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Daryl Hall review – despite strained vocals, this 80s pop legend isn't totally out of touch

Daryl Hall review – despite strained vocals, this 80s pop legend isn't totally out of touch

The Guardian19-05-2025

Hall & Oates sold a gazillion records and deserve every dollar. Their songs of the 1970s and 80s are pure pleasure; sun-kissed, smooth and mellow. It is a music of high noon, no shadows.
But what happens when twilight comes? Daryl Hall is 78. The partnership with John Oates, 77, has reached a messy end, with lawyers involved. Now he is on the road, under his own name, playing the songs of his gilded youth in a more tarnished age.
He strolls on to the Glasgow stage in a broad-brimmed hat and spends much of the set seated at a grand piano. His voice is not what it was in the same way as the Colosseum is not what it was: what remains is an interesting ruin. Where once his singing was a wonder of clarity, stamina and control, he now struggles. Sometimes, trying for high notes, he places a hand at the top of his chest, as if the effort is a strain. His slick six-piece band do a lot of heavy lifting on backing vocals. He has made an addition to the lyrics of Sara Smile that feels telling: 'After all these years … time is talking to me.'
Yet there is beauty in this brokenness. Everytime You Go Away is a highlight because the feeling of bruised experience in his voice suits the subject of the song – a sad letting-go.
The big feelgood moments come from his sidemen. Shane Theriot's guitar solos on Private Eyes and Rich Girl are undeniably cool, though not as cool as Charlie DeChant, a glitzy wizard with long white hair and a gold-sequined jacket who started playing with Hall & Oates in 1976. To see him shuffle forward and perform the insouciant sax break on Maneater is to witness a little moment of pop magic.
Such virtuosity magnifies rather than hides the diminishment in Hall's voice. It feels at times like he is the weak link in his own great music. Perhaps he should do a Dylan: rework the songs radically so that he can do them justice. But would his fans go for that?
Daryl Hall plays Royal Albert Hall, London, 19 May. Then tours the UK until 25 May

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H&M is selling a £20 dupe of a £1,500 Prada bag and it's the perfect accessory for your summer holiday
H&M is selling a £20 dupe of a £1,500 Prada bag and it's the perfect accessory for your summer holiday

The Sun

time13 minutes ago

  • The Sun

H&M is selling a £20 dupe of a £1,500 Prada bag and it's the perfect accessory for your summer holiday

H&M's new summer tote is a dupe for a popular designer bag - and it's a fraction of the price The Straw Tote bag is available in a range of colours, with its beige version being branded a dupe for the Prada Crochet Tote Bag. 4 4 But while the Prada bag costs a staggering £1,500, H&M's similar alternative costs just £19.99. A description on H&M's website reads: "Tote bag in braided paper straw with handles at the top." The bag is unlined, weighs just 272 grams, and has a height and width of approximately 35cm making it the perfect size for all your summer essentials. Its stylish design features a holed crochet pattern, with a closer knit at the bottom to ensure your belongings stay secure. It is embellished with 'Amour Paris'. The bag is also available in a red and dark brown design, adding a pop of colour to liven up your outfit. With a 4.8 star rating, the bag is clearly a hit among shoppers. One wrote: "Lovely summer bag. Also good as a beach bag. "Not too big but can carry a towel, flip flops and a few other essentials easily." Others described as "perfect for summer" while another said that it "looks a lot more expensive than it is." The summer trend dividing style queens - some call it a 'girl's best friend' but it brings back bad memories for others Its more-expensive Prada comparison is similarly sized, and is available in natural (similar to beige), and olive green. With a slightly more structured shape, the key difference between the bags is that instead of 'Amour Paris', the designer counterpart reads ' Prada Milano '. This is adorned in a triangle at the centre of the bag, rather than at its base, giving more space for the looser knit design also featured on the £20 dupe. A Prada product description reads: "This crochet tote bag has a soft, deconstructed shape and boasts a light, summery mood. "A new interpretation of Prada's emblematic triangle decorates the front and is embellished at its centre with the embroidered lettering logo." 4 4 It's part of a wider collection of crochet bags designed by the luxury fashion brand - which includes a card holder for £1,020, and a mini bucket bag for £1,760. A similar compact-sized shoulder bag is available as part of the H&M collection for just £19.99. They also have a smaller version of the shoulder bag at just 22cm tall, available for the same bargain price. Eager shoppers can snap up the summer bargain both online and instore. It's great for pairing with the rest of H&M's Summer 2025 collection, now available while stocks last. Why you should always buy a dupe over designer... Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend says it's time fashion snobs stopped looking down their noses at affordable versions of designer buys. Bargain US supermarket Walmart became a social media sensation when its £60 dupe of Hermès' Birkin bag, dubbed the Wirkin, went viral. Influencer @styledbykristi gushed: "Eighty dollars (£60), you can pretend that you got a Birkin. I mean, everyone will probably know it's not, because who the hell has the money to spend on the real Birkin? Not me.' Me neither. And why bother? I would never spend that on a designer bag (although if someone wants to buy one for me, that's a different story). Plus, if I splashed that much, I'd feel I was being ripped off... We've all been told how the leading brands use the finest leather, thread, dyes and craftsmanship in the world. But all that is inflated by fashion houses to create the desired illusion of exclusivity. Just last year, Dior came under investigation for paying £44 to assemble a bag that sells for £2,000. So while you might think you are paying for top-level craftsmanship carried out by a true artisan, chances are the poorly paid workers are not seeing any of your hard-earned cash. Dupes — not to be mistaken for knock-offs that copy everything from the logo to the inside label — are a more practical and all-round sensible way to go. I bought my first when I was 18. It lasted me four years and only broke after I wore it in the shower. And these days, British high streets have plenty of dupes. In the past three years, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Mango have all seen huge spikes in sales thanks to their canny copies. They use the same viral, must-have marketing tactics that pricey brands have. Fashion folk will tell you that you are making an investment and buying a 'heritage piece' and will turn their noses up at a high street equivalent. But we've been wearing looks inspired by catwalk designers for decades. If we can buy a bag that's the spitting image of the pricier version, but doesn't mean you have to remortgage, why not?

