Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Bora Aksu

Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Nicola Roberts was once more amongst the attendees for The Unknown, online which promised an entire narrative within the collection. Ever the romantic, tadalafil Bora Aksu discovered four old postcards in a Geneva antiques market. Initially attracted to the beautiful Edwardian imagery, it was to be the words written on the back that would inspire him the most. Written by a young lady named Rose, the postcards disclosed her love for Charles… and left Bora wondering what happened to this great romance of over one hundred years ago. And thus he embarked on The Unknown.

Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Karla Pérez (Geiko Louve)Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Karla Pérez (Geiko Louve)
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Karla Pérez aka Geiko Louve.

Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Lighting low, the show began with a group of models who emerged en masse at the head of the runway, each dressed head to toe in shades of cream and beige with their heads wrapped in flowery garlands. Before them the catwalk (with no riser this season) was strewn with autumnal petals. Short puff skirts paired with crisp sleeveless blouses gave way to columns of tulle and net, all with signature Bora Aksu detailing. The demure colouring left me with the impression of an Edwardian schoolgirl who had been caught in her undies, but amongst this were some very wearable separates that should sell well in the real world.

Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Megan Thomas
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by Megan Thomas.

With a splash of sea blue roped detailing the collection moved onto sophisticated blacks and navy blues. Sweeping dresses with ribbon seam details emphasised womanly curves and curved necklines riffed on the current mania for all things pan collared. Sheer fabrics gave a glimpse of nipple, a common theme of this fashion week.

Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by June Chanpoomidole
Bora Aksu S/S 2012 by June Chanpoomidole.

I prefer my Bora with a bit more colour and structure, but this was an elegant collection that showed off Bora Aksu‘s love of all things Edwardian. It was also an excellent showcase for his new venture into the realm of hosiery. In the goodie bags were a pair of very special Bora Aksu branded tights, the rolling fishnet emulating the curved seams of his clothes: a perfect way to own a piece of Bora for a fraction of the cost of a whole outfit. Over the next few days I spotted many a pair of Bora clad legs on the front row, so it looks like he’s onto a winner.

Categories ,Antique, ,Beige, ,BFC, ,Bora Aksu, ,Charles, ,Cream, ,Edwardian, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Geiko Louve, ,Geneva, ,Hosiery, ,June Chanpoomidole, ,June Sees, ,Karla Perez, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Megan Thomas, ,Nicola Roberts, ,Nipples, ,Pan Collars, ,postcards, ,Romantic, ,Rose, ,S/S 2012, ,Sheer, ,Somerset House, ,The Unknown, ,tights

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: John Rocha

John Rocha SS 2012 by Sarah Harman
John Rocha S/S 2012 by Sarah Harman

Harold Tillman, information pills Hilary Alexander and James Goldstein were just a few of the fashion bigwigs to take their prime seating positions in anticipation of the latest John Rocha collection. This was much the same scenario when I attended Rocha’s show last season and the high-flying professionals seem to have become a favoured crowd for Rocha’s front row. And it’s not surprising when, information pills needless to say, cure the designer is a long-standing, treasured feature of London Fashion Week who is widely celebrated and, most of all, respected.

John Rocha by Duilio Marconi 1

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi 2

Model Abbey Lee Kershaw opened the show and took to the runway in the opening outfit. Sporting an all-black voluminous textured dress, her entrance had photographers’ flashes illuminating the BFC tent. Kershaw, who was finally dubbed a supermodel this year by V magazine, had also been presented as a key feature in Rocha’s A/W 2011 show back in February, suggesting that Rocha has seemingly taken quite a shine to the 24 year-old Australian.

John Rocha SS 2012 LFW by Nicola Ellen 2
John Rocha S/S 2012 by Nicola Ellen

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

Also just like last season, (Rocha loves his traditions!) the models were styled with wind-swept nymph hair and long braided plaits. Make-up was minimal, pure and simple with pale fresh-faced skin and nude colouring; an overall effortless ethereal look to compliment John Rocha’s signature design ethic.

