fashion

Amelia’s Magazine | Circus Bookazine Launch and London Blog Slam

by

the crowd at circus bookazine blog slam
The crowd at circus bookazine blog slam, see buy minimalist cake catering, Asahi etc. the awesome tights belong to Muireann Carey-Campbell of Bangs and a Bun.

Amelia judged and I sketched history in the making at the Rag Factory last week. Well, almost: the first event was in Germany the week before so this was not an actual first. The concept I’m sure already has your mind a-boggling. I’m allways fascinated by how random little scenes and pockets of interlapping creativity and culture come together in these sorts of things. Circus explore the rich territory between print and web, passion and fashion and er, people and other people. I’ll talk more about the beautiful bookazine itself a bit later.

The competing bloggers were somewhat of a motley crew, in that the content was a little inconsistently weighted, a lot of fashion and two examples of male dating based humour blogging, a genre of which I was previously unaware. This was fair enough in a sense, the theme of the Bookazine issue is fashion, but it did make the handfull of bloggers on other themes seem a little incongruous.

The slammers were judged based on the scoring categories of originality, concept, delivery and “blogability”, a made up word. Aside from our own Amelia the jury consisted of Wafa from Sketchbook Magazine, Ben from quality Sheffield based Article Magazine, and Chris Osburn from the Londonist. All small press stars of substance and style of course. The competing bloggers performed from an old school church pulpit – a nice touch I think, sort of makes you think about how we choose who we listen to and respect these days, or it just looked pretty anyway – and were also interspersed with some readings from contributors from the bookazine.

marian librarian or Schmbari
Marian Schembari telling it like it isn’t but should be.

First up was Marian Librarian, a high flying international proffesional social media blogger of sorts, who talked affectingly about why she refuses to censor her blog, even after she was detained at immigration for swearing. You can read the entry she read here She has a healthy and sensible attitude to the importance of reality and personality in online content.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - kate ironside
Next up was a brief reading from fashion haiku‘s Kate Ironside who was rocking a serious classy jersey and pearls type ensemble.

I cannot express the perfection of the fashion haiku as a form of art, it’s such the perfect medium for expressing the wry mix of beauty, meaning and superficiality that is fashion – anyway I can’t express it like I said so if you follow one link today, make it this one and go read some. Your day will be enhanced.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - toast and biscuit - thewedordeadwager
Toast and Biscuit from the Wed or Dead Wager.

Second actual competing slammers (btw, I can’t type the word slammers without thinking about pogs) were a blog double act who use fake names as a matter of neccesity since they write with warts and all accuracy about their manic dating life in a race to get married. It’s a bit like an unrealistic romcom, but much much longer. They were very funny with self deprecating anecdotes, definite crowd pleasers. I think they had the advantage too of having an actual real life story to tell in their blog, it’s engaging and sympathetic and fresh.

I’m so used to hearing the female perspective on the frustrations of dating from my friends, the cliches that men who are confident enough to come on to you are usually after just one thing, or worse turn out to be creepy stalkers seem all too often to come true. So it’s quite nice to get the male perspective and hear about women’s strange behaviours in the dating arena with some pragmatism, while still coming from what is essentially an aim to settle down with someone nice, which creates a sort of reverse cliche.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - godwyns onwuchekwa
The next blogger, Godwyns Onwuchekwa “We are united to say: Never again, at least not by our own action.”

Godwyns is a serious political and LGBT rights blogger who performed a very moving blog post he had written to mark world AIDS day this year. He began by saying that following the Toast and Biscuit performance he would be boring us with serious stuff. He wasn’t boring, but he wasn’t wrong that it was a contrast. Escpecially as the next to stand up was in a similar romantic comedy vein;

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - scalene
Scalene.

Alright, maybe this is not news to you, but if you thought that the Wed or Dead Wager was a dose enough of apparently brutaly honest but at the same time surreally romcomesque male dating bloggery, Scalene may actually take you a step further. His blog allows internet strangers (the same people who comment on youtube videos) to make multiple “choose your own adventure” style decisions about his actual real life love life. In the recent post he read out he ended up actually honest to goodness chasing a girl to the airport. If there’s any justice this project will end in him being voted into not showing up for his own wedding. That’s the other thing that always happens in movies but NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. RIGHT?

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - tejasvi

Tejasvi looked particularly angelic in her floaty white top (sorry I lack the fashion nause to describe it accurately) in the pulpit. Her blog Clandestine Cigarettes is perhaps a more serious and romantic take on fashion, she read a very poetic piece but was sadly I think too nervous and lacked the projection to do it justice.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - lilly smiles Lilly Smiles of Laughter Lines, diary of a “fleet street fox”.

Lilly Smiles trod an interesting line between the serious and comic camps with her reading, which was from a blog post written at an extremely raw and hard time in her life – the details were hazy (understandably) but it was during an episode in which she was charged with attempted murder. It was heart rending, clear, honest and well written, but still witty. She almost painted tabloid journalism (her background) as a caring profession and she pre-empted her reading by telling us she burps when nervous. In a way this was the perfect piece for the evening: managing to keep the tone seperate and yet compelling, honest but sensationalist. Possibly this is what blogability means.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - bangs and a bun
Muireann Carey-Campbell or Bangs and a Bun.

Another reading from the Circus Bookazine; Muireann described herself as a humour fashion blogger but the piece she read was quite serious, looking at issues of the fashion industry’s epic denial the fatness of society. It was pretty interesting and she was a charismatic speaker, I’ve since started following her on twitter and she is an avid tweeter. She looked fabulous and clearly knew her stuff.

The final contestent in the blog-off arrived just in time to perform. She’d been in Norwich and rocked straight up to the pulpit and started channeling Lady Gaga, actually interspersing the reading from her blog ‘musings of an innapropriate woman’ with bouts of karaoke style singing.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - rachel hills
Rachel Hills with gold slit sunglasses – when they were down she was Gaga.

This is the blog post she read, but like all of the night’s blogs, it’s the tip of an iceberg. Rachel’s blog is a smart mix of gender, popular culture, creativity and general life observations; I like her because she’s not afraid to mix pop culture references with theory and critique. If I didn’t have an essay to write I might spend my whole weekend reading her back catalogue.

So with that the blog slam was concluded, there was some complex vote counting while I mused on the variety of performances. Really the variety of different styles and subject matters didn’t lend itself to a fair comparison, ideally there could have been a number of bloggers from certain categories and an award for each. But it wasn’t the Oscars, it was an experiment and to have done so might have made the whole thing seem overworked. In the end we were treated to a slice of a mix of what the blogosphere has to offer.

ameliasmagazine - blog slam - circus 2
the four minds and bodies behind the event and circus bookazine, preparing to award the prizes.

Rachel nabbed third place, probably as much for having rocked up at the last minute and being memorable in golden glasses and singing as anything else. The two top spots went to the romcom boys, Scalene in second place and Toast and Biscuit nabbing the top spot. There were a lot of qualities on show at the Rag Factory that night, but ultimately entertainment value probably bagged the biggest points. The number of people at the end of the night wearing the AIDS ribbons Godwins had given out is testament to the fact that the serious content was most surely not swept under the carpet.

The Bookazine (which, strangely, is somewhere between a book and a magazine) is a thing of beauty divine from a design point of view. You can see the love and thought that has gone into the project. The content is given room to breath and interspersed with sumptiously simple printed patterns. There are little nods to the web format of the blog that the book connects with, like the love you link page and tag cloud at the back. Part of the reason it’s so thick of course, is that all of the content is in English and German, which makes the project even more impressive – working with so many bloggers, writers, artists and translators must have been an epic undertaking. If only I had time to actually read it.

circus bookazine - Merily Leis
circus bookazine - Artikel von Digital Diamonds
images courtesy of Circus Bookazine

Written by Jenny Robins on Saturday October 2nd, 2010 12:07 am

Categories ,bangs and a bun, ,blog, ,blog slam, ,Bloggers, ,Circus, ,Circus Bookazine, ,design, ,event, ,fashion, ,fashion haiku, ,london, ,poetry, ,rachel hills, ,review, ,scalene, ,Sketch, ,Sketchbook mag, ,the londonist, ,the rag factory, ,the wed or dead wager

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Amelia’s Magazine | Circus Bookazine Launch and London Blog Slam

by

the crowd at circus bookazine blog slam
The crowd at circus bookazine blog slam, see buy minimalist cake catering, Asahi etc. the awesome tights belong to Muireann Carey-Campbell of Bangs and a Bun.

Amelia judged and I sketched history in the making at the Rag Factory last week. Well, almost: the first event was in Germany the week before so this was not an actual first. The concept I’m sure already has your mind a-boggling. I’m allways fascinated by how random little scenes and pockets of interlapping creativity and culture come together in these sorts of things. Circus explore the rich territory between print and web, passion and fashion and er, people and other people. I’ll talk more about the beautiful bookazine itself a bit later.

The competing bloggers were somewhat of a motley crew, in that the content was a little inconsistently weighted, a lot of fashion and two examples of male dating based humour blogging, a genre of which I was previously unaware. This was fair enough in a sense, the theme of the Bookazine issue is fashion, but it did make the handfull of bloggers on other themes seem a little incongruous.

The slammers were judged based on the scoring categories of originality, concept, delivery and “blogability”, a made up word. Aside from our own Amelia the jury consisted of Wafa from Sketchbook Magazine, Ben from quality Sheffield based Article Magazine, and Chris Osburn from the Londonist. All small press stars of substance and style of course. The competing bloggers performed from an old school church pulpit – a nice touch I think, sort of makes you think about how we choose who we listen to and respect these days, or it just looked pretty anyway – and were also interspersed with some readings from contributors from the bookazine.

marian librarian or Schmbari
Marian Schembari telling it like it isn’t but should be.

First up was Marian Librarian, a high flying international proffesional social media blogger of sorts, who talked affectingly about why she refuses to censor her blog, even after she was detained at immigration for swearing. You can read the entry she read here She has a healthy and sensible attitude to the importance of reality and personality in online content.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - kate ironside
Next up was a brief reading from fashion haiku‘s Kate Ironside who was rocking a serious classy jersey and pearls type ensemble.

I cannot express the perfection of the fashion haiku as a form of art, it’s such the perfect medium for expressing the wry mix of beauty, meaning and superficiality that is fashion – anyway I can’t express it like I said so if you follow one link today, make it this one and go read some. Your day will be enhanced.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - toast and biscuit - thewedordeadwager
Toast and Biscuit from the Wed or Dead Wager.

Second actual competing slammers (btw, I can’t type the word slammers without thinking about pogs) were a blog double act who use fake names as a matter of neccesity since they write with warts and all accuracy about their manic dating life in a race to get married. It’s a bit like an unrealistic romcom, but much much longer. They were very funny with self deprecating anecdotes, definite crowd pleasers. I think they had the advantage too of having an actual real life story to tell in their blog, it’s engaging and sympathetic and fresh.

I’m so used to hearing the female perspective on the frustrations of dating from my friends, the cliches that men who are confident enough to come on to you are usually after just one thing, or worse turn out to be creepy stalkers seem all too often to come true. So it’s quite nice to get the male perspective and hear about women’s strange behaviours in the dating arena with some pragmatism, while still coming from what is essentially an aim to settle down with someone nice, which creates a sort of reverse cliche.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - godwyns onwuchekwa
The next blogger, Godwyns Onwuchekwa “We are united to say: Never again, at least not by our own action.”

Godwyns is a serious political and LGBT rights blogger who performed a very moving blog post he had written to mark world AIDS day this year. He began by saying that following the Toast and Biscuit performance he would be boring us with serious stuff. He wasn’t boring, but he wasn’t wrong that it was a contrast. Escpecially as the next to stand up was in a similar romantic comedy vein;

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - scalene
Scalene.

Alright, maybe this is not news to you, but if you thought that the Wed or Dead Wager was a dose enough of apparently brutaly honest but at the same time surreally romcomesque male dating bloggery, Scalene may actually take you a step further. His blog allows internet strangers (the same people who comment on youtube videos) to make multiple “choose your own adventure” style decisions about his actual real life love life. In the recent post he read out he ended up actually honest to goodness chasing a girl to the airport. If there’s any justice this project will end in him being voted into not showing up for his own wedding. That’s the other thing that always happens in movies but NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. RIGHT?

