dalston

Amelia’s Magazine | Behind the Scenes at Print Club London: an interview with Kate Newbold Higginson

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Print Club London interview-wall

I first met Kate Newbold Higginson when she was just setting up Print Club London and only had a pop-up shop on Brick Lane. Since then, the collective have gone on to great things, with a huge screen printing workshop in East London as well as their new gallery and workspace, Millers Junction. Artists like Bob Gill, Kate Moross and James Joyce call the studio home, and every year the fantastic Blisters exhibition showcases their talents alongside that of unknown newcomers. I caught up with Kate to look back at the studio’s success story, and to find out what it’s like screenprinting bags for Stella McCartney and throwing parties for Pinterest.

Print Club London interview-Fred Higginson, Rose Stallard, Kate Newbold

Fred Higginson, Rose Stallard, Kate Newbold

Tell us about how you and your husband Fred set up Print Club London; artist Rose Stallard is involved too, isn’t she?

About 10 years ago Fred set up Absorb Arts which is a fine art charity based initially in a church in Norwich that he converted into studios. Then he came to London and we did the same in London. Rose Stallard, our Creative Director, knew Fred from Norwich University of the Arts and rented space from us. One day she asked Fred if he would consider setting up some screenprinting studios as she couldn’t find anywhere suitable and thought that lots of other people would want space too. She wanted it to be like a gym with open access where you could rock up on your BMX (this was Rose’s main aim, there had to be BMXs!) and screenprint all night and day. And so Print Club was born; Fred set it up with Rose’s creative help and screenprinting know-how and it went from there. I joined a year into the saga after leaving my job in film. Fred and Rose were great at the creative side of things, producing amazing artwork and getting artists on board, but they were pretty bad at actually managing a business, so I set about ensuring we had clients, members and could feasibly run as a studios. The fun stuff, no less!

Print Club London interview-joanna ham

You have lots of other established artists under your roof, like Bob Gill, Kate Moross, James Joyce and Margot Bowman. Who are the rising stars whose work we should be snapping up now?
Joanna Ham (above) works on these amazing fashion pictograms! And her bunnies are uber cool and popular. She produces two very different styles, both incredibly successful Rosie Emerson works with very interesting techniques, and again, is often influences by the fashion world.

Print Club London interview-EGG-AND-SOLDIERS

Claudia Borfiga is one of my techncians and a genius! She’s very witty and that comes through in her illustrations: the one above is titled Egg and Soldiers.

Print Club London interview-MEOW Cassandra Yap

Cassandra Yap draws lots of naked women and has a taste for fetish; her work sells very well!

Print Club London-Reiner

Johnathan Reiner is a doctor by day and print maker by night!

Print Club London interview-Desk-space-London-Millers-Junction-01 (1)

As well as screenprinters, you have lots of illustrators working in Millers Junction- can you tell us a bit about this space?
This space is our most recent addition to the print club warehouse. I was actually renting office space with a previous company in Shoreditch and it was pretty basic, all in separate rooms. There was no camaraderie, no tea meetings and most importantly no shared jobs or feedback on work which is hugely important when you are freelance and work alone or in small teams. You really want to talk about your work, pass jobs around and get ideas from others. I noticed how many people in Dalston sat in cafes with laptops so when we took over the final space it seemed obvious to me to set up an open plan deskspace for creatives.

The idea is 39 desks are rented out and we provide you with all you internet needs, tea, coffee, bike storage, dog storage (we have a few hounds here) cake, meeting room, gallery hire, free use of the print club and a workshop. Plus lovely extras like events – in December Jameson Whiskey came in to give everyone a whiskey tasting event, Gü Puds brought in cakes and then there are less exciting but useful events like a VAT talk for small businesses from our accountants. The idea is that we support small businesses and individuals so that they look from the outside to their client like a bigger more professional company. We also do stuff like sign for courier deliveries – it’s a basic thing but in my old office nobody would do it! When you work alone it’s a basic requirement that someone can sign for your deliveries. And we try to achieve these little details in everything we offer at Millers Junction, it’s important to us that people here love it and we provide one of the best and more affordable deskspaces in east London. You can find out more about our studio space here.

Print Club London interview-Blisters 2

You also print for clients like Stella McCartney and even Facebook and Twitter- do you think screenprinting has become ‘cool’ again because of the backlash against the digital age? I suppose this could apply to the rise in popularity of illustrations over photographs too…
Yes, we are super lucky. We print beautiful bags for Stella McCartney, her ethos is very green and ethical which makes us a good fit. Everything here is waterbased and the energy costs for manufacture are low as its hand made. So we can produce bespoke initial bags easily and very well- it’s a lovely commission. Likewise we have been doing workshops and events for Pinterest to get bloggers into the studios with some great people like Jo Robinson and Hattie Stewart. Facebook invited us in to give a screenprinting workshop too.

People want to manufacture again, it’s what Britain was so great at and I guess people are realising that not only is digital not always so exciting but that we are brilliant at making things. And screenprinting is just one of the products we are fortunate in the UK to have not only great artists to produce work but also now great facilities like ours. We bought our warehouse two years ago so luckily we won’t be priced out of Dalston! Its one of the few remaining commercial factories in the area, lots are now flats so it was important to us and the previous owner, whose father ran it as a sewing factory, that it stayed commercial and a manufacturing hub- which it most certainly is. We have 50 fine artists upstairs, 70 print makers a month in print club and 39 designers and illustrators in Millers Junction. We are literally churning out work. Although I’m sure much less than the sewing factory did in 1910! But we will get there.

Print Club London-WORKSHOP

How can people get involved with Print Club London?
Do a workshop and join up! It’s easy. You don’t need to know how to print, we can teach you everything in our workshop, and then you can become a member. We assist you in learning the ropes and producing new work and once it’s up to a level thats sellable- and this can take time for some and not for others- then we sell the work online in our gallery.

Or you can join our deskspace in Millers Junction – its £220pcm and you get free use of print club in that so its really cost effective for designers who want to do a little print making on the side.

Print Club London interview-Blisters

And lastly you can be part of our shows. Every year we commission artists to take part in BLISTERS our annual screenprint event. Its open submission so anyone can take part. Previous shows have included Eine, Jamie Reid, Kate Moross, Mr Bingo, lots of well known people! But also newbies or people still in college. We choose work based on merit not who you are.

Written by Katie Antoniou on Tuesday March 11th, 2014 11:12 am

Categories ,Absorb Arts, ,Blisters, ,BMX, ,Bob Gill, ,Brick Lane, ,Cassandra Yap, ,Claudia Borfiga, ,dalston, ,East London, ,Egg and Soldiers, ,Eine, ,Fred Higginson, ,Gü Puds, ,Hattie Stewart, ,interview, ,James Joyce, ,Jameson Whiskey, ,Jamie Reid, ,Jo Robinson, ,Joanna Ham, ,Johnathan Reiner, ,Kate Moross, ,Kate Newbold Higginson, ,Meow, ,Millers Junction, ,Mr Bingo, ,Norwich University of the Arts, ,Pinterest, ,Print Club London, ,Rose Stallard, ,Rosie Emerson, ,shoreditch, ,Stella McCartney, ,VAT talk

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Amelia’s Magazine | An Interview with Illustrator Tom Clohosy Cole

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tomclohosycole_Financial_Times_editorial_2

Financial Times editorial.

Since I discovered the unique and wonderful work of Tom Clohosy Cole at his Kingston University graduate show in 2011 his career has unsurprisingly gone from strength to strength. I caught up with Tom to find out what makes him tick…

What was the best bit about growing up in Brighton and was it a conscious decision to leave town to study? (I hear there is a good university there…)
The best thing about Brighton has to be the Palace Pier. I thinks its good to move away from home and try out new places, I applied to a few different Universities including Brighton but chose Kingston as it was somewhere new and the course had a good reputation.

tomclohosycole_Financial_Times_editorial_

Your graduate showcase was termed around insurance and I can’t help noticing that you have recently done some commercial work for an insurance company – was there a direct link between the two, and have you done a lot of work for the insurance industry?!
Ha yes well spotted. My degree show work was a comment on the stranger and more extreme end of insurance so its funny that I was commissioned to do some work for an insurance company. It’s only been the one job and I don’t imagine that will be an area that my work will feature in much more, but you never know??

tomclohosycole_Financial_Times_book_review

Who do you share your studio space with and where is it based?
I share a studio with Robert Hunter, a brilliant illustrator who I’m sure you’ll all know, and Elliot Dear, a very talented director who has been responsible for some great music videos and short films, and recently the John Lewis Christmas Ad. We’re up in Dalston.

tomclohosycole_Wired_Life_On_Mars_

Can you tell us more about your Life on Mars novel? What is it all about?
Sure. Its about a group of people who agree to participate in a ‘Big Brother’ style reality show on Mars, whilst also learning about the planet and testing its potential to support life. As the show becomes less popular on Earth the funding is cut and the participants are left to fend for themselves. The story was written by Andrea Curiat, and was for Wired Italy.

tomclohosycole_THRONE_Album_Artwork

Throne album artwork.

