The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.
The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.
I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.
It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, find which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, sales and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.
The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’ from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.
It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.
The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. ‘Hard Believer’ is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.
On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.
The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.
I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.
It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, hospital which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, visit and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.
The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’ from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.
It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.
The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. ‘Hard Believer’ is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.
On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.
The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.
I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.
It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, approved which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, clinic and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.
The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’ from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.
It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.
The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. ‘Hard Believer’ is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.
On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.
The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.
I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.
It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, buy information pills which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, website and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.
The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, sale or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’ from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.
It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.
The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. ‘Hard Believer’ is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.
On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
All Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral
Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, healing dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, online instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, sale driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.
You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.
Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.
A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.
The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.
The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.
And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.
All Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral
Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, cialis 40mg dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.
You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.
Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.
A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.
The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.
The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.
And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.
Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, about it moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.
Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?
Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.
AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?
Klara. I guess, search we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.
AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.
Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework. It was really stressful.
AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?
Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.
Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.
Klara. Yeah, along the way.
AD. How do you approach your song writing?
Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually
Klara. Yeah
AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?
K. We both went to English school
J. Yeah, for four years
K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.
AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity
K. (smiling) Oh really
(Laughter)
AD. Sorry
K. Oh no no
AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?
K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.
AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?
K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline
AD. Oh Really?
J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.
K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …
J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.
AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?
K. Sure, like films and books we read.
AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?
K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.
AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.
K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.
J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.
K. No
J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.
AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?
K. Yeah.
J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.
AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.
J & K. Yep
(laughter)
K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.
AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?
K. We get a little annoyed I guess
J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.
K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.
(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)
K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.
J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.
(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)
AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?
K. Yeah sure
J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.
K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.
J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.
K. It was really nice.
J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.
AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?
J. Touring
K. What we’re doing
J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.
K. And just enjoy ourselves.
The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.
AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity
K. (smiling) Oh really
(Laughter)
AD. Sorry
K. Oh no no
AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?
K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.
AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?
K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline
AD. Oh Really?
J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.
K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …
J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.
Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, troche moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.
Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?
Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.
AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?
Klara. I guess, dosage we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.
AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.
Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework. It was really stressful.
AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?
Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.
Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.
Klara. Yeah, along the way.
AD. How do you approach your song writing?
Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually
Klara. Yeah
AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?
K. We both went to English school
J. Yeah, for four years
K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.
AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity
K. (smiling) Oh really
(Laughter)
AD. Sorry
K. Oh no no
AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?
K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.
AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Club. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?
K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline
AD. Oh Really?
J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.
K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …
J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.
AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?
K. Sure, like films and books we read.
AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?
K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.
AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.
K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.
J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.
K. No
J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.
AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?
K. Yeah.
J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.
AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.
J & K. Yep
(laughter)
K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.
AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?
K. We get a little annoyed I guess
J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.
K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.
(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)
K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.
J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.
(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)
AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?
K. Yeah sure
J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.
K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.
J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.
K. It was really nice.
J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.
AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?
J. Touring
K. What we’re doing
J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.
K. And just enjoy ourselves.
The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.
AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity
K. (smiling) Oh really
(Laughter)
AD. Sorry
K. Oh no no
AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?
K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.
AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?
K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline
AD. Oh Really?
J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.
K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …
J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.
The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.
The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.
I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.
It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, viagra which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, cost and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.
The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, buy information pills or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’ from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.
It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.
The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. ‘Hard Believer’ is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.
On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.
The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.
I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.
It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, cost which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, try and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.
The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, for sale or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like ‘You’re Not Coming Home Tonight’ from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.
It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.
The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. ‘Hard Believer’ is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.
On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
Image courtesy of All In One, this photographed by Stephanie Sian Smith.
What attracts you to the idea of the onesie jumpsuit / all in one?
I just think they’re pretty unusual and fun to wear – and when you find an amazing one you just look mega cool.
How did you develop your idea into a business? From your blog you’ve sold to a variety of people from Burning Man and bankers to vitamin water and a variety of performers including Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.
A friend of mine had a blue jellyfish sting protection suit that she’d nicked when she went diving in Australia. When I saw it I instantly fell in love and commandeered it as my festival outfit for the next few years! I soon built up a collection of these suits and got a bit of a reputation as being ‘the onesie girl’ – when the festivals finished I realised that there were hardly any all-in-one’s out there that I could just wear normally. So I started making my own – it kind of seemed natural for me to just start my own business making things which I love. Now, page I sell a mixture of my own work and custom costume designs.
Above and all images below courtesy of All In One, information pills photographed by Dan Wilton.
What would you say is Nina Ribena’s design aesthetic?
Massive hoods.
Who or what are your design inspirations?