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - tejasvi

Tejasvi looked particularly angelic in her floaty white top (sorry I lack the fashion nause to describe it accurately) in the pulpit. Her blog Clandestine Cigarettes is perhaps a more serious and romantic take on fashion, she read a very poetic piece but was sadly I think too nervous and lacked the projection to do it justice.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - lilly smiles Lilly Smiles of Laughter Lines, diary of a “fleet street fox”.

Lilly Smiles trod an interesting line between the serious and comic camps with her reading, which was from a blog post written at an extremely raw and hard time in her life – the details were hazy (understandably) but it was during an episode in which she was charged with attempted murder. It was heart rending, clear, honest and well written, but still witty. She almost painted tabloid journalism (her background) as a caring profession and she pre-empted her reading by telling us she burps when nervous. In a way this was the perfect piece for the evening: managing to keep the tone seperate and yet compelling, honest but sensationalist. Possibly this is what blogability means.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - bangs and a bun
Muireann Carey-Campbell or Bangs and a Bun.

Another reading from the Circus Bookazine; Muireann described herself as a humour fashion blogger but the piece she read was quite serious, looking at issues of the fashion industry’s epic denial the fatness of society. It was pretty interesting and she was a charismatic speaker, I’ve since started following her on twitter and she is an avid tweeter. She looked fabulous and clearly knew her stuff.

The final contestent in the blog-off arrived just in time to perform. She’d been in Norwich and rocked straight up to the pulpit and started channeling Lady Gaga, actually interspersing the reading from her blog ‘musings of an innapropriate woman’ with bouts of karaoke style singing.

jenny robins - blog slam - circus - rachel hills
Rachel Hills with gold slit sunglasses – when they were down she was Gaga.

This is the blog post she read, but like all of the night’s blogs, it’s the tip of an iceberg. Rachel’s blog is a smart mix of gender, popular culture, creativity and general life observations; I like her because she’s not afraid to mix pop culture references with theory and critique. If I didn’t have an essay to write I might spend my whole weekend reading her back catalogue.

So with that the blog slam was concluded, there was some complex vote counting while I mused on the variety of performances. Really the variety of different styles and subject matters didn’t lend itself to a fair comparison, ideally there could have been a number of bloggers from certain categories and an award for each. But it wasn’t the Oscars, it was an experiment and to have done so might have made the whole thing seem overworked. In the end we were treated to a slice of a mix of what the blogosphere has to offer.

ameliasmagazine - blog slam - circus 2
the four minds and bodies behind the event and circus bookazine, preparing to award the prizes.

Rachel nabbed third place, probably as much for having rocked up at the last minute and being memorable in golden glasses and singing as anything else. The two top spots went to the romcom boys, Scalene in second place and Toast and Biscuit nabbing the top spot. There were a lot of qualities on show at the Rag Factory that night, but ultimately entertainment value probably bagged the biggest points. The number of people at the end of the night wearing the AIDS ribbons Godwins had given out is testament to the fact that the serious content was most surely not swept under the carpet.

The Bookazine (which, strangely, is somewhere between a book and a magazine) is a thing of beauty divine from a design point of view. You can see the love and thought that has gone into the project. The content is given room to breath and interspersed with sumptiously simple printed patterns. There are little nods to the web format of the blog that the book connects with, like the love you link page and tag cloud at the back. Part of the reason it’s so thick of course, is that all of the content is in English and German, which makes the project even more impressive – working with so many bloggers, writers, artists and translators must have been an epic undertaking. If only I had time to actually read it.

circus bookazine - Merily Leis
circus bookazine - Artikel von Digital Diamonds
images courtesy of Circus Bookazine

Written by Jenny Robins on Saturday October 2nd, 2010 12:07 am

Categories ,bangs and a bun, ,blog, ,blog slam, ,Bloggers, ,Circus, ,Circus Bookazine, ,design, ,event, ,fashion, ,fashion haiku, ,london, ,poetry, ,rachel hills, ,review, ,scalene, ,Sketch, ,Sketchbook mag, ,the londonist, ,the rag factory, ,the wed or dead wager

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Amelia’s Magazine | 100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims

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100 Ideas That Changed Street Style by Josh Sims

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style is the new book from style guru Josh Sims, a charming fellow that I was lucky enough to first meet when I was just a lowly intern at The Face and Arena. Since those long ago days Josh has written for a diverse roster of publications, building up a well deserved reputation for his knowledge of fashion and style. This new book takes a look at how street styles have impacted the mainstream, helped to unite people, reinforced stereotypes and created social division, with text accompanied by iconic photography by the likes of Liz Johnson Artur. 100 Ideas That Changed Street Style is a must read for anyone intrigued by the way that fashion shapes society. Josh tells me more…

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims

When and why did your obsession with street style begin?
I can’t say it’s an obsession – sounds unhealthy – but I’ve always been interested in the cultural subtext of certain men’s fashion, especially in the UK. I was an 80s Casual so that sense of membership through sartorial detail has always been there.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims

What particular styles are your favourites, and why?
Mod I think did much to define modern menswear, though it’s bastard offspring skinhead is more exacting and memorable. I have a soft spot for the Japanese women’s street styles – decora, Lolita, gangaro etc. Crazy stuff.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims

Photo by Startracks Photo/Rex Features.

Did you struggle to differentiate between elements of any styles, and if so which ones were they?
Yes, the Japanese ones above. To outsider eyes they seem to blur into a general wackiness, especially to westerners. You have to be on the inside to see what’s what with those.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims Halloween Horse

Halloween Horse.

Have any styles influenced your own way of dress, and how have these influences changed over the years?
Other than the classic British men’s sub cultures – mod, two tone, skin head, casual – I can’t say they have; especially after, ahem, a certain age. You find your own uniform and tend to stick with it I think, or at least men do. Perhaps that’s just laziness.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims Dancehall Girls

Dancehall Girls.

Where do the richest sources of street style spring up from?
You mean geographically? In which case probably America is ahead on that. Culturally many tend to be fed by a shared appreciation for a certain kind of music – or some influence outside of fashion at least. The clothes are just a reflection of a shared fandom really.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims

In your introduction you question whether the concept of street style can still exist in a globalised fast moving digital age. If so what could replace clothing as a signifier of belonging or individualism?
I thick clothing will still play a part – the point is that we’re more and more confident in cherry picking our influences and dressing as individuals. Styles may be less underground in the future, but they will at least be our own.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims NorthernSoul

Northern Soul.

Can you share with us any clues about what to expect from the next big street style, in clothing or otherwise?
One considered for the book but dropped is more current than future – it’s a kind of blend of heritage workwear and Americana in menswear. It’s been fairly niche for a few years but is now entering the mainstream.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style: An interview with Josh Sims NorthernSoul

How has fatherhood altered or changed your approach to work and life?
Well as you know you end up with much less time and even less energy, so you have to work with greater efficiency. More positively still perhaps it gives you perspective – you realise what might be fascinating and fun but perhaps nowhere near as important as you perhaps thought it was. Like street styles for example. I think you’re just happier being yourself and less concerned about what strangers think of you – a concern that fashion is in part predicated on. Maybe that’s just being older…

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style- An interview with Josh Sims NorthernSoul - photo by Liz Johnson Artur

Photo by Liz Johnson Artur.

What are you working on next, do you have any sneak peaks you can share with us?
I wrote a book a while back called Icons of Men’s Style – about the history of the most important garments in the male wardrobe. So there’s a womenswear version of that on its way.

100 Ideas That Changed Street Style by Josh Sims is available now from Laurence King, priced £19.95.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday May 15th, 2014 2:30 pm

Categories ,100 Ideas That Changed Street Style, ,book, ,fashion, ,Icons of Men’s Style, ,Josh Sims, ,Laurence King, ,Liz Johnson-Artur, ,review, ,Street Style, ,Style

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with illustrator Petra Börner

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EMMA Jane Austen Petra borner
I have long admired the work of Swedish born illustrator Petra Börner, who brilliantly mixes Scandinavian and Arts and Crafts influences to create a style all her own. Her book cover for Emma by Jane Austen (artwork above) is nominated for the 2012 V&A illustration awards so I thought I’d find out what makes her tick. Be very inspired…

Petra Borner -studio
Petra Borner -studio
You have a very distinctive style – what are your greatest influences?
I still draw inspiration from objects and books I’ve collected since I was a teenager, books on school posters and photographic references on anatomy and plants and DIY books form the 70’s.
I like studying LP covers, especially ‘classical’ ones and browsing antique shops and I like drawing in public and from life.
I’ve been taught to be hands-on and ‘do’ from my family and I’ve learnt creative skills from my mother.
I like work by Max Ernst, Niki De Saint Phalle, Carl Johan De Geer and Katja of Sweden.
 
Petra Borner -studio
How long did it take you to come up with your look – was it a gradual process or were you always attracted to working in this way? 
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t really into drawing and making things.
It’s taken me a roundabout way to get to a place where drawing is central and a means to living though.
I suppose it’s good to pack many things in your bag along the way.
A friend of mine sent me a drawing I did when I was 18 and it looks just like my current work – that was quite shocking!
 
Petra Borner -studio
You trained as a fashion designer and had your own label until 2004 – why did you decide that your heart was in illustration and was it a hard decision to make? Any regrets?
It wasn’t a very hard choice to make at all.
I’ve always wanted to be an artist and my experience from the fashion helped build my drive.
I had quite a few tough and interesting years creating my label with partner Tove Johansson, but it felt right to finally focus on my goal.
In fashion I felt like a cowboy, a strange fish in a big pond!
 
Petra Borner -studio
Petra Borner -field print for Cacherel SS 2007
Petra Borner – field print for Cacharel SS 2007

In terms of moving across industries, did you have to develop a new set of contacts for illustration or was there a lot of crossover?
I’d illustrated a little for magazines parallel to my work in fashion, so I had a few contacts.
But generally, I had to start a fresh and it took a while to generate an interest.
With a fashion angle I broadened my chances and managed to bridge fashion and illustration into an interesting mix of commissions.
 
Petra Borner -studio
You’ve been based in London since 1994 – what brought you here and what keeps you here?
I came here to study Fashion whilst improving my English during a one- year foundation course.
It turned out to be an intense and exciting year leading onto a degree in Fashion at Central St Martins and my London roots grew deeper.
I lived in NY for a while which was great fun, but I seldom contemplate moving anywhere else now.
Having family ties here and in Sweden at times makes for an ambivalent longing for ‘home’.
London always keeps me on my toes.
 
Petra Borner -studio
Petra Borner -partridge bowl for Seto Seikei
Petra Borner – partridge bowl for Seto Seikei.

When you are working on illustration in a decorative capacity (on 3D objects etc.) what has been your favorite project to date? And why?
It’s amazing to be able to work on projects with open briefs, but with technical support to maximize the result.
I often wish I had more knowledge and skills of many crafts to increase the level of intricacy and open possibilities within a project, but sometimes it’s good not to know all the limitations before you start.
Collaborating with Studiothomson, Clements Ribeiro, Bally, Aquascutum, Seto Seikei and Jonathan Adler has also been interesting.
 
Petra Borner -studio
Petra Borner -gift box for systemet
Petra Borner – gift box for Systemet.

If we were to take a peek inside your inspiration library what would we find?
Books, paper scraps, comic books, postcards and photocopies on arts and crafts, design, pottery, folklore, nature, portraits, travelling and maps,  anatomy, animals, foods and eating, antiques, DIY books, interior design and architecture, rubbings and sculpture.
 
THE_LOVER petra borner
You have illustrated lots of book covers – which was the best book you had to read for a job?
I love ‘The Lover’ by Marguerite Duras.
 
How do you balance looking after a toddler with work? You are incredibly busy!
She’s managing me.
 
Petra Borner -summer papercut for Harper Collins
Petra Borner – summer papercut for Harper Collins.

Your logo adopts your father’s signature – do you come from a creative family and if so what do they do?
On my mums side of the family there is an army of hands on, inspiring creativity, a well of skills within all sorts of arts and crafts.
My father’s side holds many in a row of painters, a photographer and a composer.
Most of the paintings are portraits, still life’s and scenes from the sea, as we come from an island.
Most of my family members prosper academically and save their creativity for relaxation.
 
Petra Borner -studio
Petra Borner -greetings card for Habitat
Petra Borner – greetings card for Habitat.