Space seems to be a theme that runs throughout your work – what inspires this passion and what is the most exciting thing you have learned about space on your research travels?
I find space fascinating, probably because I know so little about it and because it’s so vast. It’s sometimes nice to put everyday problems in the context of space and be reminded how small they are. One of my favourite space stories is that of the golden record. It was sent into space containing all sorts of greetings and sounds from earth. The spacecraft that holds the record is still travelling further away from our planet into the unknown in the hope of being found by another intelligent life form.

What is the process of working with a band on imagery?
With the project i’ve just finished the band are having a fantastic music video created by their lead singer Nicos Livesey and animator Tom Bunker. We decided to tie the artwork in with the video so it uses the same palette and I recreated elements from the animation frames. The process overall was collaborative, there’s lots of communication between you and the band as its really important that the feel of the artwork reflects them and their music. Keep an eye out for their video; its embroidered on denim frames.

tomclohosycole_GIF_Personal_work

You also work in animation, how do you work across mediums and is there a lot of cross pollination?
Yes they constantly cross pollinate. When I’m not working in illustration I like to be trying my hand in animation, it’s a lot of fun. I think more and more they are becoming one and it’s good to keep up with things as much as possible.

You have a very identifiable style, where does your inspiration come from and how do you create your pieces?
I like to get my inspiration from all sorts of places, but try to avoid looking at other illustrators. I like looking at the work of D.O.P’s and photographers and painters. I create my pieces using a mixture of hand drawn and digital elements, all ending up being arranged and coloured in the computer.

Tom Clohosy Cole Space Race

Space Race.

In what way did Kingston University prepare you for the world of work?
Kingston puts its emphasis on ideas, rather than the technical side. It was very important leaning how to ‘think’ about what I’m doing, especially in an industry where you have to be so adaptable.

Who are your favourite type of clients and what are your favourite projects to work on?
I always love doing book covers. My favourite projects to work on are Picture Books, it’s great having 6 months to work on one thing and loose yourself in it.

Tom Clohosy Cole Nobrow issue 6

Tom Clohosy Cole Nobrow issue 6.

You have worked extensively with Nobrow, how did this relationship come about and what have you got coming up next?
We met at my degree show and I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute to their magazine. Coming up next is a big map of London…

tomclohosycole_WALL_book_preview

Wall book preview.

I see you have a new book due out this October… it all looks very intriguing. Can you share any preview details with us?
Yes it comes out on October the 1st. Exciting. It’s my first full picture book and it’s published by Templar Books. The book is called ‘WALL’ and is the story of a young boy who’s father is stuck on the other side of the Berlin Wall. I spent most of 2013 beavering away at it and I’m excited for it to come out, it feels like so long ago that I made it now but we’ve been waiting for the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down to release it.

What have been the high points and the low points of pursuing a professional career in illustration, to date?
High Points: Being told I can make ‘Space Race’ and ‘WALL’. Getting a studio. Working on animation jobs with lots of friends of mine.
Low Points: Loosing Pitches, especially when you’ve already decided what your going to spend the money on in your head. Working from home. No longer printmaking.

Thankyou Tom Clohosy Cole!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday June 5th, 2014 3:21 pm

Categories ,Andrea Curiat, ,Berlin Wall, ,Big Brother, ,brighton, ,dalston, ,Elliot Dear, ,illustrator, ,interview, ,Kingston University, ,Life on Mars, ,Nicos Livesey, ,Palace Pier, ,Robert Hunter, ,Space Race, ,Templar Books, ,Tom Bunker, ,Tom Clohosy Cole, ,WALL, ,Wired Italy

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Dry the River

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Dry the River by Avril Kelly
Dry the River by Avril Kelly.

I first encountered Dry the River when they offered to do a gig for the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury this summer. On record they are fabulous, but live I was absolutely blown away by this talented five some. Over the past six weeks they have been on tour up and down the country: I find out how life has been treating them in my intimate interview with Norwegian lead singer and chief songwriter Peter Liddle.

How did the band get together?
I’d like to say it was an epic tale of overcoming obstacles and triumph in the face of adversity but it was actually a pretty run-of-the-mill thing, haha. I had taken some time out of music to do some other stuff but before I knew it I’d kind of unconsciously started writing a record. One weekend I recruited some musicians I knew from old bands etc. and we spent a weekend recording. The day after we finished recording I went off on an acoustic UK tour and the band was kind of built out of that.

Dry The River by Karina Yarv
Dry The River by Karina Yarv.

How do you describe your music to people who have never heard it?
Actually it’s changed a lot – at the start it was very lo-fi folky stuff because the songs grew out some acoustic bedroom recordings, but now that we all live together and are all involved in the writing process we’ve opened the door to a lot of different influences. I think the songs still resemble folk music thematically – I write a lot about family, relationships, the things that a lot of us deal with day to day – but in the practice room we all get the chance to pull the arrangements in different directions. I guess the short answer is that it’s folky gospel music played by a post-punk band.

Dry The River by Mags James
Dry The River by Mags James.

You share a home in Stratford – is this ever hard work? Who does the most washing up (and the least)?
I think living in a confined space with other people is always a tricky business. At least in our case we have a mutual understanding of each other’s situation. That said, some days are obviously harder than others. We’ve been on tour for six weeks now, mostly cooped up in a van – I think after our Nest show on Wednesday we’ll all go back to our respective family homes for some time apart. Jon (drums) does the most washing up, he likes to keep things tidy. I think I probably do the least, or Scott (bass)…

YouTube Preview Image

You are known for utterly lush harmonies… is it hard to get these right and how do they come about?
It’s funny, it was never our intention to be a band that feature prominent harmonies. We were in the studio working on a new recording and I asked Scott whether he could sing. He had a go at singing a third or a fifth on top of what Matt and I were singing and it seemed to work. It really was that haphazard – we rarely spend time crafting harmony parts, Matt and Scott just sing where it seems to make sense. Sometimes we get to recording a song and realise what we’ve been singing doesn’t even work, and have to sit at a piano working out what the lines should be!

dry the river by Gaarte
Peter Liddle by Gaarte.

Were you all musical children? Did you learn to play instruments from a young age?
Aside from Will, we’re all first generation musicians. None of us come from particularly musical families. I think we actually all grew up at a time when being in rock bands was just what kids did. Certainly in Newbury where I took up music in earnest, almost everyone tried their hand at it. That said, I’m at the other extreme to Will – I never studied music formally at all and one day I’d like to. The other guys all have at least a pretty solid (if rudimentary) understanding of music theory.

Stephanie Thieullent-dry the river
Dry the River by Stephanie Thieullent.

Does Peter write all the lyrics, and where do you draw inspiration from?
Writing lyrics is a separate endeavour to writing songs, for me. I write chord progressions and vocal melodies and have a pretty formed idea of where a song is going, then I go away and spend a long time writing lyrics. I think experience informs the way everybody behaves – it’s the lens that everybody views the world through and music is no different. In my case the songs are rarely based on a specific event or a candid message that I desperately want to deliver. They’re more a collection of responses to environments I’ve found myself in – periods of time, people, places… So I guess in that respect they include images of my childhood in Norway and the UK, reflections on my time at University, and a whole load of other stuff that influences my worldview on any given day.

YouTube Preview Image

Your songs are very intense emotionally – is this intentional and why do you think they come across like this?
I think there are probably two reasons for that. Firstly, whether it’s an event or a feeling or a situation, something has to motivate an artist enough to write a song or paint or whatever. I think the vast majority of artworks are created as an emotional response, so the subject matter is always going to be emotional in nature. Secondly, though, we are grew up listening to post-punk and metal and so on, which is traditionally played in a very intense way. I think the way we play probably magnifies the emotional content in the lyrics.

We first met at Glastonbury when you played for Climate Camp this year… what was your highlight of this year’s festival?
Snooooooooooop!

You will be playing a lot more festivals next summer, can you tell us which ones they will be, and are there any in particular that you are looking forward to?
I think we’ve confirmed quite a few now but I’m not sure which we’re meant to reveal! The other day we were announced alongside Midlake and Wild Beasts in the first batch of names for End of the Road, which we’re super stoked about!

dry-the-river-gaarte
Dry the River by Gaarte.

You’ve decided to release your debut single on Transgressive Records – what made you decide to go with this label and what will the single be?
Tim and Toby at Transgressive really put their faith in the music at an early stage when everything was uncertain. A lot of people see a band with potential and sit in the wings, waiting to see how they’ll fare. Transgressive were the opposite – they met us straight away, told us they loved the music and believed in it, and set about moving mountains to help us become a full time band. Aside from all that, they’re a great label and we’re really proud to be adding to the discography. As for the song, you’ll have to wait and see!

YouTube Preview Image

Your YouTube video for Bible Belt has gained more than 100,000 hits – why do you think it has proved so popular?
There are a variety of a reasons I suppose – firstly it was on the YouTube front page as part of a YouTube Music Tuesdays promotion, which I think put it in front of a lot of people who wouldn’t normally have seen it. Also Watch Listen Tell, who filmed that session, have a really loyal following, and maybe there was a word of mouth element too – I guess it’s quite memorable with Matt’s broken arm and so on!