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

Much to their delight, I’m sure, John Rocha was one designer that gave models’ skinny-pins a short break from killer heels. In their place were black platformed flat sandals, adding an updated feminine grunge look (minus all the pain!).

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

 Rocha SS 2012 LFW by Nicola Ellen 1
John Rocha S/S 2012 by Nicola Ellen

To name a few of the many more intricacies that went into Rocha’s elaborately crafted collection, ribbons were attached to hair and hung long next to plaits and all models sported either wire or feather headdresses. The problem with this idea was that because Abbey had opened the show in a wired headdress with black feathers, I was almost convinced that a major fashion disaster had occurred. Models were appearing with bare wire headdresses; no feathers. They looked absolutely bizarre so I naturally assumed that their feathers must have fallen off. What a nightmare, I thought. This wasn’t the case at all. It was purposeful. Just John Rocha keeping us on our toes, I suppose.

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

Just as was the case with his A/W11 collection, the colour palette was ultra-minimal with neutral tones dominating throughout. In fact, there were only three colours on the agenda; all rich-black ensembles led to cream creations which then led to head-to-toe stark white. With only black, cream and white, the focus shifted away from colour to texture instead. Texture was intricately and ornately crafted with Abbey’s opening black raffia dress, raw raffia that made up other ensembles, loops of black rubber and Lurex threads intertwined in the cream and white garments.

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha Catwalk LFW by Nicola Ellen jpg
John Rocha S/S 2012 by Nicola Ellen

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi

Towering tall over John Rocha, Abbey Lee Kershaw once again led the Hong Kong born designer down the catwalk for another of his gracious finales. And, as has become tradition, he placed a kiss on Abbey‘s cheek at the feet of the snapping papz, and then John Rocha was off, thanking and bowing to the audience as he went.

John Rocha SS 2012 by Duilio Marconi
All photography by Duilio Marconi

Categories ,Abbey Lee Kershaw, ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,BFC Catwalk Space, ,BFC Showspace, ,BFC Tent, ,black, ,british fashion council, ,Cream, ,Debenhams Rocha, ,Duilio Marconi, ,Georgia Takacs, ,Harold Tillman, ,Headdresses, ,Hilary Alexander, ,Hong Kong, ,James Goldstein, ,John Rocha, ,lfw, ,LFW S/S 2012, ,LFW S/S12, ,London Fashion Week, ,London Fashion Week S/S 2012, ,London Fashion Week S/S12, ,Lurex, ,Myth, ,Mythologies, ,Myths, ,Nicola Ellen, ,Nymphs, ,Raffia, ,Rubber, ,S/S 2012, ,Sarah Harman, ,Simone Rocha, ,Somerset House, ,Texture, ,Warriors, ,White

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Amelia’s Magazine | Beautifully Green – a round up of ethical beauty brands for Christmas!


Andrea Garland, capsule illustrated by Cat Palairet

If you’re struggling for Christmas gift ideas, sales or just sick of giving and receiving those dreaded ‘smellies’ gift sets produced by high street chains (which are then consigned to live out their days in the ‘present drawer’) then check out several green beauty brands that are lovingly made with natural ingredients, are adept at soothing parched winter skin and – most importantly – care for the planet.

