Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Victoria Foster of The Aviary

the aviary Darling Jane Detachable Peter Pan Collar
Victoria wears the Darling Jane Detachable Peter Pan Collar.

The Aviary is the brainchild of two fine art graduates, Victoria Foster and Ben Fletcher. In late 2009 the project began life as a way of upcycling the ever-growing array of clutter that surrounded these inveterate magpies, by re-appropriating curios as jewellery, charms and stationary. The couple have a commitment to living mindfully in all they do: read on to discover more about their inspiring outlook on life, where to hang out in Kent, and how their latest illustration collaboration came about.

the aviary Autumn Breeze vintage pendant
Autumn Breeze vintage pendant.

the aviary kent
Hello! firstly, I didn’t realise you live in Kent. What took you to Kent and whereabouts are you? What do you recommend that visitors to your part of the world should do? 
Hello! Well, we came to university in Canterbury and haven’t been able to tear ourselves away from Kent since! Recently many of our friends and contemporaries have made their way to the bright lights of East London, and although we’re often there, we made a conscious decision to reject the trend and have now set up our home and studio on the stunning North Downs, between rolling fields and a forest! Perhaps growing up on the outskirts of the Big Smoke spoiled the magic a bit.

the aviary home woods
Ben in the woods.

If you’re heading away from London for a day or two, these are some of our fail-safe favourites! Maybe we should get sponsorship from the Kent tourist board?! Stour Valley Arts is based in Kings Wood on our doorstep, and most loved works have to include Jem Finer’s Score for a Hole in the Ground and London Field Works Super Kingdom.

the aviary home 1
The second Folkestone Triennial took place last summer and the town now houses an array of permanent artworks by artists such as Cornelia Parker and Mark Wallinger that allow you to encounter a faded seaside town with fresh eyes. There’s also some interesting creative collectives like Diver School who provide good nights out and a great burgeoning underground music scene thanks to Box Social Records who put on great gigs. Very excited about Tall Ships on Wednesday 1st February!

the aviary home 2
Turner Contemporary in Margate has a brilliant programme of exhibitions, and the Old Town is now full of gorgeous vintage stores like Showtime Retro, cafes and independent, ethical shops like Blackbird that champion designer-makers as well as running great workshops. And of course, there’s the cobbled streets of Canterbury where coffee at Boho is a must, then seasonal food, cocktails and bad dancing into the early hours at The Farmhouse.

the aviary home 3
Summer is the best time to be here for impromtu beach gatherings, sea swimming and woodland walks. It really comes to life with the yearly arrival of Lounge on the Farm music festival. Sondry Folk’s inaugural jamboree was pretty special last year too.

the aviary roost
The Aviary grew out your love of hoarding charity shop finds, something that I suffer from myself, any tips on how to make the most of such finds within the home?
Ha! Well, our studio is in a state of perpetual chaos, and is in serious danger of looking like a room from Grey Gardens. However, since relocating to the sticks we have been a lot stricter with what vintage and thrifted finds are allowed across the threshold from our workshop and into our home. We’re in no way stylists but do both love domestic interiors. As a rule of thumb we favour decorative yet genuinely functional objects. Either they must be of use at home, or work well as props to display our work against. Obviously there have been a few special exceptions! Small grouped collections are always better than cluttered surfaces, and mixing up the old with new and handmade stops our house looking like a local history museum, or worse still, a care home! One of the best things about living in Kent is that bargains can still be found in local charity shops, boot sales and flea markets. We picked up our antique organ for a fiver, a beautiful 1920s portable typewriter for £3.50 and an ornate gold mirror out of a skip!

the aviary charm pendant
Charm pendant.

Your products are exquisitely made, can you tell us something of the process? Do you ever find it hard to dismantle or cut up old things?
Thank you! We place a lot of importance on craftsmanship. We’re both pretty fastidious about the finish of our products so it’s lovely to know it shows. A clear desk, a box of favourite finds, a sketchbook and pen, scalpel, pliers, piercing saw and files, blowtorch and solder, along with patience, tea and 6music are the bare essentials at the start of our design process! All of our jewellery and accessories are, wherever possible, made from reclaimed, recycled or preloved items. Gathering these disparate fragments of vintage ephemera, taking them apart and then making temporary collages from them is always the first process in translating them into new, one-of-a-kind pieces. Sometimes the decision to dismantle a particularly old, or rare item can be difficult, but usually the items that we are using have already come to the end of their previous useful lives either through decay or neglect so we feel that we’re rescuing them from being lost to landfill, or simply forgotten about. It’s as much about uncovering aspects of lost stories as it is about upcycling existing materials.

the aviary pocket watch case collage pendant
pocket watch case collage pendant.

