STREET SPIRIT
He has some beautiful tunes, and cheekbones to match, but Mark Robertson reckons Paolo Nutini has what it takes to make the successful transition from aspirant roadie to international superstar.
eeliiiiiig in the .ltiiie xiiiixhine on the gi‘axx
ol' Brodie l’ark. one ol' the lien green
plaeex that reiiiaiiix iiiixpoilt h_\ eommeree or negleet in hix home lti\\ll I’;iixle_\. Paolo Nutini lightx up a eigarette. takex a x\\ig oi heer and reeoiintx xome i'eeeiit adwnturex.
"Iihe South h} South \Vext I’exti\al \\ax treiiiendoiixf he xa_\x. ‘l‘iii itixt doing thexe \iee ttL‘titlxliL‘ \Ilt)\\\ Ik‘hu‘ctt the higgei‘ aetx. \xhieh ix eool. hut then haiidx like the Beaxtie Him xhou tip and iiixt do an impromptu xliou. 'l'liat \\'Lt\ ama/ing. .-\nd then there'x turning tip at ('arnegie Hall in Next York and hanging otit \\'III1 Kid Roek. He \\ax xueh a iiiee gti_\.’
()n thix da_\ in June. \utiiii liax all the time in the “mid. \\ ell. enough time to xpend an at’tei‘noon ehatting and getting liix photograph taken tor l‘lii' lid. in hetueeii eltth xlitmx in Dundee and (ilaxgou and a hi'iel' \ixit to xee hix girll‘rieiid. But xoiiiethiiig ix kieking oll iii a hig \\a_\ here. llix niohile phone htix/ex like an aiigr} \\axp all da_\. delhet‘ing iiiexxagex l‘rom prexx people. I‘L‘L‘oi‘d L‘titttptiti) litidx. L‘VL‘II the odd impromptu interxieu \\IlIiIll an inter\ie\\. It Ix oh\ioux that thix ix going to he the eloxext to do“ It [ilttL‘ he'll \L'L' Iitll‘ xtiltie little.
I’t‘titii~ UII [Ittll L‘tiltiL‘x jtlxl xe\en \VCL‘kx IttIL‘l’. It takex oier a \\eek to get liitii on the phone again tor a eateh tip ehat. He‘x in (‘hieago. .\'o. he'x in Miami. .\'o. lie‘x iii l)en\ er. .\'o. lie'x in (iernian). \o. Holland.
‘l'\e juxt read in ('mmo (iii! in Holland that I'm the Iltiiik ol~ the Month. he eaeklex met‘ a popping. humming. eraekliiig mohile phone line. the phone goex dead tagaitii and \\ hen \\ e linth reeoiineet \titini eonlexxex that thix \\ax in laet. Villxl a joke. ‘I ean imagine heiiig axked to do it though. done tip in m_\ \Vham "('Iuh l‘t‘opieaiia" xurl xhoi'tx. .\'iee.'
lle‘x right. It ixn't xueh a xtreteh ot the imagination to tind the 1‘) )ear-old plaxtered on the I‘L‘LIt'tiUltt \\LtHx HI. Iitil’ttttittttl lL‘L‘ltttg‘L‘t‘x. IIC doex alter all ha\'e the tiiialitiex to make \xomeii moon. He alxo eii_io_\x aii ;iiidi‘og_\iioux qiialit) that nieanx he \xon‘t inxtanth ol'lend )titii' holier- than-thoii-indie-hipxter—in-the-xtreet. That xaid. I'm xtire the} ~re tr_\ ing reth hard not to like him. xiiiee he ix that moxt terrihle ot~ tliingx. a non. ironie. non-mantithietured. natural pop .xiiiger.
\iitini t'olloux in a long lineage of xoiilit‘uli xiiigerx: xharp ot' eheekhone. qiiiek ot‘ wit and xupreiiieI} \xell-eqiiipiwd in the lung depamnent.
