Las Vegas Weekly

August 15, 2008 · 1:06 AM

Five things you may not know about Paolo Nutini

By Sarah Feldberg

Photo: Paolonutini.com

Twenty-year old Paolo Nutini’s single “New Shoes” is one of those songs you want to hate. It’s too peppy, too accessible, too radio friendly. But after a little while it’s snuck into regular rotation on your iPod and you sometimes blast it while picking out your weekend party clothes. We’re still not sure what brand of footwear inspired the energetic outpouring, but here are five things we do know about Nutini, who plays tonight at the Friday Night Live series at the Hard Rock Pool.

1. Although his name is Italian, Nutini is from Scotland, but you probably knew that already. Maybe this is a new one: The Nutini clan is originally from the Tuscany region of Italy but has lived in Paisley, Scotland for at least four generations and operates the most un-Italian of businesses: a fish and chips shop.

2. He has a Texan tattoo. It’s a familiar story: Drunk guy decides to get a tattoo. Only this time the drunk guy is Paolo Nutini and the tattoo is three Texas stars on his forearm. Nutini was in Texas when he splurged on the tat, and while he intended for the stars to go all the way around his arm, his money ran out before the job was done.

3. Before he was a star he was a roadie. Nutini dropped out of school at 16 to hit the road selling t-shirts for Scottish pop rockers Speedway. Today Speedway is broken up and Nutini is on a tour that’s taking him from Vegas to Dublin.

4. He’s sick of drinking. So, Nutini hasn’t hit the magical age of 21 yet, but where he’s from that doesn’t matter much. Already, Nutini told Rolling Stone, he’s not drinking as much as he once did. We’re not sure exactly how much he used to indulge, but he’s not on a total abstinence plan yet either. “You can have a beer when morning turns into afternoon just to celebrate that transition,” Nutini told RS. “And you can have one after soundcheck to give yourself a pat on the back.”

5. He’s got great hair. Oh wait, you already knew that.

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