Why is it so important to you to be sustainable in your business practice?
Without wanting to sound trite, we really see The Aviary as an extension of the way we’re trying to live. For us, being in an incredibly rural community is about learning to slow down a bit, adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. We feel it’s impossible to justify cheap mass produced items and a ‘throwaway’ attitude when the impact of climate change and the strain on resources is already so evident. Therefore the only option left to us as contemporary designer-makers is to create sensitively and responsibly. As makers, it is also wonderful to see a design through from start to finish. Thankfully, we also adore the aesthetic of low impact materials!

the aviary workbench
How did you get from fine art to handmade limited edition products? Were there any bumpy moments along the way and how does your partnership work?
Our practices always seemed to mix fine art concepts with craft-based techniques so the transition has mostly felt like a natural progression. We still employ many of the same skills too, such as illustration, collage, assemblage and small sculpture. After our degrees we were both still making work, exhibiting and interning for artists and arts organizations, but working within the confines of limited studio access and equipment meant we started to reassess things. The final ‘change’ came after taking part in the 2009 Art Car Bootfair with our collective, Club Shepway. Selling our first, unofficial range of miniature fine art works and curios went down a storm. We haven’t looked back since! As a partnership we work alongside one another to create overlapping bodies of work that then form our collections comprising of individual pieces. It’s so helpful to have someone to share ideas with and perhaps enables us to be more ambitious yet playful. The only thing that is less fun is bickering over who does the greater share of the admin! There are still bumpy moments, mostly involving money and time, but on the whole it’s been brilliant. It has taken a couple of years to shake off the art school guilt and officially ‘come out’ as designer-makers, but we’re getting more confidence in the integrity and worth of our products.

harriet gray illustration collab
Harriet Gray illustration collaboration.

You have recently collaborated with some illustrators, including Gemma Milly who appears in ACOFI, how did you hook up with them and what were you looking for in a potential collaborator?
To be honest, the collaborative projects stemmed from frustration! Surrounded by a sea of half-made collections, half drunk cups of tea, scrawled lists, collages and quick sketches we felt in desperate need of some fresh perspectives – something that we probably took for granted whilst at art school. We put a call out via Twitter asking for young illustrators who would consider working with us to communicate the nostalgia and uniqueness of our trinkets and treasures and reflect back the kind of girl they thought would wear our jewellery. We were completely taken aback by the number of creatives at similar points in their careers who also wanted to join forces but quickly settled on three incredible illustrators – Harriet Gray, Gemma Milly and Scarlett Rebecca, not only because of their amazing technical skills, but because we felt that they, and their work shared a similarity in spirit to ours.

gemma milly illustration collab
Gemma Milly illustration collaboration.

What have you produced with these illustrators?
The girls each created a range of beautiful illustrations using a selection of samples we sent them as their starting points. They took our trinkets and treasures and translated them into something more than the objects themselves. In return, we are now in the process of making a small collection of pendants and brooches based on their illustrations. This collection won’t be for sale but will be documented and shown online alongside the original drawings. The project has opened up new and exciting dialogues about our work and has really helped push fledgling ideas forward, as well as being really fun!

scarlett rebecca illustration collaboration
Scarlett Rebecca illustration collaboration.

You are featured on Not On the High Street, a great website for independent designers. How did you get together?
Well, we’d heard a little about NOTHS.com through friends and fellow designer-makers. After making some tentative enquiries we were really pleased to be invited to become a ‘partner’. It seems to be a brand that lends another layer of credibility and professionalism to our little venture, which has helped with making other retail and press contacts. We’ve been impressed with the functionality of the site and the control we’ve been given over the content of our ‘shop front’ with them. They’re very supportive of young businesses and allow us real flexibility.

the aviary deer one pendant
Deer one pendant.

Where else can you buy Aviary products? 
We’re so lucky to stock with some fantastic independent shops across the UK! We currently have collections on sale with Of Cabbages & Kings in London, Pretty Scruffy in Chichester, Chapter Arts gallery shop in Cardiff, Made in the Shade in Glasgow and in the very near future we’ll also have ranges available at Moonko in Sheffield and Lionstreet Store in Rye.

the aviary double sided pendant
double sided pendant.