YouTube Preview Image

You’ve just played the Forum, what was the highlight of the gig? What can the audience expect at your headline gig at the Nest in Dalston?
The Forum was our biggest show ever – there’s no substitute for experience on big stages in front of lots of people! That said, we love the more intimate settings where we can see familiar faces and talk to people. I hope The Nest will be a really special event – for us it’s our homecoming show after six weeks on the road, as well as our 100th show and a celebration of all that’s come about in the past year.

YouTube Preview Image

You can find the wonderful Dry the River on Myspace here, and at home on their website here where you can download three songs for free. You can also follow them on twitter here, and of course do not forget their headline show, which is on Wednesday 15th December at The Nest. Full listing info here. Read my review of their gig at Glastonbury here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday December 14th, 2010 12:45 pm

Categories ,dalston, ,Dry the River, ,folk, ,Harmonies, ,Indie, ,Midlake, ,Norway, ,Peter Liddle, ,Stéphanie Thieullent, ,Stornaway, ,The Forum, ,The Nest, ,Transgressive, ,Transgressive Records, ,Watch Listen Tell, ,Wild Beasts

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Amelia’s Magazine | Gig Review: Mi Ami

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Jenny Robins Illustration
Illustration above by: Jenny Robins

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

The London Zine Symposium – The Rag Factory, information pills medical Brick Lane, viagra 100mg 29th May 2010

Zines piled on zines, upon comics, upon fanzines on top of stories and poems and doodles, limited edition prints amongst button badges and cupcakes. All sorts of stalls overflowing with any number of DIY publications, swarmed by enthusiasts all eager to get their eyes and hands on some original lo-fi press. A range of workshops and creative activities and some great food to boot. The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

It is a thrill to witness so many individual people each with their own ideas about what constitutes a zine, what it means to make one, what it should be filled with and how it should be printed and sold, if it‘s to be sold at all. Each of these publishers deserve credit for resourcefulness and effort. They have a drive to get their message out and they will adopt any means to do so. To most it goes without saying, it’s what they do because they have to, it’s their means of expression, their creative outlet.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

The London Zine Symposium shines a light on the endless ideas, personality and uniqueness within these pages, each publication is a glimpse into the psyche of it’s maker. Zines are truthful, from the heart. Unadulterated creativity, undiluted expression. I witnessed zines of all shapes, sizes, colours and creeds. On all subjects. Some were twee, some vulgar, some were edgy, some were pretty, some were soft and small, some zines were shouting at you. There were geek zines, gay zines, zines for guys, zines for girls, zines for goons and zines for greens. I saw humorous zines, twisted zines, zines with belief, zines with a bit of attitude, pretentious zines, sinister zines, comic zines, zines for cat lovers, hand written zines, coded zines, zines in boxes, stapled, bound, buttoned, bent and probably in brail. Zines on posters. Zines made by one artist and zines made in collaboration, some displaying the creative outpourings of any number of people from any number of countries from every corner of the earth and all gathered under the same roof to be consumed by the alternative press loving public of London and beyond. It sounds corny but it’s true…It brings people together.

Illustration by Davd Blatch
Illustration by:David Blatch

There is integrity in this. You have pencils, paper and the drive to get your message out, you have a zine, something for people to hold and relate to, something for people to enjoy visually, aesthetically, something to cherish. These DIY publishers are special people with something of much value to offer, they have a vision of a world much more at peace, more intimate and with a strong community of friends at it’s core.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

There is a concentration of love and passion for the arts here that is hard to come across, a buzz of atmosphere and interaction, a melting pot of creativity that is a must for the fans and creators of alternative publications and an eye opener for those intrigued enough to come and find out what it’s all about. Events like this do a good job of bringing like-minded people together, it’s a great platform for upcoming artists and writers, a great opportunity to network and serves to highlight the brilliant diversity of this culture and guide it closer to the public’s consciousness.

The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

Jenny Robins Illustration
Jenny Robins Illustration
Illustration above by: Jenny Robins

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

The London Zine Symposium – The Rag Factory, for sale Brick Lane, approved 29th May 2010

Zines piled on zines, viagra buy upon comics, upon fanzines on top of stories and poems and doodles, limited edition prints amongst button badges and cupcakes. All sorts of stalls overflowing with any number of DIY publications, swarmed by enthusiasts all eager to get their eyes and hands on some original lo-fi press. A range of workshops and creative activities and some great food to boot. The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

It is a thrill to witness so many individual people each with their own ideas about what constitutes a zine, what it means to make one, what it should be filled with and how it should be printed and sold, if it‘s to be sold at all. Each of these publishers deserve credit for resourcefulness and effort. They have a drive to get their message out and they will adopt any means to do so. To most it goes without saying, it’s what they do because they have to, it’s their means of expression, their creative outlet.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

The London Zine Symposium shines a light on the endless ideas, personality and uniqueness within these pages, each publication is a glimpse into the psyche of it’s maker. Zines are truthful, from the heart. Unadulterated creativity, undiluted expression. I witnessed zines of all shapes, sizes, colours and creeds. On all subjects. Some were twee, some vulgar, some were edgy, some were pretty, some were soft and small, some zines were shouting at you. There were geek zines, gay zines, zines for guys, zines for girls, zines for goons and zines for greens. I saw humorous zines, twisted zines, zines with belief, zines with a bit of attitude, pretentious zines, sinister zines, comic zines, zines for cat lovers, hand written zines, coded zines, zines in boxes, stapled, bound, buttoned, bent and probably in brail. Zines on posters. Zines made by one artist and zines made in collaboration, some displaying the creative outpourings of any number of people from any number of countries from every corner of the earth and all gathered under the same roof to be consumed by the alternative press loving public of London and beyond. It sounds corny but it’s true…It brings people together.

Illustration by Davd Blatch
Illustration by:David Blatch

There is integrity in this. You have pencils, paper and the drive to get your message out, you have a zine, something for people to hold and relate to, something for people to enjoy visually, aesthetically, something to cherish. These DIY publishers are special people with something of much value to offer, they have a vision of a world much more at peace, more intimate and with a strong community of friends at it’s core.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

There is a concentration of love and passion for the arts here that is hard to come across, a buzz of atmosphere and interaction, a melting pot of creativity that is a must for the fans and creators of alternative publications and an eye opener for those intrigued enough to come and find out what it’s all about. Events like this do a good job of bringing like-minded people together, it’s a great platform for upcoming artists and writers, a great opportunity to network and serves to highlight the brilliant diversity of this culture and guide it closer to the public’s consciousness.

The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

Jenny Robins Illustration
Jenny Robins Illustration
Illustration above by: Jenny Robins

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

The London Zine Symposium – The Rag Factory, cheapest Brick Lane, ampoule 29th May 2010

Zines piled on zines, hospital upon comics, upon fanzines on top of stories and poems and doodles, limited edition prints amongst button badges and cupcakes. All sorts of stalls overflowing with any number of DIY publications, swarmed by enthusiasts all eager to get their eyes and hands on some original lo-fi press. A range of workshops and creative activities and some great food to boot. The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

It is a thrill to witness so many individual people each with their own ideas about what constitutes a zine, what it means to make one, what it should be filled with and how it should be printed and sold, if it‘s to be sold at all. Each of these publishers deserve credit for resourcefulness and effort. They have a drive to get their message out and they will adopt any means to do so. To most it goes without saying, it’s what they do because they have to, it’s their means of expression, their creative outlet.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

The London Zine Symposium shines a light on the endless ideas, personality and uniqueness within these pages, each publication is a glimpse into the psyche of it’s maker. Zines are truthful, from the heart. Unadulterated creativity, undiluted expression. I witnessed zines of all shapes, sizes, colours and creeds. On all subjects. Some were twee, some vulgar, some were edgy, some were pretty, some were soft and small, some zines were shouting at you. There were geek zines, gay zines, zines for guys, zines for girls, zines for goons and zines for greens. I saw humorous zines, twisted zines, zines with belief, zines with a bit of attitude, pretentious zines, sinister zines, comic zines, zines for cat lovers, hand written zines, coded zines, zines in boxes, stapled, bound, buttoned, bent and probably in brail. Zines on posters. Zines made by one artist and zines made in collaboration, some displaying the creative outpourings of any number of people from any number of countries from every corner of the earth and all gathered under the same roof to be consumed by the alternative press loving public of London and beyond. It sounds corny but it’s true…It brings people together.

Illustration by Davd Blatch
Illustration by:David Blatch

There is integrity in this. You have pencils, paper and the drive to get your message out, you have a zine, something for people to hold and relate to, something for people to enjoy visually, aesthetically, something to cherish. These DIY publishers are special people with something of much value to offer, they have a vision of a world much more at peace, more intimate and with a strong community of friends at it’s core.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

There is a concentration of love and passion for the arts here that is hard to come across, a buzz of atmosphere and interaction, a melting pot of creativity that is a must for the fans and creators of alternative publications and an eye opener for those intrigued enough to come and find out what it’s all about. Events like this do a good job of bringing like-minded people together, it’s a great platform for upcoming artists and writers, a great opportunity to network and serves to highlight the brilliant diversity of this culture and guide it closer to the public’s consciousness.

