Mick has recently been linked with fashion designer and daughter of Sir Paul MacCartney, Stella MacCartney

(March 21 1999) 

First Up, for those still waiting to here about Simply Red's 1999 concert tour dates, don't panic, I have not kept them to myself. The latest information I have from the fan club is that the release of the UK tour dates at any rate has been postponed until the end of April at the earliest. This may well be due to the fact that there is a distinct possibility that Simply Red may be playing at Haydock Park (Merseyside) as part of a testimonial for Alex Fergason (Manchester United manager.) Also because I live in the UK, I have to write off to receive details of concert dates for other countries on the tour. I am still waiting for these as well. So if the dates have already been released in your country and you didn't receive word from me then I apologise.

Mick appeared on TFI Comic Relief a week last Friday. He sung an acoustic version of 'Holding Back the Years', accompanying himself on the guitar. As always it was brilliant. Check out the very cute picture of Mick and his RED nose !!! (Click the image to see a larger version.)

(March 1999)

Hello Red Fans,
Here for you at last is the news you have all been waiting for. 

Simply Red are to do a tour of the UK Europe and South Africa in the summer of this year (1999) to promote their brand new album.

Not all the dates and venues for the concerts are confirmed, but if you live in Germany, or are prepared to travel to Germany to see Simply Red then I have some good news for you.  You can now BUY tickets for all tour dates in Germany.

You can book tickets by fax or telephone, the numbers for the booking lines are:

Telephone: (0049) 69 944 366 32
Fax: (0049) 69 944 366 10

And the dates and venues are:

27/08/99  Wiesbaden  Kurhaus Bowling Green
26/08/99  Dresden  Elbufer
29/08/99  Munich  Konigsplatz
31/08/99  Berlin  Wuhlheide
02/09/99  Hannover  Sportpark am Niedersachsenstadion
03/09/99  Essen  Grugapark
04/09/99  Stuttgart  Reiistadio

I currently have no further confirmed dates available to give to you all but I can tell you what other cities Simply Red plan to play over the summer and the kind of time frames in which these concerts will take place.  These are as follows

End of June: South Africa (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban.)
Early July:  One Show in Copenhagen on in Holland.
Mid July:  It is hoped that Simply Red will play 2 or 3 dates in Italy
Mid July:  On festival in Belgium and two in Switzerland.
End of July - end of August:  UK (Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh.)

I will let you know the confirmed dates and venues for these countries as soon as I get them.

For those of you in places like the USA and Australia I am afraid that it appears Simply Red have no plans to tour these territories in the near future, however this situation could change, so I will let you know if I hear anything different.

If you wish to be kept up to date with all the latest Simply Red news as soon as I get it then you can join the 'REdWEb - Update' mailing list.

Sir Elton Supports Youth Music Scheme 

A host of top musicians including Sir Elton John and Simply Red star Mick Hucknall are backing a bid to encourage children to play musical instruments. The stars have pledged to support a new £10m-a-year scheme which will finance more instruments and extra tuition for children aged between seven and 14. Richard Stilgoe and opera diva Lesley Garrett are also backing the Youth Music Trust, which will be funded over three years by a lottery grant.

Hucknall Shown Red Card by Barcelona

Mick Hucknall: "Barca" reflected a Catalonian menu Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall has fallen foul of Spanish soccer giants Barcelona - who want to show the red card to the name of his Manchester bar.

Lawyers for the pop star and FC Barcelona have clashed over his Barca café bar in the city's Castlefield district. The club claims "Barca" is a widely-used nickname for the side and his use of it for the venture infringes European trademark law. But Hucknall's legal team are determined to contest the claim, saying it is unlikely customers would be confused. "Our client applied to register the trademark Barca in relation to café bar and restaurant services in the UK," said Barca's trademark attorney Michael Freeman. 

"FC Barcelona want to oppose it on the basis that Barca is equivalent to FC Barcelona, or means the city of Barcelona or emanating from Barcelona, in the same way I suppose that Man U can mean Manchester United. "They are saying as they are known as Barca out client cannot register it as a trademark, though I cannot see it myself." Name infringes trademark application The club says the bar's application infringes an application it has made to have Barca registered as a trade mark across the European Union. But Mr Freeman added: "They have done it for literature, books, pamphlets and so on - they have not applied for it for bar and café services, which is where our argument comes in. "I think they have got a difficult case to make. 

