Amelia’s Magazine | Lemonade – An Interview

On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, sildenafil over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, adiposity indigenous communities are being dispossessed, ask land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, order over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, web indigenous communities are being dispossessed, land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
efterklang performing parades

The sonically cinematic Danish outfit, symptoms Efterklang, release a live recording of their stunning 2007 release, Parades. I know what you’re thinking, apart from the obvious few, (MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, Mogwai – Government Commissions, Take That – Beautiful World Live, The Who – Live At Leeds) live albums are rubbish. They packages of inferior versions of songs a fan will already own, bought only by completists and maniacs. Who really needs MadonnaConfessions Tour Live, for example? They are usually self indulgent, gratuitous, mercenary money-grabbing affairs.

AnaBenaroya_painting1-1

All illustrations are by Ana Benaroya

Performing Parades is none of these things. It is an inventive and truly beautiful re-telling of the stories told on 2007’s Parades. The presence of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra adds depth and a certain verisimilitude to the songs. Though comparisons to the band, Hood, still stand, the complexity of this album edges them toward Sigur Ros levels of grandeur.

AnaBenaroya_painting2

Perhaps lumping together two northern European bands with a shared fondness for wide-screen sounds is lazy, but to my mind it is the easiest way to convey the sound. But here goes another way. It is vast, it is enormous, it is icy grey seas crashing against black rocks, music to lose your self in, to walk in wind and rain to.

Remember the first time you heard Svefn-g-englar? Remember how amazed you were that this music had existed without your previous knowledge? Remember how hurt you were that you were not the first to hear it? That is what you have in store if you haven’t heard this Efterklang. This is astoundingly, for a live album, a fantastic starting point, a great way to lever this band into your life. Your life will thank you for it.

AnaBenaroya_painting3-2

The accompanying DVD is not so much an afterthought but an essential part of the package. Gifting you with a selection of music videos from the original Parades album including the charming animated Mirador, the wonderful Caravan and the slightly freaky Illuminant. The piece de resistance is the 55-minute Performing Parades concert film – see clip below. It is not only a live performance, but thanks to director Benjamin Hesselholdt, a recreation of the live experience.

In short, if you only buy one hypnotic northern-European post-rock album in your life, buy Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Ros. If you buy two, buy this one as well.

Performing Parades is out on 19th October on The Leaf Label.

Efterklang will celebrate the release with a major concert at London’s Barbican in which the orchestral version of Parades will be staged with The Britten Sinfonia.
The sonically cinematic Danish outfit, look Efterklang, release a live recording of their stunning 2007 release, Parades. I know what you’re thinking, apart from the obvious few, (MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, Mogwai – Government Commissions, Take That – Beautiful World Live, The Who – Live At Leeds) live albums are rubbish. They packages of inferior versions of songs a fan will already own, bought only by completists and maniacs. Who really needs MadonnaConfessions Tour Live, for example? They are usually self indulgent, gratuitous, mercenary money-grabbing affairs.

Performing Parades is none of these things. It is an inventive and truly beautiful re-telling of the stories told on 2007’s Parades. The presence of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra adds depth and a certain verisimilitude to the songs. Though comparisons to the band, Hood, still stand, the complexity of this album edges them toward Sigur Ros levels of grandeur.

Perhaps lumping together two northern- European bands with share a fondness for cinematic wide-screen sounds is lazy, but to my mind it is the easiest way to convey the sound to those who have yet to hear it.

It is vast, it is enormous, icy grey seas crashing against black rocks, music to lose your self in, to walk in wind and rain to. Remember the first time you heard Svefn-g-englar? Remember how amazed you were that this music had existed without your previous knowledge? Remember how hurt you were that you were not the first to hear it? That is what you have in store if you haven’t heard this Efterklang. This is, astoundingly for a live album, a fantastic starting point, a great way to lever this band into your life. Your life will thank you for it.

The DVD accompanying this release is not so much an afterthought but an essential part of the package. Gifting you with, among other treats, a selection of music videos from the original Parades album including the charming Mirador, the wonderful Caravan and the slightly freaky Illuminant. The piece de resistance however is the 55-minute Performing Parades concert film, not just a live performance, but thanks to director Benjamin Hesselholdt, a recreation of the live experience.

In short, if you only buy one hypnotic northern-European post-rock album in your life, buy Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Ros. If you buy two, buy this one as well.

On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, thumb over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, information pills indigenous communities are being dispossessed, land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, website like this over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, information pills indigenous communities are being dispossessed, land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
lemonade band by-andrew-eisberg

Lemonade are Callan Clendenin, look Alex Pasternak and Ben Steidel, order three gents from San Francisco who brought their party to Brooklyn shores, in search of dance music domination, toeing the line of eclecticism somewhere between oft-improvised Gang Gang Dance and !!!. Entrusted with wizardly producer, Chris Coady, who has previously twiddled knobs for TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the aforementioned !!!, the trio have made an album that’ll spread their rapturous spirit across to this continent, where they’ve already got Rob Da Bank‘s backing. The band speak to Amelia’s Magazine through the powers of electronic mail about studio time, aspirations and good old fashioned partying.

You have an eclectic mix of sounds in your music, which individual members have brought which elements to the table?

We just all liked all the elements and contributed quite equally despite each other’s expertise. We began the group during a period of massive musical exploration, and were listening to so many new things, so a lot of different sounds and ideas ended up in the music. We used to say that Alex brought the Middle Eastern and Latin sounds, Ben brought the techno and house elements, and Callan brought the more conceptual and new age-y stuff but that isn’t really all that true because everyone brought everything really.

What do you feel is the perfect track length?

That is funny, because all of our songs on the record are quite long. When we wrote them we just wrote them for dancing, and we wrote until the groove climaxed or whatever and they came out long. As a band though we tend towards patient listening, long tracks, minutes of intro, like LCD Soundsystem’s E2E4.

lemonade2

Tell me about you in the studio…

We sequence electronics rather crudely on a laptop. It usually starts with one person’s idea, then everyone sorta messes with it. Once it’s done we have added all our ideas. Then we teach ourselves to play to it, filling in the gaps with live bass and percussion and vocals. Once it is barely ready we start playing it live on different systems. Then based on the reactions to it, we adjust it accordingly.

Which track of yours was the hardest to finish and why?

If they were hard to finish we probably dumped them. Usually if we like a track it writes itself. We can feel if it’s just flowing out of us and if its not flowing really quickly it doesn’t get far. Big Weekend was probably written in one session.

