FEATURE: From Kitchen Discos to the Radio? Hearing More of Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the Airwaves

FEATURE:

From Kitchen Discos to the Radio?

Hearing More of Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the Airwaves

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I tuned in pretty late…

PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

but a lot of people have been posting on social media their reactions to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Friday night kitchen disco posts. We are all finding ways to get through lockdown and stay upbeat. I have seen many celebrities and musicians use their platform to help people. On Friday, the extremely popular Friday posts from Ellis-Bextor came to an end:

“Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been cheering up her fans in lockdown by sharing videos of disco parties at her home - but she hung up her disco ball last night.

Each Friday during lockdown Sophie, 41, has dressed up to the nines for the parties with her kids.

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The singer has performed some of her biggest hits such as The Murder On The Dancefloor as her kids dance around her.

But she called time after last night's stream where she was seen wearing a dazzling multi-coloured top, leather skirt and heels.

It comes after Sophie shared a rare picture of her 16-year-old son Sonny last month as he celebrated his birthday during lockdown”.

I guess that, if you have children home and it can get quite claustrophobic, putting on a kitchen disco is a rather good way to get them involved and melt away some stress at the same time! For Ellis-Bextor, she was not only making her time in lockdown a bit more fun, but she has also connected with many other people and inspired them to set up their own kitchen disco.

When she spoke with The Guardian earlier in the week, Ellis-Bextor explained the importance of the kitchen discos:

“Doing the kitchen discos has meant an incredible amount to us. It’s been an anchor for each week, but also escapism. I’ve been singing songs I haven’t sung for years. It’s a portal – suddenly you’re 17 and in an indie club. I discovered disco in my early 20s once I started listening to dance music. As someone who sings along to stuff, I like stories, and disco is the first place that dance music told stories.

When I do the last one today I’m pretty sure I’m gonna cry because it’s been so special. When lockdown first started, we felt there would be a big distinction between lockdown and “out you go into the world again”. It became apparent that’s there’s going to be a slow re-emergence into a new normal. I wanted to keep the discos going until there was a change in the wind”.

As an artist, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has had a long and successful solo career – though I still think one of her finest moments was on Spiller’s Groovejet (If This Ain't Love). Disco, Dance and Pop has been a part of her work since the beginning, and there is a certain energy and snap in her music that draws fans in. Her last studio album, Familia (2016), was produced by Ed Harcourt – the two are working together for Ellis-Bextor’s forthcoming album I understand.

As soon as word of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s kitchen discos started to gain traction and buzz on social media, I felt that she would very naturally translate to radio. On Monday, Ellis-Bextor put together two hours of Disco and Dance tunes for BBC Radio 2. I could have done some more research but, so far as I know, this was the first time Ellis-Bextor has presented a show for BBC Radio 2. Also, I think, the Bank Holiday Monday show is going to be a one-off, but I have listened to the show, and I wonder whether it could be something more permanent. The response she got was tremendous, and so many people were eager to express their praise. It was an excellent broadcast, and Ellis-Bextor has a natural flair and affinity for radio! Her selection of tunes was top-notch (it would be good to see them listed on the show’s page on the BBC Radio 2 website), and it made me wonder whether we could see her return. On stations like BBC Radio 6 Music, they have series where well-known faces present a selection of their favourite tracks (in Paperback Writers). They have actor Cillian Murphy presenting shows on a semi-regular basis, and I think Sophie Ellis-Bextor is someone who could gain a big fanbase at BBC Radio 2. Whether she would have a show entirely about Disco and Dance, I am not sure, but her Bank Holiday show seems too good to leave there. This is me thinking aloud, but I think Ellis-Bextor’s Friday kitchen disco shows buoyed many people around the world, and it was great she was given an opportunity to get onto the airwaves and lay down some top-notch cuts. I hope that, given Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s recent kitchen discos and her impressive radio stint, a weekly position on BBC Radio 2 becomes…

A permanent appointment.

Sam Liddicott