Noah & The Whale may be the most obvious example of ‘morning music’ I could ever hope to find. Folk with the lyrical style of The Postal Service is a combination that seriously rivals corn flakes and ice cold milk in my opinion.
Tracks like ‘Rocks and Daggers’ and ‘Shape of My Heart’ are so damn catchy I reckon I could actually sing along to them in my sleep. I’ve been a fan of these tracks since the demos I heard them in their demo forms, site no rx but these new recordings seem to have a lot more life to them. With added vocals and different instruments used they take on a whole new, this more exciting, character.
The high point of the album has to be ‘5 Years Time’ though. It’s the recollection of a joyous daydream considering what a relationship could be like 5 years in the future. It springs along at the tempo of giddiness, with horns that are reminiscent of Beirut, making it sound like a declaration.
The album definitely isn’t all quite so memorable however, as many of the songs seem to merge into one. Towards the end of the album the pace slows and the songs seem to have less about them. They can pull off this style of songwriting as they show on tracks like ‘Give A Little Love’, but the last two tracks do come across being as being tucked away as if they were filler.
The Government, ailment along with the G8, has waged war on food wastage, and we’ve got to all confess to a bit of complicity here. Alright, so as a political task force the G8 is as effective as the East Dulwich Women’s Institute, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our bit, if for no other reason than we could save £420 a year (enough to save eight acres of rainforest).
Make a shopping list – okay, it sounds a bit anal and motherly, but it’ll help to stop those nasty impulse buys cluttering up your cupboards.
Use your freezer – effective rotating of your freezer will allow you to store food for a few extra days, helping to use everything before it goes brown/grey/green/other bad food colours…
Long-life foods – where possible buy things that won’t go off in a couple of days, then you’re more likely to get round to cooking with it before it makes a break for the bin.
Share and share alike – if you have leftovers you know you can’t possibly use, ask if a friend, relative or neighbour might like them – better yet, invite them over!
Oh, and though I’m never one to promote big business, M&S has pledged to power six of their Simply Food shops with renewable energy from a machine that turns food waste into electricity. Wouldn’t necessarily suggest you try this one at home…
For more info click on lovefoodhatewaste.
When half a band becomes half of a new band a comparison will be inevitable made. So who am I to buck the trend? In the interest of research I decided to play a track by Televised Crimewave formed with two alumni of Black Wire (Daniel Wilson and Tom Greatorex) and two fresh faces (Rob Bootle and Bat Neck, seek who I was informed by a ‘source’ is so called because he has a tattoo of a bat on his neck) at the same time as a Black Wire track. One thing is obvious immediately; Televised Crimewave are pretty much Black Wire but they lack in the guitar department.
Not only do Televised Crimewave owe a debt to Black Wire, health but with a mission to pursue old (but not forgotten) passions, they also owe a bit of pocket change to punk. Most notably on Fire and Flowers, with a hey ho-esque chorus that sounds very distinctly familiar. Hmm, I wonder where they got that from.
But tributes and similarities aside, televised Crimewave’s songs have a rousing sense of urgency. It’s a bit like music to have electric shock therapy to, if that was ever necessary. I like to say it’s psychedelic garage pop at its best, but it’s not. Televised Crimewave are pushing a sound that is rather tired and they seem to be holding back, they never quite reach the crescendo their music deserves.
When Dolly the Sheep was cloned it was hailed as a medical marvel. When Black Wire were cloned the results aren’t so marvellous. Perhaps Televised Crimewave could change their name to Dolly. Although, then they may get parallels drawn to that lovely lady who sings about working crap jobs. Televised Crimewave are worth a listen, but for those not sobbing into our pillows about Black Wire demise, a listen is all you need.
The ‘Future of Fashion’ exhibition located on the beautiful premises of the Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham is a showcase of the work from British students and recent graduates across the pathways of fashion design, ampoule illustration, illness photography, diagnosis textiles and accessories. The pieces – most of them on sale – selected by co-curators Mark de Novellis and Caroline Alexander, come from courses of various levels within colleges and universities all around the country, including the University of the Arts London, Edinburgh College of Art, Kingston and Southampton Solent University.
The display is divided into three parts, starting off with ‘Tradition’ and ‘Innovation & Creativity’ on the ground floor, leading to the open gallery upstairs showcasing ‘Diversity’. Whereas ‘Tradition’ focuses on the British (fashion) heritage – such as Savile Row tailoring and textile craft – being subverted and therefore reinvigorated, ‘Innovation & Creativity’ explores the more conceptual and experimental approaches which British fashion has become internationally recognised for. ‘Diversity’ finally investigates the global influences impacting upon the industry – whether these come from inside Britain itself because of its rich cultural mix or from outside, through the many European and international students who come to train here, each bringing their unique identity to the country.
One highlight of the display is Kimberly Patterson’s piece ‘Identity Theft – A Corporate Assault’ from BA Fashion, Kingston: An all-white ruffle minidress made of energy-efficient Tyvek® fabric by DuPontTM inspired by Douglas Coupland’s novel Generation X and the idea of the ‘McJob‘. With each pattern piece being a scaled-up company logo, her work examines questions of globalisation, consumer and corporate culture as well as sustainability.