How and why did you form a band?

We all have backgrounds in music so it was inevitable that we would do something somewhat serious with it, but the fact that it was Lemonade was a nice surprise to us all. We formed the band when we were all in San Francisco and someone asked Alex “hey you are in a band, do you want to play a show?” We had a band name, so he said yes, and we played a show after just a few practices. It was pretty primal and there was a lot of excitement and wild dancing.

lemonade3

Which act did you aspire to be like when you were teenagers?

When we were teenagers we listened to indie rock and hardcore punk and stuff like that. We certainly didn’t think that dance music was cool and actually thought that ravers were totally lame. Nobody that we went to high school with expected us to end up playing club nights and writing epic piano breaks, though given our interests in extreme music and DIY communities, it kinda makes sense that we ended up at such antipodes.

Which current music acts are you particularly liking at the moment?

Brackles, Shortstuff, Joy Orbison, Delorean, Glasser, Girls.

Are there any particular individuals that you are thankful to?

We have had great relationships with the people at our labels – True Panther in the States and Sunday Best in England. We are thankful for all that they have done for us. We are thankful to Chris Coady, who gave so much of his time to record us simply because he believed in us. Also all the people who used to bug out and dance at all of our early shows and for those who still do.

What is the last gig you went to that you weren’t playing at?

Alex: random free jazz show at work last night- does that count? (yes)
Ben: I saw Twitch from Optimo DJ recently and that was pretty rad. Apparently I left before he played Human Resource’s “The Dominator”, which is a bummer.

What are you geeks about?

Ben loves snack foods and diet soda. All of us are record geeks, though some of us don’t really buy vinyl anymore.

Do you have any bizarre tour bus habits?

We make music on our laptops and text really inane questions to a question answering service.

Lemonade

Describe your ultimate party…

The ultimate party is a place where everyone is on the same level, and everyone is communing with one another and sharing an experience. Your usual friends are there but everyone there is your friend too.

Which countries have the best party spirit and why?

Spain has the party. Brazil has the party. Latin and tropical countries are way more likely to have a street party with tons of drummers and dancers. The best party spirit is certainly not in the states, but that is what is so good about throwing a great party in America is that people really remember it, and it feels so different and new.

What are your aspirations as a band, short-term and long-term?

In the immediate we just want to stop working any other jobs that keep us from realizing our potential as artists… and to eat well whenever we want. In the long run we all want houses with decks and stuff like that, but I think more importantly we want people to have really meaningful connections to our music, even if it is just remembering a great party where they got really loose.

Lemonade’s self titled debut album is out now.

Categories ,chk chk chk, ,Gang Gang Dance, ,girls, ,lcd soundsystem, ,lemonade, ,new york, ,rob da bank, ,San Francisco, ,TV on the Radio, ,yeah yeah yeahs

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Amelia’s Magazine | Two Door Cinema Club – An Interview

bullparty4

The Big Chill House in King’s Cross was host to Love Spain/Hate Bullfighting last Thursday evening, viagra approved a street art competition ran by the League Against Cruel Sports, store in association with Panic. The work they do is very commendable and campaign against the unnecessary and brutal cruelty towards animals in the name of sport. Their message is simple: enjoy the Spanish culture, viagra the food, the beaches, the history. But don’t support their bullfighting arena. A speech made by a representative from the league informs me of some shocking facts. Subsidies from the EU fund this trade every year – to the tune of £200 million in fact. Inadvertently, we are supporting it through our taxes, which hits home quite hard.

MARCO

I was more than happy to sign their petition, agreeing to never visit a bullfight, as was everyone else who came to support the evening. Running simultaneously in Barcelona, was the same event, announcing their own winner. The aim of this competition was for talented street artists to come up with a design that promotes the ‘Love Spain, Hate Bullfighting’ message, whilst celebrating Spain’s many attributes.

GENEVIEVE BEHARRY

After scanning the room a few times (and with a complimentary bottle of Estrella Damm in hand – nice touch LACS), I settle upon the poster of Genevieve Beharry from Toronto, Canada. The powder blue and blood red palette is subtle yet effective, with your attention draw immediately to the strong form of a bull’s head shaped as a heart in the centre of the page. The poster is beautifully symmetrical, with simplified lines and shapes to describe the bull’s features. The black typography has quite a romantic sensibility, like the signature of a love letter. Flowing voluptuous curves follow the ascenders, bowls and descents of each letter, hugging the emphatic image of the bull at the core. The words have a hand crafted feel to it, like Beharry may have rendered them herself. This makes for quite a pleasing contrast between the hand made and the computer generated – both playing off one another harmoniously. As with all of the posters here, type and image are both necessary and important components to the design of the poster and this isn’t an easy balance to get right. Beharry successfully melds these elements together in a coherent way for the viewer to read. She says of her approach to the brief, “I wanted to do something simple and iconic for this poster. I chose not to focus on any violent aspects of bullfighting visually, and instead made a bull’s head into a heart, to represent the word ‘love’”.

MELANIE MCPHAIL

One of my few favourite pieces on display is by Manchester based artist Melanie McPhail. Less graphically influenced than some of the other entries here, her delicate and charming illustration still manages to pack a punch. A brown paper background is the foundation for this hand-drawn image. A duo of graphite pencil and colour pencil work together to form a bull in the foreground and what appears to be a landscape of hills behind it. At first it looks like drops of blood are cascading down the hill to the bull from a gated, Spanish coat of arms. On closer inspection, they are tiny red love hearts and it becomes clear that the ambiguous nature of them was intentional by McPhail. The artist plays on this specific style of illustration with the hand drawn type, in a naïve manner. ‘Love Spain’ is in lowercase and again, in joined-up handwriting that sits above ‘HATE BULLFIGHTING’, in thicker, blocked capitals. In this way, her point is emphasized, the gentle nature of the first part of the slogan is submissive to the forcefulness of the latter. She may not be as literal with her point as others are, but I think this works to her advantage – finding a way to communicate the rather brutal message in a subtle way. McPhail says, “Spanish people should be embracing the power and beauty of this animal, which represents their country, instead of killing it”.