Bride's friends surprise her with recorded good luck messages from all her former flames - and the prank is branded 'funniest hen do idea ever'
Bride's friends surprise her with recorded good luck messages from all her former flames - and the prank is branded 'funniest hen do idea ever'

Daily Mail​

time20 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Bride's friends surprise her with recorded good luck messages from all her former flames - and the prank is branded 'funniest hen do idea ever'

A bride-to-be was left shocked after her friends surprised her with a video showing a series of good luck messages from her exes at her hen do. Emma, from Manchester, helped set up the joke for bride Talia that had guests in tears of laughter. Talia saw the humour in the cheeky prank, which was pre-approved by the groom, saying it was the 'funniest and worst thing that ever happened' to her. Emma shared the moment Talia was surprised by the messages in a TikTok which was widely shared. While some thought the joke was hilarious and others called Talia a 'good sport', many were not impressed, claiming it was in 'poor taste'. In the clip, Talia was sitting at a table surrounded by family and friends at her hen's night when something started playing on a TV screen out of shot. The bride's expression quickly turned from joyful to confusion to sheer shock as she realised what was going on. In the lead-up to the celebration, her bridesmaids had contacted a handful of her former flames and asked them to record messages of well wishes. Talia reacted with shock, laughter and embarrassment with each familiar face that popped up on the screen while the guests watched on in hysterics. 'Not her mum yelling, 'She doesn't even know who it is'. I'M CRYING - hands down the funniest idea for a hen do!!!!' Emma captioned the priceless clip which racked up more than 5million views. Many applauded the prank and praised the bride for having a good sense of humour. 'Now THIS is prime comedy,' one viewer said. 'This is the absolute most hilarious thing I've ever seen and I LOVE all of your senses of humour for this!!!!' another agreed. 'This is genuinely iconic!! You girls have just unlocked a new trend,' a third laughed. 'So not everyone is traumatised so much by their exes that this would legit ruin the day?' someone joked. However, Emma and Talia had to defend themselves in the comments as the joke sent some panicked girlfriends and boyfriends into a spin saying they would be 'fuming' if the prank had been pulled on their partners. @itsemmachloee not her mum yelling 'she doesn't even know who it is' IM CRYING🤣🤣 hands down the funniest idea for a hen do!!!! #hendo #henparty #henpartyideas #funny #girlythings #fyp ♬ Assumptions (slowed down version) - Sam Gellaitry 'The last thing I need on my wedding day is reminders of my mistakes in the past,' one person wrote. 'Poor bloke, can only imagine how I'd feel if my wife of 23 years did this, not nice at all,' a second complained. 'It's banter, calm down,' Emma replied. 'I wonder how she'd feel if she found out her future husband's exes had sent their messages??' another said but Emma hit back: 'She'd find it funny just like her fiance found this funny'. Someone added: 'I couldn't think of anything worse on my wedding day!' It comes after a US-based bride and groom has sparked a heated debate online after a wedding guest shared a photo showing a controversial sign from their wedding. The 'Pay to Play' poster revealed that guests had to fork out as much as $100 (£75) to hear a single song on the dance floor after the ceremony. The image, posted on Reddit, showed a framed sign at the wedding reception offering a playlist of classic crowd-pleasers – with a twist. Guests weren't just encouraged to request their favourite dance floor hits but were told they'd need to pay for the privilege. And the prices weren't a small change either. 'In lieu of the dollar dance,' the sign read, 'Pay to play one of the following songs that you'd like to hear.' Songs on the lower end of the price list – a still-hefty $25 (£18) – included classic singalong anthems such as Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond and Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. 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But not everyone online was amused. 'Usually, I'm pretty in the camp of ''let the couple do what they want, it's their day,'' one Reddit user commented. 'But this seems like such an over-the-top and overt money grab. Like if your guests wanted to give you money, they probably would've already done so in their gift and given you the amount they're comfortable with?' A second was particularly riled by the couple's decision to charge for the most popular request, writing: 'That one feels icky. 'Like they wanted to know what their guests wanted to hear most just so they could charge them.' Another unimpressed commenter added: 'Certainly, I wouldn't pay money to listen to any song at a wedding, let alone $100 to hear the Cha Cha Slide.' But while some considered the stunt to be tacky, others praised the couple for their cheeky humour. 'I love it and would 100 per cent participate by paying to hear one of the songs,' one wrote. Another defended the move, writing: 'This is definitely a list of 'songs we don't want, but if you have to have it, pay us to tolerate it.' Good way to shut up the drunk uncles.' A different Reddit user even called the idea 'tastefully done', saying: 'I would crack up if I saw this at a wedding.'