Faye Bamber from Fashion Design & Technology at the London College of Fashion produced interesting work for her 2nd-year project ‘Industrial Engineering & Sculptural Fashion’. Her architectural, Hussein Chalayan type pieces were inspired by research from the Museum of Science & Industry, the Royal Armouries and the National Railway Museum. Although her two showcased dresses made of aluminium sheeting and wire make great exhibits, the real treasure troves are her accompanying design development books in which she experimented with cog mechanisms, paper and wire maquettes, Grecian-style pleating, asymmetrical shapes and weaving techniques.
Despite the ‘Tradition’ section showcasing a couple of pieces that were too – you guessed it – Vivienne Westwood and ‘Diversity’ featuring a few less strong works, some of them a bit out-of-place and/or lacking additional info and accompanying material, ‘Future of Fashion’ makes for a worthwhile trip down to Twickenham and proves that real artefacts which can be examined three-dimensionally, touched, yes even smelled are a much more valuable experience than the digital proposition used by other fashion colleges in Central London.
The supershorts film festival has been running for five years, buy more about and celebrates both the art of short films and those who make them. I’ve always been a bit of a geek about shorts, mainly because I’ve been making them for three years. Although I studied journalism, I have the secret desire to work in film and was a bit of a ‘groupie’ at uni, volunteering to be on almost every shoot, ever. So it’s always a treat to watch new shorts and spot the upcoming talent. I only managed to catch one night of the festival, but it was a brilliant and inspiring night of screenings at the Odeon in Shaftsbury Avenue, Covent Garden. Here are a few highlights:
A Difference in Shadow by Michael Mier was a beautifully shot and emotional piece with a nice little twist in the tale. Great performances from both Sakib Salama and Georgia Baines, which brought a shiver to the spine and brought to the surface how easy it is to assume.
Broken by Vicky Psarias – a great little narrative piece which began more like a feature than a short, and felt as if it could, and perhaps should, go on. The story shows a Cypriot family immigrating to London to join their father who has already been preparing for a better life for them. But it turns out he doesn’t seem to have their best interests at heart. It had potential, but lacked punch in the final blow.
Eric’s Secrets by Lucia Ashmore is a poignant documentary based solely on character on not much else -and that’s why it works. Eric, in his nineties, talks about his life with beautiful humour and wisdom, and this film went on to win the Lightning Media Best Documentary Award.
For the Love of God by Joe Tucker provided some light relief – and also a change in format, as it’s a stop-motion animation. Main character Graham lives in a Christian bookshop with his overbearing mother and pet jackdaw. We follow him as his quest for faith takes on a macabre spin. Featuring the voices of Steve Coogan and Sir Ian McKellan, it’s a fantastic piece with just the right dose of humour and shock tactics.
Joystick by Kevin Richards, another animation, is a thoughtful and beautifully drawn piece showing two joined beings ‘The Joystick’ whirl and twist through life, eventually split apart by conflict. Without each other, they perish in a tragic ending.
‘Flushed‘ by Martin Stirling is a brilliantly funny piece about a boy caught short in the loos. Great characters and great production values, it’s the Director’s first funded short and he’s one to watch.
The final, and most captivating of all, was Smafulgar (Two Birds) by Runar Runarrson. A short that made waves at Cannes was awarded both the Anthony Mingella Best Director Award and Sasusfaction Best Drama Award at Super Shorts. Shot on 35mm, it’s a gripping story of a shy teenager who loses his innocence overnight. Stunning cinematography, and with the perfect mix of narrative and intimacy on camera, it has also that all-important feature of a short – the catching of breath as the credits begin to roll.
Here’s to next year’s supershorts!
Take a trip around Chongquing with the lovely Miss M as your tour guide in this second issue of Scarlet Cheek’s bookzine. Inspired by a patchwork of childhood memories from editor’s Cindy Chens visits to the city with her beloved Grandpa, link she sets out to show you the lives and her loves of this Chinese metropolis.
Scarlet Cheek manages to transport you to Chongquing, about it where you can really feel the firey sun beating down on you as your feet tread the paved streets of the city. Chen’s fondness for the place really shines through and the friendly atmosphere of the city washes over you with everyone of her tender words.
Let her guide you through the streets, stuff tripping past playing children, graffitied walls and fortune tellers, before finally putting your feet up and dining out at Meishi Jie’s food street. With the accompanying photographs of these scenes from the street you get a multisensory experience of the city which leaves you dying to touch, see and smell everything that’s going on around you.
As your guided tour comes to an end you are left to wander freely through the rest of the pages. Interviews with bands and artists come to life as they are simply conversations you overheard. The factual history of the city is nicely combined with tales from it, adding to your experience of Chongquing as told by the people that call it their home.
From the streets upward we see the bangbangs, a group of migrant workers seeking all possibilities of a job, up to the beautiful women the area is known for, celebrated in a double page spread of loveliness. The region’s food is also tastily displayed in graphic food porn shots, whilst images of the neon night life tempt you out to play after dark.
This is not a gloriously glossy depiction of the city, but a wonderfully realistic glimpse into the lives of everyday people in Chongquing. This issue of Scarlet Cheek’s is a celebration of a place where memories are held dear and where many more are surely to be created.