MATT GLEN

The work of Matt Glen is a strong contrast to the style of the previously described posters. The remit of ‘street art’ is probably most apparent in this case, as we are presented with a plaque nailed to a white-washed wall. Made to imitate the sort of sign that you would see in a housing estate to warn children against ball games, the plate reads, ‘no bull games’. You may decide at first that this is perhaps a rather cheesy pun, but it is also simple and straight to the point. There is nothing flowery or over embellished about his approach and this means that it translates well, in a language that can be understood across the board. It does make me consider what is the most effective way of communicating a message such as this. Is it better to convey something in plain and simple terms at the expense of making it look what might be considered, a beautiful illustration? The use of red on white is a very powerful visual technique for high impact and certainly reaches the mark. There is also something about the photographic element to the work that makes it feel more tangible, like it is a real documentation as opposed to a drawing.

RHIAN ROWLANDS

The winner was announced at the end of the evening, a very deserving Rhian Rowlands. As I am having thoughts of making tracks, I note that although every single poster entered in this competition has used a palette of reds, blacks and whites or variations thereof and this has been completely coincidental. I discover from an organiser from the League Against Cruel Sports, that the brief never specified the colours to be used. There seemed to be a unified response to the brief, not only in the choice of colour and printing methods but also in the need and want to make a worthwhile statement. It was encouraging to see people come together in this way and to engage young people in this campaign.
Last Saturday was the 350 International Day of Climate Action, generic tens of thousands of people gathered around the world in hundreds of countries to raise awareness about the risk of climate change across the planet.

35012

350 incase you were wondering, check is the safe limit for carbon dioxide in the world and right now we have a concentration of co2 of 390 ppm. So we need to radically reduce our carbon emissions if we want to live in a safe planet.

3510

The scale of the action worldwide was a first of it’s kind and it is pretty awe-inspiring to see how many different people got together and acted, drugs putting their heads together to come up with ideas and imaginative responses, to Bates college having a impromptu dance, to divers in Perhentian Island, Malyasia spending Saturday cleaning a coral reef and people marking out 350 in the middle of an American football pitch.

3502

Led by Rising Tide North America, Carbon Trade Watch, the Camp for Climate Action and the Mobilization for Climate Justice one of the main aims was to expose the failures of carbon offset schemes such as the displacement of food crops, the burning of valuable resources and massive subsidies given to oil and coal.

3506

The actions weren’t just symbolic; people in Kenya mobilized the youth of the community to clean up the garbage and use it to mark out 350, which was also replicated in Hungary.

3503

The fact that people around the world understood and were educating people about the science behind climate change was also a great action in itself. Often sceptics need facts and figures and seeing hundreds and thousands of people responding to this number meant climate change reached out on a whole new level. People often had to ask what this specific number was about, which also meant everybody on the day had to explain to public and passers by.
The mass actions, grouped together people to use their bodies to mark out 350, whether in front of pyramids, next to the sea or other famous landmarks across the globe.

3505

I went down to the mass action/art installation in London just in front of the London eye to take part.
We mingled around as 2 o’clock was coming up, and as the crowd grew it attracted more and more people to come and join in, for who can really resist a crowd?

3508

With people spending the morning outreaching to the public along the busy embankment by 2 o’clock we had at least 500 people ready to spend their time making some climate art. I was wondering how many were there for the spectacle rather than the cause, but after a couple of speakers trying to shout their messages as loud as possible through a megaphone meant at least everybody was fairly clear why we were there.

3507

After snaking around marked out area we created a huge five, with the three coming from Sydney and the zero from Copenhagen it was really was a global act. Jumping, crouching and waving we played to the camera and after the pictures were taken the crowd dispersed.

Climate science gained even more integrity, seeing so many people acting is hard to put down as a few scaremongerers and hippy folk looking to upset the status quo, it was a global mass movement that is growing in momentum leading up to Copenhagen talks in December, where world leaders will meet to attempt to solve the climate problem.

3501

As it was the day of action however I had a few misgivings, were these human art installations just gimmicks and would we need to see more direct responses to divert the runway effects of climate change like the Great Climate Swoop last week? Did people think by just using art to persuade governments to act against the powerful corporations would be enough to stop the growing selfish acts of capitalism? Albeit as people walked away it defiantly felt it was at least one step in the right direction, just not a giant leap.
bullparty4

The Big Chill House in King’s Cross was host to Love Spain/Hate Bullfighting last Thursday evening, treatment a street art competition ran by the League Against Cruel Sports, there in association with Panic. The work they do is very commendable and campaign against the unnecessary and brutal cruelty towards animals in the name of sport. Their message is simple: enjoy the Spanish culture, viagra dosage the food, the beaches, the history. But don’t support their bullfighting arena. A speech made by a representative from the league informs me of some shocking facts. Subsidies from the EU fund this trade every year – to the tune of £200 million in fact. Inadvertently, we are supporting it through our taxes, which hits home quite hard.

MARCO

I was more than happy to sign their petition, agreeing to never visit a bullfight, as was everyone else who came to support the evening. Running simultaneously in Barcelona, was the same event, announcing their own winner. The aim of this competition was for talented street artists to come up with a design that promotes the ‘Love Spain, Hate Bullfighting’ message, whilst celebrating Spain’s many attributes.

GENEVIEVE BEHARRY

After scanning the room a few times (and with a complimentary bottle of Estrella Damm in hand – nice touch LACS), I settle upon the poster of Genevieve Beharry from Toronto, Canada. The powder blue and blood red palette is subtle yet effective, with your attention draw immediately to the strong form of a bull’s head shaped as a heart in the centre of the page. The poster is beautifully symmetrical, with simplified lines and shapes to describe the bull’s features. The black typography has quite a romantic sensibility, like the signature of a love letter. Flowing voluptuous curves follow the ascenders, bowls and descents of each letter, hugging the emphatic image of the bull at the core. The words have a hand crafted feel to it, like Beharry may have rendered them herself. This makes for quite a pleasing contrast between the hand made and the computer generated – both playing off one another harmoniously. As with all of the posters here, type and image are both necessary and important components to the design of the poster and this isn’t an easy balance to get right. Beharry successfully melds these elements together in a coherent way for the viewer to read. She says of her approach to the brief, “I wanted to do something simple and iconic for this poster. I chose not to focus on any violent aspects of bullfighting visually, and instead made a bull’s head into a heart, to represent the word ‘love’”.