The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

Jenny Robins Illustration
Jenny Robins Illustration
Illustration above by: Jenny Robins

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

The London Zine Symposium – The Rag Factory, recipe Brick Lane, 29th May 2010

Zines piled on zines, upon comics, upon fanzines on top of stories and poems and doodles, limited edition prints amongst button badges and cupcakes. All sorts of stalls overflowing with any number of DIY publications, swarmed by enthusiasts all eager to get their eyes and hands on some original lo-fi press. A range of workshops and creative activities and some great food to boot. The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

It is a thrill to witness so many individual people each with their own ideas about what constitutes a zine, what it means to make one, what it should be filled with and how it should be printed and sold, if it‘s to be sold at all. Each of these publishers deserve credit for resourcefulness and effort. They have a drive to get their message out and they will adopt any means to do so. To most it goes without saying, it’s what they do because they have to, it’s their means of expression, their creative outlet.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

The London Zine Symposium shines a light on the endless ideas, personality and uniqueness within these pages, each publication is a glimpse into the psyche of it’s maker. Zines are truthful, from the heart. Unadulterated creativity, undiluted expression. I witnessed zines of all shapes, sizes, colours and creeds. On all subjects. Some were twee, some vulgar, some were edgy, some were pretty, some were soft and small, some zines were shouting at you. There were geek zines, gay zines, zines for guys, zines for girls, zines for goons and zines for greens. I saw humorous zines, twisted zines, zines with belief, zines with a bit of attitude, pretentious zines, sinister zines, comic zines, zines for cat lovers, hand written zines, coded zines, zines in boxes, stapled, bound, buttoned, bent and probably in brail. Zines on posters. Zines made by one artist and zines made in collaboration, some displaying the creative outpourings of any number of people from any number of countries from every corner of the earth and all gathered under the same roof to be consumed by the alternative press loving public of London and beyond. It sounds corny but it’s true…It brings people together.

Illustration by Davd Blatch
Illustration by:David Blatch

There is integrity in this. You have pencils, paper and the drive to get your message out, you have a zine, something for people to hold and relate to, something for people to enjoy visually, aesthetically, something to cherish. These DIY publishers are special people with something of much value to offer, they have a vision of a world much more at peace, more intimate and with a strong community of friends at it’s core.

Photography by: Jamie Harrington, www.ShitBirthday.orgPhotography by: Jamie Harrington

There is a concentration of love and passion for the arts here that is hard to come across, a buzz of atmosphere and interaction, a melting pot of creativity that is a must for the fans and creators of alternative publications and an eye opener for those intrigued enough to come and find out what it’s all about. Events like this do a good job of bringing like-minded people together, it’s a great platform for upcoming artists and writers, a great opportunity to network and serves to highlight the brilliant diversity of this culture and guide it closer to the public’s consciousness.

The London Zine Symposium, a little appreciation please.

Words by: Matt Witt – www.creaturemag.com

Jenny Robins Illustration

On Thursday night I was just about to leave work for an evening of pasta bake and Law & Order re-runs on the Hallmark channel. Then the Amelia’s Magazine bat signal lit up the sky – they needed someone to review Mi Ami at Barden’s Boudoir! Well, viagra buy I figured that’s just along the road from my house and I’d probably seen whatever episode of Law & Order was on before anyway… “I’ll do it!”
I didn’t know a lot about Mi Ami, except that they were supposedly really incredible live and that some of their members were previously in the band Black Eyes. I did like Black Eyes a lot, their first album was an experimental hardcore (or post punk? Or post hardcore?) squall a thon put out by Dischord Records. In simple terms, it could be described as somewhere between Arab on Radar and Q and Not U and I LOVED IT. So I was pretty excited to see what they (or some of them) are doing now. I stuck Mi Ami’s new album, Steal Your Face, on my ipod, printed out all the interviews and write ups I could find and ran off to catch the bus to Dalston.
It’s easy for someone who has spent most of my life listening to guitar based music (chill out, I’m not saying I’m right, it’s just what I do) to get a bit turned off by phrases like “new dancey direction” or “experimental electronic” yawwwn… Does that mean po-faced knob twiddling and plinky plonky noises? No, Eleanor, you small minded fool, it doesn’t mean that at all. The press release for Steal Your Face seems to anticipate this sort of reaction, as it points out “Legend has it that when Fugazi came on the scene, the punx were shocked at their incorporation of funky basslines and slower tempos.”

On Steal Your Face, Mi Ami use guitar bass and drums to create something that sounds completely different from your average three piece rock band, I don’t even know how you’d categorise it. The music is intensely rhythmic, with African style drums, and those screaming, squawking vocals I remember from Black Eyes and guitar riffs screaming over the top of it all, this is insane, what the hell is this? I like it.
I had a chance to sit down with frontman Daniel as he was tucking into a plate of chicken wings before the show, and despite me interrupting his dinner to ask him annoying questions he was incredibly nice and even offered me some of the food; (Some kind of amazing roasted onion in chicken, I think, a plum sauce – Turkish restaurant, next to Barden’s Boudoir, would eat again) as he went some way to explain the heck his band are all about.

Would you call Mi Ami dance music?
I’m definitely influenced by dance music, or dance musics. The music is about cycles of repetition and about engaging with the sound physically. I mean, people dance at our shows, but that’s not important to the same extent as it would be with a more typical ‘dance’ band where the sole focus of the music would be to get that physical dance reaction from the crowd. In the world of dance music, everything spins around one singular axis in order to trigger a response which isn’t really the case with us. I mostly listen to dance music though, so it definitely has a lot of influence.

What sort of things do you listen to?
I listen to things like Detroit Techno, Minimalist composition, Mid Western Hardcore and Dubstep. Dance music is a lot more important than rock music to me.

Do you think that the crowd that comes to your shows is very different from the people you’d find at, say, a Dubstep night?
Do you mean like, do we have an indie rock crowd?

Yeah I guess so…
Well I think that the whole live rock band thing is a line that electronic music crossed a long time ago, there is a lot of crossover. If you played our record at a dubstep night it would be a horrible idea, because the points of reference would be so wrong, but if you had a whole night of Daniel’s favourite music it would definitely make sense to have dubstep and our record, so long as you had everything in between.

In terms of your live show, I’m told it’s pretty loud and crazy. Do you think that’s an important aspect of what you do?
I think so, I mean one band that means a lot to me is Dinosaur Jr, I don’t know how well you know them but the delivery of the lyrics just makes you feel everything so much more. There’s a lot of feeling in the lyrics, but the way they’re screamed out just really makes it sort of… Unavoidable, do you know what I mean?

I guess like you’re making sure people sit up and listen?
Yeah, I guess so, I’m sure it’s possible to do that quietly as well but… Yeah I scream in their faces.

On that note, wings finished, it was time to head over to the venue. I was looking forward to seeing support band Islet, made up of members of various Cardiff bands including attack + defend, The Victorian English Gentleman’s Club, I’d heard that Islet were pretty special. I don’t think I was prepared though, they totally blew me away. A ferocious four headed, two drum kitted monster wailing and gnashing and smacking drumsticks against floor and ceiling and somehow managing to be harmonious and emotional at the same time. I was standing on my own in the middle of Barden’s Boudoir, clinging on to my notebook and grinning my head off. At one point the bass amp broke and while ‘technical difficulties’ normally make for boooring silence or stomping petulance, Islet’s charming rambles about “playing a cool London show… Oh shit I’ve said the word cool, that’s not cool… Oh no!” and “Don’t worry, there’s another band on after us and they’re gonna be REALLY good” only made the crowd love them more. When they got the bass back we cheered and clapped like mad for our new favourite band.

If I thought Mi Ami were ferocious and frantic on record, oh boy, live they are something else! The temperature in the room seems to jump up by about ten degrees half way through the first song. That familiar characteristic vocal yelps and howls frenzied lyrics over an unyielding backdrop of bass and drums seared through with jagged guitar. The crowd presses in closer and closer, a mass of nodding heads and jerking shoulders. Daniel wasn’t lying, indie rock kids do dance at Mi Ami shows. This is fun, this is a really fun show and it seems like they’re having fun on stage too, Daniel announces “This is a Whitney Houston cover” before screaming “GIVE ME SOME CRACK” on his knees on Barden’s stage. So much for earnest knob twiddling, Mi Ami are fuckin’ punk rock, duuude!

Written by Ellie Whalley on Wednesday June 9th, 2010 8:49 pm

Categories ,Bardens Boudoir, ,dalston, ,Dinosaur Jr, ,dubstep, ,Indie, ,Mi Ami

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Amelia’s Magazine | The History Of Apple Pie at Birthdays: Live Review

by

The History Of Apple Pie by Sam Parr

The History Of Apple Pie by Sam Parr

From the queue snaking up the stairs, I knew it was going to be a busy one at Birthdays. I’d guessed as much, from being at the earlier shows and seeing the chatter online. Closer, ever closer, we edged to the basement, the sound of the support band getting louder, and all the while trying not to get hungry from the aroma emanating from the kitchen back upstairs.