Can you tell us about your new product range in collaboration with Studiothomson, aimed at encouraging writing and correspondence?
I’ve always been a keen letter writer and as a teenager I’d spend hours decorating envelops before posting them.
I like the time and thought that goes into handwritten letters and though it it’s ‘out-of-date’ as soon as it’s posted, it ‘s magical to receive them.
We are currently developing the prototypes for a range of bold products, which will make staying in touch with your friends a treat.
We are launching the collection early autumn 2012.
 
Petra Borner -studio
What kind of imagery can we expect in your new range of hand tufted fair trade rugs for the Design Museum?
This is an early collaboration and my designs are in the making.
The project is directed by Chris Haughton for Design Museum and involves a group of artists including Sanna Annukka, Donna Wilson, Jon Klassen and Neasden Control Centre, so the rugs should be a striking collection!
The limited edition rugs will be handmade in Nepal according to Fair Trade regulations and will be on display at the Design Museum this autumn.
 
Petra Borner -studio
You are also writing your own book about collectables – tell us more! What do you collect?
This is exciting!
Having been a keen flea-marketeer and collector since I was five, I am now in contrast ruthless about what I keep.
What I’ve kept has a real value (to me!) and I am assembling these objects into a journey of sorts.
 
Petra Borner -studio
Finally and not least you are nominated for the V&A illustration awards, and the winners will be announced tonight – what inspired the Emma artwork?
The first ideas for the cover of ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen, was sketched in the V&A.
I aimed to create a bold and lush interpretation of the novel in contrast to it often soft and feminine covers.
I decided to let her hand symbolize elements of the story.

Petra Borner -studio
Petra Börner sells her book cover artwork and much more on big cartel – so you can own your very own piece! See what else she’s up to on her website. I hope you win tonight Petra!

Read my review of the 2011 V&A Illustration Awards here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday June 11th, 2012 12:26 pm

Categories ,Aquascutum, ,Arts and Crafts, ,Bally, ,Cacharel, ,Carl Johan De Geer, ,Chris Haughton, ,Clements Ribeiro, ,Design Museum, ,Donna Wilson, ,Fair Trade, ,fashion, ,Habitat, ,Harper Collins, ,Jon Klassen, ,Jonathan Adler, ,Katja of Sweden, ,Made by Node, ,Marguerite Duras, ,Max Ernst, ,Neasden Control Centre, ,Niki De Saint Phalle, ,Petra Borner, ,rugs, ,Sanna Annukka, ,Scandinavian, ,Seto Seikei, ,Studiothomson, ,Systemet, ,Tove Johansson, ,V&A Illustration Awards

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Irrepressibles and Gabby Young & Other Animals, Live Review at the Barbican

by


All photography of Lily Vanilli goodies by Sally Mumby-Croft.

“So what do you do for Amelia?” a gentleman partygoer asks me. I tell him I’m one of her writers, buy cialis 40mg and he nods: “I’m Amelia’s father. I’m making myself useful, pharmacy ” he laughs, tadalafil pointing to the camera around his neck. See, we all want to be part of Amelia’s world, and last Friday many of us were gathered under one roof. Illustrators, writers, bloggers and friends were all there to celebrate the launch of Amelia Gregory’s latest creation – Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cakes by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cakes by Andrea Peterson.

123 Bethnal Green Road was already buzzing when I arrived, slightly late due to some last-minute fretting over my hair. I’m usually the wash-n-go type, but after following the steadily building party buzz on Twitter all day I’d started to realise some effort was required as this party was going to be of the colourful kind. Just have a flick through the book and you will see it couldn’t be any other ways, really – ACOFI is a riot of colour, creativity and inspiration.


MattBramford_ACOFI_Naomi and Jessica
Naomi Law and myself. Photography by Matt Bramford.

Despite having worked with several of the illustrators present, not knowing who was who made introductions a little tricky. But some were pretty recognisable from their self-drawn portraits, such as Abby Wright, Zarina Liew and Naomi Law.

MattBramford_ACOFI_anastasiaduck, ellen
Michael of AnastasiaDuck and Ellen of the Real Runway.

MattBramford_ACOFI_antonia,joana,abby
Antonia Parker, Joana Faria and Abby Wright. Photography by Matt Bramford.

After catching up with fellow Amelia’s Magazine writers Matt Bramford and Sally Mumby-Croft, I finally got to meet Helen Martin, Amelia’s new music editor, who had come from Bristol with her boyfriend.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Hannah Bullivant by Natasha Thompson.

After running into crafts columnist Hannah Bullivant and her husband, our little group hit the dance floor – enjoying a fantastic mix of music ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Mariah Carey. I had to make do without my boyfriend though, who had to take his coughing home to an early night. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy 6 Day Riot, a new discovery for me, and some excellent dancey tunes from The Pipettes and Will from Mystery Jets.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Will from the Mystery Jets DJs
Will from the Mystery Jets DJs.

An open bar served up Adnams beer and Vodka O – generously poured by bar boys and girls with some enviable dancing skills. The vodka was kicking the next morning, and I clearly remembered why I‘d sworn off the potato spirit years earlier. But all well worth it to see in this excellent book and meet the people who made it happen. Well done, Amelia – and thanks so much for having us.


GYandotheranimals2 Kayleigh Bluck
Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

She strutted on stage, more about knees rising high and her umbrella twiddling like a fairy’s shield.I wanted to take in the art work that was Gabby Young. For her outfit was an explosion of neck and hemline pomposity, her boots electric blue and stomping, and her right eye was surrounded by a blossoming flower type creation. Her signature vibrant red hair was piled high with blue and pink buns attached, whilst her face looked as beautiful as a doll’s.

GYandotheranimals1 KayleighBluck
Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

With this visual feast I felt revived from the previous evening’s late night antics at the ACOFI launch party (where Gabby also was), preceded by late night chats with a dear old friend and his girlfriend on the floor of their North London flat. Charlie beside me eating toast, we had spiraled from lively and boisterous to as sleepy as moles. The day had been spent on the Heath, and cushioned with carbohydrates. For the love of Gabby and The Irrepressibles, we had trekked to the utter freezing, shiny, high rise blocked world of the Barbican. And, ah it was a theatrical and stunning evening.

Gabby Young & Other Animals played a mixture of old and new tracks, there were lively jives and ballerinas with cut out megaphones flouncing through the audience. Liberating, FUN and creatively inspiring. We are told that a new song is about someone on stage. It is slow, pretty and meaningful. “I wonder who that’s for” semi-whispered Chaz, “I really like this one”. Me too. It was obvious throughout that Gabby has been classically trained. Her notes range up and down like carefully controlled billy-o. It appears easy for her to produce these notes, and indeed her operatic background serves her folk/jazz genre delightfully. We’re All In This Together brought about suitably pleased expressions and murmurs from the crowd. Its often played slow notes shot up and down my spine, before her voice gently streamed out like a delicate flower opening. It felt like an anthem.

irrespressibles by daria h

Illustration by Daria Hlazatova

Moving on, The Irrespressibles are theatre and gothic glitz. Wearing an enormous and glittery hat from Philip Treacy, Jamie McDermott is basically DRAMA. As the singer, the composer and the spectacle, McDermott has a knack of being captivating to the point of eye locked awe. And he orchestrated the whole event superbly, his stage presence perfectly matching the flashing lights, and blasting instrumentals.

Irrepressibles by Faye West
Illustration of cellist, Nicole Robson by Faye West

The rest of the band both compliment him, but also stand alone as individually beautiful creations. And I mean creations. Each of the nine musicians on stage seemed like a Tim Burton fantasy. Moving in unison and then malfunctioning, like bad robots, they move chaotically about like gothic Toy Story characters. Expressions remain serious and playing, precise and perfect. Each wears beautiful outfits, skimming over bodies with a wink of the eye. See this for a taster of what I mean. It’s INCREDIBLE:

Darkness/light/suspense/breathing/noise/explosion/catwalk – Ooo! Highlights included Nuclear Skies, Knife Song and In Your Eyes. But to be honest the whole set was a triumph. The crowd adored them and the atmosphere was hugely flamboyant and expressively fun. The soaring vocals and dramatic instrument use was just breathtaking. With the emotion of Anthony and The Johnsons, but the Brit extravaganza charm of David Bowie, Jamie McDermott is delicious. With the rest of the band, THE IRREPRESSIBLES are unstoppable.

Written by Helen Martin on Wednesday February 2nd, 2011 4:09 pm

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Anthony and The Johnsons, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,David Bowie, ,drama, ,fashion, ,Faye West, ,folk, ,Gabby Young and Other Animals, ,gothic, ,Hampstead Heath, ,Helen Martin, ,Jamie McDermott, ,jazz, ,Kayleigh Bluck, ,live, ,london, ,music, ,show, ,The Barbican Centre, ,the irrepressibles, ,theatre

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Amelia’s Magazine | Illustrated Interview between Kate Nash and Rebekah Roy

by

Kate Nash by Avril Kelly

I’m not sure how many of you are (or should I say were) familiar with the Fashion Business Club, sildenafil but for those who aren’t, sales the FBC acted as London’s member’s only fashion networking event group. Headed up by Courtney Blackman and Alison Whelan, it boasted a growing membership within the fashion community, interviews with likes of Laura Bailey and Sarah Curran and a partnership with Vogue.com. Due to it’s impressive success over the last five years, they have now rebranded…meet The Industry.

Kate Nash by Claire Kearns


Kate Nash by Sandra Contreras

Although the name has changed, the event is still held in the Swarovski Lounge once a month (at the slightly later time of 5pm) and it was, as usual packed out with retailers, PRs, editors, journalists and insider experts. For it’s inaugural meeting, there was an enthusiastic and lengthy question and answer section at the end. The interview between singer Kate Nash and her stylist, Rebekah Roy was relaxed, interesting and compelling to listen to – the interviewee attributes this to being interviewed by a friend: ‘you get to speak about things that you care about – I remember getting hot in the open q & a section because I was talking so passionately about something’ Nash comments.

Commenting on the female presence within the music industry, she explained her style as being one which reflects her personality both in her performances and her day to day life. Her intelligent comments on the nature of current successful female performers and the music business’ preoccupation with more sexualised women within the industry really struck a chord – why is it that record sales are largely dominated by those that are sexy by definition and not much more?

Kate Nash by Sumi Senthi

I was struck by how frank and honest Nash was about both the music industry and her opinions on fashion – it was refreshing to hear her honest answers throughout the session and also to find out that she used to work in Nando’s!

Written by Florence Massey on Thursday August 4th, 2011 11:14 pm

Categories ,Avril Kelly, ,Claire Kearns, ,Courtney Blackman, ,fashion, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Kate Nash, ,london, ,music, ,Rebekah Roy, ,Sandra Contreras, ,Sumi Senthi, ,Swarovski Lounge, ,The Industry, ,Womenswear

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Amelia’s Magazine | Ahoy there Amelia’s Magazine! What’s your fave Christmas song?

by

snowdragon-by-lorraine-nam

Illustration by Lorraine Nam

Back with post two on Christmas music. I hope post one was enlightening. Now let’s see what the chaps at Amelia’s Magazine love to listen to at Christmas time. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE xx

2000 miles by Karina Yarv

Illustration by Karina Jarv

Karina Jarv – Illustrator
Of course there are always a lot of favourite Christmas songs… It’s Christmas, information pills there is a fantastic mood in the air and you want to listen to something very old and familiar to you. The same thing is with me. ONE of my favourites is ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby. But to be honest my current favourite is the ‘2000 miles’ cover by 6 Day Riot. Everything is so perfect there for me: magical voice, amazing sound… Yes, the original song is great, but this sounds a little bit more personal. When I hear this song I want to put the kettle on, take a warm bath and good book with me and wait for someone…very special…’to come back’ to me someday.

Amelia Xmas

Amelia Gregory

Amelia Gregory – Our Magazine Leader
Do they know it’s Christmas? from 1984 – because it reminds me of being young. I love that all the famous pop stars of the era are featured in it, but it was still so craply done – no stylists on hand in those days. Of course it was cheesy even then but I was given a 7″ for my birthday which I still treasure.

YouTube Preview Image

And as I discovered watching the Frisky and Mannish show at the Lyric Theatre, it encompasses all the essential elements of a Christmas tune – obvious references to Christmas, innuendo, pathos, political context, bells and a sing-a-long chorus. An absolute classic.