MELANIE MCPHAIL

One of my few favourite pieces on display is by Manchester based artist Melanie McPhail. Less graphically influenced than some of the other entries here, her delicate and charming illustration still manages to pack a punch. A brown paper background is the foundation for this hand-drawn image. A duo of graphite pencil and colour pencil work together to form a bull in the foreground and what appears to be a landscape of hills behind it. At first it looks like drops of blood are cascading down the hill to the bull from a gated, Spanish coat of arms. On closer inspection, they are tiny red love hearts and it becomes clear that the ambiguous nature of them was intentional by McPhail. The artist plays on this specific style of illustration with the hand drawn type, in a naïve manner. ‘Love Spain’ is in lowercase and again, in joined-up handwriting that sits above ‘HATE BULLFIGHTING’, in thicker, blocked capitals. In this way, her point is emphasized, the gentle nature of the first part of the slogan is submissive to the forcefulness of the latter. She may not be as literal with her point as others are, but I think this works to her advantage – finding a way to communicate the rather brutal message in a subtle way. McPhail says, “Spanish people should be embracing the power and beauty of this animal, which represents their country, instead of killing it”.

MATT GLEN

The work of Matt Glen is a strong contrast to the style of the previously described posters. The remit of ‘street art’ is probably most apparent in this case, as we are presented with a plaque nailed to a white-washed wall. Made to imitate the sort of sign that you would see in a housing estate to warn children against ball games, the plate reads, ‘no bull games’. You may decide at first that this is perhaps a rather cheesy pun, but it is also simple and straight to the point. There is nothing flowery or over embellished about his approach and this means that it translates well, in a language that can be understood across the board. It does make me consider what is the most effective way of communicating a message such as this. Is it better to convey something in plain and simple terms at the expense of making it look what might be considered, a beautiful illustration? The use of red on white is a very powerful visual technique for high impact and certainly reaches the mark. There is also something about the photographic element to the work that makes it feel more tangible, like it is a real documentation as opposed to a drawing.

RHIAN ROWLANDS

The winner was announced at the end of the evening, a very deserving Rhian Rowlands. As I am having thoughts of making tracks, I note that although every single poster entered in this competition has used a palette of reds, blacks and whites or variations thereof and this has been completely coincidental. I discover from an organiser from the League Against Cruel Sports, that the brief never specified the colours to be used. There seemed to be a unified response to the brief, not only in the choice of colour and printing methods but also in the need and want to make a worthwhile statement. It was encouraging to see people come together in this way and to engage young people in this campaign.
two-door-cinema-club2

Two Door Cinema Club are three Northern Irish lads from Co. Down, and who, symptoms armed with a trusty Macintosh, pills are intent on providing our dance floors with some bona fide, hooky and melodic electro pop. Along their journey so far, they have been compared to The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie and Broken Social Scene, booked – to support Mancunian indie-ravers Delphic – and signed by Parisian cool cats, Kitsune and have had their lastest single, I Can Talk picked up and shuffled around with by Basquetronic East Londers, Crystal Fighters.

An impressive CV so far, so we got them locked into a quick fire question and answer session and they hit us back with tit bits of sounds, chick flicks and most importantly, girls.

You recently signed with Kitsune. Is there an album coming up?

There sure is! We just finished the mixes with Eliot James and Philipe Zdar (of French duo Cassius) recently so we’re all set for a early 2010 release. We did the recording in West London with Eliot over July and August. He mixed the album tracks as well. Then we went to Paris to mix the singles with Philipe.

Should we expect something similar to your singles “Something Good Can Work” (video above) and “I Can Talk” (released via Kitsune on November 16th)?

There are a lot of different sounds across the album and I think those two singles are already pretty different anyway. In the end it’s going to be a fast paced, electro pop album. That’s our aim.

What’s the story of how you met?

Alex and Kev actually met in cub scouts but they weren’t particularly friends. Alex and Sam met early on in high school. Then Kev came back into the frame when he was trying to get with pretty much all our friends… who were girls.

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Are you all still living in Ireland?

We came to London in June for the album and have pretty much just stayed ever since. We basically split our time between London, our tour van and travel lodges. When we’re not on tour, Sam still splits his time between London and Ireland.

What music have you been listening to lately?

We’ve been really into Phoenix recently, since we got a chance to cover one of their tracks (Lasso) for their repackage. Other bands we like are The Hold Steady, Mew, Mumford and Sons, The Decemberists, Bon Iver and The National.

What do you think about the synth-pop bands trend currently going on?

I think the genre is a little saturated at the moment. In essence, the style is great but as with every genre, there’s good and bad. Which is why we try to stay away from pigeon holing our sound too much, so we don’t get caught up in the trend.

What sort of things do you enjoy doing with your free time?

We don’t really get much free time but any time we do get we catch up with friends and girlfriends, who we don’t get to see as much as we’d like. Sam is partial to a wee chick flick as well.

Who would you die for to play with?

Wouldn’t die to play with anyone… but The Beatles??

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What is the last gig you went to?

Golden Silvers on the NME Radar Tour and Idlewild recently.

What are your aspirations as a band?

To have fun, play music and hopefully for people to like it. Ideally, we’d like to be able to survive just from playing in a band.

The culmination of their Kitsune support slot with Delphic is an East London Warehouse Party this Halloween (Saturday 31st). We think it’ll be worth visitting and no doubt, you’ll be hooked to Two Door Cinema Club too.

Categories ,bjork, ,Bon Iver, ,broken social scene, ,cassius, ,crystal fighters, ,death cab for cutie, ,delphic, ,electro, ,interview, ,kitsuné, ,Little Boots, ,mew, ,Mumford and Sons, ,phoenix, ,pop, ,The National, ,the postal service, ,Two Door Cinema Club, ,Wild Beasts

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Amelia’s Magazine | A meeting with indie folk blues rockers Peggy Sue.

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Illustration of Peggy Sue by Kellie Black.

I arrive by bike as usual to meet the three members of Peggy Sue at Spitalfields Market. Rosa got lost on hers and didn’t make their 6Music interview earlier in the day, more about which handily alerted me to the fact that it is Katy’s 24th birthday today, as well as the official launch of their new album Fossils and Other Phantoms. I wonder if their plan to go bowling in Brick Lane has come off, but it turns out the bowling alley was closed and they had to make do with chucking oranges at Lucozade bottles in the Old Truman Brewery instead. After their launch gig at Rough Trade East the band plan to head over to the Scala to enjoy the scuzzy sounds of Mount Eerie.

Even though Peggy Sue have been around for a few years they were only signed to Wichita at the end of 2009. Despite this, Katy, Rosa and Olly began recording their album over a three week period in New York last year. Producer Alex Newport – who has worked with the likes of Does it Offend You, Yeah? – first discovered the girls a couple of years ago at SXSW and he was joined by John Askew, better known as a producer of trance music, but who has also worked with The Dodos. They worked on the album in the studio at night and it was really intense. “But we wanted to do as much as possible,” says Rosa, “plus we like to work really hard.”

