It's Murder on the Kitchen Floor

April 22, 2020 3:20 PM

Sophie Ellis-Bexter and her family remind you to Stay At Home

Every friday, she performs her hits live from the kitchen/lounge window

27/3/20
3/4/20
10/4/20
17/4/20

posted by WhackyparseThis (13 comments total)

Wow, she is a remarkably talented singer and at ease with her family. I especially like this bit at her birthday party where something got broke during play, but she fitted "doesn't matter, Kit, I don't mind" into the breath between two lines. I'm 99% sure she's not mimeing, but even keeping that poise during a mime would be good.
posted by ambrosen at 5:11 PM on April 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

I’m 18 years old again and have that same giant crush on her. She’s gorgeous even at 40 and her pipes are amazing.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 5:15 PM on April 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

She's also not miming. This video at this timestamp clearly shows lead vocals going in and out at the same time as her losing the mic so either it's ridiculously choreographed involving five children doing exactly as they've been told for 22 minutes, a husband with superhuman reflexes, or she's just a really good singer live.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 5:30 PM on April 22, 2020 [3 favorites]

I too thought she was miming, not because I think she can't sing, but for the amazing sound quality.

Then I realised that she was adlibbing encouragement and comfort for her kids, and I wondered how you can get such sound out of home karaoke, because I'm slow.

It's not a home karaoke rig. She's probably singing into a protools setup in her home studio, with the original track production and proper voice equalising for the room.

And yeah, what pipes, and what stage presence.
posted by kandinski at 11:54 PM on April 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Brilliant! We had Murder on the Dancefloor at our wedding.
posted by alasdair at 1:17 AM on April 23, 2020

Stay at home?! But the DJ's gonna burn this god damn house right down.
posted by St. Oops at 2:00 AM on April 23, 2020 [6 favorites]

Awwwwwwwwwww. One of the tiny silver linings from this crisis has been the fun celebrity quarantine videos.
posted by daybeforetheday at 2:45 AM on April 23, 2020

Not going to lie to this day I still will go listen to Mixed Up World on YT. It's a low key classic IMO.
posted by PenDevil at 3:38 AM on April 23, 2020

"She’s gorgeous even at 40" - so happy I'm about to turn 39 which is apparently before the expiration date for women to be attractive.

I'm sorry. I chose words poorly.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 5:32 AM on April 23, 2020 [5 favorites]

Awwwwwwwwwww. One of the tiny silver linings from this crisis has been the fun celebrity quarantine videos.

The punk music of our time. It makes sense because even Bille Joe Armstrong is getting in on it and he's doing '60s power pop.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 5:34 AM on April 23, 2020

Amazing costumes too! I guess she's still touring (when there's not a pandemic on). I'd almost rather believe that's just how she dresses to go down the shops.
posted by wilberforce at 5:09 PM on April 23, 2020

The Guardian talks to her about her kitchen concerts.

I guess I never really thought about it because I never really knew about UK tabloid culture, but rising to stardom during the peak teen-pop years made her a very private person:

“I don’t normally show the inside of my house. I definitely never show my kids anywhere. But suddenly, I think with everything we’ve all been going through collectively, it just felt like that was totally irrelevant. Like, who cares? No one’s interested in prying; we just want to feel a connection. We just want something silly.”

I basically haven't thought about her since Trip the Light Fantastic, so this was a really lovely surprise to stumble upon.
posted by chrominance at 6:46 PM on April 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

Flagged. As fantastic.
posted by soakimbo at 6:47 PM on April 23, 2020 [1 favorite]