Legendary soul diva PP Arnold is coming to our shores for the first time, playing her classic hits at Auckland's Powerstation next month.
Apart from her much-awaited debut Kiwi concert, she is also set to undertake her first Australian tour which will kick off in Melbourne then heading to Thornbury and Gippsland. Right after her NZ date, PP will resume her Aussie performances in Sydney, Fremantle before concluding in North Perth.
Best known for her beautiful and classic mid-to-late '60s hits including 'The First Cut Is The Deepest', '(If You Think You're) Groovy' and 'Angel of the Morning' as well as the power chorus of the Small Faces' iconic hit 'Tin Soldier', The Los Angeles teenager, who became London's First Lady of Soul after hitting town in 1966 with Ike & Tina Turner and coming to the attention of Mick Jagger, is still going strong.
Hitting notes with her all-too familiar voice, PP Arnold will be backed by a super group of super fans: You am I's Tim Rogers, Rusty Hopkinson, & Andy Kent, Talei Wolfgramm and James Black. Her latest tour follows the release of her 2017 album 'The Turning Tide' a collection of unreleased recordings from the late '60s and early '70s which was meant to be her third album. It cracked the UK Top 30 upon release and recently made the NZ iTunes Top 20. The Turning Tide includes superb interpretations of Traffic's 'Medicated Goo' and the Rolling Stones' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' in addition to the Barry Gibb's incorporated compositions and more.
Over the years, PP has worked with numerous other artists in both a live and studio context too—from Nick Drake to Boy George. Her voice has graced numerous hits including Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer' and the KLF's 'What Time Is Love'. She sung on the Kane Gang's hit 1989 hit cover of the Staple Singers' 'Respect Yourself' which reached no. 19 in Australia. More recently she has recorded with Primal Scream and Oasis, and she has worked extensively with Ocean Colour Scene. She appears on Paul Weller's 2017 album 'A Kind Revolution'. She has a voice that other artists love to work with; her first duet was with Rod Stewart on a single produced by Mick Jagger 'Come Home Baby' way back in '67.
It was Jagger who saw the potential in PP in 1966 when, as one of Ike & Tina's Ikettes riding on the back of 'River Deep Mountain High', she toured in Britain with the Stones. Jagger convinced her to stay in the UK and his manager Andrew Loog Oldham to sign her, and she had her first smash with the first recording of the now legendary Cat Stevens' song 'The First Cut Is the Deepest' (It was her version that Rod Stewart remembered when he recorded it some years later). She worked with Immediate Records' label mates the Small Faces, including on the classic 'Tin Soldier' and recorded two superb albums that included bold interpretations of the Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows' and the Bee Gees' 'To Love Somebody' and much more.
This timeless work has earned PP Arnold an ardent following amongst fans of '60s British rock and pop in addition to lovers of classic soul, and a number of her early dance numbers are considered Northern Soul classics.
Don't miss your chance to witness PP Arnold performing her timeless hits and showcasing her soulful singing prowess for the first time in NZ this May!
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