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Illustration of Rosa by Kellie Black.

Many of the songs were written in New York, but they came back to the UK to overdub the tracks with friends. Peggy Sue seem quite amused that some of their session musicians belong to bands much more famous than theirs, with a horn section provided by members of Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio.

With the album finished a little over a year ago I wonder if they aren’t perhaps a bit frustrated with the long wait for it to come out officially?
Katy: For a little while we were, but then you just realise that you have to work around other people’s schedules. We’ve only been playing a few new songs on tour so we’re not sick of them yet. We haven’t run out of emotion!
Rosa: We purposefully held back some songs till the album came out.
Olly: And we’ve written some new songs since the album was made.
How pushy is your record company?
Katy: No one tells us what to do.
That I can well believe….

Quite a few reviewers seem to have identified a strong theme of heartbreak running through the album. How would you respond to this?
Katy: Some songs are about breaking other people’s hearts
Rosa: …or endings in general. They can be morose when taken as a whole body of work, but not when taken individually.
Katy: Some people are just ignoring the other themes. We take it in turns to do lead vocals so it’s not like they’re all about just one break up. I don’t know if I want to be known as horribly bruised by love…
Rosa: I don’t remember the last time I had my heart broken!

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Illustration of Olly by Kellie Black.

They used to be Peggy Sue and the Pirates. What happened to the Pirates?
Katy: When Rosa and I started the band we were both studying at Sussex and it was just for fun. I was doing American Studies and Film. I’m still supposed to go to the US for a year as part of my course, but I keep deferring…
Olly: I was studying Popular Music at Goldsmiths, but I didn’t finish either. I prefer to actually make music.
Rosa: I was studying English Literature, but I’m the only one who finished my degree. We started getting serious two years ago when Olly joined. It made sense to drop the Pirates bit when we stopped being a duo and our music became less folky.

How did you girls hook up in the first place?
Katy: I was offered a gig as a solo artist and I asked Rosa to help out.
Rosa: I was so nervous I vomited into my mouth when I went on stage.
Katy: It was really nice to do it together. It was how you should start a band – it didn’t work when I tried to find people I didn’t know; a band needs to be built on good relationships.

How did you guys find Olly?
Olly: I went to Brighton and saw Peggy Sue playing as part of Brighton Festival – I fell in love with them immediately and became a bit of a groupie. I met them again at SXSW, and saw them play in my hometown of Margate.
Rosa: You were one of our favourite fans; we used to give you CDs for free!
Katy: We made him come and watch The Dodos so he could see what we wanted with the drum section and he liked it.
Olly: To start with I didn’t think it was a good idea for the girls to get a drummer because I preferred them without… but then I kept sending lots of pestering emails…
Eventually he organised his own audition in one of the practice rooms at his college, at which point Katy and Rosa realised he could be a great asset. Does he mind being the only man in a band with such strong women?
Olly: Not really, I’m half a girl
Rosa: …and I’m half a boy.

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Illustration of Katy by Kellie Black.

Olly learnt drums at secondary school, Rosa learnt piano and Katy learnt a bit of piano and some clarinet. But as a band they play whatever they can lay their hands on, with great aplomb. How do they pick up all these different instruments so easily?
Katy: There’s something about teaching yourself that means you only play what you can but you play it really well. It’s nice to be self taught as it means there are no rules.
Rosa: I understand enough about how to put music together but I can’t read music very well. It means you discover new things.
Katy: I understand music in quite a mathematical way but I find it hard to translate that into playing a guitar. They are two separate things in my head
Which are your favourite instruments?
Katy: I like my electric guitar.
Rosa: For me it always goes back to the guitar. But when I try a new instrument I end up writing new melodies as I learn how to play it, which means that every song turns out differently.
Olly: I never imagined I would play the guitar but I ended up strumming a few notes on some of the songs, and now I’ve built a bucket base too…
Rosa: …it sounded in tune until we started recording…

I loved the video for single Watchman. How did you get that made?
Katy: We asked illustrator Betsy Dadd to make the video when she was going out with my best mate.
I like the humping angels. What guidance did you give?
Katy: I said she could tap into whatever themes she wanted. We don’t often make videos.
Rosa: In a perfect world we’d have one for every song
Some of the imagery would be great for putting onto merchandise.
Katy: I’d like to put some of the stills onto a t-shirt. We’ve got only one design going at the moment. It features a wolf dancing with a skeleton.

At the time of interviewing the band Katy had just been offered a place at Berkeley in California, but fear not she won’t be going unless she can put her heart and soul into it. Which means we’ve lucked out instead. For now you can catch that great big heart and soul at a whole pile of festivals this summer. Including Dot to Dot and the Park Stage at Glastonbury on Saturday morning.

You can read my review of Fossils and Other Phantoms here.

Categories ,6Music, ,Alex Newport, ,Arcade Fire, ,Berkeley, ,blues, ,Brighton Festival, ,california, ,Does it Offend You, ,Dot to Dot, ,folk, ,Fossils and Other Phantoms, ,glastonbury, ,goldsmiths, ,Indie, ,John Askew, ,Kellie Black, ,mount eerie, ,Old Truman Brewery, ,Park Stage, ,Peggy Sue, ,Pirates, ,Rough Trade East, ,Scala, ,Spitalfields Market, ,Sussex, ,sxsw, ,The Dodos, ,TV on the Radio, ,Wichita Recordings, ,Yeah?

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Amelia’s Magazine | Yeti Lane – S/T – Album Review

Yeti Lane rAll Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral

Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, cheapest dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.

You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.

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Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.

A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.

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The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.

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The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.

And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.

Categories ,Cyanna and Ben, ,Sonic Cathedral, ,the flaming lips, ,Yeti Lane

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Amelia’s Magazine | Music Listings

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“It’s nice everyone getting dressed up and making an effort, hospital stomach round Christmas time ‘n that”, generic slurred an old man at the bar after telling me this was his local. Halloween did he mean? A gaze and a nod.

Peggy Sue (there were some pirates but they’ve long since fled to the Caribbean to find themselves) have a knack of adding a distinct flavour to everything they do. Brewed in soulfulness and peppered with giggles, they are an intoxicating concoction of many lovely things; compared to the likes of Lauryn Hill and Regina Spektor in a single breath, all manner of genres tossed in their direction.