YouTube Preview Image

Finally, we were in, and just in time to catch the last couple of songs by the evening openers, the promising sounding F.U.R.S (apparently their first gig, too). As the bands set about sorting their gear and the DJs employed a bit of tuneage during the interval, it gave me a chance to have a nosey around. This was only the second time I’d been to Birthdays, one of the newer venues in über-hip Dalston, but I could see from the flyers that they were attracting a few of the well known promoters around town.

The-History-of-Apple-Pie-by-Sarah-Jayne-Morris
The History Of Apple Pie by Sarah-Jayne Morris

The crowd swelled once again as the quintet that are The History Of Apple Pie took to the stage. They’ve only been going for a fairly short while, but their take on scuzzy guitar pop, imbued with the spirit of late 80s/early 90s shoegaze bands such as Ride and Curve, has picked up plenty of positive coverage. They’ve supported Graham Coxon and also managed to get their debut single, You’re So Cool, onto the Rough Trade Shops end-of-year compilation album. Kudos, eh? I’d first seen them late last year, supporting fellow upstarts Toy at the Old Blue Last, and a couple of times since (most recently at a White Heat night in Soho). Now they were back in East London to launch their third single, Do It Wrong.

YouTube Preview Image

The Pies kicked off their set with a surging Tug, lead guitarist Jerome Watson typically hunched over his six string whilst unleashing squalls of noise (and sporting a tie-dye top bearing what looked suspiciously like the logo for Maynard’s Wine Gums!) Singer Stephanie Min’s woozy vocals were a constant throughout, backed with harmonies from bass player Kelly Owens. Previous single Mallory got a deserved airing, whilst Do It Wrong and an amped up version of its B-side, Long Way To Go, both rocked, sweeping the crowd up with them.

YouTube Preview Image

Their debut album still seems to be in the works but, with more live dates being added (including a night at the London Palladium, no less!) you can still treat yourself to a helping of the Pie.

Written by Richard Pearmain on Friday August 24th, 2012 12:57 pm

Categories ,Birthdays, ,Curve, ,dalston, ,F.U.R.S, ,Graham Coxon, ,London Palladium, ,Old Blue Last, ,Ride, ,Rough Trade, ,Sam Parr, ,Sarah Jayne Morris, ,shoegaze, ,The History Of Apple Pie, ,toy, ,White Heat

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Amelia’s Magazine | We Choose To Jamboree!

by

Having been sent out to document the subterranean goings on of a typical East London night out; pop up speakeasies, hypertrendy bars that inexplicably merit write ups in the New York Times, warehouses and disused car parks that receive a midnight makeover to become party locations for the coolest of the cool, it’s natural to be a bit… over it sometimes. When every venue starts competing to out-hype the next one, and the prospect of turning up at a bar where you don’t feel obliged to state your credentials and connections to be allowed entry seems like it’s too much to ask, the urge to just call it a night and go home often seems overwhelming. Until I discovered You Choose Jamboree, that is.

Refreshingly, You Choose Jamboree would fit into none of the categories above. Instead, it’s more like an organic, self-sustaining music and social enterprise that often feels as if it’s powered by good will and community spirit. Essentially, the premise is simple and back to basics. A secret, not revealed until the night venue plays host to musicians who have been previously voted for on the events website; if you want to come to the night, you get to choose the music. The genres of musicians who perform are diverse and eclectic; West African string, cello, experimental folk, acapella choir and jazz fusion are all styles that have already taken to the stage. For an event that is still in its infancy, it has already introduced Londoners to a range of artists and bands that were crying out for exposure. When I pitched up at You Choose Jamborees November outing, I (along with 300 others) was serenaded with the gentle acapella harmonies of Stac and her all-female choir, treated to a typically gorgeous and lush set from Laura J Martin (which had the crowd so hushed and mesmerised that you could hear a pin drop) and finished the night with a rousing performance from Nick Mulvey, normally part of the Mercury Award shortlisted Portico Quartet, but for this occasion he only needed his guitar to create chords that blended Malian blues and Flamenco and had everyone cheering for more.

There is something else that sets You Choose Jamboree apart from the rest London’s frenetic nights out; it’s unbelievably friendly and completely free of pretension and attitude. It’s apparent the moment you step into the door – to actually be cheerfully welcomed into a venue – what’s that all about? There is a reason for this, and it lies in the roots of You Chooses genesis. The night began as a house party in the wilds of Muswell Hill; home to the three Jamboree creators, Chris, Phil and Barney. The trio run firmly under the radar, and normally shy away from drawing attention to themselves, preferring to let the night speak for themselves. However, being incredibly inquisitive sort of girl, I wanted details!

“We used to put on house parties in our flat, and we had musician friends who were of an incredibly high calibre like Portico Quartet play in our lounge ” Chris explained, adding that there is only so long that a (loud) party like that will go unnoticed by the council. By the time said authorities had put a stop to the merriment, the guys had accumulated a motley crew of friends, fans, and musicians who had no intention of breaking up the fun; so when a perfect setting was literally stumbled upon one boozy night in Dalston, You Choose Jamboree got its break into the big wide world. The venue might have expanded, but the ethos remained the same; ” It’s an extension of our lounge” Chris adds;  “our house has always had an open door policy.” Staying true to this theme, the guys pitch up at the beginning of a You Choose Jamboree night with the contents of their lounge and decorate the space with lamps, plants,fairy lights and rugs. While it remains a word of mouth enterprise, and technically a secret one of that, the night is resolutely inclusive and welcome to all. Although they are loathe to over-brand this home brewed venture, they are happy to introduce it to new pastures. This summer, they will be involved with Hackney Council who are running a ‘Parks For Life’ programme to get local residents back into local parks. In typical Jamboree fashion, they are charmingly old-school with their ideas. “We want to reuse bandstands and just rock up with a PA system and a generator and put musicians on” Phil tells me, and outlines plans for various dates in Stoke Newingtons’ Springfield Park, London Fields and Shoreditch Park. (More details will be revealed when we get them).

In the meantime they are happy to let the Jamboree naturally evolve into new directions. “We are learning as we go along” Phil happily admits. “The main aim is to make sure that everyone is enjoying themselves, but also to be really respectful towards the audience and the musicians.”  “Until I think we have done a perfect gig, where everything falls into place we will keep persevering.” adds Chris.  “It’s a magic equation that we are always trying to look for.” You Choose are all for encouraging more audience involvement; they have a page on their website called “The Hat”, where anyone can contribute ideas. One particular concept that they are keen to run with is where the audience, i.e us, curate the night. So if anyone wants to have a event with say, all Malian music, or even a barn dance, the guys will gladly put it together.  This Saturday sees the next installment of the Jamboree; having won the votes this round are  Moulettes, who describe themselves as a ‘folk-stomping, barn-storming swingin’ quartet, featuring an orchestra of cellos, bassoons, guitars, kazoos and five-part harmonies’. Also headlining are the Amber States, who are slightly more sedate in the musical style, but no less delightful. Made up of Southern style harmonising vocals, as well as guitars and cellos (it must be a cello night!), The Amber States are definitely my band to watch in the upcoming months. If you haven’t managed to get your name on the guest-list, check out their Facebook page on ways that you might be able to squeeze your way in (they really are ever so thoughtful). If not, then just keep an eye on their website for all the upcoming dates. It’s a big shame if you have missed out on You Choose Jamboree so far, but at least you know now.



Written by Cari Steel on Friday March 19th, 2010 4:05 pm


Categories ,dalston, ,folk, ,friends, ,fun, ,live, ,london, ,portico quartet, ,shoreditch, ,you choose jamboree

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Amelia’s Magazine | The History Of Apple Pie at Birthdays: Live Review

by

The History Of Apple Pie by Sam Parr

The History Of Apple Pie by Sam Parr

From the queue snaking up the stairs, I knew it was going to be a busy one at Birthdays. I’d guessed as much, from being at the earlier shows and seeing the chatter online. Closer, ever closer, we edged to the basement, the sound of the support band getting louder, and all the while trying not to get hungry from the aroma emanating from the kitchen back upstairs.

YouTube Preview Image

Finally, we were in, and just in time to catch the last couple of songs by the evening openers, the promising sounding F.U.R.S (apparently their first gig, too). As the bands set about sorting their gear and the DJs employed a bit of tuneage during the interval, it gave me a chance to have a nosey around. This was only the second time I’d been to Birthdays, one of the newer venues in über-hip Dalston, but I could see from the flyers that they were attracting a few of the well known promoters around town.

The-History-of-Apple-Pie-by-Sarah-Jayne-Morris
The History Of Apple Pie by Sarah-Jayne Morris

The crowd swelled once again as the quintet that are The History Of Apple Pie took to the stage. They’ve only been going for a fairly short while, but their take on scuzzy guitar pop, imbued with the spirit of late 80s/early 90s shoegaze bands such as Ride and Curve, has picked up plenty of positive coverage. They’ve supported Graham Coxon and also managed to get their debut single, You’re So Cool, onto the Rough Trade Shops end-of-year compilation album. Kudos, eh? I’d first seen them late last year, supporting fellow upstarts Toy at the Old Blue Last, and a couple of times since (most recently at a White Heat night in Soho). Now they were back in East London to launch their third single, Do It Wrong.