If you want to come and see us in person we’ll be at Love Handmade? Valentine’s Fair in London on Saturday 11th February as well as the Designers/Makers market at Old Spitalfields throughout the year.

tatterattles
What are you most excited about working on at the moment?
So many things! In some ways, this is the best time of the year for us because it’s the recovery time following the Christmas rush. We’re currently developing new collections looking at charms and amulets because of having this time to be playful. And we’re having a bit of breathing space to concentrate on other side projects, such as Ben’s Tatterattles EP release on Holy Ghost Records. We’re also really excited about other future collaborations, putting together a ‘proper’ look book with a great photographer, and having chats with potential summer interns!

Categories ,Art Car Boot Fair, ,Autumn Breeze vintage pendant, ,Ben Fletcher, ,Blackbird, ,Boho, ,Box Social Records, ,Canterbury, ,cardiff, ,Chapter Arts, ,Chichester, ,Club Shepway, ,Cornelia Parker, ,Darling Jane Detachable Peter Pan Collar, ,Designers/Makers, ,Diver School, ,Folkestone Triennial, ,Gemma Milly, ,Grey Gardens, ,Harriet Gray, ,Jem Finer, ,jewellery, ,Kings Wood, ,Lionstreet Store, ,London Field Works, ,Lounge on the Farm, ,Love Handmade? Valentine’s Fair, ,Margate, ,Mark Wallinger, ,Moonko, ,North Downs, ,Of Cabbages & Kings, ,pocket watch case collage pendant, ,Pretty Scruffy, ,rye, ,Scarlett Rebecca, ,Score for a Hole in the Ground, ,sheffield, ,Showtime Retro, ,Sondry Folk, ,Stour Valley Arts, ,Super Kingdom, ,sustainable, ,Tall Ships, ,Tatterattles, ,The Aviary, ,The Farmhouse, ,Turner Contemporary, ,Upcycling, ,Victoria Foster

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Amelia’s Magazine | Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Tripod Stage Review: Friday

KIRSTY-ALMEIDA-Lisa Stannard
Kirsty Almeida by Lisa Stannard.

On Friday we kicked off with Kirsty Almeida, who you can read more about in our interview here. My description of her music as bayou blues meets dub bass might suit her recorded material, but for this small show Kirsty ditched the big band that would later be accompanying her on the Avalon stage and instead took a more stripped back acoustic approach, dressed in a fetching stripy all-in-one pants suit.

KIRSTY-ALMEIDA-Lisa Stannard
Kirsty Almeida by Lisa Stannard.

A particularly creative course of action was required from all the percussionists who visited the Tripod Stage and, in between rattling and banging a wide variety of objects, Kirsty’s drummer once again stole the show… dancing and gurning in accompaniment to her song about the “wrong Mr Right” in a thoroughly endearing fashion.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Kirsty Almeida
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Kirsty Almeida
cheeky drummer!
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Kirsty Almeida

One of a breed of strong female musicians who have no desire to fit the normal pliable record label mould, Kirsty was relaxed and chatty during her songs: an absolute delight. Her album Pure Blue Green comes out on Decca on 31st August, and she finished painting the album artwork just last night!

Kirsty on the Tripod Stage: I loved how creative yet peaceful the area was. The stage was so beautifully bonkers it brought our bonkersness out of us and gave us a licence to be cheeky too.
Kirsty’s favourite part of Glastonbury: Definitely all the street entertainers. I loved The Dead Weather too but for us as performers the highlight was definitely the chance to entertain and share our music.

Following Kirsty we had a session from Newislands, who despite worries that they would not be able to make a big enough noise managed to wow a small but perfectly formed mid afternoon crowd with their melodic post rock.

Abi Daker - Newislands -Glastonbury
Newislands by Abigail Daker.

It was only after the gig that I discovered they were missing their bassist Bogart…. we are mutual friends of the Mystery Jets and met many years ago at a small festival called Blissfields that we all went to together. Later that night Bogart called on me in my tent with Marina Pepper. I was fast asleep and woke with the fear of God in me…. it wasn’t the best way to be reintroduced but apparently he insisted on seeing me “the nicest person he knows” – I look forward to meeting Bogart again one day when I am wide awake.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp newislands
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp newislands
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp newislands

Lead singer David’s best bit about playing the Tripod Stage: Well apart from the lovely stage itself, complete with the best speaker system I’ve ever seen, receiving a cup of tea from yourselves midway through the set, was pretty special.
David’s Glastonbury highlight: Apart from playing two amazing gigs, (one for you and one for BBC Introducing), seeing Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood on stage together was ace… “For a minute there I lost myself…”
 
Newislands are playing at Napa Live in Cyprus and then return to the UK to play the Farm Festival. A new single, followed by their debut album, will be released soon. You can watch their other Glastonbury performance here.