Faye

Faye West

Faye West – Illustrator
So hard to choose, but it will have to be Mariah Carey‘s All I Want for Christmas (is that what it’s called?!), reminds me of being 14, in New Look shopping for a Christmas Disco outfit in 1998, the year we did a dance to Spice Girls for the Christmas assembly. I chose a gold glittery vest top with a blue velvet mini skirt as had Geri Halliwell in mind. The song makes so many of us excited. And then the fun of dancing to it in summery June in ‘Boombox’ a few years ago!

hippo-xmas-by-lorraine-nam

Illustration by Lorraine Nam

Lorraine Nam – Illustrator
I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas is my favourite Christmas song. It’s funny and silly and it has a great background story to it. The little girl ends up actually getting a hippopotamus and donates it to the local zoo. 

Martin from Principal Colour – Amelia’s Book Publisher
Amelia has been working with Principal Colour since 2004. They have a close relationship, enabling her to do lots of new, experimental things when printing covers – like the pearlescent cover in the latest book, Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration available now here. Martin says his fave Christmas song is: Without doubt it has to be “merry xmas everybody” by slade, when I was young it was what Christmas was about and then when a bit older in the pubs was the sing along of choice (and apparently I used to look a bit like Noddy Holder – don’t know if that’s a compliment or not to be honest).

Matt Bramford Christmas Grump

Matt Bramford

Matt Bramford – Amelia’s Magazine Fashion Editor
Mine is Jona Lewie’s Stop The Cavalry because it’s so silly and I get to do my infamous fawn dance.

slow club by karolina burdon

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

Hannah

Hannah Bullivant

Hannah Bullivant – Writer Contributor – craft extraordinaire
Ok my favourite christmas song is It’s Christmas and You’re Boring Me by Slow Club, because its beautiful…even though i feel the opposite about my mister, I just love it.

Rob photo

Robert Harris

Robert Harris – Writer Contributor
I love Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. It’s got a lovely lilting, folky melody – it’s actually based on an old folk standard called Stewball. It’s a protest song about the Vietnam War, which makes it 100 times more meaningful than anything by Slade, and it’s one of the few credible Christmas songs. Well, until Yoko Ono starts singing…

Elvis-Christmas-Album-by-Mina-Bach

Illustration by Mina Bach

Mina Bach – Illustrator
The Elvis Christmas Album is an absolute MUST at Christmas for me!

jess_upperstreet

Jessica Furseth

Jessica Furseth – Writer Contributor
My favourite Christmas song is probably ‘Silent night’. It reminds me of what Christmas was like when I was a kid, when it was sort of magic. Where I grew up there weren’t really any Christmas-themed pop songs, so I don’t really like those as they don’t hold any significance for me. So yes, I like the old-fashioned songs.

Wham illustration by Avril Kelly

Illustration by Avril Kelly

Avril Kelly – Illustrator
Wham! Last Christmas. It is the ultimate cheesefest of Christmas songs, I hear it every Christmas in the car on the way to visit family and friends. Everyone always sings along loudly and rather terribly, it has to be said. It’s fun and cheesy and just I love it.

Abby Wright

Abby Wright – Illustrator
Well this is a hard question, I love Christmas songs, especially those I can sing or dance to. In particular I love Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie, Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon and Band Aid’s Do They Know it’s Christmas. My favourite ever though would have to be Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade. It makes me so happy, and it’s a song that i’m guaranteed to dance to and get a sore throat singing to! It’s fun, cheerful and just what Christmas should be. I hope one year soon we will have an actual Christmas song for Christmas number one again!

Jingle Bell Rock by Chloe Cook

Illustration by Chloe Cook

Chloe Cook – Illustrator
Jingle Bell Rock by Billy Idol. I’ve chosen this song because I absolutely L-O-V-E Billy Idol, and I also love Christmas, so it’s putting my two favourite things together. Also I just think that it’s quite a funny thing that such a massively known punk rocker has done a cutesy little Christmas song, and I think more people should listen to it!!

Daria Hlazatova – Illustrator
I know what you’ll say about my favourite Christmas song being “Jingle bells rock” by Bobby Helms – “cheeky!” Well, I first heard it as a child in “Home Alone: Lost in NYC” and loved it. Since then it became associated with this city until finally some years later I found myself in NYC at Christmas completely alone. I remember hearing this song when passing Macy’s and being hit by a wave of nostalgia. Cheeky dreams come true at Christmas, I thought! Hope your Christmas is a happy one!

Helen Martin

Me – Helen Matin

Helen Martin – Writer Contributor
Christmas TV by Slow Club is my favourite Christmas song. It makes me happy. Tender, honest, true and full of yearning. Gorgeous.

Written by Helen Martin on Wednesday December 22nd, 2010 5:40 pm

Categories ,6 Day Riot, ,Abby Wright, ,Amelia Gregory, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,Avril Kelly, ,band aid, ,Bobby Helms, ,books, ,Chloe Cook, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,Editor, ,Elvis, ,fashion, ,Faye West, ,Frisky and Mannish show at the Lyric Theatre, ,George Michael, ,Geri Halliwell, ,Hannah Bullivant, ,Helen Martin, ,Jessica Furseth, ,John Lennon, ,Jona Lewie, ,Karina Jarv, ,Karolina Burdon, ,Lorraine Nam, ,Macy’s, ,Mariah Carey, ,Matt Bramford, ,Mina Bach., ,New Look, ,new york, ,principal colour, ,publishing, ,Robert Harris, ,slade, ,Slow Club, ,Spice Girls, ,Wham!, ,Yoko Ono

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Fantastic Patrick Wolf

by

thumbnail ross crawford TFL-PENNY
You don’t have long left to visit the Cycling in London Exhibition at the London Transport Museum!

mark taplin cycling

Bike by Mark Taplin

Sorry about that, click it is in the listings, possibly you are even reading this after the exhibition has closed in which case HELLO IN THE FUTURE (look out for flying cars, in the London Transport Museum, which would be the appropriate place, just don’t pay the £10 entrance fee in hope of seeing illustrations if they have already gone.)

This is the second collaborative competition venture the Association of Illustrators and the Museum have undertaken. Due to some factors, possibly such as their acquiring of a twitter account since last year this one was considerably more competitive than the last. I have it from the actual woman whose job it was to count them that there were over 3000 entries for the 50 places in the exhibition. Am I still a little bitter that I didn’t get in? Only a little, as the standard of the work that did get in is in general very high indeed.

kevin ward cycling

Life cycles by Kevin Ward

It’s a beautiful show that really exemplifies the amazing wealth and variety of Illustration talent around. Not all of the work was to my taste but given the breadth of styles included that’s not really surprising; the AOI on typically excellent form at celebrating the medium.

Amidst the variety of work from established and unknown artists some trends are discernable; many illustrators have worked in animals either using the London Zoo as an iconic destination or including pigeons or dogs to help out with the green association as this is after all an exhibition exonerating the environmental benefits of cycling in the city (woo – go bikes).

Some pieces like Jove’s beautifully designed utopian poster, Jessid Ford’s gorgeous graphic colours ‘A to B and all the sights in between’ print and Mark Taplin’s lovely single colour classic screen print style image echo the classic transport posters which the London Transport Museum has long loved and displayed and sold on postcards.

Courtney Lee Boardmay cyclingthe only way to see London by Courtney Lee

Although this was my first visit to the Museum it does seem to have this dual personality. The visiting tourist children who must surely be its main market come for the fun interactive displays, the chance to get photographed driving a routemaster, and apparently the chance to run around and collect holes punched in a gotta catch em all style transport treasure trail. A brand new Boris Bicycle is the centrepiece in the tucked away gallery space where the show is housed and while I was there families and older children in groups often came in, checked off the bike on their list and left again with not more than a passing glance at the art on the walls.

I hope there are people like me and the other lone visitor giving a significant amount of time to the exhibition that also come to the Museum for its other angle – the amazing wealth it has in its association with artists both in projects like Cycling in London and other initiatives like art on the underground which has been going for years and features inspiring new art on underground station walls and in their outstanding collection of classic advertising posters which London Transport has commissioned over the decades. Many of these can be seen adorning souvenirs and postcards in the Museum shop – which happily can be accessed without paying the entrance fee. Perhaps more people would be likely to see this exhibition if it could be accessed separately from the Museum proper at a reduced fee.

rachel lillie leaf

Rachel Lillie’s first prize winning entry

Perhaps they could have also chosen a different image other than the winning illustration to use on their posters advertising the show which have been well spread across the city. I don’t wish to say anything against the judges choice or Rachel Lillie’s beautiful piece but as an eye catching image with a wide appeal I think there were many pieces in the show that would have been a better choice.
Evgenia Barinova’s awesome striking poster like piece on wood for example which dominates the far end of the room with its inspirational message ‘if Super Heroes couldn’t fly they’d ride a Bike!’ or Laura Callaghan’s fantastically serene flying cyclists setting a joyful example and clearly having more fun than their tube riding counterparts.

Laura Callaghan

Freewheel by Laura Callaghan

There are things that make illustration itself, rather than fine art, and things that make it great. Looking at their selection of winners the AOI clearly are big fans of the medium’s capacity for a sort of dualistic immediacy – a leaf which is also a map, an aerial view which is also a bicycle and nature and cyclists incorporated into a beautiful decorative inclusive layout in the tradition of a William Morris wallpaper. (I’d quite like a Mia Nilsson wallpaper actually – anyone from Habitat buying reading?). They seem to have favoured visual sense and simple dense colour over drawing or realism. This is an ideal in illustration that I think some people seem to put on a bit of a pedestal but as I said before it is far from the only style on show.

amelia's magazine - AOI - Mia Nilssonclose up of Mia Nillson‘s winning artwork

Another quality of illustration – it’s relationship with and commentary on popular culture is also much in evidence here; Jamie Wieck’s hilarious the joy of cycling being an obvious standout with subtler cultural references in Patrick O’leary’s mods on push bikes instead of scooters and Ross Crawford’s lovely cockney rhyming poster combining the classic and bang up to date cultural takeoff (blessedly does not actually include the over used ‘keep calm and…’). ‘Many Artists Who Do One Thing’s awesome circus graffiti style poster is cheeky but to the point – cycling is fun, and a little bit revolutionary.

jamie wieck joy-of-cycling-2The Joy of Cycling by Jamie Wieck

ross crawford TFL-PENNYLook after your Jam tart by Ross Crawford

Also present are our gorgeous children’s book style contingent with their universal appeal; Kevin Ward’s fantastic animal charactrers in retro colours(?) and Courtney Lee Bourdman’s happy happy tourists on their double decker bicycle bus (clearly uniting the Museum’s selling points perfectly); Catherine Denvir combines digital techniques for a more tongue in cheek surreal childish quality.

ignat reljic bicylclingSpeed Cycling by IGnjat Reljic Djuric

The strong classic illustrative style of simple expressive drawing is exemplified by Ignjat Reljic Djuric’s perfectly balanced piece where the cyclist seems like a plucky underdog to the epic red buildings; old favourite Belle Mellor provides a fantastically idiosyncratic interpretation although not the only illustrator to use London landmarks as hats (make of that what you will) – David Hughes also does this with as ever lovely ink lettering and layout. Judit Ferencz’s hand drawn image makes excellent use of space and Alex Bitskoff also uses layout magnificently (although not simply) with his richly coloured city wave erupting into the clean environmental space.

judit ferencz leisurely

allways leisurely with Bicycle by Judit Ferencz

One of the things I like about illustration is that in this medium quick simple execution and epic complex work are equally as valid. What matters in an illustration is the impact and the joy and the communication. And illustrators can be amazingly skilled at thinking of new conceptual and exciting ways of presenting the same idea – their bread and butter work is often sexing up the figures in business magazines after all. Some of these pieces clearly got in to the final 50 for the idea used, others for the execution.

amelias magazine - jenny robins - cycling

what’s that? you’ve snuck in your own unsuccesful entry to the competition Jenny Robins? cheeky bint.

I’ve not even talked about my very favourite school of illustration present in Cycling in London! – I love me some collage and there are fantastic examples in the work of Alison Bell whose lovely retro collage and print techniques clearly echoes the recent Varoom feature on the resurgence of the medium (how could they not include it then?); Lianne Harrison makes cool creepy bus-stop characters and Tracy Long’s tiny magazine faces on fancifull animal cyclists stole my heart, although I don’t think St Paul’s in the background adds anything. I imagine she added it to fit the brief about Cycling in London but looking at what else has got through I think she could have got away without it.

lianne harrison cycling

Goodbye to the Hustle and Bustle by Lianne Harrison

Tracey Long 222303_eye-eye-cycle-round-londonEye Eye around London by Tracy Long’

I was running out of time before closing but just had time to check out Georgina Brookes’ awesome cutouty graphic layering and Clayton Junior’s ace layout and colours employing a classic illustration immediate impact swap technique.