But references aside, that tend to reduce everybody to something regurgitated, there’s lots of other good stuff – like a compilation CD released for every month (100 copies only, complete with artwork), like how their voices emulate astonishing power and soft effortlessness all at once; or that their low-fi sound is brought together with honeyed harmonies, punctuated Spektor-like noises and an unending supply of bizarre percussion instruments. It is finally exquisitely tied together with lyrics that detach our body-parts as things to be stolen, tell stories of the woes of superheroes, and give life to ‘those fragile little things’ that live inside. It all feels very refreshing, and nicely homemade – ‘Peggy Who?’ asks the drum-face.

The Horror Movie Marathon had the Peggy stamp all over it, made apparent in its details. A projection screen hung behind them playing classic horror gems; a new horror song, complete with screams had been written for the occasion; and the widely acclaimed ‘superman’ was illustrated by a live puppet-show on stage. The wide-eyed Alessi’s Ark and feet-shuffling Derek Meins were there to support, marking the beginning of the Triptych Tour – one bus, two weeks, three acts. Catch them if you can in a venue near you! But what oh what does Triptych mean?

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Be Prepared, sildenafil long the motto of the Scouts, is now being added to by The London Climate Camp Social Group with Be Inspired and Be Involved. A series of nights around town broadly divided into these three headings encouraging all to socialise and fund-raise for Climate Camp.

Be Prepared nights fund-raise with bands, djs and comedy. It’s one to bring your friends who may not be into all the “eco stuff” but would be interested in finding out more about Climate Camp.
Be Inspired focuses on what’s going on at the moment. Film screenings, speakers and debates wil inform people what is happening and why Climate Camp is doing what its doing.
Be Involved is the actions based adventures, such as Climate Rush, the forthcoming Day of Action and what ever else happens in the future.

The first one is tomorrow and is a Be Inspired night held at The Old Crown, 33 New Oxford St starting at 19:00. The line up consists of Alistair James playing music, Leo Murray introducing his excellent animation Wake Up, Freak out and Get A Grip, a short presentation from Climate Camp about what is being done right now and where it’s going and why, including two ladies instrumental in organising Climate Rush. Plus plenty of music to dance the night away.

The Old Crown
33 New Oxford St (corner of Museum street),
London WC1A 1BH.
Between Holborn and Tottenham Court road tube station.

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Hotel International 1993

Dear Tracey, discount

It wasn’t so long ago that I really thought I’d had it up to my neck with you. I think it was one of your columns in the Independent that did it. You’d had a bad day, page you know, one of those ones when you don’t particularly feel like getting out of bed in the morning and then when you do, you burn your toast, or scald yourself in the shower or something. And instead of having a quick cry, or swearing, or generally getting on with things as most people might do, your especially bad day led you toward one overarching question: ‘did my dad ever really love me?’ I thought it was a tad dramatic. So upon hearing about your retrospective at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art I was expecting 20 years of torment in the space of a few rooms. And you didn’t disappoint. But what I wasn’t expecting was that I was going to leave the exhibition liking you. Feeling for you, maybe. Being critical of you, definitely. But actually liking you? No, I wasn’t expecting that. But there is a reason that we hear so much about you Tracey, because you know what, you’re actually a pretty good artist.

Emin’s exhibition opens much like one would expect it to, throwing the viewer head-first into the deep-end. The first work we encounter is a tribute to her deceased grandmother; the second, a graphic description of a traumatic abortion. All the staple Emin classics are here: the neon signs, the tapestries, expressionist etchings, and of course, the infamous bed. And yet after the piss-stains, the used condoms, the confessional video diaries, the purging of torment and the sheer tragedy of it all, something beautiful remains. Emin’s letter to her uncle Colin is a striking example of this. Lucid and incredibly moving, Emin succinctly describes her emotions as she learns of the horrific accident that caused her beloved uncle’s death. Exploration of the Soul, a work comprised of 32 sheets of handwritten text, is similar in its expressive eloquence. You may baulk at the several spelling mistakes, shudder at the sadness of other people’s lives or smile at the moments of humanity within it; Emin will fail to leave you unmoved.

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My Bed 1998

The further we continue through the exhibition the more we feel as though we are Emin’s confidante; her scars are ours now and they are weighing us down. To enter, toward the end, a room removed of much of the abject excess of the others, comes as welcome relief. Two sculptures in particular reveal the diversity of Emin’s talent as an artist. Self Portrait (Bath) comprises a rusty bath filled with bamboo, barbed wire, chicken wire and a contorted neon streak entwined to create a work of great textual interest. In the same room a rollercoaster of reclaimed wood, It’s Not The Way I Want to Die from 2005, dominates the space. Constructed entirely from old crates, the past life of the wood seems to echo Emin’s own (one plank retaining it’s FRAGILE label), but is here reworked into a somewhat rickety yet undeniably beautiful piece.

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It’s Not The Way I Want to Die 2005

Emin is a chameleon, expressing herself in several mediums and seemingly mastering them all. Love or loathe her – you won’t easily forget her, and to my mind, that’s what makes her continue to be worth talking about.

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The Perfect Place to Grow 2001

Images courtesy of Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

September marked the official UK launch of the new shopping/networking website, ampoule ShopStyle. Already popular amongst fashion followers in the US, viagra the best way to describe this new digital phenomenon would be a ‘Google for fashion with a MySpace twist‘. Shopstyle offers a unique online shopping experience, which enables users to browse the rails of thousands of brands through a simple search box option. Just like Google, ShopStyle carries out all the hard work trawling through shopping sites in order to bring you any matching items to your keywords. Users can also narrow down their searches by price, brand, store and size so only the most relevant results are displayed.

The site proved to be heaven sent in my own hunt to unearth a descent pair of gladiator heels, presenting me with options from new and smaller brands that I wouldn’t usually consider in my shopping choices.

ShopStyle’s nifty social networking twist means even those of us a little strapped for cash can still muzzle in on the spirit of fashion. The StyleBook tool allows users to play around and create their own fashion look books based on their own personal tastes and styles. These can be viewed by fellow users who are free to comment and discuss ideas. Unlike other virtual stores, ShopStyle embraces a love for fashion and creativity, moving beyond the simple idea of consumption.

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Keep an eye out next month as three emerging designers, selected by stylist to the stars, Bay Garnett, get the opportunity to display their collection on the site.

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Creaturemag sets out to bring together artists from all around the world, adiposity and produce an online publication, which works as one big collaboration. Being the arty literate types that they are, they’ve also created a sort of character out of the Creaturemag concept. This has led to an entertaining, if not ever so slightly confusing, interview with themselves, or Creaturemag – you kind of have to read it to understand.