Andrea Garland
Handmade in her Hackney home, aromatherapist Andrea Garland’s organic beauty balms are presented in gorgeous vintage tins and compacts which she sources from all over the world (and are cleaned and sterilised before the balm is poured in.) Her Rosy Beauty Balm for the face contains shea butter, sweet almond oil, vitamin E and rose geranium – making it perfect to slap on during the winter months (expect many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ when the pretty compact emerges from your handbag!) All ingredients are ethically sourced and Garland even offers to re-fill the vintage compacts once they are emptied at a fraction of the price, resulting in no excess packaging and a pretty keepsake.
Rosy Beauty Balm is £32 for a medium-sized compact (refill £12) available from AndreaGarland.co.uk

Moa – The Green Balm

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

This gorgeous green gloop was created by Icelandic herbalist Thury Gudmundsdóttir from a recipe handed down by her grandmother, who used to concoct her beauty remedies by boiling herbs in a pan over her stove. Made with 100% natural and organic ingredients which include tea tree oil, beeswax, coconut and sweet almond oil, not only does it keep skin on both the face and body renewed and radiant but it can also be used as an aftershave balm, a baby massage and a barrier to protect the skin in extreme cold weather. A very little of this balm (which melts instantly on contact) goes a very long way, making it an essential winter handbag staple.
Available at £5 for 20ml at Lovelula.com

Balm Balm

Illustration by Darren Fletcher

With numerous endorsements from celebrities to The Soil Association, Balm Balm has gained somewhat of a cult following since its creation five years ago. Founded by aromatherapist and perfumer Glenda Taylor, the 100% organic balms come in recyclable packaging and target sensitive and irritated skin types. The shining star of the range has to be their much-hyped lip balm – which contains jojoba oil, beeswax and shea butter for super soft lips, and can be used on other dry areas too. They come in rose geranium, tea tree and fragrance free flavours (the last of which won a Green Beauty Bible award) and make perfect little stocking fillers.
Lip Balm is £2.99 for 7ml from Bath and Unwind

Burt’s Bees

Illustration by Leeay Aikawa

One of the more well-known brands, Burt’s Bees haven’t abandoned their environmental commitments despite their global success – their products contain on average 99% natural ingredients and all use recyclable packaging. Starting out in 1984 selling honey from his beehive and wondering what to do with the leftover wax, Burt Shavitz teamed up with Roxanne Quimby and began selling it in the form of candles at local craft fairs in Maine, USA. Through word of mouth, the brand grew and the now famous beauty range was born after Roxanne stumbled across a 19th century book on homemade beauty remedies. An ideal hand treat is their 100% natural Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme packed with lemon oil perfect for nourishing brittle fingernails, and with its kitsch little tin how could anyone resist?
Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème is £5.99 from burtsbees.co.uk

RMS Beauty

Illustration by Joana Faria

Created by celebrity make-up artist Rose- Marie Swift, this is the first make-up range made from natural raw ingredients that interact and ‘create a dialogue’ with the skin. Her reasoning behind the range is that unlike other ingredients contained in many ‘natural’ cosmetic brands, hers aren’t heated to high temperatures and therefore retain their beneficial nutrients which are so great for the skin. The Mineral Cream Eye Shadows contain natural mineral pigments and also double up as an eye-cream to nourish the delicate skin around the eyes. These cute little pots come in a variety of warm, earthy colours, and use recyclable glass and metal packaging. A perfect way to revamp your make-up bag for the New Year and treat your skin at the same time.
RMS Beauty Mineral Cream Eyeshadows are £18 each, available from CultBeauty.co.uk

Categories ,andrea garland, ,balm, ,balm balm, ,burt’s bees, ,Christmas, ,compacts, ,Cream, ,Darren Fletcher, ,Gift, ,hackney, ,High Street, ,Karolina Burdon, ,maine, ,miss ballantyne, ,moa green balm, ,Natural, ,organic, ,rose-marie swift, ,Skin, ,Soap, ,stocking, ,tins, ,usa, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | Beautifully Green – a round up of ethical beauty brands for Christmas!


Andrea Garland, capsule illustrated by Cat Palairet

If you’re struggling for Christmas gift ideas, sales or just sick of giving and receiving those dreaded ‘smellies’ gift sets produced by high street chains (which are then consigned to live out their days in the ‘present drawer’) then check out several green beauty brands that are lovingly made with natural ingredients, are adept at soothing parched winter skin and – most importantly – care for the planet.

