Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones on how David Bowie inspired ‘Dakota’

The track was dedicated to the late icon at last night's London show

Stereophonics‘ Kelly Jones has spoken of how David Bowie inspired him to pen the band’s hit ‘Dakota’.

Released in 2005, the single featured on the Welsh outfit’s fifth album ‘Language. Sex. Violence. Other?’ and remains a staple of their live shows to this day.

During their concert at London’s O2 Arena last night (March 6), singer Jones revealed how Bowie played a part in the track’s inception when the ‘Phonics toured with the late icon back in 2003.

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Explaining that Bowie would attend their soundcheck ahead of each show, Jones told the crowd: “David Bowie would be watching, so we didn’t want to waste too much of his time.

“So we’d play a song for maybe 45 seconds, and then another song for like a minute, and then maybe another song for a minute, and then maybe 30 seconds of a song.”

He continued: “And then I would walk off the stage and I would walk towards the dressing room, and [Bowie] would put his arm on my shoulder and he would walk with me and say, “You know, if you extended a few of those songs, you might be fucking onto something’.”

“So I wrote this song, this is called ‘Dakota’.”

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The album version of ‘Dakota’, which clocks in at 4 minutes 57 seconds, features an extended outro which was cut for the song’s radio edit.

Stereophonics’ are currently touring the UK in support of their eleventh studio album, ‘Kind’, and are due to perform at Nottingham’s Motorpoint arena this evening. Following on from their arena stint, the group will return to the stage for two “very special” outdoor shows in Scotland and Wales this July.

Check out the remaining 2020 schedule below:

Sat March 07 2020 – NOTTINGHAM Motorpoint Arena
Mon March 09 2020 – NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Utilita Arena
Tue March 10 2020 – ABERDEEN PJ Live Arena
Wed March 11 2020 – GLASGOW SSE Hydro
Fri March 13 2020 – MANCHESTER Arena
Sat March 14 2020 – CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena
Sun March 15 2020 – CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena

JULY
11 – INVERNESS Bught Park
25 – BANGOR Vaynol Park

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