only became a reality following the success achieved with the Instagram direct. The leading single is a cover by Alcazar. Why did you choose to reinterpret this piece? I&#39;ve always considered it a beautiful song that I wanted to sing on my show. For me it&#39;s not just a catchphrase, but it has a symbolic meaning: the Alcazar skilfully and intelligently performed a fantastic anthem record and recorded and sang it in the same year as my solo debut with Dj Spiller, “Groovejet (If This Ain &#39;t Love) &quot;. For me it has something poetic about it at this precise moment. The video is a glittering and melancholy tale at the same time. How did the shooting go? Is the dress you are wearing the work of any particular designer? I live in London, a city notoriously full of life and international clubs. We decided to film seven of them, including discos, arenas and lounges, in a single day. It was exciting, but the finished video has a patina of sadness because all those lively locations are now closed. No more dancing, no more work for many people. I chose to wear the shiniest dress I had… Brilliant like the designer who made it, Rosa Bloom. I have loved wearing his clothes for many years.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Copyright Laura Lewis (2) .jpg

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Copyright Laura Lewis (1) .jpg

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Copyright Laura Lewis (3) .jpg

Did you feel a bit like Ziggy Stardust? Ehehe, yes exactly. It must have been the effect of all those sequins. How did you choose the songs to be included in the Greatest Hits tracklist? These are all the singles I sang during the “The Kitchen Disco” project. I added some new covers: &quot;Crying at the Discotheque&quot; by Alcazar, &quot;Do You Remember The First Time&quot; by Pulp, &quot;My Favorite Things&quot; by Judy Garland and &quot;True Faith&quot; by New Order, a band I love deeply. I would have liked to have also found “If I Can&#39;t Dance”, which I personally think is an undeservedly underestimated bum. If I could I would have put many more songs on the tracklist, but I tried to fit everything into one CD. Other hits such as “Off &amp; On” and “Can&#39;t Fight This Feeling” would also be missing. Maybe they will end up in a second collection, who knows ... As your fan I feel I have to ask you about the absence, on Spotify, of your wonderful album &quot;Make A Scene&quot;. How is it possible? I really don&#39;t have a clue and I don&#39;t like it at all. I pointed this omission to my management because it&#39;s not nice at all. I hope “Make A Scene” will soon sound as it should be on Spotify. Why are so many recent releases - including your “Songs From The Kitchen Disco” - reviving the sound and aesthetics of Disco Culture? It may seem odd that this is happening right now, but it makes sense for several reasons. Disco Culture was born as a kind of rebellion against restrictions, but at the same time it refers to a place where you can share emotions. Today we miss such a place a lot. Have you been a regular visitor to the London club scene? It is thanks to clubbing that I started making music seriously. In fact, I don&#39;t even know if I would have become a singer without clubbing. In the clubs I met those people who later became my first band. The world of the night has also helped me recreate my own tribe, wonderful people to meet up with every Friday night. You started your career as the lead singer of an indie band, Theaudience. What remains of that period? I was literally obsessed with Brit Pop, it all came from there. When I started working on my first solo album the word &quot;pop&quot; was almost forbidden due to a certain snobbery. I believe that artists like Madonna, Prince and David Bowie have instead demonstrated how wonderful this musical genre can be. I think it is one of the most ambitious genres because it tries to be able to condense important emotions and feelings in just three minutes. What is the artistic ambition, project or dream you envision achieving in the future? I&#39;m not very good at this kind of thing. I simply want to project myself towards new challenges. Complete the next outing disc. Keep working on my podcasts and the things that make me happy. I will do my best to extend the tour that will accompany the release of the album also to the rest of Europe and not just the UK, I would love to return to perform in Italy.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor rekindles the dance and the Disco is back on the dancefloor

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