Andrea Garland
Handmade in her Hackney home, aromatherapist Andrea Garland’s organic beauty balms are presented in gorgeous vintage tins and compacts which she sources from all over the world (and are cleaned and sterilised before the balm is poured in.) Her Rosy Beauty Balm for the face contains shea butter, sweet almond oil, vitamin E and rose geranium – making it perfect to slap on during the winter months (expect many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ when the pretty compact emerges from your handbag!) All ingredients are ethically sourced and Garland even offers to re-fill the vintage compacts once they are emptied at a fraction of the price, resulting in no excess packaging and a pretty keepsake.
Rosy Beauty Balm is £32 for a medium-sized compact (refill £12) available from AndreaGarland.co.uk

Moa – The Green Balm

Illustration by Karolina Burdon

This gorgeous green gloop was created by Icelandic herbalist Thury Gudmundsdóttir from a recipe handed down by her grandmother, who used to concoct her beauty remedies by boiling herbs in a pan over her stove. Made with 100% natural and organic ingredients which include tea tree oil, beeswax, coconut and sweet almond oil, not only does it keep skin on both the face and body renewed and radiant but it can also be used as an aftershave balm, a baby massage and a barrier to protect the skin in extreme cold weather. A very little of this balm (which melts instantly on contact) goes a very long way, making it an essential winter handbag staple.
Available at £5 for 20ml at Lovelula.com

Balm Balm

Illustration by Darren Fletcher

With numerous endorsements from celebrities to The Soil Association, Balm Balm has gained somewhat of a cult following since its creation five years ago. Founded by aromatherapist and perfumer Glenda Taylor, the 100% organic balms come in recyclable packaging and target sensitive and irritated skin types. The shining star of the range has to be their much-hyped lip balm – which contains jojoba oil, beeswax and shea butter for super soft lips, and can be used on other dry areas too. They come in rose geranium, tea tree and fragrance free flavours (the last of which won a Green Beauty Bible award) and make perfect little stocking fillers.
Lip Balm is £2.99 for 7ml from Bath and Unwind

Burt’s Bees

Illustration by Leeay Aikawa

One of the more well-known brands, Burt’s Bees haven’t abandoned their environmental commitments despite their global success – their products contain on average 99% natural ingredients and all use recyclable packaging. Starting out in 1984 selling honey from his beehive and wondering what to do with the leftover wax, Burt Shavitz teamed up with Roxanne Quimby and began selling it in the form of candles at local craft fairs in Maine, USA. Through word of mouth, the brand grew and the now famous beauty range was born after Roxanne stumbled across a 19th century book on homemade beauty remedies. An ideal hand treat is their 100% natural Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme packed with lemon oil perfect for nourishing brittle fingernails, and with its kitsch little tin how could anyone resist?
Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème is £5.99 from burtsbees.co.uk

RMS Beauty

Illustration by Joana Faria

Created by celebrity make-up artist Rose- Marie Swift, this is the first make-up range made from natural raw ingredients that interact and ‘create a dialogue’ with the skin. Her reasoning behind the range is that unlike other ingredients contained in many ‘natural’ cosmetic brands, hers aren’t heated to high temperatures and therefore retain their beneficial nutrients which are so great for the skin. The Mineral Cream Eye Shadows contain natural mineral pigments and also double up as an eye-cream to nourish the delicate skin around the eyes. These cute little pots come in a variety of warm, earthy colours, and use recyclable glass and metal packaging. A perfect way to revamp your make-up bag for the New Year and treat your skin at the same time.
RMS Beauty Mineral Cream Eyeshadows are £18 each, available from CultBeauty.co.uk

Categories ,andrea garland, ,balm, ,balm balm, ,burt’s bees, ,Christmas, ,compacts, ,Cream, ,Darren Fletcher, ,Gift, ,hackney, ,High Street, ,Karolina Burdon, ,maine, ,miss ballantyne, ,moa green balm, ,Natural, ,organic, ,rose-marie swift, ,Skin, ,Soap, ,stocking, ,tins, ,usa, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | SXSW – Tips for 2010

The latest in a series of events from Bad Idea Magazine, illness ‘Future Human’ explores a new topic each month and hosts an evening of discussion and debate at The Book Club in Shoreditch.

