Express & Star

Lulu’s relighting her fire ahead of Wolverhampton show

Celebrating 55 years since the release of the debut smash hit single Shout, Lulu’s On Fire tour will see the Grammy-nominated singer play 35 dates across the UK.

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Lulu

The evenings will be packed full of hits, such as The Man Who Sold The World, Relight My Fire, To Sir With Love and, of course, Shout.

The singer will also share stories from her life in music, and a career that has outshone many of her contemporaries.

“I’ve so enjoyed touring with my amazing band over the past few years that it didn’t take very long for me to get the urge to hit the road again,” says Lulu, who is fresh from playing the special guest on Take That’s 37-date Greatest Hits Live Tour, where she joined the band every night to sing Relight My Fire.

“We’ll be playing here, there and everywhere, so I invite fans old and new to come along and share a great night covering my six decades in music.”

Backed by her band, plus a huge LED screen showing carefully selected personal and career defining moments, Lulu will have audiences sitting, standing, dancing, singing, laughing to an amazing story that started in November 1948.

“We’ve compiled a lot of pictures, a lot of bits of videos, and looked at the songs chronologically.

“I’ve got stories I never could tell. I never could speak when I was very young. I always admired Americans because they had a way of being very natural on stage.

“So now I’m older. I have so much experience. I’ve worked with so many legends that have inspired me. I can tell stories about that on stage.”

Lulu admits that she had forgotten some episodes, only remembering them when confronted with photographs and footage.

“I don’t remember everything. But your memory is jogged by a photograph – and sometimes, you get stuck.

“You know, like looking at pictures of me and (ex-husband) Maurice Gibb.

“With Maurice, I get a little bit emotional. With David Bowie, I get a little bit sad.

“Of course, with John Lennon, because he’s not been around for longer, there’s not so much sadness. But the heart aches a little bit.

“But then I want to turn it to the parts where it’s like: ‘Jesus, I can’t believe I was with them!’ That’s what’s going to be different about this tour for me.”

Lulu has led a life that has been nothing if not varied. On one occasion Oprah Winfrey welcomed her on stage to sing a tribute for actor Sidney Poitier.

She explains: “I was in a movie that made one of the most important cultural statements in a film – and I’m talking about To Sir with Love.

“I only really thought about it when I was at Sidney Poitier’s birthday party, and Oprah Winfrey was talking about him.

“I listened to her talk about what an impact Sidney made in her life, and how she watched a black man get out of a big limousine. A white man opened the door. He walks out with a tuxedo and a white bowtie. He walks into the Academy Awards and wins the Academy Award.

“She said, ‘I was sitting in a shack, holding the aerial, if he can do that, if Sidney can walk on and get an Oscar as a black man – what can I do?’.

“She said, ‘Well, you know, I didn’t know what to get for your birthday, Sidney. But then I knew what I can give him for his birthday. Here she is. I’ve flown her in from London. It’s Lulu.’ I could hardly sing.”