We then had our first session from Climate Camp poets Danny Chivers, Claire Fauset and Merrick – all of whom deliver brilliant spoken word commentaries on the state of the world. Danny and Claire have a way of making the environmental/political mess we are in make complete and simple sense, and Merrick takes on the whole system. Why do we work? If you’ve heard Merrick speak you’ll question the sense in ever getting a job.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny Chivers
Danny Chivers.
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Claire Fauset
Claire Fauset by Gareth Hopkins
Claire Fauset by Gareth Hopkins.
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Merrick
Merrick.
Natasha-Thompson-Bristling-Badger
Merrick by Natasha Thompson.

After a somewhat more subdued ceilidh we were then treated to the most extraordinary live set from Danny and the Champions of the World, who decided to ditch most of the electrical amplification and instead sprawl towards their audience in a great acoustic morass.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny and the Champions of the World
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny and the Champions of the World

This band was made for live gigs…. myself and Dom, the banjo player in Green Kite Midnight, were so enthralled by the set that we dusted ourselves down after dinner and set off to hear them once more at the Croissant Neuf bandstand. Danny is a massively confident and skilled musician who has clearly been playing for years: talents like his ought to be better celebrated.

donna.mckenzie.dannyandchampions
Danny and the Champions of the World by Donna McKenzie.

Danny liked playing the Tripod Stage because: the audience was really great and there was an atmosphere that seemed very ‘other’ to the mad hustle and bustle of the rest of the festival – like a haven of good vibes and togetherness, like a family or maybe like what my minds eye would conjure up when I think of festivals in the 60′s. We really just love playing and it’s always great to pass the instruments around, have fun with friends and sing a bunch of songs, and it felt like the perfect time for that – we could’ve played for hours. The lentil dal [for supper] was a treat too!  

Danny’s favourite part of Glastonbury this year: I guess the best part of it was getting to play music with friends to loads of folks. We were lucky enough to play on a bunch of different types of stages so we got a pretty broad experience of it all – we played about seven times which was amazing… but my feet still ache! It’s what we live to do: drink a few ciders and pass the guitar around. 

Danny and the Champions of the World on the road: Our band really lives and breathes on the road, meeting good people and having a great time playing tunes. We’re doing… Maverick, Cornbury, Lounge on the Farm, Deershed, Secret Garden Party, Port Elliot, Truck Festival, Summer Sundae and Greenbelt – and maybe a couple more that I’ve forgotten. We’ll probably start to record a new record at the end of the year.

But, it didn’t end there…. like a magic jack-in-the-box, there were more surprises in store. Out of the band popped a duo who’s music I have loved since the very moment their album plopped onto my doormat. Like a butterfly emerging (from a particularly sexy and gorgeous caterpillar) Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou shed the rest of the musicians to perform a few gorgeous tunes of their own. I was beaming like a motherfucker by this point.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou
A surprise performance from Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou.

And then… I discovered that the band line up also features the delightful brothers who run Truck Festival, a great independent music festival near Oxford. They also run the smaller and folkier Wood Festival which takes place at the gorgeous Braziers Park, a sustainable community where I have camped on many an occasion. I really hope I can hook up with them some more. A nicer and more talented bunch of folk I have seldom met.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny and the Champions of the World
This man runs Truck Festival.

Moving on, my next blog tackles a very busy Saturday on the Tripod Stage – read it here.

Categories ,Abigail Daker, ,Avalon, ,BBC Introducing, ,Blissfields, ,blues, ,Brazier’s Park, ,Climate Camp, ,Cornbury, ,Croissant Neuf bandstand, ,Danny and the Champions of the World, ,Deershed, ,Donna Mckensie, ,Farm Festival, ,folk, ,Gareth Hopkins, ,glastonbury, ,Greenbelt, ,Kirsty Almeida, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Lounge on the Farm, ,Marina Pepper, ,Maverick, ,Mystery Jets, ,Napa Live, ,Natasha Thompson, ,Newislands, ,Port Elliot, ,Prog Rock, ,Secret Garden Party, ,Summer Sundae, ,The Dead Weather, ,Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou, ,Tripod Stage, ,Truck Festival, ,Wood Festival

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Pumajaw and review of new album Demonmeowmeow

Pumajaw by Tiana Dunlop
Pumajaw by Tiana Dunlop.