I had to leave through a secret staircase and the Museum employee waiting to lock up behind me smiled beautifully saying “interesting exhibition isn’t it?”
Well yes, it most definitely is, but the wording of the comment shows the attitude that this is something unusual is still the norm. I go to more illustration exhibitions than fine art ones, and in this world it’s easy to forget that to most people it’s still a bit of a non-concept. (you’re an illustrator eh? Cartoons? No? Book covers then? – sound familiar?) And good on the LTM for putting on projects like this but the way it’s presented on the posters and tucked away at the back of the museum still seem to me to reinforce it’s esotericness. Which is just a little sad. But let’s not end on a down note. Maybe illustration is like the poor relation of art – but is not the bicycle the poor relation of the car? And which is cooler, greener more, you know, government endorsed? On your bike kids.
You don’t have long left to visit the Cycling in London Exhibition at the London Transport Museum!

mark taplin cycling

Bike by Mark Taplin

Sorry about that, it is in the listings, link possibly you are even reading this after the exhibition has closed in which case HELLO IN THE FUTURE (look out for flying cars, visit web in the London Transport Museum, which would be the appropriate place, just don’t pay the £10 entrance fee in hope of seeing illustrations if they have already gone.)

This is the second collaborative competition venture the Association of Illustrators and the Museum have undertaken. Due to some factors, possibly such as their acquiring of a twitter account since last year this one was considerably more competitive than the last. I have it from the actual woman whose job it was to count them that there were over 3000 entries for the 50 places in the exhibition. Am I still a little bitter that I didn’t get in? Only a little, as the standard of the work that did get in is in general very high indeed.

kevin ward cycling

Life cycles by Kevin Ward

It’s a beautiful show that really exemplifies the amazing wealth and variety of Illustration talent around. Not all of the work was to my taste but given the breadth of styles included that’s not really surprising; the AOI on typically excellent form at celebrating the medium.

Amidst the variety of work from established and unknown artists some trends are discernable; many illustrators have worked in animals either using the London Zoo as an iconic destination or including pigeons or dogs to help out with the green association as this is after all an exhibition exonerating the environmental benefits of cycling in the city (woo – go bikes).

Some pieces like Jove’s beautifully designed utopian poster, Jessid Ford’s gorgeous graphic colours ‘A to B and all the sights in between’ print and Mark Taplin’s lovely single colour classic screen print style image echo the classic transport posters which the London Transport Museum has long loved and displayed and sold on postcards.

Courtney Lee Boardmay cyclingthe only way to see London by Courtney Lee

Although this was my first visit to the Museum it does seem to have this dual personality. The visiting tourist children who must surely be its main market come for the fun interactive displays, the chance to get photographed driving a routemaster, and apparently the chance to run around and collect holes punched in a gotta catch em all style transport treasure trail. A brand new Boris Bicycle is the centrepiece in the tucked away gallery space where the show is housed and while I was there families and older children in groups often came in, checked off the bike on their list and left again with not more than a passing glance at the art on the walls.

I hope there are people like me and the other lone visitor giving a significant amount of time to the exhibition that also come to the Museum for its other angle – the amazing wealth it has in its association with artists both in projects like Cycling in London and other initiatives like art on the underground which has been going for years and features inspiring new art on underground station walls and in their outstanding collection of classic advertising posters which London Transport has commissioned over the decades. Many of these can be seen adorning souvenirs and postcards in the Museum shop – which happily can be accessed without paying the entrance fee. Perhaps more people would be likely to see this exhibition if it could be accessed separately from the Museum proper at a reduced fee.

rachel lillie leaf

Rachel Lillie’s first prize winning entry

Perhaps they could have also chosen a different image other than the winning illustration to use on their posters advertising the show which have been well spread across the city. I don’t wish to say anything against the judges choice or Rachel Lillie’s beautiful piece but as an eye catching image with a wide appeal I think there were many pieces in the show that would have been a better choice.
Evgenia Barinova’s awesome striking poster like piece on wood for example which dominates the far end of the room with its inspirational message ‘if Super Heroes couldn’t fly they’d ride a Bike!’ or Laura Callaghan’s fantastically serene flying cyclists setting a joyful example and clearly having more fun than their tube riding counterparts.

Laura Callaghan

Freewheel by Laura Callaghan

There are things that make illustration itself, rather than fine art, and things that make it great. Looking at their selection of winners the AOI clearly are big fans of the medium’s capacity for a sort of dualistic immediacy – a leaf which is also a map, an aerial view which is also a bicycle and nature and cyclists incorporated into a beautiful decorative inclusive layout in the tradition of a William Morris wallpaper. (I’d quite like a Mia Nilsson wallpaper actually – anyone from Habitat buying reading?). They seem to have favoured visual sense and simple dense colour over drawing or realism. This is an ideal in illustration that I think some people seem to put on a bit of a pedestal but as I said before it is far from the only style on show.

amelia's magazine - AOI - Mia Nilssonclose up of Mia Nillson‘s winning artwork

Another quality of illustration – it’s relationship with and commentary on popular culture is also much in evidence here; Jamie Wieck’s hilarious the joy of cycling being an obvious standout with subtler cultural references in Patrick O’leary’s mods on push bikes instead of scooters and Ross Crawford’s lovely cockney rhyming poster combining the classic and bang up to date cultural takeoff (blessedly does not actually include the over used ‘keep calm and…’). ‘Many Artists Who Do One Thing’s awesome circus graffiti style poster is cheeky but to the point – cycling is fun, and a little bit revolutionary.

jamie wieck joy-of-cycling-2The Joy of Cycling by Jamie Wieck

ross crawford TFL-PENNYLook after your Jam tart by Ross Crawford

Also present are our gorgeous children’s book style contingent with their universal appeal; Kevin Ward’s fantastic animal charactrers in retro colours(?) and Courtney Lee Bourdman’s happy happy tourists on their double decker bicycle bus (clearly uniting the Museum’s selling points perfectly); Catherine Denvir combines digital techniques for a more tongue in cheek surreal childish quality.

ignat reljic bicylclingSpeed Cycling by IGnjat Reljic Djuric

The strong classic illustrative style of simple expressive drawing is exemplified by Ignjat Reljic Djuric’s perfectly balanced piece where the cyclist seems like a plucky underdog to the epic red buildings; old favourite Belle Mellor provides a fantastically idiosyncratic interpretation although not the only illustrator to use London landmarks as hats (make of that what you will) – David Hughes also does this with as ever lovely ink lettering and layout. Judit Ferencz’s hand drawn image makes excellent use of space and Alex Bitskoff also uses layout magnificently (although not simply) with his richly coloured city wave erupting into the clean environmental space.

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allways leisurely with Bicycle by Judit Ferencz

One of the things I like about illustration is that in this medium quick simple execution and epic complex work are equally as valid. What matters in an illustration is the impact and the joy and the communication. And illustrators can be amazingly skilled at thinking of new conceptual and exciting ways of presenting the same idea – their bread and butter work is often sexing up the figures in business magazines after all. Some of these pieces clearly got in to the final 50 for the idea used, others for the execution.

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what’s that? you’ve snuck in your own unsuccesful entry to the competition Jenny Robins? cheeky bint.

I’ve not even talked about my very favourite school of illustration present in Cycling in London! – I love me some collage and there are fantastic examples in the work of Alison Bell whose lovely retro collage and print techniques clearly echoes the recent Varoom feature on the resurgence of the medium (how could they not include it then?); Lianne Harrison makes cool creepy bus-stop characters and Tracy Long’s tiny magazine faces on fancifull animal cyclists stole my heart, although I don’t think St Paul’s in the background adds anything. I imagine she added it to fit the brief about Cycling in London but looking at what else has got through I think she could have got away without it.

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Goodbye to the Hustle and Bustle by Lianne Harrison

Tracey Long 222303_eye-eye-cycle-round-londonEye Eye around London by Tracy Long’

I was running out of time before closing but just had time to check out Georgina Brookes’ awesome cutouty graphic layering and Clayton Junior’s ace layout and colours employing a classic illustration immediate impact swap technique.

I had to leave through a secret staircase and the Museum employee waiting to lock up behind me smiled beautifully saying “interesting exhibition isn’t it?”
Well yes, it most definitely is, but the wording of the comment shows the attitude that this is something unusual is still the norm. I go to more illustration exhibitions than fine art ones, and in this world it’s easy to forget that to most people it’s still a bit of a non-concept. (you’re an illustrator eh? Cartoons? No? Book covers then? – sound familiar?) And good on the LTM for putting on projects like this but the way it’s presented on the posters and tucked away at the back of the museum still seem to me to reinforce it’s esotericness. Which is just a little sad. But let’s not end on a down note. Maybe illustration is like the poor relation of art – but is not the bicycle the poor relation of the car? And which is cooler, greener more, you know, government endorsed? On your bike kids.

Illustration by Farzeen Jabbar

When you think of visually aware musicians, medical the likes Madonna, seek David Bowie, Grace Jones and Prince come to mind. Although the success of their lengthy careers is more likely to be because of their ever changing musical styles, their evolving image played a huge part in their rise to success, defining eras along the way. Today, Lady GaGa is one of the only pop stars who puts as much thought and time into her image. Thing is, what she gets applauded for, Patrick Wolf wore six months earlier and was mostly ridiculed.

South London, 1983, and Patrick Apps was born into a creative family. An awkward childhood, where he sued his All-boys school for failing to deal with persistent bullying due to him being ‘too feminine’. He spent his evenings amongst drag queens in Soho clubs and joined the art collective Minty. Living in these two completely different worlds helped the confused and lost boy determined to prove his doubters. Using the winnings from the court case he bought a piano and left home, aged sixteen with no qualifications but a dream of pop stardom. Patrick Wolf was born. Each album has seen a new Patrick Wolf, not just musically but also in looks and personality. 

Aged twenty he finally got what he had been battling for, a record deal. Debut album, Lycanthropy was a showcase record covering every side of the singer as well as songs that he had written in his early teens. The record struggled to grab attention but he wasn’t going to give up. During this period he sported bleach blonde hair (a look he would go back to later in his career) and became some sort of anti-fashion hero as he dressed in charity shop attire.  
After a two-year struggle things began to look-up as his second album, Wind In The Wires grabbed attention from the right places. After the previous couple of years, Patrick had become a lot darker – visually at least. Gone was the blonde mop; a lengthier black cut arrived with a mysterious British look took place. The singer hid behind his fringe shyly and the flamboyance of his youth had gone. 


Illustration by Faye West

2007 arrived with the biggest chance for Patrick to become the pop star he dreamt of becoming. After building up a loyal fan-base and with two critically acclaimed records under his belt, he signed away his life to major label Universal. Although they gave him a big budget to record his most mainstream-viable material on The Magic Position he was forced into things he didn’t want to do and lost his freedom. Arriving with this upbeat record came dyed red hair, a lot of glitter and clothes designed by up-and-coming London designers riding the waves of the ‘new rave’ movement. The colourful character become victim of the paparrazi whilst falling out of nightclubs with the likes of Peaches Geldof and new friend Agyness Deyn, who he also modelled with on the Burberry campaign along with fellow musicians including Edward Larrikin. A turbulent and chaotic couple of years followed which almost broke him but he came out of it and learnt a lot. 

There were dark sides in this period where he dabbled with drugs and his sexuality, which gave him both a journey to be told in his fourth album, The Bachelor, and a new image. The peroxide hair was back but this time, showing power rather than vulnerability, partnered with bondage attire that included lots of leather. The lost boy had grown into a man aiming to shock with his punk attitude, but in today’s world he didn’t shock, he was just ignored. During his gigs for this album he had costume changes that included huge shoulder pads, hedgehog-esq spikes, high-heels and the Madonna inspired headset. Pretty soon afterwards, the fashion world were obsessing over Lady GaGa who took the same look but with a bigger budget. This period in Patrick’s life and career concluded in a spectacular show that took place at the London Palladium in November 2009 where he put every effort into making this memorable. 


