Over the last couple of years, Xenomania have been touring the country looking for new talent to work with and develop into pop stars. Mini Viva are the first to give it a go, having signed to Geffen (Polydor) and now putting out their first single 'Left My Heart in Tokyo'. It's a brilliant buzz of disco pop which couples the best Xenomania rapping since 'strippers in the vicars in the back' with a gloriously funky bassline and some cheesy oriental sounds. Plus hold out there for the middle 8 and it's pummeling strings. Live they are a bundle of fun, and have a real instinctive quality to their performance - they know exactly what the other one is getting up to. I have no idea which is which, but the video is slightly odd because it sounds like only brown hair MV (Britt?) is singing for most of it. Maybe it's just been mixed oddly. Anyway because I always hate the Shaznay/Nadine of the band, I am instinctively drawn to curly MV who I am wildly guessing is Frankie as my favourite.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvjML3-66SA[/youtube]
I always talk in some kind of idiot manner about how it's really important your favourite pop star is either really aspirational (La Roux, Atomic Kitten) or stark raving bonkers (Gaga) and these pair really fit into the aspirational quality. I'm not entirely sure about their look (they are styled by the same person who does GA FYI) - in places Britt (?!) looks a bit harsh and overdone, but Frankie just oozes your mad little sister who's jumped up on stage and is having a bit of a dance. They're just two regular girls from Newcastle & Liverpool who've been plucked out from obscurity and I know were I a teenager back home in Blackpool I'd be loving them.
I actually hated the song at first, but after a couple of listens it hit me. I bloody well like them now actually.
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