Windsmoor, more about the quintessentially English establishment label, link has just reached the ripe old age of 75. Bearing in mind that this brand is the same age as my Nan, page I was expecting the celebrations to revolve around a nice game of scrabble in a tea shop. Oh how wrong I was. Come the day of the party I checked the address, and almost keeled over when it read: ‘Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner’. The party was literally IN an arch.
A roomful of slinky cocktail dresses and flutes of champagne replaced the knitting patterns and scone recipes I had expected and I’d soon hijacked the prime balcony location to enjoy the view. Sights included all the London favourites: The London Eye, The Mall, and a sneaky peak into the Buckingham Palace grounds (sadly HRH was not playing on her tennis court this particular evening).
Meanwhile back inside, decades of Windsmoor advertising campaigns graced every inch of wall space. These ranged from World War Two era posters to a campaign fronted by Cindy Crawford. Windsmoor have always maintained their desire to provide women with luxurious yet affordable clothes and after 75 successful years this philosophy will no doubt see them through the looming economic recession.
Indeed, Windsmoor is so much a part of British culture that even the poet laureate John Betjeman had something to say about it. In his 1954 poem, ‘Middlesex’, he tells of
Fair Elaine the bobby-soxer,
Fresh-complexioned with Innoxa,
Gains the garden – father’s hobby –
Hangs her Windsmoor in the lobby,
Settles down to sandwich supper and the television screen.
The night was monumental, and just like Elaine the bobby-soxer I headed home for some toast and the latest news from another integral part of British culture, the Big Brother house.
Frock Me! London’s hottest vintage fashion event is back in town and it’s set to be a big one! It’s the one-stop shop to the dressing rooms of the past, click from 1920′s flapper chic to 1980′s retro cool.
Held in the heart of illness ,10268~3206161,00.jpg”target=”_blank”>Chelsea’s fashionable King’s Road, you will find the crème de la crème of the country’s vintage dealers, offering everything from beautiful clothing, hats and shoes, to gorgeous accessories, bags and jewellery.
Whether you’re a costume designer looking to dress the big stage, or a fashion student with an eye for a bargain, Frock Me! is the place to pick up that perfect item. Ranging from one or two pounds to several hundreds, whatever your budget, you’ll be sure to find the fabulous vintage gems to suit you.
Brimming with one-off fashion finds and vintage trends, you’ll often spot top models and stylists gliding between the rails in search of the right item to complete their individual styles from the range of enchanting collections from days gone by.
It’s not only the magnificent range of clothing that will take you back in time while at the fair. The Frock Me! Vintage Tea Room offers a unique ‘pre-war’ experience, where you can sit back and relax with an old fashioned cream tea whilst listening to the nostalgic tones of the original gramophone.
Described by The Sunday Times Style magazine as ‘The place to pick up something old and stylish’, vintage fairs are the only place you can find more classic shoes, Lanvin dresses and pussy bows than Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe.
For the first time since the opening fair four years ago, 2008 sees Frock Me! expanding out of the big city and into Brighton to treat the South coast to the array of treats that the top vintage dealers have to offer. Being held at the Sallis Benney Theatre opposite the pavillion, Brighton joins London in being home to the fashion world’s favourite vintage event.
You can catch the next fair in Chelsea on 7th September, and in Brighton on 5th October so make sure you get to one of these fabulous events and pick yourself up some vintage, darling!
This morning I got up really early and cycled up to Angel to join the Greenwash Guerillas outside the Business Design Centre in Islington, information pills in a protest against the E.ON sponsored Climate Change Summit being organised by the Guardian.
C’mon, Guardian, what’s going on? Why are you colluding with E.ON? Is it the same irony that your paper shows by going on and on about being green whilst still supporting cheap flights with heaps of advertising space? We all need money but some of us are less likely to sell out…
Caroline Lucas,the Green MEP for the south east joined us in her white boiler suit before joining the conference – she will be protesting about the choice of sponsor in her speech. Go Caroline!
E.ON is a major target for climate campaigners at the moment – Climate Campwill be protesting against their planned new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in a few weeks time (join us!) which, if built, will rule out the UK’s ability to stop catastrophic climate change. Do you detect any irony?!
Of course E.ON would prefer to give the impression that they give a shit about climate change, hence the choice of sponsorship. However, they clearly don’t, which is why I wear my badge saying E.ON F.OFF with pride, and why I will be attending Climate Camp.
We did the can-can, sung songs and handed out leaflets to the delegates – there was a big turn out of activists, all bearing handmade “greenwash detectors” with which to sniff out bullshit. These ranged from a butternut squash to feather dusters to highly creative hairdryer/vacuum hoover/bike light creations.
Of course the police were as humourless and heavy handed as they always are – I was given a very aggressive shove for daring to take a photo from the steps.
Bicycology also turned up with their super sound system, and we danced in the bright morning sunlight to a suitably apt soundtrack – it seems Britney Spears could have written Toxic specifically with E.ON in mind! When the bullshit all got too much we collapsed on the ground and with that most went off to their daily jobs, but not before showering E.ON with much unwanted attention. Hurrah to that!
Click below to check out different videos from the day.
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For more information please visit Indymedia.
UNIQLO’s annual T-shirt design competition since 2004, pilule the 5th “UT Grand Prix” will call for entries from July 15th. UNIQLO has actively developed its global expansion as a casual wear brand from Japan, opening flagship stores in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Korea and China, and also shown the global promotion campaigns that world people can participate such as UNIQLOCK and UT LOOP!