Illustration by Krister Selin

That was the last ‘proper’ gig he played until he performed at West London’s Bush Hall this month which was a much more intimate affair. As he had been hidden away recording the follow-up to last years The Bachelor, it was unclear which of Patrick’s personalities would show up and what direction his music would take.. 
The sold out crowd that included everybody from sixteen year old girls to sixty year old men waited in anticipation to see what was in-store next. As his band arrived on-stage, suited and booted, Patrick followed looking equally smart with a new short dark hair-cut and a suit jacket, under which was a polka-dot jumpsuit…obviously. Although there was no new material, this set included tracks from all four albums. He played with a smile on his face and spoke with honesty in between songs apologising for his behaviour in The Magic Position period. He seemed generally embarrassed about his past and ‘selling his soul’ when modelling for Burberry, or Primark as he claimed as it was just to pay his rent. 


Illustration by Meera Lee

Is this Patrick Wolf growing up? He has almost gone a full circle back to the Lycanthropy days but with nothing to prove and nothing to hide. Or is he still evolving into Patrick Wolf 5.0?

Written by Matt Pinder on Thursday August 19th, 2010 5:31 pm

Categories ,Farzeen Jabbar, ,fashion, ,Faye West, ,Krister Selin, ,Lady Gaga, ,Live Review, ,Magic Position, ,Meera Lee, ,music, ,Patrick Wolf

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Amelia’s Magazine | Of Montreal: Live Review

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Recently discussing with a fellow fashion blogger the growing interest in the Scandinavian fashion world, information pills treatment she quipped that it was very easy for Scandinavians to be fashionable; after all, link each and every one of them seem to be all long legs and white blonde hair. Her remark seemed to suggest that perhaps the Scandinavians have no street style genius or imaginative flair when it comes to dressing. Indeed, sale the stereotype of beautiful dumb models hailing from the North of Europe is far from rare – but there’s something going on over there that’s worth a bit of investigating.

Taking just one look at street style websites Lookbook or the Face Hunter confronts us with the fresh new faces of Scandinavian fashion. The majority of the most ‘hyped’ looks on Lookbook come from sassy, fashionable (and often very young) North Europeans, hailing from Stockholm, Helsinki and beyond. Indeed, for a clear picture of Swedish success on Lookbook, just look at “Shelley M, 18 year old art student and blogger from Sweden,” with her knack of combining little girl cuteness (headbands and bows) with serious sex appeal (short black skirts and lace) topped off with crazy heels and splashes of kitsch accessories straight out of Tatty Devine.

And she’s not a lone phenomenon. Sporting brave and bold urban prints in vivid colours, these bright young things from Scandinavian meccas of style exude a perfect blend of 90s skate culture with Clueless‘ Cher Horowitz, with her high school polished, blonde doll-faced perfection. See Amelia’s Magazine’s recent articles on Daniel Palillo and CTRL for examples of this kind of styling, something that appears to be truly specific to the Scandinavians. The 90s, it seems, are the nostalgic wardrobe reference du jour here, embodying past positivity and youth in a pre-doom and gloom world of the new millennium.

Ever since the Swedish Institute’s exhibition – ‘Swedish Fashion: Exploring a New Identity’ – launched at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum this February, Scandinavian fashion has seen a markedly rising profile in the fashion world. Celebrating a new wave of Swedish design talent, the exhibition questioned the static view that fashion blooms only in the eponymous fashion capitals of Paris, London, New York and Milan. In fact, this collection instead raised the debate over whether globally, we neglect fashion from all four corners of the globe at the cost of fresher and more interesting approaches to design, simply because they have traditionally been ignored by the industry.

Ann-Sofie Back must be considered one of the most influential and successful of these designers, with her place at London Fashion Week and her capsule collection for Topshop, not to mention her collaboration with that uber-successful Swedish brand, Cheap Monday. As seen at her s/s 09 collection, Back is unafraid to incorporate social comment into her shows, holding celebrity obsession with plastic surgery up to ridicule with her bandaged and felt-tipped models.

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But then, there are also the clothes. Back’s most recent collection sported ripped and distressed pieces supposedly representing ‘Ann-Sofie Back goes to Hell’. Striking the balance can be near-impossible, yet she really knows how to shock whilst also providing wearable fashion pieces.

And Back’s not the only one causing a stir. Joining her from the recent exhibition for particular note are Sandra Backlund, Helena Horstedt and Martin Bergström, who showcased similarly effortless Scandinavian cool.

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If you saw our feature on Backlund’s knitwear in recent weeks, you’ll know that it is really something special; with oversize knotting and draping, with the designs exude wooly coziness whilst remaining edgy and thoroughly modern. Alongside Backlund stands Horstedt whose work focuses on intricacy of shape in order to create highly fascinating designs that swirl and envelope the body with draping and fringing detail, all in solid black.

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Indeed, for both designers, it seems that the human body is paramount to their designs, with Backlund quoted as saying the it is her chief inspiration. Finally we have Bergström, who once again predominantly centres on futuristic shapes enveloping the body with volume, but in a more vivid aquamarine colour palette.

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It seems then, that the Finns and the Swedes are well and truly indulging in some kind of sartorial breakthrough at the moment. Whatever it is that’s doing it, there is undoubtedly something linking these North European designers spurring them into a fashion frenzy. Hopefully, the fashion world will take notice, and we will be joining the likes of Shelley M in her fashion credentials all too soon.

What I find so fascinating, search bewildering and ultimately beautiful about Japan can all be found in Shu Okada, site and her stunning watercolour illustrations. Perfectly and carefully rendered, aesthetically desirable but with undertones of the dark and unspoken, her work is enchanting and haunting in equal measures. Okada is true to her Japanese roots though she now chooses to reside in the more artistically liberal city of New York from where she not only illustrates, but blogs, photographs and produces animation.

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One of the most important things I think for an artist to do is to take themselves out of their comfort zones and immerse their entire beings in different worlds, different cities, different cultures, and that is exactly what Okada has achieved and she’s still only in her early twenties. Her creative passion has taken her around the globe in search of inspiration; schooling in Switzerland, a spell at St Martins, some time at Parsons New School for Design, and already her work has been recognised and awarded by Bologna Book Fair, New Ink Cover Design and New York Times.

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We talked about Kimonos, moving around the world and where to find inspiration, our conversation follows below.

Hello, how are you today?

Good! August is my birth month, so I am very excited now.

What have you been doing recently?

I just finished my college life this summer, so now I have a lot of time to paint and draw anything I want.

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What materials or mediums do you like to work with best?

I like to experiment with different media such as watercolour, ink, and oil paint. Recently I’ve been using watercolour and colour pencil the most. I like how watercolour shows differently when it is wet and dry.

How is the New York art scene different from the Tokyo art scene? What made you decide to leave Japan?

New York is mix of many different cultures and nationalities. I feel that New York art has more variety than in Japan. Also, the attitude of illustrators is slightly different in New York. Before I came here, I thought illustration was about comics (manga) or animations for young kids. I decided to come to New York to see how other cultures see art.

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What inspires your work?

Knowledge is very important, not just for art, but also for living. So now I am trying to read books and watch different kinds of movies when I have time. It doesn’t necessarily need to connect to my art directly, but I believe it helps my way of thinking. Also, I get inspiration from architecture and I sometimes travel to other countries and like to imagine people’s lives there.

How long do the illustrations usually take you to do?

Watercolour has to be quick, because when it is dry, I can’t fix it. So when I start putting watercolour, it doesn’t take a long time to paint at all…but if I make any mistakes, I have to repaint it all over again.

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At what age did you realise you were creative?

My dream was always related to art. When I was in 2nd grade, I wanted to be a fashion designer, and when I was in junior high school, my dream was to be a trumpeter. However, I knew these dreams were just dreams. The time I decided to follow my creativity was in high school. I went to a high school in Switzerland and the way they thought was different from Japan. After we made something in art class, we had a critique time, which was unusual for a Japanese high school. At that time, I realized how I love to show my art to other people and decided to study art more.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

I have no idea where I will be living because I am constantly moving around the world; such as Switzerland, New York, London, Tokyo, and Kanazawa. What I am sure about is that I will have a cute dog and I will name it “Maru the 6th” (my family’s dog is always named “Maru”), and painting everyday.

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Besides art and photography, what are you passions or interests in life?

Kimono is traditional clothing that is still worn in Japan. However, there are many rules about the choice of patterns, colours, and fabric. Because my family works in the Kimono business, I have always wanted to study the Kimono. One of my passions is to study the Kimono and become a Kimono teacher.

Which are your favourite artists/illustrators/photographers?

For now, I like Makoto Aida, a Japanese artist. When I first saw his paintings, I couldn’t move for long time.

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Tell us a secret!

Follow your mind!

Sound advice from a lady who obviously tastes her own medicine.
Emma Puntis

Supplement
31 Temple Street
Bethnal Green
London E2 6QQ

25th July – 16th August
Thursday – Sunday 12 – 6pm

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“Emma Puntis, hospital a Chelsea College of Art and Design graduate, paints strangely intense small-scale portraits. The images which act as inspiration for her work are collected from a wide range of sources, from contemporary family snapshots to historical documents of early photography and traditional landscape painting. In translating these images into paintings she suggests a puzzling connection between these apparently disparate snapshots.”

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A Tradition I Do Not Mean To Break

176 Gallery
176 Prince of Wales Road
London NW5 3PT

Until 16th August
Thursday & Friday 11am-3pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am-6pm
Other times by appointment

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Continuing with the theme of music and folklore at the 176 Gallery, this exhibition promises exciting new audiovisual work including films by David Blandy, Henry Coombes and Tereza Bušková, and will be presented alongside works, by the same artists, from the Zabludowicz Collection.Each artist explores a particular cultural subject with which they strongly identify, using myth, custom and symbolism, delving into gothica, melancholy and opulence.

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Make Do and Mend

V&A Museum of Childhood
Cambridge Heath Rd
London, E2 9PA

Until 8th November
Monday – Sunday 10am to 5:45pm

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“Make Do and Mend combines the work of contemporary designers and local schoolchildren. Jon Male, Lou Rota and Max McMurdo rework salvaged domestic and industrial waste to create stylish, quirky new products. The exhibition is based around a display of objects which have been salvaged and refashioned to make useful new items, with an eye on both the environment and the wallet. Anti-waste wartime tips on cutting excessive consumption have an obvious resonance in today’s economic climate and the campaign to salvage, recycle, and reduce your carbon footprint is also impacting on design.”

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Team Lump: DIY Rapture

Cell Project Space
258 Cambridge Heath Rd
London, E2 9DA

Until 2nd August
Friday – Sunday 12pm – 6pm

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A fascinating discussion on the culture of cults in America lead by native art collective Team Lump, collaborating nicely with drawing, sculpture, painting and film & music. With a focus on the social and political unrest surrounding cults, founder Bill Thelen presents the group who are connected by a DIY aesthetic and a self publishing ethic.
Team Lump Collective, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Leah Bailis, Jerstin Crosby Josh Rickards, Bill Thelen ,Tory Wright

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Village Fete Jubilee

V&A
Cromwell Rd
London SW7 2RL

24th July 6.30-10pm
25th July 1-5pm
Admission: £3
Kids 12 years and under: 50p and must be accompanied by an adult

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This year the V&A’s famous Village Fete goes POP ! with the aid of our fabulous sponsors French Connection and just a few balloons. This balloon popping extravanganza is brought to you by Scarlet Projects and Mark Garside. Once again, we bring you the best and most extraordinary in contemporary British design and creative practice. Never has Splat The Rat, coconut shies and homemade jam seemed so much fun. Many thanks go to all the designers taking part in the Fete for their wonderful ideas, their time and their energy.

Highlights:

Carl Clerkin Goes -BING!
Bada Bingo
Kieron Baroutchi, Carl and Cavan Clerkin, Danny Clarke, Gitta Gschwendtner, Rosie Irvine and Ed Ward do Bada Bingo. This years cultural roulette has a distinct Italian American flavor. Cigars, revolving costumes and plenty of drama and of course everyones a winner at the Bing.

Here’s One I Made Ea rlier Goes -Rustle!
Pick ‘n’ Mix Bags
Make like an eco magpie and delve into our pick ‘n’ mix selection of bits and bobs for you to stamp, stick and style your own unique canvas bag. Perfect for transporting your stash of fete goodies!!

Tatty Devine Goes -hoopla!
Welcome to The Ring Master!
The trusty Tatty team will be handing out giant rings for you to throw onto the giant ring master’s hands. If you manage to get a ring on any finger then you win either a Tatty Devine moustache ring or a limited edition hand shaped ring made especially for the fete. Ready Steady. . .Tatty Hoop la!