YouTube Preview Image

The Pies kicked off their set with a surging Tug, lead guitarist Jerome Watson typically hunched over his six string whilst unleashing squalls of noise (and sporting a tie-dye top bearing what looked suspiciously like the logo for Maynard’s Wine Gums!) Singer Stephanie Min’s woozy vocals were a constant throughout, backed with harmonies from bass player Kelly Owens. Previous single Mallory got a deserved airing, whilst Do It Wrong and an amped up version of its B-side, Long Way To Go, both rocked, sweeping the crowd up with them.

YouTube Preview Image

Their debut album still seems to be in the works but, with more live dates being added (including a night at the London Palladium, no less!) you can still treat yourself to a helping of the Pie.

Written by Richard Pearmain on Friday August 24th, 2012 12:57 pm

Categories ,Birthdays, ,Curve, ,dalston, ,F.U.R.S, ,Graham Coxon, ,London Palladium, ,Old Blue Last, ,Ride, ,Rough Trade, ,Sam Parr, ,Sarah Jayne Morris, ,shoegaze, ,The History Of Apple Pie, ,toy, ,White Heat

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Amelia’s Magazine | We Fell To Earth – An Interview

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We Fell to Earth1

We Fell To Earth are comprised of former UNKLE component Richard File and Queens of the Stone Age, there and Mark Lanegan, collaborator Wendy Rae Fowler. They met in the studio during sessions for UNKLE’s ‘War Stories’ album and embarked on a beautiful journey together of making music. The result is heart sweltering shoegaze that’ll transport your weary leather-clad bones to the Californian desert. Wendy tells us a little bit more about the band in some quick fire questions.

What attracted you to making music with each other?

W: I suppose a likeminded desire to do something outside our respective comfort zones.

How have your individual musical journeys led you to We Fell To Earth?

W: Ultimately I think it was the mutual desire to do something different that brought us together, but it definitely helps that we had friends in common who orchestrated events which led to our first meeting.

What did you want to achieve with We Fell To Earth?

W: We wanted to make hypnotic music with strong rhythm sections.  We’re always looking for a great groove, something to get lost in.

Three of your tracks have been picked up by US TV shows. What would you like to see one of your songs be the soundtrack to?

W: We would LOVE to score an entire film for Guillermo Del Toro.  I love his movies. They have just the right balance of fantasy and reality to warm your bones.

We Fell To Earth

What is your favourite part of the creative process with We Fell To Earth?

W: Firstly, building the rhythm sections – I need that to get inspired for what needs to happen next…  Also finding accidental sounds and using them in unusual ways.

Your tracks really sound like they come into their own live. Tell me about your live shows, would you agree?

W: Thankfully I do agree.  Rich and I pretty much recorded the majority of the album on our own, so we were very curious to see what would happen in a room with other musicians when it came time to bring the thing to life.  One of my favourite things about playing music is the live element.  Although it can be nerve wracking, there’s nothing quite like the energy you feel coming from a group of people on stage who are there because they want to be.  That, I believe, is what brings such life to the show. The sound is pretty intense live, the rhythm section is always driving.  Our drummer is usually playing at least 2 parts at the same time.  We needed 2 drummers, instead we have one genius drummer.

A shared influence of yours is Krautrock. Are there any others? Or ones not shared?

W: Krautrock is definitely the strongest shared influence.  There are others, we both have a love of loads of sounds from the 60s, post punk, and early rock-n-roll, a bit of Shoegaze. There are bands that have had a massive influence on me that are maybe a little too out there, or maybe a bit too rock-n-roll at times, for Richs’ taste, like The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and the same goes for me regarding him in the electronic department, for example Kraftwerk. Don’t hate me, Simon Says was forced on me as a child.

Most affecting artist or inspiration in your work?

W: For starters… Link Wray, Can, Grace Slick, Nick Cave, the weather, sounds Rich makes with synthisizers, coffee.

What does the future look like for We Fell To Earth?

W: Lots of live stuff!  We start a tour with Air on November 25th. We are currently promoting our new single “Deaf” which comes out on November 16th

Last record you heard and liked?

W: New, The Flaming Lips “Embryonic”. Old, Them “The Story of Them featuring Van Morrison.”

Best place that your music careers have taken you?

W: On one end of the spectrum, Joshua Tree in California, and on the other, the UK.

Best way to spend downtime?

W: Wrapped in a warm blanket on a very comfortable couch, sipping a warm beverage, accompanied by my family and my animals.

New single “Deaf” is on Monday 16th November.

Written by Katie Weatherall on Thursday November 12th, 2009 6:25 pm

Categories ,can, ,interview, ,krautrock, ,mark lanegan, ,queens of the stone age, ,shoegaze, ,the flaming lips, ,unkle, ,We Fell to Earth

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Kotki Dwa Comeback: just in time for Halloween

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JoeWorricker_by_Sandra Dufour
You’ve just released Finger-waggers. What’s this song about and why the name?
I wrote Finger-Waggers when my hair was so shockingly large people used to pull at it in clubs and take the piss. It’s about the importance of self-love and not letting people tell you how to be. Each of us are only here for a short time and we should be whatever we want to be

What’s the idea behind the video?
It’s set at a tupperware party with posh ladies who are the finger-waggers. The director Lily Smith did a fantastic job, buy she has made it look amazing.

Your sound is a pretty unique combination of pop, purchase indie and soul. How would you describe it and why?
The songs are Beatles, The Marvelettes, Debussy and Kate Bush mixed and the vocal is a weird soul voice I suppose. 

You’ve already been hailed as a new soul sensation – how does this feel? What do your mates mates say to you on the subject?
It’s an amazing feeling when someone appreciates your work. What’s important is how you feel about it. For my first album I’m proud and think I’ve set good starting ground for future things to come. My friends are really supportive and always come to my gigs.

When did you start singing, and how did you end up signed to Rough Trade?
I started singing to Disney songs when I was a baby and haven’t stopped since. When I was gigging round London some music peeps got talking, Rough Trade heard about me and came to watch me in Soho. They then invited me in and offered me a deal

What was it like growing up in Essex – did you live the life of a typical “essex boy”? PS what do you think of the new real life soap The Only Way is Essex – is this the Essex you knew? is it an apt representation of life in Essex?! or not at all….
I probably lived the Essex girl life more. Went out every weekend to binge drink underage with my girl mates and wore and still wear excessive amounts of fake tan. Although I get St Tropez now which is the best in the business, where then it was very cheap rub on tan; I’ve matured. I haven’t seen the show yet, but everyone has been banging on about it. Yes, there are people like the people you see on the programme for sure

X Factor: what’s your opinion? Did you ever enter any talent competitions as a teenager?
Talent competitions can be amazing platforms for people. Jennifer Hudson being the best example, who is totally sensational and may have never been discovered otherwise. I entered the X-Factor when I was 18. I didn’t get through though, I think they were scared of my voice.

Where are you living at the moment and why? 
Fitzrovia. I only live in areas where I can walk to Soho in 5 minutes or less
 
You’re a proactive twitter user – what do you use twitter for?
It’s good for letting people who are interested in your music know about gigs, singles and the generally rubbish you are getting up to. Perfect for potential stalkers.

When can people catch you live? What can they expect from a Joe Worricker live performance and why should they come to see you?
My London headline show at XOYO on 16th November in Old Street. They should come see me coz I’m better live and i’m extra gifted at talking rubbish between the songs

What makes the best kind of party?
Vodka, hilarious music, getting naked in the early hours

When can we expect a debut album, and have you got a name for it yet? go on… give us a bit of a clue…
It is released in the new year. It is the title of the 1st song I wrote for the album. The song is about a moment of profound beauty and clarity when every fear and worry about life fell out of my head and I could see the world clearly

Illustration by Lesley Barnes

Coco Chanel the name synonymous with French fashion, website like this so carefully cultivated by Karl Largerfield, he feels as if a caretaker at the same time as being an innovative fashion designer such is the call of the Chanel Staples. Each catwalk is a reinvention of the tweeds, the stars, the numbers, simplistic beauty is what Chanel conjures and it is what it achieves.

Justine Picardie is a journalist for the Telegraph and an author who produces both fiction and non fiction, for the last 13 years her side project has been researching Coco Chanel. Picard opened her talk on the publication of her Chanel Biography with the statement that the V&A is the heart of Fashion, forget Topshop!

Illustration by Joana Faria

How could I pass up the opportunity to find out more about this ever present, but ever distant fashion designer? Especially as I am yet to watch either of the recent films made about her early life…

It was the perfect talk – full of teasers about what the book contained alongside interesting insights into Coco’s design aesthetic – the monestry where she grew up the walls were embedded with stars, similar to what would later feature in her designs.

A talented speaker, Justine enraptured the audience with tales of Chanel’s rise from rags to riches polevaulting through French Society’s conventions that those born in a certain place – should stay on the rung of society they were born. Luckily, not only for Haute Couture but for women everywhere who wanted to wear trousers, Chanel made ignoring social conventions a habit of a lifetime.

