I’m Marit, 19 years old and studying for Teacher Assistant. I was born and live in Holland. I actually got to know the site owner before this site through another fansite I run with him – Matt – PCDWorld.co.uk – I then started to listen to some of The Saturdays’ music, watched some of their videos and decided I quite liked them! Since then I’ve been following them, and you understand as soon as Matt asked for volunteers I was the first to apply! I hope you’ll enjoy visiting this no nonsense fansite for The Saturdays that has been around, well, longer than they have!
The Saturdays have generally delivered the B-side goods so far – remember their ‘Golden Rules’ from earlier this year? – so we couldn’t wait to hear what they’d popped on the flipside to their latest single, ‘Forever Is Over’.
In contrast to the belting vocals and pop-rock influences of the A-side, ‘I Can’t Wait’ is a laid-back, electropoppy offering that recalls the more subdued moments from their debut album. It’s a bit of a grower, but the light and breezy chorus wends its way into your brain after a few spins, making this another decent B-side from the girls.
The full version is available on the ‘Forever Is Over’ CD single, out Monday, but for now here’s a 60-second preview:
What do you think of ‘I Can’t Wait? How does it compare to lead single ‘Forever Is Over? Use the space below to leave your comments.
OBVIOUSLY girlband The Saturdays don’t own a mirror between them. Because Una Healy,Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman don’t think they are sex symbols.
Speaking to ZOO mag, Frankie commented: “It’s cool, but I don’t really think of myself in that way. It’s funny when you see things written about you. Our agent opened up ZOO the other day on the plane and there was a picture of me with my arse hanging out. It was really awkward – we both sat there looking at my arse! But it’s cool. It’s nice if people think we’re hot.” Mollie claims that being so sexy has its drawbacks: “I find it quite embarrassing – especially if my dad sees naughty stuff about me. Not what you want your dad reading!”
Commenting on their saucy stage outfits, Una says: “It’s not exactly what you’d wear to walk down the street! It’s very sexy and we’re not ashamed of it. But we’re not sluts either. We’re classily sexy. Every girl goes out on a Saturday night to be a sex symbol. When I walk into a bar, I never feel special because so many of the girls are stunning.”
These girls are f*cking blind, if I didn’t have that restraining order I would happily tell them how nice they look. I mean come on, standing outside each one of their houses with just a spinning bow-tie on pretending to be the newest member of McFly wasn’t that bad.. was it?
Anyhow, here is a few pics of the girls from when we caught up with them and fellow superstars Taio Cruz and Chipmunk at Juice FM’s Big Night Out over the weekend.
It’s astonishing how much ground one conversation can cover in a short time, isn’t it? You start by describing where you are and how you are, and before you know it, you’re knee deep in Frank Carter from Gallows sobbing onstage while he tattoos his brother on his mum, or something.
And this is a chat with Frankie Sandford, a former member of S Club 8 and now one fifth of the Saturdays. Who knows where we’d have ended up in another five minutes? Making a breadbin on the moon?
===================================
ChartBlog: Hello Frankie! How’re you doing? Frankie: Hello, you sound like you’re in a toilet!
ChartBlog: It’s quite a boomy room. More of a cubicle, really. And the seat is a bit cold. You sound like you’re in a car. Frankie: I am in car. I’m on a radio tour, somewhere in between Coventry and Birmingham.
ChartBlog: Is it true you went to Reading Festival this year? Frankie: Yes I did.
ChartBlog: I’m told you were camping next to the team from The 5:19 Show*, did you spot them? Frankie: They were camping next to me? Really? How awesome! It was all a bit cosy there. Tell them I hope they weren’t the noisy ones!
ChartBlog: Who were you there to see? Frankie: Brand New, Kids In Glass Houses, You Me At Six, and Gallows.
ChartBlog: GALLOWS? Are you a big fan? Frankie: Well it’s funny. I’ve seen them before live, and I like watching them live. I have liked some of their music but I don’t really listen to it, but I like to watch them live, which is a bit weird.