They have just released Creaturemag festival edition – a diary of their activities over the summer. Its content though is a little more in depth than trudging through mud and drinking cider though. The wonderful cover has been done by long time Amelia’s contributor Nikki Pinder! It also features interviews with up and coming musical geniuses Alessi and Zombie Zombie.

Being the creative types that they are though, no pages go without a little artistic decoration. A group of top notch illustrators have contributed – bringing the entire thing to life.

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Crafty pirate

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Floating from festival to festival over the summer, the creatives behind Creaturemag have compiled pieces on the more out there festivals like Secret Garden Party and End Of The Road. The festival edition acts as a sort of guide to how they have often created their own arty fun at festivals this year. Perhaps the most intriguing of which is the feature on concrete mushrooms that were taken to festival all over the country. It is also a testament to how devoted they are to their art. The idea of dragging massive concrete mushrooms on top of the mounds of bags and tents I always end up hauling to campsite doesn’t appeal to me.

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Concrete mushrooms

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The whole thing just makes it look like the guys behind it have had the best summer ever, and it really makes me want to go back to a festival.

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As an entity we usually take in music that is self-consciously/appointed art-rock. It is often forgotten that this art-rock did not just pop out of Andy Warhol’s arse as he stood watching the Velvet Underground, more about he just brought an audience to Reed, buy Cale, see Morrison and Tucker’s genius. Although visual art did have an influence, it is the avant-garde classical that clashed with rhythm and blues to start this musical mongrel. LaMonte Young and the Fluxus movement popularised drones; Cage, Reich and Glass atonality and chance. Karlheinz Stockhausen is another visionary whose contribution cannot be forgotten. The great German- who sadly passed away last year- was a key contributor to the zygote cell stage of electronic music and developed his own musical language of complexity and rapturous transcendental irregular noise. Without him the work of- to mention a few acolytes- Kraftwerk, Zappa, Bjork, Can, Aphex Twin, Faust and Sonic Youth would be very different and have a few less words to rely upon in their collective musical lexicon.

The Royal Festival Hall and Purcell Rooms hosted Klang which was intended as a tribute for Stockhausen’s eightieth birthday. I was privy to two nights of the retrospective which proved to be one of the most amazing musical experiences I have ever had. The Friday night in the smaller Purcell Rooms began with Joy the second hour of Stockhausen’s incomplete twenty-four hour cycle. This was a piece composed for two harpists. The two former students of Stockhausen sat illuminated by a single spotlight dressed in white. They completely subverted my expectations of what a harp could do as the cut up fragments of a medieval German hymn mixed plucked or bashed arrythmic textures with youthful voices making strange phonetic noises. Subsequently, Cosmic Pulses (the thirteenth hour) was archetypal Stockhausen electronic music on 24 different tape loops played at differing speeds through eight surrounding speakers in the dark with a single moon like spotlight on stage. Bjork says Stockhausen mixed modernity with the primordial and natural ferocity of a thunderstorm. This displayed that contradictory dialectic as it buzzed brilliantly with unpredictable electric whip crack on rumbling menace.

I feel privileged to have seen the final night at the Royal Festival Hall. First as short electronic work was played, a token gesture for what was to follow. Lucifer’s Dance was utterly batshit. Performed by the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra, a solo drummer, flautist and opera singer dressed up as Lucifer himself. It was a comment on the spirit of contradiction and independence via the conduit of an orchestra pretending to be a grimacing demonic face. However, Stockhausen made people use their instruments idiosyncratically and it wasn’t a conventional (not that I have been to many) classical concert. The musicians had to dance, uncomfortably, in their chairs as they blew discordant squalling devil’s frown lines. The cameo from the amazing jazz drummer was particularly good, he represented nostrils. Weirdness. As we left the hall from the rooftops Michael’s Farewell was trumpeted over the Thames, a stunning experience, older fans were getting visibly emotional it may as well have been Karlheinz’s farewell for them. Many of his students, collaborators and friends were in attendance. People left with sad smiles and general wonder from what they had just experienced.
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I realised the other day that it had been quite some time since I had rocked out – it kind of just fell out of favour. Mainly because rocking out became so cringeworthy all of a sudden. The connotations appeared to have fallen into something deeply uncool, capsule instead of being the epitomy of it.

The answer to this life problem comes in the form of two bands. Rolo Tomassi; a band that are undeniably too fun for metal and too out there for indie, more about and Fucked Up!; a relentless hardcore band whose live show is almost more about what the lead singer is doing physically, rather than their ear punishing music.

Rolo Tomassi took to the stage and instantly impressed with their musicianship. The music skips from segment to segment with time signatures that befuddle the mind. They’re like some experimental jazz band, in the way that they take an anything goes approach, only more like a jazz band that has been raised by wolves – or something equally ridiculous.

Their set was simply fantastic, though with the catalog of songs they have on their album that came as no surprise. Their keyboard player came into his own during Abraxas, his assault on the keys reproducing something of an assault on my ears. They leave the audience thoroughly shaken, and all I could think about was how I couldn’t wait to see them again some time.

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With a name like Fucked Up! there is a certain amount of characteristics expected. They live up to, if not exceed, any kind of expectations imaginable. As soon as the lead singer hoists himself on stage he is something of a dominating presence, like some jurassic being – I was genuinely scared of this guy. On first hear they sound like a pretty standard American hardcore band, and it’s not until you see them live that you get a full understanding. The lead singer’s nonsensical ventures into the crowd, his hilarious jibes between songs and the general raucous in the crowd caused by their show somehow allows it to make sense.

I left the gig with a level of adrenaline that I haven’t felt whilst walking away from a gig in years. I’d recommend some time at a metal gig of this calibre to anyone, it is still a case of being careful though. As a genre it deals with both end of a spectrum. Prepare to listen to an awful lot of guff before you find the genre’s best bits.

Here at Amelia’s Magazine we’re all about nurturing design newbies, advice particularly if they’re as innovative and inspiring as Karen Karem. We first encountered Karen way back in the days of issue 6. Fresh out of Central St Martins and brimming with ideas, for sale she caught our eye with her funky range of horse shaped bags inspired by childhood dreams of magical fantasy lands. After two long years of hard work and some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, information pills she’s now back to launch her debut Spring/Summer 09 clothing collection, Hard Cover Candy.