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Candy Coated Canvas

London Miles Gallery
212 Kensington Park Road
Notting Hill
London W11 1NR

24th July – 24th August
Tuesday / Wednesday : 10am to 6pm
Thursday : 11am to 8pm
Friday: 10am to 7pm
Saturday: 11am to 7pm

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“Candy Coated Canvas is a themed group exhibition showcasing unique artworks by various established and emerging international talent. All artists have been asked to take inspiration from the title “Candy Coated Canvas” and create a unique art piece which is visually extremely colourful and playful, whilst sparking up memories of childhood, sweets, fantasy lands and those naughty but nice pleasures in life.”

Exhibiting artists include:
D’ Holbachie Yoko, Matthew Bone, Zoe Lacchei, Tadaomi Shibuya, Mike Bilz, Lost Fish, Ryan Myers, Sebastian Otto, Scrumptious Delight, Robert Tirado, Rudi Fig, Natalie Shau, Jade Klara, David Palumbo, Luke Kopycinski, Amanda Riley, KuKula,
Tiffany Liu
For me, sildenafil albums by bands I love leaking pre-release onto the internet is not dissimilar to that childhood dilemma of deciding whether to peek at your birthday presents too early ( I say “childhood”-I’m 23 and I still do it), advice you can’t really imagine not doing it but you always feel guilty for the gift-giver afterwards.
Extended metaphors aside, I personally have fallen both sides of the download/ not download leaks even though I always buy the album when it comes out. I always seem to be sitting on my hands trying not to click ‘download’ (Veckatimest, Spring 2009) or staring down at them in shame whilst I enjoy the album guiltily like you would a 5-7 love affair in a seedy hotel after 20 years of separate bed pious marriage (Merriweather Post Pavillion, Christmas Eve 2008).

So this is why when news of the Dodos‘ Time to Die reached my beady music geek eyes, I abstained from scouring Rapidshare links in a darkened room. I’ve turned over a new leaf and besides the Dodos’ fun jingle-jangle psychedelic folk pop offerings; ‘Beware of the Maniacs’ and ‘Visiter’ were pretty much my go-to albums of last summer; we danced at parties and took many a long train journey together so I pretty much owed them some of my very low self-restraint levels.

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Imagine my relief when I got the golden tickets of emails from the Dodos’ PR and all round good- guys; Radar Maker heralding (in what I imagine to be a peeling of bells and rippling fanfares) that the Dodos have embraced the leak of Time to Die, that the band have even released a high quality stream of the album on the website and a video of the band telling me it’s OK to listen to it as long as I buy the album when it’s released. My palms sweaty at the anticipation of revisiting last summer’s aural romance I click the link to listen.

‘Small Deaths’ opens the album in typical Dodos foot-stomping fashion and I’m reminded of just how rousing their drums are as my toes begin a-tapping under my desk and of their happy/sad blend that I vibed last summer; how heartbreakingly nostalgic their lyrics are, and how they contrast so nicely with the childlike simple happiness of their melodies. It also ends with a nice shoegaze noise which is exciting.

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The album continues with all the best parts of the previous two albums, their awesome guitar strumming/ danceable drums that sound like this is going to be the soundtrack to the best day of your life, noticeable on ‘Fables’ and ‘Longform’. Yet there is a definite sense of new things being tried out; there is a definite nod to shoegaze and ‘Time to Die’ is more electric sounding than it’s predecessors; ‘This is the Business’ starts of sounding like Simon and Garfunkel moving into some Pavement-esque riffs and ending somewhere totally new. Two Medicines is a stand out track for me; it starts of with, and is held together by an acapella harmonious chant; like if Brian Wilson was in a Barbershop quartet with Animal Collective circa Sung Tongs; then add some 90s guitar riffs again contrasting with a lush sounding xylophones and glockenspiels slipping and sliding away in the background.

‘Troll Nacht’ starts with the most intense xylophone solo not unlike the music they’d play whilst someone was trying to answer an important question on a quiz show melting into some gentle guitar plucking loops and sad quiet vocals, then it explodes into something bigger and exciting, I can feel my year-old summer romance with the Dodos warming up again. ‘Acorn Factory’ follows on seamlessly in it’s folky simplicity. Time to Die ends the album in a grandiose fashion, it kind of sounds like if My Bloody Valentine swapped black for plaid, moved to the country and developed a penchant for folk, which lets’ face it is always going to sound awesome. Dare I name their new exciting tryst with shoegaze mixed with their old folky, psychedelic ways; Birkenstock-gaze? I think so.

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Time to Die is everything you could want in a new album from a band you love; enough of the things you loved about them before with a definite sense of new things being tried out.

So say thank you to the Dodos (Thank You The Dodos!) for their infinite talent and the good vibes to streaming the album by buying/ downloading Time to Die when it comes out; I can promise you that it is worth it, it will be the soundtrack to the best summer you could have, with none of the sweaty guilt of illicit downloading!
In the mean time kids: Just Say No (and stream instead)…and ermm…Stay In School.

You can stream the album here.
Time to Die will be available physically on 31st August in the UK on Wichita Recordings
and metaphysically (to download) on 27th July.
Monday 20th July

The Truth about Climate Change by Sir David Attenborough

A film screening of Sir David Attenborough’s personal journey to discover how global warming is changing the planet he knows so well. Examining the evidence for this confusing phenomenon, cost Sir David find out what’s causing it and whether mankind is to blame. From Hurricane Katrina to the glacier ice crashing into the sea, visit this site Attenborough discovers it’s a race against time. Starving polar bears and the first direct victims of global warming, the recently extinct golden toad, demonstrates that the danger for humanity may not be far behind. David explores the personal and technological changes we can make to avert catastrophe.

7.30pm – upstairs at the Arcola Theatre.

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DIY Solar Hot Water Course in Spain

Over five mornings course attendees will construct two clip fin solar hot water panels. Attendees will learn how to solder copper piping, basic plumbing, how to install solar hot water collectors and be given an introduction to system design and sizing. 280 euros high waged, 230 euros medium waged, 180 euros low waged. Courses attendees are eligible to a 20% reduction in the normal Sunseed rates for a period of 1-3 weeks before or after the course.

Contact: Sunseed Apdo 9 04270 Sorbas Almería Spain (0034) 950 525 770 www.sunseed.org.uk
E-mail: sunseedspain@arrakis.es
www.sunseed.org.uk

Tuesday 21st July

From ‘me’ to ‘we’

Mark Earls discusses the emergence of the “social revolution” in marketing management and social policy, the changing focus from individual, narrow, goals-oriented thinking to a broader, community-led approach.

Contact: lectures@rsa.org.uk
1pm – RSA, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2

Wednesday 22nd July

Demonstration to save Vestas Wind Turbine factory

Take to the streets to protest the imminent closure of the only wind turbine factory in the UK.

Contact: info@campaigncc.org
6pm – outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change, 3 Whitehall Place, London

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Vestas-built wind farm, Black Banks, Ireland

Thursday 23rd July

Resurgence Readers Weekend & Camp

A unique event bringing together Resurgence readers, speakers and supporters. Share four days of stimulating discussion, music, dance, crafts and walks with fellow readers and contributors to the magazine at this year’s camp. The Resurgence Summer Camp is hosted by Green and Away – Europe’s only tented conference centre situated on an idyllic site near Malvern, Worcestershire. Organic food, wood-burning showers, crafts, electricity from the sun and wind, and saunas.

Contact: Resurgence, Ford House, Hartland, Bideford, Devon EX39 – info@resurgence.org
Dates: Thursday 23 Jul 2009 to Sunday 26 Jul 2009 – Green and Away, Worcester

Friday 24th July

Peace News Summer Camp

Come to the Peace News Summer Camp and join people from across the broad spectrum of the British peace movement for five days of exploration, celebration and empowerment. Bring your contribution to a hothouse of creativity, a small self-governed society run by democratic camp meetings, a viable example of the kind of world we are trying to bring about. The Peace News Summer Camp helps build a radical movement for the future by building a living community today.

from Thursday 23rd to Monday 27th July – Faringdon, Oxfordshire
Find out all about it, here.

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Saturday 25th July

Furniture Conservation

Bring your own furniture and repair/re-polish/refurbish it with the help of Anne Holden, a former professional furniture restorer. Suitable work would be small repairs, French polishing, stripping and re-polishing, surface cleaning and revival, replacing missing bits of veneer etc. Bring several pieces if possible as it may be necessary to leave stripped or glued furniture to dry for a period.

No previous experience necessary. Tools are available for loan but bring your own if you have them and learn how to sharpen them. Materials will be provided, but a small charge will be made if large quantities are used.

Contact: Anne Holden – 01787 229955 – info@assingtonmill.com
9.30am – 5pm, Saturday and Sunday – Assington Mill, Suffolk

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Photo : Brenda Hochachka

Sunday 26th July

Annual Bug Hunt at RSPB Rainham Marshes

If you like bugs then our expert ‘Spiderman’ will show you the small wonders of the natural world. From Wasp Spiders to Devils Coachman – we hope to find them all. Bring a packed lunch as this will be a fun packed day. Booking Essential.

RSPB Members: £3.50, WEX members: £1.50, Adult non members: £7, child non members: £3

11am – 4pm – RSPB Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve, New Tank Hill Road, Purfleet. RM19 1SZ

Contact: RSPB Rainham Marshes – 01708 899840 – Rainham.marshes@rspb.org.uk

Summer is here in a crashing bundle of thunderclouds- check out this weeks music listings- there more electrifying than the lightening we’ve been having. Prepared to be shocked (in the good way).

Monday 20th July 2009
DM Stith, and Hoxton Bar and Grill, patient London

DM Stith comes to our humble shores on a swell of strings and a flicker of guitar plucking. There is something creepy and beautiful about his whispering lilting voice on Heavy Ghost debut LP (Asthmatic Kitty), sickness and indeed he sounds like a ghostly take on the man with the guitar type. If you like Bon Iver and being slightly frightened then this is for you.

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Tuesday 21st July 2009
Hjaltalin, The Lexington, London

After last week’s epic and magical múm gig, I’m hungry for more Icelandic music (and accents). Hjaltalin make lovely orchestral pop in the vein of Sufjan Stevens, complete with brass, woodwinds and magic! If anyone knows how to pronounce Hjaltalin- answers on a postcard to P.O BOX- Amelia’s Towers.

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Wednesday 22nd July 2009
Oh Minnows, Pure Groove, London

Oh Minnows, apart from having an awesome name, play the kind of synth heavy creepy pop that would fit oh-so perfectly into a David Lynch film, making me immeasurably happy and just slightly creeped out. Not to be missed for Twin Peaks geeks!

Thursday 23rd July 2009
Koko Von Napoo and Eugene Mc Guiness Buffalo Bar, London

Paris’ Koko Von Napoo do boy/girl, chic/spacey in equal measures. Fun pop that aims towards ESG mixed with John Maus. Eugene McGuinness shares the bill with his fun lo-fi folk that leans towards a vintage 50s vibe at times. He also has a song called “Fonz” which begs the question how could he possibly not be good?
DJs from both sides of the Channel follow.

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Friday 24th July 2009
Yacht, Pure Groove, London

Given the current economic climate, here is the 2nd free gig at Pure Groove I’ve included this week. Oregon’s finest electronica outfit and general heroes Yacht will blow your mind and your socks off. If you come, I’ll save you a dance and a high five.

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Saturday 25th July 2009
Au Revoir Simone, Proud Galleries, London

You may remember a few months ago a lucky member of the Amelia’s Magazine team got to interview Au Revoir Simone, and see them live afterwards, ok, she did an excellent job but since that point my resentment and jealousy have been festering in secret, but now I breathe a sigh of relief and jump for joy as they’re playing again and I pipped the other interns to the post at the chance to see them. Not only do they have the best legs in music, they continue to make beautiful and melodic pop music.
Support from Swedish Those Dancing Days who play organ-tinged girly Northern Soul .

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What does a girl look for after finding the perfect pair of shoes? I might have hazarded a guess at the perfect man, there but in this post- Sex and the City and post-feminist world, the general consensus amongst my female friends seemed to be that more important than having a man about to put up shelves (etc) was having the most beautiful dress, made to fit them perfectly.