Illustration by Kelly Angood

“Fashion is very dark, what we wear is what we cover up” Coco Chanel

Not for Chanel the corsets of early 1900′s France – no, the most striking thing about Chanel was seeing the pictures of her in a style that has inudated our subconscious – from the wearing of trousers to single handily popularising the Breton Stripe. Most importantly Chanel was an avid wearer of the flat show – not for her the gravity defying, walk preventing spindly heels that seem so popular not only on the catwalk but that shop which nestles within the heart of Oxford Street, Topshop.

Illustration by Maria del Carmen Smith – An aside, notice how Chanel sits on the horse in jodphurs, rather than side saddle, a fairly political statement at a time when most women were bound in corsets.

Chanel was funded by Boy Capell, the man in the above illustration, as soon as the Fashion House produced revenue, Chanel paid every last penny back. From the start Coco was to be an independent women.

Justine Picardie covered the usual ground of Chanel’s relationship with men, starting with Boy Capell and touching upon her life spent fishing in Scotland with the Duke of Westminister. Through whom Coco met Winston Churchill in the early 1920′s. The discovery of a picture of the two together lead Picard to the ministery of war archives, specifically the archives on Winston Churchill to explore Chanel’s reported relationship with a German Soldier may not have been what has so far been reported, the work of a traitor, but a (slightly naive…) plan -devised perhaps by Coco and regaled to Winston Churchill- to bring the war to an early end. This may seem rather glib, but to find out more and the outcome of Picardie trip to the archives? Sadly the author left this announcement within the pages of her book.

Illustration by Abby Wright

Picardie touched upon the inclusions of the number 5 etc and the use of stars… magical numbers were part of Chanel’s magical thinking… Tarot Cards. Chanel was interested in simple beauty. Justine attributes this magical thinking to her time spent as a child growing up in an ancient monastery, suggesting that the epoynmous chanel star was inspired by the mosiac’s made by Medieval Monks…

Illustration by Antonia Parker

Justine Picardie described fashion as “a series of Hauntings” and finished the talk with a wish for a book on the continuation of Chanel by Karl Largerfield, to conclude that such a book could only be written once Largerfield had left Chanel and quite possibly this planet… Coco Chanel, The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie is on my christmas list!

Illustration by Lesley Barnes

Coco Chanel, ampoule the name synonymous with fashion, website like this Paris or otherwise has been so carefully cultivated by Karl Largerfield, he feels at times, as if a gentle caretaker – such is the call of the Chanel Staples. Each season’s Largerfield’s catwalk has produced -whilst channelling his own creative designs- a small reinvention of the tweeds, the stars, the monochrome, the pearls or maintained the simplistic beauty, the word Chanel brings to mind. Chanel is coveted, and her sense of style has embedded itself amongst the designs of the high street, during the talk I found myself playing spot the influence, from the cropped bobs to the presence of stripes on pratically every other member of the audience who found themselves at the V&A that blustery Friday night.

The talk was held by Justine Picardie in celebration of the publication of her new book; Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life. Picardie is a journalist for the Telegraph, an author who writes fiction and non fiction and who has spent the last 13 years researching the life of Coco Chanel. This was an opportunity to discover the person behind the label, that was too good too miss.

Illustration by Joana Faria

A talented speaker, Justine enraptured the audience with tales of Chanel’s rise from rags to riches polevaulting through French Society’s conventions that those born in a certain place – should stay on the rung of society they were born. Luckily, not only for Haute Couture but for women everywhere who wanted to wear trousers, Chanel made ignoring social conventions a habit of a lifetime.

Not for Chanel the corsets of early 1900′s France – no, the most striking photographs of Chanel shown at the talk, documented her investment in a shocking departure from the norm, in the form of trousers and the aforementioned Breton top. Importantly (I am speaking here as someone who despises how reliant high heels make me on those I am travelling with) Chanel was an avid wearer of the flat show – not for her the gravity defying, walk preventing spindly heels that are oh so popular not only on the catwalk but that shop nestling within the heart of Oxford Street; Topshop.

Illustration by Kelly Angood

“Fashion is very dark, what we wear is what we cover up” Coco Chanel

Justine Picardie covered the usual ground of Chanel’s relationship with men, starting with Boy Capell and touching upon her life spent fishing in Scotland with the Duke of Westminister. Through whom Coco met Winston Churchill in the early 1920′s. The discovery of a picture of the two together lead Picard to the ministery of war archives, specifically the archives on Winston Churchill to explore Chanel’s reported relationship with a German Soldier may not have been what has so far been reported, the work of a traitor, but a (slightly naive…) plan -devised perhaps by Coco and regaled to Winston Churchill- to bring the war to an early end. This may seem rather glib, but to find out more and the outcome of Picardie trip to the archives? Sadly the author left this announcement within the pages of her book.

Illustration by Maria del Carmen Smith – An aside, notice how Chanel sits on the horse in jodphurs, rather than side saddle, a fairly political statement at a time when most women were bound in corsets.

It was the perfect talk – full of teasers about the book’s contents alongside interesting insights into the development of the identity of Coco Chanel – from the influence of the monestry where she grew up, to her meeting Boy Capel and Duke of Westminister (with whom she travelled to Scotland and discovered the Scottish Mills who produced the now famous Chanel Tweed).

Chanel was funded by Boy Capell, the man seated on the horse in the above illustration, however, as the Fashion House began to produce revenue, Chanel paid back every penny. From the start Coco was to be an independent women – an undeniably lucky, for her connections with Boy helped her attract clients, but a financially independent one nevertheless.

Illustration by Abby Wright

Picardie touched upon the importance to Chanel of the numbers her perfumes were named after (5,19) etc to the constant use and development of the star motif. In a picture of Chanel’s apartment, Picardie touched upon the presence of tarot cards and the importance of magical thinking alongside Chanel’s training as a seamstress in the creation of the House’s style. Justine attributes this ‘magical thinking’ to her time spent as a child growing up in an ancient monastery, suggesting that the epoynmous Chanel star was inspired by the star mosaics made by the Medieval Monks who originally inhabited the monastery. For more detail, I’m afraid you are going to have to read the book!

Illustration by Antonia Parker

During the talk (which occur weekly on a Friday evening) Justine Picardie described fashion as “a series of Hauntings” and finished the talk with a wish for a book on the continuation of Chanel by Karl Largerfield, to conclude that such a book could only be written once Largerfield had left Chanel and quite possibly this planet…

Coco Chanel, The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie is on my christmas list!

Illustration by Lesley Barnes

Coco Chanel, buy more about the name synonymous with fashion, tadalafil Paris or otherwise has been so carefully cultivated by Karl Largerfield, he feels at times, as if a gentle caretaker – such is the call of the Chanel Staples. Each season’s Largerfield’s catwalk has produced -whilst channelling his own creative designs- a small reinvention of the tweeds, the stars, the monochrome, the pearls or maintained the simplistic beauty, the word Chanel brings to mind. Chanel is coveted, and her sense of style has embedded itself amongst the designs of the high street, during the talk I found myself playing spot the influence, from the cropped bobs to the presence of stripes on pratically every other member of the audience who found themselves at the V&A that blustery Friday night.

The talk was held by Justine Picardie in celebration of the publication of her new book; Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life. Picardie is a journalist for the Telegraph, an author who writes fiction and non fiction and who has spent the last 13 years researching the life of Coco Chanel. This was an opportunity to discover the person behind the label, that was too good too miss.

Illustration by Joana Faria

A talented speaker, Justine enraptured the audience with tales of Chanel’s rise from rags to riches polevaulting through French Society’s conventions that those born in a certain place – should stay on the rung of society they were born. Luckily, not only for Haute Couture but for women everywhere who wanted to wear trousers, Chanel made ignoring social conventions a habit of a lifetime.

Not for Chanel the corsets of early 1900′s France – no, the most striking photographs of Chanel shown at the talk, documented her investment in a shocking departure from the norm, in the form of trousers and the aforementioned Breton top. Importantly (I am speaking here as someone who despises how reliant high heels make me on those I am travelling with) Chanel was an avid wearer of the flat show – not for her the gravity defying, walk preventing spindly heels that are oh so popular not only on the catwalk but that shop nestling within the heart of Oxford Street; Topshop.

Illustration by Kelly Angood

“Fashion is very dark, what we wear is what we cover up” Coco Chanel

Justine Picardie covered the usual ground of Chanel’s relationship with men, starting with Boy Capell and touching upon her life spent fishing in Scotland with the Duke of Westminister. Through whom Coco met Winston Churchill in the early 1920′s. The discovery of a picture of the two together lead Picard to the ministery of war archives, specifically the archives on Winston Churchill to explore Chanel’s reported relationship with a German Soldier may not have been what has so far been reported, the work of a traitor, but a (slightly naive…) plan -devised perhaps by Coco and regaled to Winston Churchill- to bring the war to an early end. This may seem rather glib, but to find out more and the outcome of Picardie trip to the archives? Sadly the author left this announcement within the pages of her book.

Illustration by Maria del Carmen Smith – An aside, notice how Chanel sits on the horse in jodphurs, rather than side saddle, a fairly political statement at a time when most women were bound in corsets.

It was the perfect talk – full of teasers about the book’s contents alongside interesting insights into the development of the identity of Coco Chanel – from the influence of the monestry where she grew up, to her meeting Boy Capel and Duke of Westminister (with whom she travelled to Scotland and discovered the Scottish Mills who produced the now famous Chanel Tweed).

