Sharleen Spiteri joins Perth Festival line-up

Mar 5 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

STELLAR Scottish singer Sharleen Spiteri is the latest high-profile name to join this year’s Perth Festival line-up.

Spiteri – pictured – who has pursued a successful solo career after fronting the multi-million selling UK pop-rock band Texas, will perform in Perth Concert Hall on Saturday, May 29.

Other additions to the programme of this year’s Perth Festival from May 19-30 announced yesterday include American stand-up Rich Hall, a regular on BBC quiz QI, and writer Will Self.

They will be joined by antiques expert Eric Knowles, an award-winning production of Animal Farm, Coffee Concerts with the RSAMD, a children’s play called Martha featuring a goose and, for the first time, a ‘festival fling’ with Tiree-based Celtic band Skerryvore.

Glasgow-born Spiteri (42) was a co-founder of the multi-million selling Scottish group Texas, whose debut single ‘I Don't Want a Lover’ in 1989 was followed by 12 other Top 10 hits and three multi-platinum albums.

‘Melody’, her debut studio album as a solo artiste was released in 2008 and reached number three in the UK album charts.

Spiteri’s Perth Festival audience will be able to enjoy performances of material from her second solo album, The Movie Songbook, released this week.

The album of favourite movie songs was recorded in Hollywood, and is being lauded as her most dynamically diverse album yet, embracing a kaleidoscopic musical journey from pop to country via disco, bossa-nova, folk, rockabilly, jazz and balladry.

“From my spontaneous idea of doing a record of film songs to suddenly be stood in Sinatra’s studio, with his musicians, Michael Jackson’s guitarist and the guy who sang harmonies for Luther Vandross, Phil Ramone on production was just phenomenal,” enthused Spiteri, who is of Maltese, Italian and Irish descent.

“The whole session was, literally, like being in a movie.”

Big names previously announced as being Perth Festival-bound include Don McLean, Barbara Bonney, Alison Balsom, The Halle Orchestra, English Touring Opera, the BBC Singers, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and TV pundit Gyles Brandreth.

Festival box offices at Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre open on Monday, March 29, with details available at www.perthfestival.co.uk