How to style a pillbox hat for Royal Ascot
How to style a pillbox hat for Royal Ascot

Telegraph

time28 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

How to style a pillbox hat for Royal Ascot

Suddenly I'm standing taller, as if that imaginary string my mother always harped on about is finally pulling me up from the crown of my head. I'm looking in the mirror at milliner Jess Collett's studio in Notting Hill, London, where she's just placed a petrol-blue pillbox hat on my head, adorned with a navy bow made from her grandmother's old frock. 'This silhouette frames the head so beautifully. When you're talking to someone, the first place they look is your face – a pillbox surrounds the wearer like a halo,' beams Collett, whose whimsical creations have graced many a royal, including the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte and Zara Tindall. Now I understand why the style was such a go-to for timeless fashion icons like Jackie Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth II, who frequently wore the mod, brimless silhouette in a variety of confection-like looks throughout her reign. With this minimalist crown perched on my head, I find myself holding it just a little bit higher. But the soft-power style is no longer reserved for first ladies and royalty – in fact, if the fashion world has anything to say about it, the pillbox is set to sweep the garden parties and Royal Enclosures of this social season. Forget fiddling with fascinators or awkwardly navigating a big brim à la Inauguration Melania Trump (who may or may not have wielded it to swerve her husband's advances) – a pillbox offers a more modern option for events like Ascot. Skip to: Shop the best pillbox styles Choose the right shape for your face How to style your hair and secure the hat How to wear it at Ascot Runway to real life While at Copenhagen Fashion Week earlier this year, I spied pillboxes popping up on stylish Scandis walking down the street, ditto on the runway, where Danish mother-daughter-founded label Herskind sent raised pillboxes down the catwalk paired with luxurious silks and flirty thigh-high boots. London followed soon after: Emilia Wickstead tapped milliner Laura Cathcart to create sugared-pastille shapes in shades of pistachio and café au lait, complementing a very 1960s collection inspired by Tippi Hedren's style in the Hitchcock horror, The Birds. Even British Fashion Council NewGen award winner Tolu Coker, applauded for her distinctive brand of cool mixing Nigerian influences with classic tailoring, paired an asymmetrical white pillbox by Virna Pasquinelli with a puffed-sleeve minidress in her Autumn 2025 collection, giving the look a modern feminine feel. Collett confirms the versatility credentials of the pillbox: 'You don't really feel like you've got it on; it's not intrusive in any way. Especially if you're a queen, or at an event where you'll be kissing people, your face needs to be visible. You don't feel the pillbox when you're wearing it. It's a good everyday piece.' Isabella Rose Davey, formerly of the British Fashion Council and now chief operating officer of Copenhagen Fashion Week, makes the case for the everyday wear. She recently inherited a pillbox style from her mother, who used to work in Uzbekistan: 'On one of her trips she purchased a beautiful Astrakan hat – it is such a special piece, both in memory and in design.' Though Davey says her dream outfit to pair the traditional headpiece with would be 'a smart long coat from the likes of Herskind and a princess dress by Nicklas Skovgaard underneath, with stilettos by Icelandic designer Kalda,' when she sends me a photo of herself wearing the heirloom, it looks just as chic paired with a jumper and jeans. It's not too far of a stretch to imagine the colourful straw styles I wear here elevating a tailored look for a smart summer lunch, or even a pop to the shops (why not? Looking stylish at Waitrose never hurt anybody…). The clean lines of a pillbox means it plays well when dressed both