Chanel was funded by Boy Capell, the man seated on the horse in the above illustration, however, as the Fashion House began to produce revenue, Chanel paid back every penny. From the start Coco was to be an independent women – an undeniably lucky, for her connections with Boy helped her attract clients, but a financially independent one nevertheless.

Illustration by Abby Wright

Picardie touched upon the importance to Chanel of the numbers her perfumes were named after (5,19) etc to the constant use and development of the star motif. In a picture of Chanel’s apartment, Picardie touched upon the presence of tarot cards and the importance of magical thinking alongside Chanel’s training as a seamstress in the creation of the House’s style. Justine attributes this ‘magical thinking’ to her time spent as a child growing up in an ancient monastery, suggesting that the epoynmous Chanel star was inspired by the star mosaics made by the Medieval Monks who originally inhabited the monastery. For more detail, I’m afraid you are going to have to read the book!

Illustration by Antonia Parker

During the talk (which occur weekly on a Friday evening) Justine Picardie described fashion as “a series of Hauntings” and finished the talk with a wish for a book on the continuation of Chanel by Karl Largerfield, to conclude that such a book could only be written once Largerfield had left Chanel and quite possibly this planet…

Coco Chanel, The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie is on my christmas list!

Kotki Dwa by Alex Edouard
Kotki Dwa by Alex Edouard. Set design by Hattie Newman.

As anyone who knows me well will know I get VERY excited about Halloween. And so I was even more excited to discover that the bouncy Kotki Dwa have just released a comeback single and accompanying video titled especially for the occasion. I thought I’d better catch up and get the low down on all this Halloween business…. and anyway what precisely have Kotki Dwa been up to?

So, viagra dosage the first question has to be, where have you been? You’ve been very quiet since we last featured you in Amelia’s Magazine!
We’ve been very busy indeed! Alongside our music we’re passionate about other things – Tom is a zoologically trained ecologist working for The National Trust in Yorkshire, Alex is a graphic designer working in London, and Tristan is studying ‘interdisciplinary design’ in Bristol. Aside from that, we’ve been working on new music together – which we’re now ready to start sharing with people!

Your comeback single is titled Halloween and is cunningly released this week…. just before Halloween. What inspired you to do such a thing?
The song’s lyrics were actually written around last Halloween, but it’s taken us a year to get round to finishing and releasing it! So really, it’s a SPOOKY COINCIDENCE…

YouTube Preview Image

Can you tell us more about the video – it looks really fun. How was it made and by whom?
We had lots of fun making the video with our friends Carmel & Harry aka Loopshapers. Alex met Carmel at Art College and they collaborated on our previous video Robin’s Clogs as well. This time we decided to use this cool old Super 8mm camera to try and get some creepy 1950s B-Movie style results, to go with the Halloween theme! Carmel & Harry carefully processed the film with chemicals by hand, which makes it lovely and scratchy. The people in the video are loads of our friends, most of whom were making their acting debut.

Any funny stories from on set that you can share with us?
There were quite a few silly moments – you get some funny looks walking through Peckham dressed like a zombie in a dicky bow and bright red show jacket! At one point we accidentally stumbled through a Sunday family fairground and scared a few children – we had our guitars over our shoulders and one man even thought we were going to play on the stage! Oh, also some of the footage got ruined during processing. Actually, that wasn’t funny at all.

I love the press photo of you all covered in yarn – who’s behind this? it reminds me of the really fun image we had of you in the bathtub for issue 9 of Amelia’s Magazine.
Thank you! We thought it would be a fun idea – set making extraordinaire Hattie Newman made us magical cardboard keyboard, with all the wool coming out the back like wires. The photo was taken by Alex Edouard in Hattie’s studio.

Kotki Dwa portrait

How will you be celebrating Halloween this year? and what will you be dressing up as?
We won’t be together unfortunately, but separately we’ll but getting up to some ghoulish antics for sure. Alex is going to a bonkers veterinary themed party with live stuffed-critter operations! Also definitely going to be watching a LOT of horror movies this weekend. Developed a bit of an addiction during early teenage years and still love a good bit of fright!

Any top Halloween tips?
Just make the most of it because you only get one chance a year. Do everything – carve a pumpkin, apple bob, turn the lights off, scream, gel your hair so hard that it feels like it could crack, stock up on sweets for the trick-or-treaters, eat them all, watch Hocus Pocus and probably fall asleep in your cape.

And finally… What next for Kotki Dwa?
We’re playing two London gigs in November – Saturday 20th at The Stag’s Head in Dalston, and Thursday 25th at The Lexington in Angel. We’ll have three more new songs up our sleeves to share, so come on down! We’ll also continue to develop our new material and get on with releasing more of it – so stay tuned. Fangs for having us Amelia…

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday October 28th, 2010 2:55 pm

Categories ,Alex Edouard, ,dalston, ,Hallowe’en, ,Hattie Newman, ,Hocus Pocus, ,Kotki Dwa, ,Loopshapers, ,Peckham, ,Robin’s Clogs, ,Super8, ,The Lexington, ,The Stag’s Head

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Amelia’s Magazine | Savages at Electrowerkz: Live Review

by

Savages by Sharon Farrow

Savages by Sharon Farrow

Tucked away behind Angel Tube Station, down a small side street, you seem to be a world away from this most respectable part of North London. Indeed, only a stone’s throw from a Jamie Oliver restaurant, Electrowerkz stands in stark contrast. Housed in an old warehouse, Electrowerkz, or more officially, the Islington Metal Works, is a slightly surreal warren of rooms that, according to the website (when it’s not hosting weddings and other functions) still operates as an actual metal works. As a venue, it’s probably better known for club nights, and its dark, almost claustrophobic interior has that late eighties/early nineties rave feel to it. I’d first been here almost a decade ago (to see a then housemate play an electro set) and, until a month or so ago, hadn’t been back since. In all that time, the place remained unchanged.

Tonight, the buzz was all about Savages, on the first night of a brief residency. First up, though, were Blue On Blue. I’d seen them a couple of years ago as a shoegazey three-piece, but now as a duo (Dee Sada on keyboards and bass, Billy Steiger on keyboards, guitar and violin), they offer a more minimal, glitchy sound. I was most impressed with them, and the crowd that had gathered to watch seemed supportive.

Savages by Shy Illustrations

Savages by Shy Illustrations

During the break, I went for a bit of a wander, navigating a new set of stairs I’d never noticed previously. Hidden away on the lower level, past what appeared to be a video installation of some sort, was a small screening room showing an unusual early sixties Japanese film (which I later discovered to be the avant-garde classic The Woman In The Dunes).

YouTube Preview Image

Back upstairs, the crowd in the main room was beginning to swell as Savages’ set approached. This is a band that has really appeared from nowhere. Despite only being together since last year (and playing live for a few months), and with one single to their name (the double A side of Flying To Berlin and Husbands), they have earned lashings of praise from the music press, featured at a number of festivals, bagged a TV spot with Jools Holland and played at packed out venues (including an audience featuring the great and the good of the major indie record labels at Dalston’s Shacklewell Arms). I’d seen singer Jehnny Beth a couple of times before, as one half of French duo John & Jehn, but the sound of Savages is much darker than their pop noir, more a lesson in post-punk back to basics.

Savages by Gemma Green-Hope

Savages by Gemma Green-Hope

Taking to a suitably industrial looking stage, and bathed in harsh beams of white and blue light, Savages immediately let rip. With Fay Milton pounding away on drums, the rumbling bass of Ayse Hassan and Gemma Thompson’s squalls of guitar noise behind the jittery presence of Jehnny Beth, they recall such luminaries as Public Image Ltd, Siouxsie And The Banshees and Joy Division (indeed, the bassline on Flying To Berlin tips a sizeable doff of the cap to that of Peter Hook on Joy Division’s Colony). I tend to be a bit wary when it comes to hype bands, but with songs like City’s Full and Husbands reverberating around the tiny room, it proved that Savages are the real deal. And they are loud! They certainly got the audience going, though it looked a bit too sardine-like at the front for any moshing. Most surprising thing, though, was seeing a guy in front of me actually sketching the band on his iPad!

YouTube Preview Image

As the set closer Husbands shuddered to an abrupt halt, Savages left the stage to roars from the crowd, but there was to be no encore. Instead, to console ourselves, there is the newly released live EP and the prospect of seeing them once more in the UK in November, after a short trip to the States and some dates around Europe. After that, we shall have to wait and see what surprises Savages spring next.

Written by Richard Pearmain on Friday October 19th, 2012 8:23 pm

Categories ,Blue On Blue, ,dalston, ,electrowerkz, ,Gemma Green-Hope, ,Islington, ,Jamie Oliver, ,Japanese film, ,John & Jehn, ,Jools Holland, ,joy division, ,Peter Hook, ,Post Punk, ,Public Image Ltd, ,Savages, ,Shacklewell Arms, ,Sharon Farrow, ,Sheilagh Tighe, ,shoegaze, ,Shy Illustrations, ,siouxsie and the banshees, ,The Woman In The Dunes

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