Based on the concept of “T-shirt Design Olympics”, UT Grand Prix calls for T-shirt designs from young & upcoming creators from all over the world. Works will be chosen from more than 10,000 submissions in the first and second phases of judgment, & these will be shown on the web. In the final stage, 20 designs will be selected by presiding guest judges, & these designs will then be sold as UT (UNIQLO T-shirt) at UNIQLO stores. Cash & other prizes will be also presented to the winner(s). The Grand Prix (top) prize is 3 million JPY (or equivalent in local currency at current rates).
Submission Period: July 15th – September 21st, 2008
As a fashion capitol, sale London loves looking for the next big thing.
Season after season fashion stars of the future ascend in the strangest of places: spontaneous off-schedule shows, information pills worn-down warehouses, more about hidden headquarters. The freshest, often cash-strapped design talent explodes onto the scene with experimental aplomb, giving little more than an eccentric knowing nod to the establishment.
This September seems no different. FaCshion is a two-day exhibition for trade buyers and consumers looking for that elusive fashion edge. Held perhaps predictably in The Old Truman Brewery, on the 13th and 14th of September FaChion invite new & brilliant designers working across knitwear, lingerie, footwear and accessories, to showcase their wares to the world, at a fraction of the cost normally involved in staging a memorable catwalk show.
The event, determined to rip up London’s fashion rule book once again, is billed as a brilliant way for buyers to source new collections and shoppers to source a design hit.
Sensing a change in shopping sensibilities for the upcoming season, the organisers are keen to expose the ethical edge of the event. An array of modern design heroes from the eco age are lined up to attend. Recycled jewellery and reworked vintage nestle against second hand style and organic cotton pieces. With emerging brands like Lalesso and TraSsh already challenging the design status quo, this event aims to show how conscious clothing continues to shake up the hard-ass fashion clichés that haunt the industry.
Two days spent at FaCshion, dipping in and out of the stalls and catching a catwalk show, reintroduces London’s fashionista to the idea of experimenting. Designers are selected for their fresh approach, excellence and innovation.
FaCshion are currently looking for more designers to exhibit at the two day event, so if you feel you have what it takes and are interested in submitting your work, check out the website for more details on how to participate. For the rest of you – why not come and look again at what British talent can create. You might even find the next big thing.
After being in a band called Catchers at school, see Dale Grundle began working on songs for The Sleeping Years solo. Living by the sea in Northern Ireland seems to bring about a theme of melancholic existence that justifies the suitably desolate title.
Having released three sell out EPs he then released the album, signed to rocketgirl records n the uk. This is an album of pleasant simple quiet melodies in which not many songs particularly stand out against the others. ‘Dressed for rain‘ is slightly different containing a single layer of acoustic guitar and a soft voice, but the song is far too long. ‘You and me against the world’ is the only song I had any desire to listen to more than once and I think that might be just because it reminded me just a little of Shout Out Louds. My nan told me the word nice is an unimaginative way to describe something but this album is just that, nice, nothing very memorable.
Last night as I was walking around the Vilma Gold gallery, capsule waiting for Tom Morton to begin his talk on the works of Brian Griffiths that were displayed there, dosage I did a spot of time traveling. It felt like I was in a time, perhaps not too far from now, where humans live amongst the huge land-fills that they have created. A lonely race, there is not much to amuse them aside from finding odds and ends in the junk heap (a victorian hot water bottle shaped like a rabbit, a tatty piece of tarpaulin, a crushed car, a giant bears head from a derelict theme park) and adorning them with bright paint or making odd compositions with them. However much these pieces might be treasured, their elevation seems strange – even laughable – to us in our time.
Perhaps this was Griffiths’ intention. Or perhaps I’ve been watching too many Wall-E trailers. Either way, I was looking forward to what Tom Morton (who is, amongst other things, the curator of the Hayward Gallery) had to say about it all.
With his talk Morton proved that, not only does he know his art, but he certainly knows his comedy. Leading us around the Vilma Gold space Morton constantly referenced all those classic British sitcoms that work on the themes of aspiration, failure and despair… what those in Germany might call Shadenfreude but here in Britain we call prime time entertainment.
It’s a great analogy to run with, as Morton brought to mind Rising Damp
as we stood in front of the huge ‘Stone Face’. This giant concrete bear head took up almost a whole room, with it’s painted on grimace seeming to morph into the brave face Rigsby’s would adopt each episode just as all around him crumbled and his dreams disappeared before is eyes. Morton asked us to wonder whether beneath this surface of an eternal optimist is another creature slowly going mad.
The comedy found in despair is not such an obscure reference, it seems, as Morton tells us that the darkly comic 1970′s series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is actually an important influence on Griffiths. Griffiths himself has said; “The work, I always think, has high aspirations that are never met”. Disappointment seemed to hang, quite literally, from the walls of Vilma Gold with Griffith’s banner like pieces and the tarpaulin ‘Shadow’s in my Pockets’ displayed in such a way that they sagged and drooped wearily.