up and down – but if you're not entirely convinced, I recommend renting the style for low-stakes experimenting. Many milliners, including Collett, offer rental services directly through their websites, and platforms like By Rotation also offer a wide selection. Whether you plan to don a pillbox at a champagne-and-horses formal event or dare to wear one in your everyday life, one thing is clear: with classic styles come classic inspirations. Women of all ages and sartorial orientations are catching on to the confidence-boosting effects of a pillbox, and the return of this retro silhouette sees the late Queen's legacy resonate with a whole new generation of stylish women. Pick your pillbox How to wear the pillbox to suit your face shape The good news: according to Collett, it's an easy hat that suits most people. Though there is no wrong way to wear the pillbox per se, she stipulates that there are some rules to styling it for your specific face shape. If you have a longer face, avoid placing the hat too far back on your head – this will elongate your face in an unflattering way. Opt for an angle that sits closer to your forehead, or even cuts across it, similar to how I've styled the toffee-coloured pillbox from Jane Taylor, who counts Beyoncé and the Duchess of Edinburgh as clients. This also works for those with rounder faces – placing it at a jaunty little angle will give you some sharpness. The Pan Am flight attendant-ness of it all just adds to the fun. And if you've got an oval face, lucky you: most angles (and hat styles in general for that matter) will suit you. A pillbox is also great for those on the petite side, as it adds height and draws up your frame rather than drowning you in a big brim. How to style your hair and secure the hat Sam McKnight, the legendary hairstylist responsible for Diana's sleek 1990s makeover, knows a thing or two about hair that's both regal and contemporary. 'When accessories are formal, I love to balance that with a more modern, undone look,' he says. 'Effortless waves and texture feels like you haven't tried too hard and keep things looking fresh and youthful.' He advises against hairstyles with too much volume and height, since you're already getting that from the hat itself. Collett, meanwhile, is a fan of a low bun with a pillbox – or even this season's most talked-about haircut, the edgy bob (Jackie O looked sharp in the silhouette for a reason). Now for ensuring your chapeau doesn't blow away in the summer breeze: most pillboxes come with a comb inside to secure the hat to your hair. For added grip, Collett adds an elastic to her hats, which is meant to be placed at the back of the head, underneath the hair. In her studio, she shows me how to use grips to pull out pieces of my hair to camouflage the elastic – and even takes a sharpie to it, the same shade of brunette as my bob, to further hide it: If you're after a Fort Knox level of security, opt for a hat pin on top of it all. Simply stick it through the back of the hat, ensuring it grabs onto your hair, and pull it out the other side. How to wear it at Ascot When it comes to styling the pillbox for formal events like Royal Ascot, Collett says it's all about the trimmings: a simple style calls for clean tailoring. Think Jackie O's pastel suits and matching hats – or even Demi Moore, who wore a veiled, gothic pillbox paired with black trousers and a tailored t-shirt on a red carpet last year. I echo this approach in my matching Me+Em bouclé skirt and top, allowing the hats to take centre stage. For a design with a bit more zhuzh, such as the cherry-red Jess Collett floral piece or the black-and-white button style from John Lewis I'm pictured in above, a floatier dress would match the energy nicely. Think Queen Elizabeth's joyful bubblegum pink pillbox – complete with 25 pink 'bells' hanging off the back to commemorate her Silver Jubilee – which she paired with a breezy pleated coat dress. Shoot styled by Sophie Tobin

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