ChartBlog: They are VERY good live… Frankie: Yeah, it’s just like…he’s mental! I love it! You have such a good time there. It’s awesome.
ChartBlog: He didn’t get out his tattooing equipment? Frankie: No he did that last time, when I saw him at Reading last time. I didn’t go the year before, I went the year before that. And he tattooed Reading on himself, somewhere. But this year he kept crying! It’s so weird because he looks so angry when he’s performing, and screaming and sweating and getting angry. But he was crying and getting all emotional. He rang to say “I love you” to his girlfriend on the phone, he brought his mum and dad out, he brought his brother out and started crying when his brother was with him. It was so weird!
ChartBlog: …and then the band launched into another song in which he screams a bunch of anger at the world Frankie: [laughing] Yeah!
ChartBlog: It must be quite a weird situation for you as a band right now, since the Sugababes have…become changed…does it feel like there’s an open goal in front of you and you’ve got the ball? Frankie: Um…obviously for us it’s like we are the only girl band around at the moment, so that’s quite cool, but I think the Sugababes are gonna come back bigger and better. They’ve just got so much press about it, like literally we’ve been on the radio tour all week, and all we’ve been asked about is the Sugababes. It’s just gonna be like this massive…like everyone’s gonna be waiting to see that first video.
ChartBlog: Does the idea that you can replace all the members in a band make you feel at all insecure? Frankie: No, cos I don’t think we are one of those bands. I think it’s kind of like…I’m not saying we are like the Spice Girls, but with them it’s like “We ARE the Spice Girls”, and we ARE the Saturdays. I think the Sugababes may be a bit more of a brand, and it’s something they’ve always done. If one of us left then there would just be four. You can’t replace a person.
ChartBlog: I think the thing with the Sugababes is that Siobhan left when they were so young and new, and then they came back with a brilliant song. So by the time they established themselves properly, people were used to the idea that someone could leave. You’re already established as the five of you. In any case, if anyone does go, I hope it’s not you. Frankie: Aww thank you! I’m not planning on it.
ChartBlog: Soo…what’s the new album all about? Frankie: Well, it’s called ‘Wordshaker’, and it’s a step up from the first album. When we recorded the first album we were getting to know each other and we were kind of becoming the Saturdays. No we ARE the Saturdays, so it’s more us. We’ve written a song on it, and it’s just really good. The songs are still really catchy but they’re bigger than the last songs.
ChartBlog: Tell me about the one you wrote. Is it a collaborative effort between all five of you? Frankie: Yeah. It’s called ‘Deeper’, and it’s a slow song. It’s a happy love song instead of all these ones that are like “we don’t need you, we’re better off without you”, so we thought it’d be good to write a nice one.
ChartBlog: It is getting a bit much, the songs from the lady pop stars about how rubbish the men are. Frankie: Well, it’s got to be done, hasn’t it?
With Sugababes imploding from within and Girls Aloud on hiatus, could there be a better time for The Saturdays to establish themselves as Britain’s biggest girlband? Their debut album went platinum after spinning off five chart hits and now – fresh from putting the finishing touches to the follow-up Wordshaker – they’re back with new single ‘Forever Is Over’. We caught up with Rochelle Wiseman to discuss the new record and the ever-changing girlband landscape.
Your new single ‘Forever Is Over’ shows a rockier edge to The Saturdays. Is that the direction you’re going in now?
“I think we’re lucky because as a pop group we can try lots of different sounds and don’t have to stick to the same thing. The single’s got a full-on pop-rock sound and I think it shows off our voices really well. It’s similar to the album in that it’s got a bigger sound production-wise, but not all the songs are as rocky like that.”
Why did you decide to call your album Wordshaker?