This month’s topic ‘Fashion’s Microchic Shake-Up’ pondered on the impact of the internet on the global fashion market we see today. Prior to the invention of the internet, cheapest origins of fashion trends could be pinpointed to say, dosage a specific youth culture, a political movement, or a new music trend. Times have changed; the way we see fashion has changed. The serge of information made accessible to us via the internet has created a new breed of consumer, a fashionista in his or her own right. Hello Microchic. 

The term Microchic is used to describe fashion today – fashion derived from a variety of new, and inspirational sources. A style influenced by social networking sites, trend blogs and small cult labels adopted by highstreet clothing lines. A Microchic consumer knows about fashion and demands individuality, quality, innovation and fashion-forward appeal. 
Ben Beaumont-Thomas began the evening with ‘The Great Microchic Shake-Up: A Primer’, in which he defined microchic as a ‘hyper-personal multi-faceted look’. The internet allows us to cherry pick fashions, it’s no longer about subcultures showcasing specific looks but about a consumer being able to choose a look for that day without the commitment. London’s fashion-forward hubs like Shoreditch accommodate many a microchic fashionista and, it seems what used to be ironic now just ‘is’. In order to track cult fashion movements on the streets of London, Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo big brands subscribe to online global think tanks and trend forecasting services such as WGSN. These think tanks track fashion movements all over the world. Data is collected to give information on a global scale. Sales figures, market research, on-the-street trend spotters, and research into new manufacturing techniques all form a hub of information essential to any brand that wants to survive. It seems clear; the Internet has played a huge part in turning the way we think about fashion around.

So began the evenings debate; “Can the British High Street compete with Microchic?” The audience were able to upload thoughts in real-time via a live twitter feed which was displayed on stage for debate interaction. Guests Iris Ben David, CEO of Styleshake, Helen Brown, founder of Catwalk Genius and Ruth Marshall-Johnson, senior editor of WGSN Think Tank also shared their thoughts, prompting further debate. A particularly interesting point made by @cushefootwear via twitter was “Internet is to clothes what microwaves are to food”, prompting us to question the importance of ‘experience’ and ‘sensation’ when buying fashion. 
Alterations in consumer shopping patterns have led to many interesting technological developments. Innovative systems are being designed to meet new sets of consumer demands. 


www.styleshake.com

Styleshake allows a user to build a look within an online interface. The idea is, the user can create the garment they have in their head (you know, that absolutely perfect dress you wonder if you’ll ever find) through the selection of various characteristics, such as fabrics, necklines, and detailing. After you’ve designed the garment you can have it made at very reasonable prices.

Catwalk Genius is an innovative creative platform in which unestablished and up-and-coming fashion designers can sell their ranges. It’s a great resource for those looking for something ‘not on the High Street’. Users can also invest in emerging talent by buying shares in a designer’s next collection.

Perhaps a more extreme example of innovation is Augmented-Reality Shopping in which tools such as 3D scanners are used to replicate the body shape and look of a user, allowing him or her to see what they would look like in any chosen garment. 
Emerging trends are all about the involvement of the consumer. The consumer is part of the process. Innovative systems like these are designed to combat consumer frustrations such as differentiation in sizing between brands or inability to find a specific item or size, while offering an alternative consumer experience. Many consumers would be happy to do away with the days of long queues, sweaty changing rooms, rude salespeople and traipsing round shops all afternoon. By adopting an online shopping sphere, however, we lose out on the interactivity, the social nature and the tactility of shopping the High Street. Retail brands will need to facilitate technical developments such as 3D scanners (eliminating the need for changing rooms) to compete. 