Morton then directed our attention to ‘Daylight Jed’, a wooden box construction with a hole at the top and a drawer, containing a pair of glossy brown brogues, at the bottom. I hadn’t been sure what to make of this piece on my first walk around the gallery, but Morton had the answer for me; It’s a Houdini style magician’s box, except this one might have been used by Tony Hancock
in the series Hancock’s Half-Hour. With this in mind the piece could be seen as both the trapping-within and the possibility-of-escape-from a less than desirable life.
Being led around Griffiths’ ‘Another End’ by Tom Morton really added to my experience of the exhibition because each piece on display was given a personality that I had not imagined before. We were encouraged to consider how the pieces had come to terms with their own disappointed selves, and so be inspired to find humour in the harsher knocks life deals us. The best thing about Morton’s talk, in my opinion, was that his references were pitched perfectly for a part time art dabbler like myself. Art criticism is often in danger of becoming so obscure that it loses the interest of it’s audience, but sling in a few pop culture references and I know my ears will prick up.
There was one classic comedy reference missing from Morton’s list however, and that is the incredibly apt Steptoe and Son. With the ‘Another End’ exhibition Brian Griffiths has definitely become a modern day rag and bone man, collecting junk for a living and turning strange trash into undeniable treasure.
Teddies, sildenafil dummies and rattles appear to any unsuspecting spectator to be the possessions of a young child, more about yet within the work of Hazel Davies they are not. With a body of work entitled Nurseries; baby pinks, buy blues and yellows leak from the photographs, suggestive of the love and security a parent hopes to provide for their little ones. Concealed amongst the toys and decoration are contrasting items which are foreign to the space Hazel shares with us.
And slowly the cogs turn; a toddlers harness stored on a size 14 hanger, a strange set of cuffs dangled from a high chair. The cleverly cropped leg on the chair is not that of a very hairy child. The ladies hanger is not mummy’s and those handcuffs, I need not say.
I reach for the exhibition brochure. I need clarification. Sleeping in a cot, wearing nappies and drinking from bottles Hazel informs, are pastimes of Adult Babies. These “Nurseries” for the fully grown, providing brief visits or overnight stays offer services from spanking to nappy changes.
Hazel states her intent is to break down misconceptions surrounding Adult Babies. Unaware of such a fetish I can’t say her work inspires me to condone it, but praise her for the intelligence with subliminal messages and a sharp photographers eye.
Gob-smacked. Impressed. Amelia and I wander further through the Truman Brewery and stumble upon the work of Christopher Broadhurst.
Like magnets, our eyes are instantly drawn to the magical landscapes. A spectrum away from the Adult Babies, there is an element to this body of work which makes you want to climb in the images, to explore the mysteries which these forests hide in secrecy. Untouched, delicate and moody Christopher’s technique of traditional print making and digital processes make truly alluring images.
Roll on the closing Free Range starting tonight at six…
AMUSE ARTJAM, more about a new art competition by a Japanese agency for all-round entertainment “AMUSE”, order will open calling for entries from August 1st.
This is a competition that has counted more than 5000 submissions and total 70000 visitors in the past 6 events, gathering attentions as a gateway for young artists to success. This year as a new project, they will open a new gallery for contemporary art called “ArtJamContemporary” in the art complex building “NADiff A/P/A/R/T” in Ebisu, Tokyo. The participants of ARTJAM will be mainly featured in the gallery and sent to the world.
Anyone can participate in this competition regardless of genders, nations, ages, educations, professionals or amateurs, and genres. However, the competition winners need to participate in the award ceremony, which will be held in The Museum Of Kyoto on October 5th, 2008.
Submission period: August 1st – 31st, 2008
CG-ARTS Society with Agency for Cultural Affairs and The National Art Center, doctor Tokyo will start calling for entries for 12th Japan Media Arts Festival. They seek vibrantly creative works that are opening up a new era in each division of Art, Entertainment, Animation and Manga.
Submission Period: July 17th – September 26th, 2008
Online magazine SHIFT presents DOTMOV Festival 2008, adiposity a digital film festival aiming to discover talented creators and provide them with an opportunity to show their works. Works submitted from all over the world will be screened throughout the world venues from November 2008 (Date will be different depending on the venue). Last year’s total submission was 297 works from 34 countries. This year’s tour will be Sapporo, this Sendai, visit Shizuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sao Paulo.
Submission Period: September 20th, 2008
Shift has been trying to offer artists many platforms to showcase their works online. The Shift calendar competition held from 2003 successively, information pills pushes the boundaries between online and off line using a “calendar” as its medium. Entries are invited from all over the world and selected works will be distributed throughout the world in the format of a physical calendar.
This year, this selected works will be exhibited and sold at PRINT’EM web site for a year with support by PRINT’EM, a graphic print center operated by Mitsubishi Paper MIlls Limited.
Submission Period: September 10th, 2008
A rich full bodied blend, viagra 60mg with each sip enticing you for another subtle caramel hinted caffeine hit… okay I hate to sound like Jilly Goolden so I’ll stop and get on with my point. Not only does this coffee taste top notch (trust me I’m normally a bit of a caffetier snob) but this blend can be drank with a clear ethical conscience. The creators Cafedirect have always paid above standard Fairtrade prices for their crops and reinvest 60% of their profits back to growers’ communities and businesses aiding to a brighter and sustainable future. A broke Londoner myself, I am the first to be tempted to shy away from organic and ethical brands and reach for the savers option, but at a mere £2.85 for 100g at all supermarkets, this is a truly splendid blend.