I do not think people visiting Manchester will think Barca has anything to do with Barcelona football club." The name Barca had originally been chosen to reflect the Catalonian flavour of the menu. (And the fact that the bar is in fact situated on Catalan Square - Ed) But the bar now serves a wide range of European food. Final decision could be months away The club has to register its objections with Britain's Trade Mark Registry which will then consider them. But a final decision could be months or even years away - and either side could then contest it through the courts. "Even if they decide in FC Barcelona's favour, that won't necessarily mean the bar has to stop trading as Barca. "The only way can do that is by taking legal action through the courts," added Freeman. 

Coincidentally, Hucknall is already gearing up for another battle with Barcelona. His beloved Manchester United travel to Barcelona to play them in the Uefa Champions' League on Wednesday. 

Here's a bit of an oldie (From 1996) but I thought that you might like to read the press blurb anyway.

It seems that the MGF - the VVC in particular - has been attracting considerable interest from popular faces from the entertainment industry. One of the first big names to order a VVC was Mick Hucknall, the lead singer of the chart topping band 'Simply Red', who placed an order with Horners Ltd. of Eccles as soon as the car was first announced. 

Despite the rather obvious choice of colour which the name of his band might have suggested, Mick Hucknall chose metallic Racing Green - in common with 50% of M.G. customers. 

Mick also has a Red MGF, it was donated to him. For those of you who attended the 'Life' concerts you will know that the were sponsored by rover and they had an MGF displayed at the shows.

Again for your interest, here are some of the 'news' stories which have been published on the 'Daily Star' web site, including a report about Mick and Liam Gallagher from Oasis's little altercation and more on the Manchester United testimonial last year.

Liam is Hucked Out
LEE HARPIN and JACQUI SWIFT

LIAM GALLAGHER will be barred from ever drinking again at London's exclusive Metropolitan Hotel - following his fracas with Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall. The yobbo singer is now deemed too unruly to be allowed inside the celebrity drinking joint after brawling with Hucknall and also threatening other hotel guests. Liam, 25 - who was joined at The Met Bar by his brother Paul and a crew of other pals - steamed into the Simply Red star after he was quoted in a magazine saying Oasis were an embarrassment to Mancunians.

Manchester-born Mick had also hit out at Liam's brother Noel in the interview describing him as "a bit of a dickhead." Last night an official spokesperson at the London Met Bar attempted to play down reports of a row between the two Manchester pop stars insisting: "We know nothing and we've got no comment to make either." 

But another well-placed source employed at the Metropolitan Hotel said:"All the talk yesterday was that Liam Gallagher should now be barred from drinking here again." 

The Daily Star can now also reveal that Oasis lout Liam has got himself banned from at least another TWO bars in his Manchester hometown because of his row with Mick Hucknall. 

A spokesperson for the city's trendy Dry Bar last night insisted: "Liam wouldn't be welcome here." 

At the nearby Barca Bar - into which Mick Hucknall invested money - a spokesperson said: "Liam is barred from here." 

Last year the Oasis frontman got himself banned from London's media watering hole the Groucho Club after causing £5000 damage in a snooker room. 

On Me Red Son
TONY BROOKS 

ERIC CANTONA has struck a bum note with opera singer Russell Watson by booting him out of a memorial match. 

He was set to belt out footy fave Nessun Dorma to 55,000 Manchester United fans last night in aid of the Munich disaster fund. Reds fan Russell, 24, was expecting it to be the night of his life at Old Trafford. Instead he got a kick up the aria when fussy Frenchman Cantona, who starred for an invitation side, had Russell dropped for another Reds fan Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, to sing his latest hit The Air That I Breathe. 

"It's like winning the lottery then being told it's a joke," said sad Russell. Russell, from Irlam, Greater Manchester who is appearing at the Blackpool Opera House, added: "I was in tears when I heard the bad news. I have been a Red since I was knee-high and when the board confirmed it last Thursday I couldn't believe my luck. "I told all my friends and now feel so embarrassed." 

His manager Tony Sherwood said: "He's gutted this was to be his biggest gig. We were sworn to secrecy. "Then I got a call from United saying there was only time for one song and Cantona wanted Hucknall." Munich Memorial Fund trustee David Meek said: "It was expected Russell would sing either before the match or at half-time. It was felt it was suitable and appropriate." 