“We wanted something that was a bit more grown-up because it’s our second album. We thought about calling it Deeper but that sounded a little bit cringe and cliched. We wanted something unique, so that when you Google it only our album will come up. A ‘wordshaker’ is someone who twists the truth by saying one thing and doing another. It’s someone who’s a bit of a sneak and uses reverse psychology. We’re making it a trending topic on Twitter.”
There were rumours going round that it was called Colonial Masses.
“I know, it’s hilarious! We were doing interviews all of last week and everybody kept referring to it under that name. We were like, ‘What the hell?’ Don’t believe anything that you read on Wikipedia – anyone can edit it!”
Do you think the new sound will stop comparisons to Girls Aloud?
“I think they came to the end quite a while ago. After we released a couple of singles everyone realised that we had our own sound. Obviously at the start people made comparisons because there were five of us, but that was just an initial thing. We still bump into them at the label and they’re such nice girls.”
So you’re not plotting to take over while they’re on hiatus?
“There was a report in the newspaper that was totally twisted about us trying to take over from them. They asked us about Girls Aloud having a year out and asked if we were ready to be the next girlband. We were like, ‘We’re up for it’. But then the next thing was ‘The Saturdays get nasty’ and we were apparently slagging them off. That’s not our style though. We don’t do things like that. The girls know it’s not true too.”
How did you feel when you heard Keisha had been kicked out of Sugababes?
“I was really shocked. I kind of feel that it’s a bit unfair to keep using the Sugababes name if she’s not in it. She was the only original member left even though Heidi has been there a long time. You never know what goes on behind the scenes and I don’t think we’ll ever really get the truth, just what the newspapers say. The new line-up is hot though. I saw a picture of them and it looks like it’s going to be a good video.”
Do you think they’ll still be around in a year from now?
“Maybe, but they’ll probably have three different members!”
Have you noticed that the beginning of ‘Wordshaker’ sounds a bit like ‘Get Sexy’?
“What bit? Oh, the sirens? I hadn’t noticed that, but I guess it does a little bit. That’s going to be stuck in my head now every time I hear it!”
Has there ever been any in-fighting in The Saturdays?
“We’re actually so lucky because we all get on really well. It’s quite weird when you hear about the stuff that goes on in other groups. It must be horrible being in a band with someone you don’t get on with because you’re with each other all the time doing this job.”
You seem never to have any time off.
“I know! We’ve hardly had any time off since we started but we got a week off in the summer and I took my mum to St. Lucia. It was really weird because we got papped and it was in the paper. It really freaked me out because you don’t know where they’re hiding! I felt a bit sorry for my mum.”
Earlier this year you said you wanted to break the US. Is that still on the agenda?
“Absolutely! It’s always been a dream of ours, but we don’t want to leave the UK before we’ve got it nailed here. We want to make sure we’ve done enough here to be properly established before we swan off.”
Will there be another Saturdays single before Christmas?
“Yeah, why not! Watch this space!”
Do you know which song it’s going to be yet?
“We have decided on one, but I can’t tell you yet.”
‘Wordshaker’ and ‘One Shot’ went down well on tour. Could it be one of those?
“Well, maybe not for the next one. I’m not sure… I don’t think it will be one of those two, so there’s a hint! Stop it you with the probing, cheeky!”
Were you surprised when ‘Work’ only reached number 22?
“What happened was that we were meant to release it a lot earlier but then the Comic Relief opportunity came through. We’d already started promoting ‘Work’ so everyone had already started downloading it. Sales-wise it still did well and it tied in nicely with our ‘Work’ tour, but it wasn’t the ideal chart position.”
Do you think you’ll get your first number one from the new album?
“Do you know what, I think we deserve it now! There’s all that stuff about being modest but it’s every band’s dream to get to number one! It’s so nice to be in the top ten, even better to be in the top five, but getting to the top would really seal the deal. We’ve done so well this far, so it would be the icing on the cake and top off what has been a really amazing year.”
The Saturdays release new single ‘Forever Is Over’ on October 5. Their album Wordshaker follows on October 12.