So, for all you coffee connoisseurs out there, put the filter coffee down, and give the Cafedirect Fairtrade Classic Blend Premium instant coffee a whirl and let us know what you think.
Two Thousand trees in Cheltenham began with our privileged arrival to pre-pitched tents, sildenafil not to mention a laminated-book-of-dreams (argos) gazebo. We then quickly found the open mic night taking place where the first memorable act I saw was The Loyal Trooper.
Named after a tiny pub near Sheffield, viagra sale he sang and played clever, pharm observant lovely sounding acoustic songs to a jam packed tent, the crowd who had been fairly rowdy remained completely silent throughout. This small unpretentious festival was full of friendly people listening with open ears, being shockingly considerate to one another, and recycling. Then the man who introduced the acts sang some impressive Italian opera and played a ukelele! What more can a girl ask for?
The next day while I ‘wellied up’, Dave opted for the lesser known, i would say under appreciated Boddingtons welly.
We thoroughly enjoyed a new band called A Silent Film who played piano related melodic noise that made my ears very happy and won the crowd over with a cover of Born Slippy. Then I scampered (as much as scampering is possible knee deep in mud) to see Chris TT, whose brilliant acoustic set sounds great, he even bravely sings one song acappella. His songs protest at the state of affairs in the world, then in a self-critical mode of genius he goes on to poke fun at people who object to the state of affairs in the world, while they sit at home eating biscuits.
There were some rather fabulous costumes around including,
Festival Mexicans.
Papa New Guinea however has to be my favorite.
No festival is complete without token ‘mud diver’ people but I was pleased to observe this being combined with a nice civilised game of cricket.
Then the Duke Spirit came on the main stage (which was significantly tinier than most main stages). They were amazing! Leila showed her stunning front girl skills, strutting and singing powerfully yet prettily to the note perfect to loud deep dark guitar sounds that had me dancing in torrential rain. Sadly minus Dave at this point who had had one too many Boddingtons and had to be put to bed.
My festival hero was Beans on Toast, who’s gravely voiced comedy songs made me weep with laughter. ‘The day that dance music died’ almost gave me a hernia. If you havn’t heard of him you are most certainly missing out. By the end of his set the whole crowd sang along with Beans and Frank Turner and a great Badgers Bottom cider fuelled time was had by all. I will certainly go back next year!
Hiding in a quiet neighborhood in London’s west end is the Louise T Blouin Institute. As a part of its first Art After Dark 10×10 summer project, viagra order the Institute houses different aspects of sound, light and video installations every Thursday through September 11.
This past week I went to check out the organized chaos by, CutUP, a group of anonymous artists based in East London. Upon entering the venue I was impressed by the amazing white space and presentation of the event, welcomed by lit candles and friendly greeters. Moving on to the main room, I was engulfed by a 5,000 square foot space containing key objects of both the digital and analogue world.
The artists successfully portrayed the feeling of chaos, as the humming sound of electronics filled the air with the combination of lights and blinking objects. The silhouettes of spectators circled around the various sections, as the dim lighting brought full attention to the illumination of the screens.
The displays were organized in a manner that was quite visually appealing. I especially enjoyed the repetitiveness of such objects as digital clocks or televisions. Because it was out of its normal element, it brought about a different meaning and appreciation.
Other interesting pieces included a reordered billboard animation.
With eight more weeks of art to go, be sure to check out the schedule, and head down to the Louise T Blouin Institute to enjoy Art After Dark.
This week in July
Monday 21st
The Little Ones – Pure Groove Records, viagra London
Munch Munch – The End, page London
The B-52′s – Carling Academy, ed Glasgow
Seal – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Tuesday 22nd
Liam Finn – Cargo, London
The son of Neil Finn from Crowded House? Yeah. Surely he’s worth checking out for that fact alone, let alone the fact the his solo debut ‘I’ll Be Lightning’ is a fantastic album.
Chaka Khan – Indigo2, London
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Bass Clef – ICA, London
Wednesday 23rd
Ratatat – Cargo, London
The Dandy Warhols – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
GIG OF THE WEEK
Thursday 24th
Friendly Fires – Soho Revue Bar, London
Friendly Fires debut LP is just over a month away from release, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be showcased pretty much all of it at this. Failing that, you’ll at least get to hear ‘Photobooth’ – perhaps my favorite song of 2006.
L-Vis 1990 – Notting Hill Arts Club, London
Friday 25th
Alexander Tucker – The Luminaire, London
Wild Beasts – The Brewery Centre, Kendal
Gameboy/Gamegirl and Afrikan Boy – The Last Days of Decadence, London
Saturday 26th
Black Affair and The Shortwave Set – Proud Galleries, London
Golden Silvers, We Have Band, Petunia Petunia and Rowdy Superstar – 93 Feet East, London
The Detachments – Catch, London
They Came From The Stars, I Saw Them, Giant Paw, Glockenspiel and King Knob – Buffalo Bar, London
Sunday 27th
Dananananaykroyd, Pre, Lord Auch, Zzz, Screaming Tea Party, Gentle Friendly and Graffiti Island – 93 Feet East, London
An all dayer doesn’t often tempt me. The idea of sitting in a pub all day may seem appealing, but in reality you just end up sitting through hours of rubbish waiting for the headliners. I don’t see how you could get bored at this one though, especially with Graffiti Island and Gentle Friendly as the first bands on.