But United spokesman Ken Ramsden confirmed: "We took the view one singer and one song was really enough for the evening." Hucknall, who was unaware he had eased Russell out of the line-up, said. "I have a lot of love and affection for Eric."
 

World famous pop millionaire Mick Hucknall was left simply red-faced when the Queen failed to recognise him. Flame-haired Mick met Her Majesty during a reception at Windsor Castle to mark its restoration. The smiling Queen walked up to the singer and asked: "What do you do?" Flashing the ruby set in his teeth, Mick replied: "We've been very successful exporting our music all over the world." 

Modest Mick's band have clocked up monster earnings of more than £300 million from record sales and tours. His 1991 album Stars sold a massive 3.7 million copies, and the follow-up Life shifted 1.7 million copies. Mick is believed to earn £2 million-a-year from Royalties and investments. He owns homes in Manchester and Milan and has invested in clubs and cafes in Paris, Milan and New York. But despite all his wealth and fame, Mick is obviously not top of the pops with the Queen. 

Playboy Mick, 37, is certainly more used to being well known by rich and famous women. He has enjoyed simply red-hot nights with TV beauty Catherine Zeta Jones. And the Mancunian star has also been linked to lovelies like model Kathy Lloyd and Coronation Street's Tracy Shaw. 

Mick was at Windsor Castle for a star-studded party being thrown by the new-look Royal family. The fine art graduate asked the Queen about some of the paintings adorning the castle's walls. 

Royals at the gathering included the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Margaret and Prince Edward. The celebrity guests were Michael Caine, Joan Collins, Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham Carter, Shirley Bassey, Dawn French, Patricia Routledge, Edward Woodward, Sir George Martin, Wayne Sleep, Lionel Bart, Harold Pinter, Sir David Attenborough, Ben Kingsley, Melvyn Bragg, Zoe Wanamaker and many more. 

The reception brought together the best of modern Britain with the tradition and heritage of the monarchy, said the Secretary of State for Culture and the Arts, Chris Smith. He said: "I think this is Her Majesty doing precisely what the monarch ought to be doing. "She's meeting people from a terribly important part of our national life ... and throwing a good party." But was it "Cool Britannia"? "I hate the term Cool Britannia. What this is is the brightest and the best in the world of the arts," he said.

Michael Caine, who with Joan Collins and Shirley Bassey, was first to be presented to the Queen, said: "It's wonderful she's so nice. Everybody's so nervous, but the Queen soon puts you at your ease. "I was talking to the Queen I'm name-dropping now and she told me about the restoration of the castle after the fire five years ago. When they say you don't get the craftsmen like you used to it's not true." 

Actor and director Kenneth Branagh said: "Coming to things like this is a great leveller. It's awesome and quite a thrill to be here. "In my case, it's interesting to see that we all share the same nervousness when we are about to meet the Queen." 

After meeting the Queen for the first time, EastEnders actress Wendy Richard said: "I'm just so excited it's wonderful and a very good quality wine here." As well as the celebrities, the Queen threw open the doors to the newly-restored Windsor Castle to 600 all-important backroom staff and administrators working in the arts. 

Why Mick Went Red
By RAV SINGH 

SEXY singer Alison Potter of new teen sensations Vanilla melted pop idol Mick Hucknall's heart as she danced away in a swanky nightspot. But when he asked her out on a date, she told him to get lost. 

Mick went Simply Red after Alison gave him the cold shoulder at Stringfellows in London. 

She was there because her sister Frances and Alida Stewart both now fellow Vanilla sizzlers were part of a dancing crew who entertained the clubbers. 

The red-hot girls were always being chatted up by celebs who fancied a private performance. 

"I remember Mick coming up to me and asking me if I wanted a drink," says Alison. "He asked all these questions about what I did and said he wanted to take me out for dinner. "I said no because I didn't fancy him. And anyway he was was a bit of a smoothy who needed knocking down. "I was only there because my sister was working that night but he wouldn't leave me until I told him to."

(Vanilla BTW were responible for one of last years most irritating singles 'No Way no Way' and have done absolutely nothing since which tells you something about what talent they 'actually' have!!! - Ed)

Huckin Crazy Red
BILL THORNTON 

POP megastar Mick Hucknall told David Beckham last night: "You're simply the best." 

The multi-millionaire Simply Red singer and Manchester United fanatic has spent 15 years in the media and public spotlight. But Hucknall reckons he has it easy compared to Beckham! And Hucknall, in town for United's Champions Cup clash with Inter Milan and to help manager Alex Ferguson launch his testimonial, has voted England ace Becks top of his chart. 