Let’s jump right in. Wordshaker is better than Chasing Lights, but that was hardly going to be a hard feat to achieve. Well done to Mollie who wins the award for most improved vocals, we actually want to listen to her now unlike her appalling ‘uhh yeh’ adlibs in If This Is Love and ‘whoa-oy-oy’ intro from Work. Frankie shouldn’t have bothered to turn up to studio, that’s how bad she sounds here. Rochelle could have spent a bit less time in studio. Not sure where Una and Vanessa were because they’re not really anywhere. Watch it girls, we don’t want Royonce.
Forever Is Over (**) – The lead single is an average pop/rock affair. The hardcore fans might know it but don’t ask the public as it’s not exactly setting the airplay charts on fire. We think the only reason this was chosen was because it was written by ex-Busted member James Bourne.
Here Standing(***) –We actually had to check iTunes to make sure we weren’t listening to No Air. Good to see the girls continue their theme of being sub-par [insert artists name here]. The chorus is a bit of a non-chorus, seems like it was an afterthought. Listen out for Mollie, very good here!
Ego (*****) –Ah, the first track that actually sounds like it’s The Saturdays. That’s probably because this track is written by their 6th band member, Ina Wroldsen. Please make sure this is the second single.
No One (*) – This album’s Vulnerable. We promptly skipped this upon hearing Frankie’s bridge. Who the hell approved this? They should be shot.
One Shot (*****) – Another track that sounds like The Saturdays. Leona Lewis and Luigi Masi must have agreed as they both turned this down for their upcoming albums. If you liked it on tour then you’ll love this studio version.
Wordshaker (****) – You might have heard the title track if you went to see The Saturdays on their Work tour. We didn’t remember how it went because of all the alcohol we downed that night to try and liven that mess of a ’show’. It’s a good track but not deserving of title track nameage rights.
Denial(***) – Generic. The girls were on a roll with ‘The Saturdays’ sounding tracks. Oh well. And no this is not a cover of the Sugababes song although it is just as instant. Most likely to be the ‘last single’ release.
Open Up (*****) –This is the best song on the album. Words cannot quite describe the amazingness that this song encapsulates. Very Kelly Clarkson does dance. Very well done Team Sats.
Lose Control (****) –Why did Britney Spears not snap up this electro gem? The rapping/talk bits and electronic zaps are incredible. Come on everybody now “oooh oh oooh oh”!
Not Good Enough (***) – When this leaked last September (yes, a year ago) it sounded okay. Now with exactly the same version on the album it just sounds old. Should have just been released as a future b-side.
Deeper (**) – Bland. That makes sense as it was co-written by the girls. It also sounds very much like La Roux but without those annoying vocals of hers.
2AM (**) – The Why Me, Why Now of the album. The track sounds like something lost from the 1990s. An okay way to end the album but nothing that makes us beg for album 3.
And there we have it. Basically the girls should have taken the best 6 tracks and released it now as an EP and then come back with an album next year. There is no growth here and we can’t help but fear they’ll suffer a sophomore slump.
Wordshaker is out on 12th October through Fascination/Geffen.
OK, I’m going to break this to you gently… there are no tracks on Wordshaker that are as good as “Up”. But it’s not all bad news. Because there are about 10 tracks on Wordshaker that are literally very nearly almost as good as “Up” whilst sounding nothing like it. And that’s about 10 more than were on Chasing Lights. Huzzah.
We’ve been wanting The Saturdays to be amazing for about as long as we knew they existed. Personality-wise, they might not be setting us on fire yet but Wordshaker (despite sounding like a prototype name for the game Boggle) is a very fine sophomore album indeed. Why “Forever Is Over“, a stab at pop-rock so soft it’s practically a cuddly toy, was chosen as the lead single when it’s probably the weakest track remains a mystery – so if you actually quite like “Forever Is Over”, imagine how happy you’ll be to discover that every one of the eleven other tracks is substantially better than it. Huzzah again.