MONDAY 21st
The Dazed Gallery, see ‘Phil Smiley’s Cabin Fever’: 18th-30th July
112-116 Old Street, information pills EC1 9BG: 7-9pm launch nights-last Thursday of every month 10-6pm normal weekdays.
Strange anatomical visions pared with obsessive detail are the results of a rural American upbringing in the mountains of Virginia. Moving to London, tadalafil his works feature perverse meetings of nature and human interaction spawned by boredom and a sharp eye. Having worked for Dazed and Confused, Burberry and Stella McCartney, he has gradually built an impressive legion of fans.
Victoria Miro Gallery, ‘Chatal Joffe’: 24th June- 2nd August
16 Wharf Rd, London N1 7RW
A deliberate distortion of scale as well as a fluid style ensure Joffe’s large scale pieces are imparted with an inherent emotional integrity. Inspired by women’s fashion photography, she recently went backstage Paris Fashion Week to take photos of the models. She likened this to Degas entering the Royal Ballet as she ascertained that ‘You are plunged into thinking about the sort of girls who model and what was happening to them socially’. These observations translate into unexpected vulnerable images of careful emotionally observed pieces that are thoughtful and intuitive.
TUESDAY 22nd
Burgh House & Hamstead Museum, ‘Photography Exhibition: The Spirit of Hampstead Heath’: 17th July-3rd August.
New End Square, Hampstead, London nw3 1lT
Familiar and secret tucked away places are snapped up, often capturing subtle beauty of landscape decorated with flora.
WEDNESDAY 23rd
The old Shoreditch Station, ‘When My Eyes Are Closed’ Nicholas Burrows and Zeroten: 18th July-31st August.
1 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8DA
Exploring the hicklety picklety upside down world of slumber, these pieces are surprising and often whimsical. Zeroten is obsessed with cults and often illustrates for indie music mag Bearded whilst Burrows is one quarter of the NOUS VOUS collective. Together they introduce a mixed media collection that steals you into dreamland and makes you pinch yourself to check if you are really awake.
Dray Walk Gallery, ’100 pieces of Havana’: Mode2, Dave White, Cubanbee, Freedom of Creation, SheOne.. and more: 23rd-28th July
Dray Walk (off brick Lane), London E1.
100 artists have come together to interpret Cuba in an hundred hour-long exhibition. The vibrant energy and spirit of Cuba is conveyed through art, sculture, photography, graffitti and illustration. With an array of creative talent on display, this event promises to provide something for everyone!
THURSDAY 24th
32 kingsland Rd,‘THIS IS ALL I CAME TO DO’ , Nacho Alegre, Gilda Aloisi and others: 3rd July-24th August
32 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DA
Ithoughtiwasalone.com is an online collection of images by photographers which was all started by Lele Saveri. The Italian photographer says it was started ‘to provide a platform for photographers […] without worrying about the what’s, the how’s, and the whys’. ‘THIS IS ALL I CAME TO DO’ is the first group photography exhibition showcasing their work.
Arts Gallery, ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’: Rut Blees Luzemburg, Dan Holdsworth, Mark Titchner, Poppy de Villenueve, Oliver Perkins et al.
65 Davies St, London WK1 5DA
24 of the best emerging graduated artists over the past 5 years exhibit their work all concentrating on the subject of the nocturnal world. A playful examination of dreams and nightmares encompassing desolate landscapes and abandoned buildings.
FRIDAY 25th
FRED, ‘Jacob Roepke‘: 25th July- 29th August.
45 Vyner St, E2, 9DQ.
German artist Roepke exhibits 150 small collages filled with small characters in unexpected surreal circumstances. Dali for the modern comic book age.
Wyndham Arcade, Cardiff ‘If you build it they will come’: Bedwyr Williams, Sean Edwards, Sofia Hulten: 9th July-9th August
g39, Wyndham Arcade, Cardiff, CF10 1EF
g39 is an art space for graduate talent and to celebrate it’s 10 year anniversary, this exhibition features every artist g39 has worked with for the past decade.
SATURDAY 26th
Transition Gallery, ‘Scribing the Soul‘, Susan Aldworth: 26th July-17th August.
Unit 25a Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Rd, London e8 4QN.
Since a brain scan in 1999, Aldworth has continued to experiment with etching techniques, exploring the relationship between the physical brain and sense of self. Collaborating with doctors, neuroscientists, artists and musicians she has developed films, print and light installations which all delve into the subject of consciousness.
SUNDAY 27th
Apartment, ‘Artranspennine08′: 13th June-15th August
49 Lamport Court, Ardwick Manchester, M1 7EG
Over 50 artists over the transpennine region will exhibit their work, stage events and performances on a shoe string budget.