The enigmatic Pumajaw are a male/female duo who hail from Scotland, and their new album Demonmeowmeow is a must hear slice of new wave electronica with heart. From the throaty openings of the epic song Mazy Laws, Demonmeowmeow sets out its wares with style: hypnotic vocals from singer Pinkie Maclure set off against the sparsest of musical arrangements by John Wills (formerly of Loop), resulting in a spooky, otherworldly glory: think sleazy synths mashed up with jazz inflected brass buzzing. I promise you that Demonmeowmeow is quite unlike anything else you will have heard in 2011. Buy it now.

Pumajaw by  Sam Parr
Pumajaw by Sam Parr.

Who is Pumajaw?
Pinkie Maclure & John Wills, we’ve been working together for eleven years – John was working as an engineer and producer, I was a solo electronic artist. We worked together on a solo album of mine, From Memorial Crossing, which quickly evolved into a mutual project because we had so many ideas in common. After an arts council project called Lumen,  we settled on the name Pumajaw, which comes from our initials.
 
Pumajaw-demonmeowmeow-cover
Your new album Demonmeowmeow came out last month, what has been the reception so far?
Gideon Coe on 6 Music has been playing Outlands a lot and we’ve had plays by Max Reinhardt on Radio 3′s Late Junction. There’s been some fantastic press, with a big feature in the Herald Scotland and a 4 star review in Uncut. There have been quite extreme reactions, some people love it immediately, but other people seem confused – I like to use 3 or 4 octaves and sing torch songs with great, irresistible melodies, but the arrangements are not just the usual instruments – John creates beautiful atmospheres from unusual sources, such as a page being turned, hinges rattling or the flapping of birdwings. It’s what we’ve always done, so it seems natural to us.
 
Pumajaw
What does Demonmeowmeow mean?
Rebellious, dark and sensuous and a little bit cheeky.
 
Your sound is a mix of jazz, folk and alt blues, with a healthy dollop of electro on top. How did this come about?
It’s evolved over a long time – the first two Pumajaw albums were built around acoustic guitar loops and my rather minimal concertina playing, because we wanted to create a very simple music that could be performed live without much equipment. But as time went on, we felt restrained by it, we wanted to speed it up and make more noise, I wanted to stretch my vocal chords more. John used to be known as a drummer as well as a producer, so using new technology, he has started programming rhythms and that’s where the electro bit has come in, along with the purchase of some rather exciting synthesizers. I have to admit, we did rebel somewhat against what has started to feel like a tidal wave of bland, twee folk music – living in rural Scotland, you are surrounded by acoustic guitar balladeers and it gets really tiresome after a while. Demonmeowmeow is a bit of a reaction to all that.
 
Pumajaw by Vicky Fallon
Pumajaw by Vicky Fallon.

Despite so many influences your sound has been described as timeless, which I think can be both a blessing and a curse. How do you think it has come to sound this way?
We are both inspired by what you might call great classic songs. As a teenager I listened to a lot of jazz, French chanson, blues and folk singers. We’ve never tried to be fashionable, just creative, ambitious. I would hate to think our music could lost its appeal over time. Duke Ellington said ‘there are only two types of music – good and bad.’ We’re trying to do the good stuff.
 
pumajaw_colour
You’ve been busy producing videos. Why is it so important to you to create good visuals and is it quick to produce these videos?
John makes the videos, although we often both direct them. Visual performance has always been an important part of music for me, the imagery in the songs is very strong in my mind. The lyrics are like paintings and the videos are an extension of that. The plan is to film the whole album eventually – next up is the Mazy Laws, our 8 minute, sexy slowburner that has picked up a lot of airplay, despite its length. There’s a famous star-shaped maze near here we’re looking forward to filming and getting lost in.

YouTube Preview Image
What is happening in the Outlands video, and were you actually underwater for a great period of time?
Outlands was made in a day, because we already had the footage. We went to Pompeii during our Italian tour last January. It was very wet and we noticed bubbles constantly popping up from the puddles, which must have been volcanic gas. It was magical and dreamlike. When John asked me what Outlands was about, I said it’s like a lullabye, about drying your eyes, finding peace, solace, comfort, healing. He overlaid the bubbles over some footage of me, so I didn’t have to be underwater! I think I look like a weird, innocent, adult baby playing with the bubbles, like when tiny babies first discover their hands.
 