The overall sound of the album might not have shifted seismically from Chasing Lights – basically the many many ballads have gone up a gear to become midtempo instead – but thankfully the overdose on schmaltz is long gone and Wordshaker’s big ballad moment, “Here Standing”, is properly gorgeous. In our review of Chasing Lights, we implored the girls to unleash their fierce side more often and on the likes of “Ego”, “One Shot” and “Open Up”, boy do they deliver – pop choons with the perfect sprinkling of rocky rhythms and electro twiddles on top, lyrics that require voices set to ‘belt’ rather than ‘simper’ and Vanessa’s powerhouse vocals to see them soaring through.
Elsewhere Wordshaker is revealed not as an educational game but a liar who twists words and the resulting song is the album’s feisty fantastic highlight whilst “Lose Control”, an explosion of ‘oooo-ooooohs’, “talky bits” and electro-esque squelching, is my personal favourite. When the saccharine finally rears its head on the closer 2am (alas, not a prequel to Busted’s still epic 3am), it’s actually welcome; simply lovely, it’s Wordshaker’s “Why Me, Why Now” and you can’t help falling in love with it. Well, I couldn’t anyway.
Some tracks (“Denial”, “Not Good Enough”) sound a little generic in that they seem instantly familiar – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a sign that they have been crafted well enough to get stuck in your head almost immediately. As the Sugababes implode, this is the kind of album we could imagine a diluted Sugababes v2.0 recording, except that comparison really does Wordshaker no justice whatsoever. Come the second album, The Saturdays have found their own sound and guess what? It’s great. Heaven knows how good album three might be. What I do know is that Wordshaker is probably the pop album of the year.
BTW this is a matter almost as important as how good the album is. Frankie has short hair again. YES!
You know what – I haven’t really written much about The Saturdays here on EQ. I’ve always had an appreciation for the their radio friendly electro-tinged hits (my absolute favorite being “Up”), but like Girls Aloud – they are everywhere it seems – and EQ tends to write about up-and-coming artists – and The Saturdays, well they most certainly have already arrived now haven’t they.
I did ponder if I should do the interview or not, but I thought it would be a real hoot to talk to Frankie about current girl pop and get the scoop on their upcoming album “Wordshaker” which is coming out in October. I’m glad I did the interview though – I liked their first album and Frankie is a lovely girl. It’s always a pleasure to speak to someone whose had some success in the industry and to get their perspective on the current music scene.
So what happened when EQ met Frankie from The Saturdays – read on and enjoy…
EQ: Well hello Frankie…how are you today?
Frankie: I’m good thank you!
So I must ask, how are you holding up with all this commotion about Keisha being kicked out of the Sugababes? Is it a sad day for girlband pop?
Um, I don’t know really. It’s kinda fair enough I guess. Keisha has been in Sugababes for like 11 years or something like that. Now that she’s left, all the original members now are gone. So it’s like, “Are they Sugababes anymore?”. I don’t know – it’s just weird…
So I’ve been dying to ask you actually, how do The Saturdays coordinate their multi-coloured outfits ie: your dresses, tights, umbrellas etc. Do you get into arguments like “I want to be blue, no I want to be blue” or is there some complex sort of system that you use to pick out your colours for the music videos and artwork…
No – the first time we did it – it just ended up being that way. We didn’t chose colours or anything – it was just what colours our dresses were. Now it’s kinda whoever wants to wear what really. I try to wear red as much as I can and the same with the other girls. But we don’t keep the same colour, we kinda mix it around.
So tell me about your new single – “Forever Is Over”. It’s a bit of an angsty one isn’t it?…
Yeah – it was written by James Bourne. He’s written so many hits so it was cool to work with him. It’s a breakup song. It’s a “go-off I’m leaving and I don’t care – see you later” type of song. Not really a tearjerker at all – it’s more of an empowering song I think. It’s got such a good chorus, it’s catchy and it’s just a big song. We love it – it’s awesome. When we heard it, we said “we have to have it”.
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