A peak into Karen’s treasure trove of inspirations reveals a concoction of nostalgic teenage memorabilia combined with a haphazard assortment of British items from eras past. Kitch accessories and pastel coloured cupcakes bump shoulders with jars of jellybeans, fluffy cotton candy, 60′s platforms, teenage heartthrobs and images of elegant ladies at brunch.

The collection itself consists of a range of dresses. Each contain a childlike quality but still manage to maintain a sense of femininity and elegance. Like her playful horse bags, Hard Cover Candy is for women who remember raiding their mothers wardrobes and dressing up in pretty frocks for birthday parties at the age of 9. They’re for women who like to daydream and still feel like little girls at heart.

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With a mixed colour palette of soft pastels and vibrant electrifying tones, Karen’s selection of baby doll dresses and floor length evening gowns use chiffon and ruffles to ensure a high level of grace and movement.

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With Vogue and Vanity Fair already showing an interest in the collection, it’s likely that Karen Karem will soon be sweeping us all along into her magical daydream world.

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To make music relaxing without descending into something boring requires great amounts of skill in arrangement and more often than not melody. These are two things that Finn has in milk tanker sized loads.

The music on this album rises and falls like a souffle. Beginning with the settling whispers of Half-Moon Stunned. Perhaps not the most exciting song on the album it introduces you to the subtle yet brooding voice of Finn. The restrained yet beautiful melodies of this song have an air of Sigur Ros, illness though on a much smaller scale.

Midway though the album things become a little more unsettled, with the romper that is Julius Caesar. All semi off key, there is a sense of panic in his voice – a device that reminds me of Thom Yorke‘s solo efforts. It pulls at the heartstrings purely through it’s melody, even without the hard hitting, blood spill heavy lyrics.

One of my favourite selections from the album is The Truth Is A Lie, again opting for those obtuse melodies, only this time with some very 60s percussion. This sets it off magnificently, making it far less dreary even though it’s steeped in melancholy. Only problem is, about halfway you remember what it really reminds me of. It does sound kind of like Duffy, if she was in a fowl mood and had a record label who had a conscience and would stop forcing that drivel upon us all.
Here’s one for the fashionettes, pharm the glam goddesses, purchase the couture collectors and anyone who dreams in fairytale fashion time. Make way for a new fashion address. Wembley is now the place to head for a truly avant-garde adventure.

Come December, a distinctly unfashionable warehouse on the outskirts of the city, in Wembley, should expect a style onslaught in the form of savvy shoppers and gracious costumiers, each of them on the hunt for a piece of design history. Think hand-sewn sequins and starry silhouettes. Or you might spy a vintage muse in second hand leather and spiky heels falling over flapper dresses and wartime headwear.

For the first time ever, Angels, Europe’s biggest, brightest and most iconic film and theatrical costumier, stages a mammoth clothing sale. More than 30, 000 items of vintage clothing, accessories and jewellery, including pieces featured in films, TV dramas and pop promos, are set for a starring role as a bargain addition to your wardrobe.

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The timing couldn’t be better. Bang in the middle of the credit crunch party season Angels have dropped the frou-frou price tag in favour of a far more festive payment system. You purchase an empty shopping bag on arrival, costing between £10 and £20, and fill it up with lush, lavish or downright ornamental day and eveningwear.

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Tucked away in the fashioned up folds of this supersize event are gowns by Christian Dior and Jean Muir. Perhaps you’ll even come across a corset fresh from its debut on the silver screen. More exciting still for anyone inspired by street style looks are the High Street labels of yesteryear, including Chelsea Girl, Bus Stop and Artwork Blue. The sale acts as an archive of fashion’s forgotten favourites and is a snapshot of retro design pioneers.

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Whatever you find, the event has widespread appeal, from members of the bargain hunter public to history of design scholars. The shopping elite can snatch at consumptive fulfillment in these credit crunch climes without having to settle for the mindless monotony of minimalism, a look traditionally touted by fashion forerunners in times of economic hardship. As the trend for re-wearing, recycling and reworking style statements from the past continues, fashion, at least, can still be fanciful and frivolous. This authentic collection of costumes stalks a precious historical timeline and offers the chance for you to put a new slant on generations of style. So steal yourself away from the urban high street shopping throng and spin North in your second hand heels. This is could be one of the shopping highlights of the season.

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MONDAY 17th November

Amazing Baby, sick Stricken City – The Lexington, viagra sale London
Yo Majesty! – Barfly, London
The Black Keys – The Academy, BRISTOL
White Denim – The Plug, Sheffield

TUESDAY 18th November

Baddies, Dan Black – Hoxton Bar & Grill, London
Metronomy – Rough Trade East, London
Little Noise Session feat. Ladyhawke, Noah and the Whale
The Notwist – Club Academy, Manchester

WEDNESDAY 19th November

TV on the Radio – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Tony Christie – Cadogan Hall, London
Jay Jay Pistolet – The Enterprise, London
Fucked Up – Roadhouse, Manchester

THURSDAY 20th November

Micachu – Corsica Studios, London
Jay Reatard – The Faversham, Leeds
Sway – The Syndicate, Bristol
White Lies – Guildhall, Gloucester

FRIDAY 21st November

Andrew Bird, St Giles Church, London
RAR! All Ages Event feat. Street Riots, Poppy and the Jezabels, Partyshank
The Faint – Brighton Digital, Brighton
Golden Silvers – The Macbeth, London

SATURDAY 22nd November

Buraka Som Sistema – Shoreditch Studios, London
Screaming Tea Party – The Macbeth, London
The Sugars – Bardens Boudoir, London

SUNDAY 23rd November

Those Dancing Days – Thekla, Bristol
Clinic – Scala, London
Koko Von Napoo – Rough Trade East, London
Greg Weeks – Luminaire, London

Categories ,Amazing Baby, ,Andrew Bird, ,Baddies, ,Buraka Som Sisterma, ,Clinic, ,Fucked Up, ,Golden Silvers, ,Greg Weeks, ,Jay Jay Pistolet, ,Jay Reatard, ,Koko Von Napoo, ,Ladyhawk, ,Listings, ,Little Noise Session, ,Metronomy, ,Micachu, ,Music, ,Noah and the Whale, ,Poppy and the Jezabels, ,Screaming Tea Party, ,Stricken City, ,Sway, ,The Black Keys, ,The Faint, ,The Sugars, ,Those Dancing Days, ,Tony Christie, ,TV on the Radio, ,White Denim, ,White Lies, ,Yo Majesty!

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