\Vhat ix alxo notahle about him. unlike xome ot
hix predeeexxorx \\hieh arguahl} could he
“A”
3’: t 5‘ 'E 1’.‘ i
‘9
4‘. (CI-.5413“ I: I} '5‘; ifio‘f
anyone li‘om the righteotix. il‘ genial .'\| (ireeii to the htiiiiptiotix. arrogant .Ia) Ka} ix that he ix L‘\Il'L‘lthI_\ ehai'ming and al'tahle. IIIx xongx are xtraight l‘roni the elaxxie pop xketehhook: hig x\\titittitig L‘Iitit'ttxex lhttt make Ik‘xl ttxe oi hix xandpaper} eroon a eroon tempered h_\ the xharp edgex oi liix ehopp} I’;iixle_\ aeeent. He I'CI-L'I'L‘IICL‘\ the likex HIT BIH \VHItCl'x. SIL‘HL‘
‘YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING EVERYTHING YOU CAN OUT OF IT NOW'
Wonder and Rodrigue/ in our eomerxation. all oi
\\IllCIl are audihle in their oun \ia} in hix xoiigx. 'l’liix ixn't reiii\enting the mtixieal \xheel. it‘x iuxt gi\ ing it a li'exh xpiii. Soul muxie in Britain xeemx to ha\e heen the pt'opet't} ot men in looii pantx atid tamni} hatx. xo \\ e ean he thaiikt'ul tor .\'iitini‘x tlopp} hinge and xeul‘l‘ed Vieanx.
.-\ qiiiek eateh up tor thoxe \\ ho might hax e mixxed the h_\pe: Nutini \xax horn in Paixle} in
Paolo i’.‘ - Paisleyfor g“ 2. i
only an ’ifi m ' ;‘
“)37. pt'ogeti} iii a (il;tx\\.egi.iii iiiotht'i .tlltI xeeoiid generation Italian iiiiiiiieiaiit l.tlIlt'l who iuxt happen to ti\\II one ol the hexi t'Itllililt‘x Ill the [ti\\li. IIC iaeked ltt xehool at i; in head Hill t‘oadieaiig and xelhiig VI xhiitx loi xhoit lined I’ttl\IL‘_\ llltIlL‘ PUP\L'II\.1IIHH\ \[it't‘ii\‘..i_\ .tIliI \xorkiiig ax a tape op iii (ilaxgovfx l’ail. latte \llltIltix. .'\n impromptu [k'lIHlllL’tllet' at .l :‘l‘.’ at I’aixle} 'Iouii Hall. \\Ilt'll the headline .iet I).ixitl Siieddoii ireiiieiiiher hiiii.’i xiax \I'e'Iii:\k'tI. hioiieht liitii to the attention ol illx llH\‘. management. and it \xaxti‘t long helore he had inked a deal '.‘.1Hl :\tlatitie Re‘etit‘tix ’Ihe Iiiitiie iii Ik'tI /k'[‘lk'hti ot (tillt‘xei Yotfle grit iii Ilit\k'H.I )t‘k he \xho releaxed hix dehtit alhiim //.u d June thix _\ear.
'I'hingx ha\e heeti iiioxitig pi‘ett} l.th toi \iitiiii. htit to xa} that he‘x an oxeriiight xeiixatioii would he \iide ol the mark. 'l he .\i'tie \loiike} x and I'l';tll/ I'L‘l'LIllidlttI \ient lrom tIL‘lllH dixt~ to toxer xtarx in a matter ot' monthx. l-or l’aolo \iitiiii Hllx momentum \iax a long time eoming. IIe max xtgned up at 15 and Il;tx heeii honing Illx xoiigx e\er xtttee. \korktiig \xith \ai'iotix eoHahoi'alot'x and letting hix \otee de\elop. He ueiit through a
\"\\i.tllll\
\Hr I /\ lll
' THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 89