H&M Garden Collection

The competitive nature of the High Street has resulted in a cycle of mass production of fast-fashion garments and large amounts of waste. In contributing to our throw-away society the highstreet fails to represent the ethical edge that can be found in Microchic. However the High Street favourites H&M’s Garden Collection made up of organic cotton and recycled polyester represents a change in attitudes from big brands.

So what does the future hold for the British High Street? Join the Debate!

We Have Band could be the most interesting group I have ever interviewed for the sole reason that every question results in the three members talking over each other, rx telling jokes and generally launching into their own internal debate. This is hardly surprising when you consider that two of the members of the band are married to each other and the third member has unwittingly become part of that relationship. Regardless, the London-based three piece are always hilarious and charming in equal measure.

The group has already been tipped by numerous music critics as the band to watch in 2010 and have their songs have been remixed by Bloc Party, Carl Craig and DJ Mujava. It seems inevitable that We Have Band’s debut album, WHB, will thrust them into the limelight with the same feverish hysteria that surrounded Hot Chip’s The Warning, as their dance floor friendly electro pop is already getting some heavy rotation by some of the world’s biggest DJs.

Amelia’s sat down with Darren, Thomas and Dede to find out more about their debut album and the unlikely way the band came together.

Howdy, guys. How was the band formed?
Dede: Thomas was making music and he wasn’t feeling very inspired so I offered to make music with him. I came up with a concept name for the band and mentioned it to Darren. He liked the name and asked if he could join. He came round for dinner and then we formed the band.
Darren: Thomas and Dede are married so I am like the third member of the marriage. It’s quite weird because we don’t really know each other but we just experimented. On the first night we wrote WHB and that’s why we called the album WHB.

How long have you been together?
Dede: Just over two years. That first dinner was in late 2007 and then we spent about 6 or 7 months writing songs. Then everything just went crazy.

Why did you choose to work with producer Gareth Jones (Grizzly Bear, Interpol) on this album?
Thomas: He actually just did additional production and mixing. We had done most of the production ourselves so we just needed someone to help us take it to that next level. We didn’t want to stray too far from what we had originally done but we wanted to give it that shine. He understood that. We wanted someone who would tailor themselves to the band rather than try to change things. We basically tried to capture the energy of the live shows.

You seem very polite and welcoming on stage. How true is this in real life?
Darren: It’s all a huge lie!
Thomas: Dede gets excited.
Dede: If everyone is enjoying themselves then you start enjoying yourself and you start getting excited by the atmosphere. We are quite relaxed.
Thomas: We all have our quirks but we are quite happy in each other’s company. As Darren mentioned, Dede and I are married so there is always something bigger than the band.
Dede: We all just go and have a cup of tea and a bag of crisps after a show.

-Painting by John Lee Bird-

What are you noticing about each other as you tour together and immerse yourselves in each other’s company?
Thomas: Darren has a laptop addiction.
Dede: He is also addicted to eggs

That can’t be very pleasant on a tour bus!
Darren: No, it isn’t! I tend to avoid Thomas and Dede until they have had a coffee in the morning.
Thomas: We can all be a bit short with each other but that’s fine. For the first hour of each day we just don’t speak and then after that we are fine!

You have been referred to as “part Hot Chip, part Talking Heads”. What do you think about this?
Thomas: Dede is banned from reading reviews but we’re fine with that.
Dede: That’s fine. It’s just not what we are.
Thomas: Yeah, it’s not what we are. Talking Heads were obviously an amazing band and we have only released a couple of singles so far but we will let them just say that and take it.

Piano is a very misleading first song on the album as it is nothing like the rest of the record. Did you have a theme or is the album just a bunch of songs that you were happy with?
Thomas: We were aware that they were quite stylistically diverse but they are all us. They are all produced in the same way with the same equipment. Plus, lots of bands have one, maybe two songwriters but all three of us contribute equally to the songs. We didn’t want to hide Piano at the end of the album just because it was a little different.