"I think David has done the right thing," said Hucknall, echoing the words of one of his many hits, as he reflected on Beckham's gesture of swapping shirts with his persecutor, Inter's Argentinian midfielder Diego Simeone. "He has taken the right attitude with the kind of incredible pressure he was under since the Argentina match at the World Cup. "And I thought his gesture to Simeone was brilliant. It was a really good thing to do. It showed great maturity. My respect for David went up ten-fold - for the gesture and for the commitment he showed throughout the match." Few players in football history have suffered such persecution as that which rained down on Beckham after his sending off in St Etienne last June, following Simeone's over-reaction to a flick from Becks' boot. 

But Manchester man Hucknall, a United fan since his childhood, has nothing but admiration for the 24-year-old, whose profile is even higher because of his relationship with Spice Girl Victoria Adams, who is expecting their child any day. 

"It could all have so easily gone terribly wrong for David this season, but he has focused any anger or frustration that he has had on football. "I was so impressed at how well he played against Inter Milan. Not only did he provide brilliant crosses for Dwight Yorke's goals, but also for the way he was tackling.

Sex On The Brain
JANE O'GORMAN 

SIMPLY RED'S Mick Hucknall couldn't believe it when a stunning Czech bounced her assets in front of him at Stringfellows. 

The vision of beauty was lap dancer Veronika Vondrackova, a vonder-ful babe from Prague and a dead ringer for his ex, the Wonderbra model, Adriana Sklenarikova. "I suppose Mick was drawn to me because I'm like Adriana and we both come from the same city," says Veronika, 20. 

Because you come from the same city? Er...we don't think so. Not least because every time he's been back to the London club, the rock love god has lavished loadsa lolly on the dolly. "He often comes to see me now and always tucks a £20 note in my G-string," says Veronika. "I'm getting used to dancing for the stars at the club. Robbie Williams has been in and so have many of the EastEnders crowd, but they're not the best tippers. They tend to be businessmen who flash £50 notes." 

Veronika knows that when it comes to dosh, size counts - she has a degree in economics and dreams of running her own company. Lap dancing was the last thing on her mind when she arrived in London. "I came here to study advanced English, along with business and accountancy," she says matter-of-factly. "My ultimate aim is to return to my homeland and become a millionaire entrepreneur like Anita Roddick or Richard Branson. I've got a good brain and I'm very focussed, so becoming a success won't be a problem for me." 

But, for the time being, thrusting her 34c-24-32 charms into the face of paying punters fits perfectly into her vision of business enterprise - and it all comes down to hard...cash. "I come from a professional middle class family in Prague," she explains. "My father is a hotelier and my mother is a teacher but I'm determined not to pester them for money for my college courses. "I'd got to the stage a year ago where it was either buy an essential text book or eat, so when a girlfriend suggested I try lap dancing I leapt at the opportunity." But it was a bit of a leap in the dark, and the first few weeks weren't without a few problems. "My English boyfriend John wasn't at all keen on me dancing for strange men" she admits. "I was also worried that the other dancers at Stringfellows would be really bitchy but they're not. You get all sorts of girls doing this for a variety of reasons. Most simply need to pay the mortgage. "My best friend has three children and dances to give them a decent start. She's absolutely beautiful and can earn enough by doing this to pay all the bills." 

As one of Stringfellows' most sizzling attractions, Veronika can earn more than £200 a night for the three evenings she works. "It's easier than stacking shelves in a supermarket and I'm certainly not ashamed of what I do," she says. "I don't think about it. "I've earned enough money to get some savings behind me and I'll quit when I'm bored. "Essentially, I consider myself a businesswoman in the making and this is one way of getting some cash quickly. "That might not sound very sexy, but lap dancing is nothing more than a means to an end as far as I'm concerned. "When I'm running a multi-national corporation in a few years time I won't give it another thought." 

Somehow we reckon there'll still be a queue of men ready to give her their tips, even if they're waiting outside the bawdroom door!

Well, that is all for now, and remember, if you here a little bit of gossip or find a newsworthy story you can e-mail me @ newsdesk@simplyred.org and I will add it to the news section.

Thanks Love Sally xxx The REdWEb Ed

All newspaper articles will eventually be moved to the 'Press Section.