YouTube Preview Image
Mask is a similarly simple but eerily evocative video, how was it put together and what was the idea behind it?
Mask is about greed, vanity and dishonesty, the way people try and hide the truth with flippancy. At the moment, clever, talented people are being ignored and wasted while the well-connected few appear to be getting away unscathed. Mask is a comment on this.

Pumajaw by Janneke de Jong
Pumajaw by Janneke de Jong.
 
What can the audience expect when you play the album live?
We love playing live, it’s the reason I became a singer in the first place. Over the years we’ve learned to choose our shows carefully – there’s no point in us playing grungey indie venues, I won’t stand being talked through. I just stop and confront people if that happens. I see us almost as a kind of theatrical performance. The songs are so deep, they need to be listened to, onstage we’re quite intense and demanding, things happen we can’t always predict – although there’s been a fair bit of dancing going on at our recent gigs, so it’s a bit of a party as well. We played at the Cafe Royal in Edinburgh recently, it’s all fairylights and decadent decor – perfect!
 
You’re off on tour of Italy in early 2012 – why Italy?
We do well in Italy, we’ve toured there a few times now. They’re a bit more open to music as ‘art’. I think our music suits their culture and temperament, they’re not scared of self-expression.
 
YouTube Preview ImageBilly Rose

When can people in the UK see you again? Which smaller festivals are on your hit list to play next year?
We’ll be doing more UK gigs in the spring, but we’re going to choose carefully. We’d like to do some small festivals,  we hate the big corporate rock ones. There’s one called Lounge on the Farm we’d like to do, also a Scottish one called Doune the Rabbithole, we played there last year, it has a lovely idealism and positive atmosphere about it, they’re not scared of trying something different.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Safe Inside (live in Genoa)
 
Any other exciting plans you can share?
We’re already writing the next album, also we’re about to sign a licensing deal with an American label, so 2012 could be a busy year for us.
 
Demonmeowmeow by Pumajaw is out now on Bedevil Records.

Categories ,6 Music, ,Bedevil Records, ,Billy Rose, ,blues, ,Cafe Royal, ,Demonmeowmeow, ,Doune the Rabbithole, ,Duke Ellington, ,edinburgh, ,electronica, ,folk, ,French Chanson, ,From Memorial Crossing, ,Gideon Coe, ,Herald Scotland, ,Italy, ,Janneke de Jong, ,jazz, ,John Wills, ,Late Junction, ,Loop, ,Lounge on the Farm, ,Lumen, ,Mask, ,Max Reinhardt, ,Outlands, ,Pinkie Maclure, ,Pompeii, ,Pumajaw, ,Radio 3, ,Sam Parr, ,scotland, ,Sleaze, ,The Safe Inside, ,Tiana Dunlop, ,Uncut, ,Vicky Fallon

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Amelia’s Magazine | Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Tripod Stage Review: Sunday

Illustration by Dan Heffer, ask pharm Hat by Angela Bruce; The Hedgerow Collection

I’m not sure if it’s the wedding’s I’ve been too recently or the press attention regarding ladies hats at certain summer races (hello Ascot) or whether it’s as simple as the sun being out, but recently I’ve been paying more attention to headwear. It was therefore a great pleasure to be invited to Kensington and Chelsea College’s End of Year Millinery exhibition.

Who could resist Anna Pulleyn’s Forgotten Garden Collection?

Illustration by Krister Selin

Illustration by Lauren Macaulay

The quality of the work on display was unmistakable and the sculptural and innovative shapes a joy to look at. Each Milliner created a story around their final collection, the materials used were inspired by Japanese textile techniques, mechanics and traditional stories; for example Rachel Fallon’s take on Alice in Wonderland.

Illustration by Rachael Price

Another classic text revisited was the greek tragedy of Narcissus. Hannah-Kates Morgan collection was inspired by the story of a man simultaneously in in love with and in turmoil with the sight of his own reflection, coining the term Narcissism. A comment perhaps towards the trend in fashion to be socially elite both towards people and the different mediums of the trade?

Beth Simpson’s collection was inspired by the collection of the Marchesa Casati. Beth describes the collection’s muse as “extravagant, eccentric and bizarre, who for the first three decades of the 20th Century astounded Europe.”