2010 salutes the return of the 60s, discount but forget the bubblegum pop of The Shangri-Las & co – I’m talking about the deeper and more sophisticated psychedelic sounds of Cream and The 13th Floor Elevators. If the noughties have been characterised by a great come back of punk, sildenafil post-punk and no wave sounds, then my personal forecasts for the new decade see a return to more psychedelic and drone-y atmospheres. The ‘nu-psychedelia’ I saw at SXSW, however, is intertwined with lots of different influences, from the rawness of garage rock and surf music, to the fuzziness of shoegaze-y guitars and 80’s synths, and the complexity of noise.

Turn on, tune in, drop out! Hopefully this will be a new Summer of Love.

Bet on these as real gold for 2010 and beyond:

These Are Powers – finally over the “ghost punk” definition they’ve dubbed themselves with, their hypercharged electro tunes, brightened up with sirens, samples and the best bassline I’ve heard in a while. They will make us dance all the summer.

Small Black – the East Coast is living the cosmic age. Small Black and fellow musicians Washed Out, Neon Indian, Memory Cassette among others take electropop to another dimension with fuzzy dreamy synth-y melodies and textured vocals. This band, in particular, is just great. And it’s making its way to the heart of the hipsters all over the world.

Pearl Harbor – the West Coast, on the contrary, is living the Summer of Love. And Pearl Harbor, together with extraordinaire Best Coast, are major exponents of the trend. Peace and love.

Male Bonding – despite coming from Dalston, Male Bonding don’t even sound British. They explosive mix of noise, shoegaze and rock and roll sounds closer to the Los Angeles bands gathered around The Smell than the anorexic depressed goths that meet at Catch. There’s some hope for British music. God save Male Bonding.

Best Coast – Bethany Cosentino & co are one of the most blogged about bands of the past few months and their broken-hearted twee gaze-y tunes will be pop anthems of the new decade. Someone compared them to the Ramones’ 45s played at 33 revolutions per minute. Listen to them and you’ll see why.

A Sunny Day In Glasgow – this 6-piece band from Philly has been one of the most underrated bands of the past few years. Hopefully this SXSW will help them to rise to the well-deserved heights of glory. Their haunting, dreamy, almost pastoral music reminds of Beach House and Grizzly Bear in a way, but they’re as unique as the former are.

Harlem – brilliant post-surf (if you can call it that way) with a Bowie-esque touch.

Tanlines – here’s another example of the new Brooklyn sound. Tanlines mix urban rhythms with tropical beats and space-y vocals. The mix of these elements seems weird but it’s actually a winner.

Once again, it seems like the American music scene is beating the UK for new, interesting production. People seem to want to dance, to dream, to trip into outer spaces – and US musicians, with their home productions and collective efforts, seem to give the best answer to these new needs. The thought process seems to be: The times have never been so shit. So what? Let’s drop acid and dance in the woods!

It’s a shame UK and European bands can’t keep up with the change, considering the great music tradition we’ve got here. The industry is stuck, 90% of British musicians are either on the dole or working 7 shifts a week in shitty pubs in order not to starve (or doing too much mephedrone so they don’t feel the hunger) and what suffers is the music.

Hopefully this wave of positivism will reach the Old World soon and we’ll see brilliant more UK bands at SXSW next year.

Categories ,13th Floor Elevators, ,2010, ,A Sunny Day In Glasgow, ,austin, ,Best Coast, ,Cream, ,Diary, ,festival, ,Harlem, ,laura lotti, ,Male Bonding, ,pearl harbour, ,small black, ,South By South West, ,sxsw, ,tanlines, ,texas, ,The Shangri-Las, ,these are powers, ,Tips, ,Videos

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