And I know of just the place to look.Makemeadress.com is the brainchild of Alexandra King, a fashion designer with a love of all things pretty, vintage and girly. Customers get to choose every part of the dress to create a one off, unique garment. There is a choice of ten top halves and six bottom halves, so you simply flick through the sketches to find your perfect match. Then there is the huge choice of fabrics, with everything ranging from stunning silks and satins to practical cottons and gorgeous assortment of vintage fabrics for the true, one-of-a-kind look.

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With a studio next door to her house by a Somerset river, Alexi’s surroundings are a far cry from the harsh edges of the London catwalks, instead infusing fashion and dressmaking with that that often elusive sense of warmth and romance. Dropping by her house for tea, I somehow always make sure to find the time to rummage through her extensive archive of the very best pieces she has collected over the years. Being a lifelong friend I know the sheer number of pies this fashionista has her delicate little fingers in! There is the mothership, www.alexandra-king.com: simply reading the glowing testimonials from grateful clients it is not hard to see that this is a designer definitely worth her salt. This is the place to find bespoke wedding dresses (again made to measure) lingerie and key pieces from past and present collections. Then there is the eBay shop, a mecca for vintage lovers to pick up carefully selected on off pieces. And it is not just e-commerce that Mrs King deals in. Alexandra also works for St. Peters Hospice in Bristol, sorting through donations to help the charity with her fashionable eye. Finally, jewellery is another passion, with Alexi creating statement pieces to perfectly set off an outfit and hats for any occasion.

Multitalented? Yes ma’am.

What inspired you to set up the site?

I graduated in fashion design in 2005 and had to choose whether I moved to London to find a job or to stay in the countryside to work for myself. I chose the latter and have been designing my own vintage range for boutiques since then, along with running my vintage store. Makemeadress came along when I wanted to combine the individuality of the one off vintage dresses with my own designs. It needed to compete in the fashion market against the likes of Topshop and boutiques by offering the customer a unique service that they couldn’t get on the high street .

What is it you love about vintage dresses?

Everything! They are usually so beautifully made and the fabrics are just so exciting. I’m a collector also and you can get quite addicted to finding specific pieces by designers, especially after you have read their books! It’s lovely to own a little piece of fashion history before we had such mass- produced garments.

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Who makes and designs the dress once the order has been processed & where, are they made at home?

At the moment I design and do a little bit of making at my studio. I also have a small group seamstresses local to me who are fabulous at what they do. I’m hoping to bring some other designers in on the project in the future so that there is a wider range of styles.

How much input can the customer have with regards to colour, fabric and style?

With MMaD the customer can really create whatever they want. If they can’t see something they like, they can always send a photo in and we’ll make up the dress for them. I would really like to expand the range of colours and fabrics and hopefully this will be achieved on the upcoming website.

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Is £97 your set price…or do the prices vary?

I wanted to keep the dresses under £100 to make them accessible to all, and it’s the set price for all the MMaD dresses. The website will be offering one off ready to wear dresses which may be a little more expensive depending on the work that has gone into them. I believe in paying the seamstresses a fair price for thier work, not cutting corners by using poor quality fabrics and being sensible about profits which go straight back into the buisness.

How do you deal with problem of measuring the customer, if orders are processed over eBay?

This was one of the initial problems I was most aware of. The website will have a clear size guide, a guide on how to measure yourself and we do also offer an alteration service free of charge if the dress doesn’t fit first time. The customers have been quite good so far at measuring themselves and getting it right. Only a couple of blips like when a bridesmaid ate too much for lunch and then couldn’t fit into her dress when it arrived. Luckily it was fine the next day! Selling vintage clothing has given me a lot of experience in measuring and fitting for the cutomers.

How long does it take to make and dispatch the dress to the customer?

Each MMaD dress is cut once we have the order, nothing can be pre-made. Once it’s cut, the dress is sewn by the seamstress and then packed and delivered within two weeks to the customer. All produced in the local area.

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Are you finding that’s there is a high demand for vintage style dresses at the moment?

It’s huge and I think it always will be. Sites like eBay and etsy have just made buying vintage clothing more accessible and people who are interested in fashion in any way, will always love it. The only worry is that all those vintage dresses will run out, but then hopefully you will have MMaD!

If you could describe your service in a few sentences what would you say?

Create the dress of your dreams…. your style, your colour, your dress. It’s all about you! And if you’re not sure, you can have one of the fabulous dresses we made earlier!

If you have ever seen an Of Montreal‘s clip you might be aware of the lunatic vibe they have. It’s something sort of mystical-nonsense-kitsch that in the end works out very well. And is there a better way to bring to reality all this madness if not in a live performance? No!
All the characters that are part of the band’s universe were there on the Shepherd’s Bush Empire stage last Tuesday.

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I confess that I couldn’t identify very well what some of them were, cialis 40mg but the rest went from a guy in jeans, treatment sneakers, medications blazer and a tiger’s head, people with gas masks, pigs, a shark (or any similar fish) and more pigs. Aside from BP (guitar) who totally rocked on his look, matching a feathered vest with a 70′s peace and love outfit.

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All very charismatic and professional. Meaning that they left for the casting to do all the crazy performances and concentrated on playing, amazing everybody on the guitars and synthesizers. Kevin Barnes totally looked like he was enjoying what he was doing and really wanted to be there. Every down and then he pulled some little dances that went something like I’m on the dance floor, I can do whatever I want, fuck everybody else”. Ace!

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The quality of the sound however was a big failure, bad mics audio, I personally couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying. And the set list could also have been rethought. I missed some tracks from Hissing Fauna (aka Cato as a Pun, my favorite, and Suffer For Fashion). Skeletal Lamping was better explored, of course, and from older stuff my highlights were Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Rapture Rapes the Muses.

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An Elurdian Instance managed to become even more magical and overwhelming on its live version and The Past Is A Grotesque Animal were eleven minutes of a true musical acid trip. It was exactly when the guy by my side simply fell sleep, literally. Or he was going through a very strong thing with himself and maybe I didn’t get it.
Another thing that they could have invested more in the scenario, since they have all this surreal theatrical casting, it would be a perfect fit.

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Otherwise, it was a great show! Basically everything that Of Montreal is in theory, put into practice in real life – up until where it allows us, unfortunately!

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Pictures by Miguel Schertel

Written by Barbara Mattivy on Tuesday July 21st, 2009 11:32 am

Categories ,Electro, ,Fashion, ,Georgia, ,Kitsch, ,Live, ,London, ,Pop, ,Review, ,Shepherd’s Bush Empire, ,Theatrics

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Irrepressibles and Gabby Young & Other Animals, Live Review at the Barbican

by


All photography of Lily Vanilli goodies by Sally Mumby-Croft.

“So what do you do for Amelia?” a gentleman partygoer asks me. I tell him I’m one of her writers, buy cialis 40mg and he nods: “I’m Amelia’s father. I’m making myself useful, pharmacy ” he laughs, tadalafil pointing to the camera around his neck. See, we all want to be part of Amelia’s world, and last Friday many of us were gathered under one roof. Illustrators, writers, bloggers and friends were all there to celebrate the launch of Amelia Gregory’s latest creation – Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

ACOFI Lily Vanilli cakes by Andrea Peterson
ACOFI Lily Vanilli cakes by Andrea Peterson.

123 Bethnal Green Road was already buzzing when I arrived, slightly late due to some last-minute fretting over my hair. I’m usually the wash-n-go type, but after following the steadily building party buzz on Twitter all day I’d started to realise some effort was required as this party was going to be of the colourful kind. Just have a flick through the book and you will see it couldn’t be any other ways, really – ACOFI is a riot of colour, creativity and inspiration.


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Naomi Law and myself. Photography by Matt Bramford.

Despite having worked with several of the illustrators present, not knowing who was who made introductions a little tricky. But some were pretty recognisable from their self-drawn portraits, such as Abby Wright, Zarina Liew and Naomi Law.

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Michael of AnastasiaDuck and Ellen of the Real Runway.

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Antonia Parker, Joana Faria and Abby Wright. Photography by Matt Bramford.

After catching up with fellow Amelia’s Magazine writers Matt Bramford and Sally Mumby-Croft, I finally got to meet Helen Martin, Amelia’s new music editor, who had come from Bristol with her boyfriend.

HANNAH BULLIVANT by Natasha-Thompson
Hannah Bullivant by Natasha Thompson.

After running into crafts columnist Hannah Bullivant and her husband, our little group hit the dance floor – enjoying a fantastic mix of music ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Mariah Carey. I had to make do without my boyfriend though, who had to take his coughing home to an early night. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy 6 Day Riot, a new discovery for me, and some excellent dancey tunes from The Pipettes and Will from Mystery Jets.

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

Will from the Mystery Jets DJs
Will from the Mystery Jets DJs.

An open bar served up Adnams beer and Vodka O – generously poured by bar boys and girls with some enviable dancing skills. The vodka was kicking the next morning, and I clearly remembered why I‘d sworn off the potato spirit years earlier. But all well worth it to see in this excellent book and meet the people who made it happen. Well done, Amelia – and thanks so much for having us.


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Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

She strutted on stage, more about knees rising high and her umbrella twiddling like a fairy’s shield.I wanted to take in the art work that was Gabby Young. For her outfit was an explosion of neck and hemline pomposity, her boots electric blue and stomping, and her right eye was surrounded by a blossoming flower type creation. Her signature vibrant red hair was piled high with blue and pink buns attached, whilst her face looked as beautiful as a doll’s.

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Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

With this visual feast I felt revived from the previous evening’s late night antics at the ACOFI launch party (where Gabby also was), preceded by late night chats with a dear old friend and his girlfriend on the floor of their North London flat. Charlie beside me eating toast, we had spiraled from lively and boisterous to as sleepy as moles. The day had been spent on the Heath, and cushioned with carbohydrates. For the love of Gabby and The Irrepressibles, we had trekked to the utter freezing, shiny, high rise blocked world of the Barbican. And, ah it was a theatrical and stunning evening.

Gabby Young & Other Animals played a mixture of old and new tracks, there were lively jives and ballerinas with cut out megaphones flouncing through the audience. Liberating, FUN and creatively inspiring. We are told that a new song is about someone on stage. It is slow, pretty and meaningful. “I wonder who that’s for” semi-whispered Chaz, “I really like this one”. Me too. It was obvious throughout that Gabby has been classically trained. Her notes range up and down like carefully controlled billy-o. It appears easy for her to produce these notes, and indeed her operatic background serves her folk/jazz genre delightfully. We’re All In This Together brought about suitably pleased expressions and murmurs from the crowd. Its often played slow notes shot up and down my spine, before her voice gently streamed out like a delicate flower opening. It felt like an anthem.

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Illustration by Daria Hlazatova

Moving on, The Irrespressibles are theatre and gothic glitz. Wearing an enormous and glittery hat from Philip Treacy, Jamie McDermott is basically DRAMA. As the singer, the composer and the spectacle, McDermott has a knack of being captivating to the point of eye locked awe. And he orchestrated the whole event superbly, his stage presence perfectly matching the flashing lights, and blasting instrumentals.

Irrepressibles by Faye West
Illustration of cellist, Nicole Robson by Faye West

The rest of the band both compliment him, but also stand alone as individually beautiful creations. And I mean creations. Each of the nine musicians on stage seemed like a Tim Burton fantasy. Moving in unison and then malfunctioning, like bad robots, they move chaotically about like gothic Toy Story characters. Expressions remain serious and playing, precise and perfect. Each wears beautiful outfits, skimming over bodies with a wink of the eye. See this for a taster of what I mean. It’s INCREDIBLE:

Darkness/light/suspense/breathing/noise/explosion/catwalk – Ooo! Highlights included Nuclear Skies, Knife Song and In Your Eyes. But to be honest the whole set was a triumph. The crowd adored them and the atmosphere was hugely flamboyant and expressively fun. The soaring vocals and dramatic instrument use was just breathtaking. With the emotion of Anthony and The Johnsons, but the Brit extravaganza charm of David Bowie, Jamie McDermott is delicious. With the rest of the band, THE IRREPRESSIBLES are unstoppable.

Written by Helen Martin on Wednesday February 2nd, 2011 4:09 pm

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Anthony and The Johnsons, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,David Bowie, ,drama, ,fashion, ,Faye West, ,folk, ,Gabby Young and Other Animals, ,gothic, ,Hampstead Heath, ,Helen Martin, ,Jamie McDermott, ,jazz, ,Kayleigh Bluck, ,live, ,london, ,music, ,show, ,The Barbican Centre, ,the irrepressibles, ,theatre

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