I’m hugely inspired by the circus. I just got a massive book of old circus photos for Christmas, which is a great reference for one-piece related costumes. I really love bright, crazy, repeat patterns. I love Brian Lichtenberg, Cassette Playa, JCDC and Jeremy Scott’s work…and I would say M.I.A is quite a big inspiration (probably because she wears quite a lot of the aforementioned designer’s clothes!). I love the whole 90′s revival that’s happening at the moment as well, I can’t get enough of tacky gold jewellery and R Kelly.
What materials do you particularly like to work in/with?
The majority of my designs are in cotton jersey or anything with a bit of stretch to it. I’ve also been working with PVC quite a lot recently – I quite like the sculptural qualities it can have.
What do onesie’s make you think of?
Fun. Stretching. A good night out. Grace Jones.
How would you describe your creative process?
I am super organised in some ways and a complete mess in others. So, I usually spend my time trawling the Internet looking through fashion blogs and pulling out anything that catches my eye – this can be anything from London Fashion Week to Where the Wild Things Are to Cheryl Cole. Then I go through them all and decide the themes, that I want to work within – which usually end up being about 7 or 8 different things. I’ll draw some ideas and designs down and then just make the ones I like the most. I’ve never studied fashion – I’m completely self-taught, so I don’t have the ‘correct’ way of designing a collection mastered, at all.
What’s been your favourite appearance of your onesie so far?
I think it has to be the one I made for Fred Butler recently. I.D Magazine are running a feature of 100 portraits of creative/influential people – Fred Butler being one of them – and she asked me to make her an amazing holographic inspired all in one for the shoot. The photos were taken by Nick Knight for his SHOWstudio project so you could watch the whole shoot live on their website. So yeah, my design will be in I.D Magazine, shot by a famous photographer and worn by a really talented designer. Definitely my favourite onesie appearance!
With Fashion Week slowly creeping up on us which designers will you be watching out for?
I’ve always been really interested in Gareth Pugh’s work – especially his last collection – I thought everything from the clothes to the lighting and feel of the catwalk just looked amazing. I always like to check out the new designers supported by Fashion East/ Vauxhall Fashion Scout etc…it’s always good to study the sort of designers who win these opportunities.
Aside from that – House of Holland, Ashish, Givenchy, Pam Hogg, Viktor & Rolf, Mark Fast and Jeremy Scott, of course. He always make things a bit more interesting!
As a holder of a blog – what are your thoughts on the blogging ‘sphere’?
I think it’s really important to have a blog if you’re a designer. Just having an online shop or website doesn’t really cut it these days. I think the people who buy your clothes (and are ultimately fans of your work) want to have more of an insight into your creative processes and the things that inspire you. Plus it’s a brilliant way to network with people and get your work out into the open. I wouldn’t have had half of the opportunities or ideas I’ve had without having access to all the blogs out there.
What’s next for Nina Ribena?
Lots. I’m really enjoying printing my own fabric at the moment so you can expect to see a lot of zebras, puffins and multi-coloured leopard skin prints making appearances on my designs soon! I want to bring out my own line of leggings and a friend and me have just started our own dance/club night collective.
I’m also planning an exhibition of all my designs to be shown at the end of the year, which is going to involve a mixture of fashion, art and theatrics – all in onesies, of course. It’s going to be a busy year!
Written by Sally Mumby-Croft on Thursday January 28th, 2010 4:05 pm
Categories ,Ashish, ,Brian Lichtenberg, ,Burning Man, ,Cassette Playa, ,Cheryl Cole, ,Fashion East, ,Fred Butler, ,Gareth Pugh, ,Givenchy, ,Grace Jones, ,House of Holland, ,I.D Magazine, ,JCDC, ,Jeremy Scott, ,London Fashion Week, ,M.I.A, ,Mark Fast, ,Nick Knight, ,Nina Ribena, ,Pam Hogg, ,R Kelly, ,Stephanie Sian Smith, ,Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Viktor & Rolf, ,We Are All In One, ,Where the Wild Things Are
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Images throughout courtesy of Me and Zena
This new line of kitsch accessories comes courtesy of the eponymous, up and coming London based designer Zena McKeown. With a BA in Visual Communication from Edinburgh College of Art, Zena moved to London in 2005 to live the dream, and has seen her homemade designs go from their humble beginnings at the Brick Lane Backyard Market to gracing the pages of Vogue. Of her collection she says: “Me and Zena is about satisfying your inner stroppy teenager.”
Not only is Me & Zena jewellery easy on the eye, but it won’t break the bank either with key rings starting from £8, bracelets from £10 and necklaces from £14, a welcome relief at this time of year!
You don’t have to go far to get your mitts on a piece of these fabulous designs, with stockists ranging from Ad Hoc, Jules and Gems and Lazy Oaf– and that’s just London. So for a bit of fun, eye-catching bling to make a bland outfit pop, hit up Me and Zena and indulge your adolescent self.
Luella SS10, malady image courtesy of Tumblr
Christian Lacroix Couture SS09, image courtesy of Stylefrizz.
Luella SS10, image courtesy of Tumblr
Christian Lacroix AW08/09, image courtesy of Getty