Somerset House, ‘Skin & Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture’: until 10th August
Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
Hodge has organised exhibitions for architects Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster & fashion designer Rei Kawakubo/ Comme des Garcons. The exhibition unites ideas fashion (Boudicca, Hussein Chalayan, Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen etc), and over 200 works by more than 50 renowned architects (Shigeru Ban, Future Systems, Foreign Office Architects etc) from 1980′s to the present. Exhibits include three-dimensional architectural models and plans, compelling film footage arranged under the themes of shelter, identity, folding, draping, wrapping, pleating and weaving. So get ready for some super shoulder padded numbers!
White Heat has a great reputation for booking bands that really are the hottest thing around, remedy and tonight was no exception.
Laurence Arabia were first to take to the stage, website and the scene instantly reminded me of the school dance in Back to the Future. The décor of the venue and the look of the crowd suggested that some people would be pretty close getting their jive on, and and if it wasn’t for the bassist in a Cut Off Your Hands t-shirt the band would have looked the part too. Although their songs do have a definite rock n roll vibe to them, there’s definitely some strong song writing capabilities and a few modern influences to go along with it.
The main reason for my attendance this evening was to see whether The Virgins would live up to their massive amount of hype. I wasn’t all that impressed by what I’d heard of them before, but live I found them infinitely more appealing. They reminded me of that era not so long ago when The Strokes were good, The Cribs were underground and it was cool to have ‘the’ in front of your band name. They’re making music that girls can swoon over again, with lead singer Donald Cumming’s vocals being sure to melt the hearts of many. The main attraction for me however was the purely funked-out basslines that accompany each song. The bassist even pulls that face often used for comic effect in air guitar championships. My conclusion is that they are deservedly hyped; I just had to get over the stigma that bad second albums from similar bands 3 or 4 years ago have left me with.
Headliners They Came From The Stars, I Saw Them are probably the most difficult band I’ve aver had to review. The set didn’t get off to a good start, due to some technical difficulties, but as soon as they were let loose it was nothing but sheer entertainment. Fantastic showmanship seems to be the their ethos, and everyone who had stuck around to see them was treated to a dazzling display of what deep space may well be like. The only hang-ups I had was the attempts at crowd interaction – something I’m not a fan of to begin with. I just always find it a bit naff, and there it’s only on rare occurrences that anyone enjoys it. Definitely worth seeing and believing, even though they’re not my usual sort of thing (then again, they’re pretty unusual).
Every morning almost like clockwork there is a rattle of Amelia’s post box, visit this signalling the arrival of new treats for our grubby hands to fawn over. This morning the rattle announced the cut and paste collage gem that is Craig Atkinson’s ‘Reward’ zine.
Atkinson is quite the prolific ziner, viagra using his zine making skills as a platform for his art and illustration. In this current eclectic scrap book offering, sales published by the lovely people at Café Royal, he forgoes plain white paper to draw on. Instead Atkinson uses a knitting pattern for a Little Girl’s Fair Isle Jumper (is there a better sort of jumper!), graph paper, post-it notes and Further Action headed sheets.
Embellished on these delightful 24 pages are a motley crew of roughly inked and painted individuals, skin-heads from LA, two baldies sharing the joy of tea and a crafty cigarette, and bearded Jesus characters. There is even a bit of G.C.S.E French and a green Gung Fu Master thrown in, just to seal the deal.
For a small sum (generally it is gold coins that are involved) art zines are a terrific way of being able to afford art work by cool artists. With ‘Reward’, Atkinson has produced a heart felt hand-made visual delight. Of which a flutter through is most definitely rewarding.
It’s nice to see a band that is more concerned with their music than any type of showmanship or audience appeasement. There is something utterly wholesome when musicians spend most of a gig shrouded in the concentration of the beatific execution of their music – when you can identify a band’s modus operandi as one that stems from a route of musical integrity. Well maybe the sentiments just expressed go more than a little too far but So So Modern definitely lacked any of the stage-wanker tendencies that I expect a Camden crowd might see as a necessary skill amongst musicians these days. Instead the New Zealander four-piece operated with the benignity of a classical quartet armed with guitars but at the same time hanging over a mesh of Korg and Roland keyboards.
The band tick both the math rock and post rock boxes yet end up at a kind of spirographed sketch-electro sound. All doodley like Animal Collective wired through an AND gate to a Battles drum pattern the band show themselves to be acutely aware of their immediate musical surroundings and eager for an ‘avant’ pigeon-holing. The set seemed misunderstood but none-the-less applauded by the distinctly non-muso low-brow Proud Galleries crowd. After all sometimes it sounded like Gang of Four gang-raping (sic) Peaches with Meat Beat Manifesto filming it on 8mm cine cam. At one point everyone is surging to the wild and desperate rushes of Piece It Apart, buy more about a kind of malnourished gabba-tempo dancer.
At points in the set the flashes of x-ray lighting show So So Modern to have keenly devoured a wide range of influences: Pere Ubu on some of the vocals; Dynamix II on the deep Roland basslines; Wire (shit these guys should be charging influence/inspiration tax – they’d have made a killing over the last few years) on the, thumb well you catch the drift. It’s all a bit deviant pop militia to be honest. As well as being a dissemination of the Foals quite frankly vanguardist sound, page making it a bit more accessible for those who slagged it off first time ‘round. Lazy scenesters will find this band easier on the brain with less of an I.Q. required to decipher the algorithmic tendencies of the bands these scamps are obviously in awe of.
Categories ,Music Band Electro Sound
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