Kate Underdown’s collection was inspired by medical specimens and the anatomical drawings by the Victorians sourced from the Hunerian and Grant Museums of Medicine.

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Elaine Lax’s wonderful Mechanical Movement collection created from the building blocks of machinery, that is required to keep our way of life moving.

Congratulations to all the students for a wonderful show and to Kate Underdown, Awon Golding, Rebecca Coffee, Angela Bruce, Ellen Bowden, and Mandy Mcgregor whose hats were selected to be exhibited at Fenwicks.

Photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

Illustration by Dan Heffer, diagnosis Hat by Angela Bruce; The Hedgerow Collection

I’m not sure if it’s the wedding’s I’ve been too recently or the press attention regarding ladies hats at certain summer races (hello Ascot) or whether it’s as simple as the sun being out, buy but recently I’ve been paying more attention to headwear. Therefore it was a great pleasure to be invited to Kensington and Chelsea College’s End of Year Millinery exhibition.

Who could resist Anna Pulleyn’s Forgotten Garden Collection?

Illustration by Krister Selin

Illustration by Lauren Macaulay

The quality of the work on display was unmistakable and the sculptural and innovative shapes a joy to look at. Each Milliner created a story around their final collection, pharmacy the materials used were inspired by Japanese textile techniques, mechanics and traditional stories; for example Rachel Fallon’s take on Alice in Wonderland.

Illustration by Rachael Price

Hannah-Kates Morgan’s collection – revisited another classic text; Narcissus or Narcissim – was inspired by the greek tragedy. A comment perhaps towards the trend in fashion to be socially elite both towards people and the different mediums of the trade?

Beth Simpson’s collection was inspired by the collection of the Marchesa Casati. Beth describes the collection’s muse as “extravagant, eccentric and bizarre, who for the first three decades of the 20th Century astounded Europe.”

Kate Underdown’s collection was inspired by medical specimens and the anatomical drawings by the Victorians sourced from the Hunerian and Grant Museums of Medicine.

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Elaine Lax’s wonderful Mechanical Movement collection created from the building blocks of machinery, that is required to keep our way of life moving.

Congratulations to all the students for a wonderful show and to Kate Underdown, Awon Golding, Rebecca Coffee, Angela Bruce, Ellen Bowden, and Mandy McGregor whose hats were selected to be exhibited at Fenwicks.

Photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

Illustration by Dan Heffer, viagra 60mg Hat by Angela Bruce; The Hedgerow Collection

I’m not sure if it’s the wedding’s I’ve been too recently or the press attention regarding ladies hats at certain summer races (hello Ascot) or whether it’s as simple as the sun being out, sickness but recently I’ve been paying more attention to headwear. It was therefore a great pleasure to be invited to Kensington and Chelsea College’s End of Year Millinery exhibition.

Who could resist Anna Pulleyn’s Forgotten Garden Collection?

Illustration by Krister Selin

Illustration by Lauren Macaulay

The quality of the work on display was unmistakable and the sculptural and innovative shapes a joy to look at. Each Milliner created a story around their final collection, the materials used were inspired by Japanese textile techniques, mechanics and traditional stories; for example Rachel Fallon’s take on Alice in Wonderland.

Illustration by Rachael Price

Another classic text revisited was the greek tragedy of Narcissus. Hannah-Kates Morgan collection was inspired by the story of a man simultaneously in in love with and in turmoil with the sight of his own reflection, coining the term Narcissism. A comment perhaps towards the trend in fashion to be socially elite both towards people and the different mediums of the trade?

Beth Simpson’s collection was inspired by the collection of the Marchesa Casati. Beth describes the collection’s muse as “extravagant, eccentric and bizarre, who for the first three decades of the 20th Century astounded Europe.”

Kate Underdown’s collection was inspired by medical specimens and the anatomical drawings by the Victorians sourced from the Hunerian and Grant Museums of Medicine.

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Elaine Lax’s wonderful Mechanical Movement collection created from the building blocks of machinery, that is required to keep our way of life moving.

Congratulations to all the students for a wonderful show and to Kate Underdown, Awon Golding, Rebecca Coffee, Angela Bruce, Ellen Bowden, and Mandy McGregor whose hats were selected to be exhibited at Fenwicks.

Photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

Illustration by Dan Heffer, thumb Hat by Angela Bruce; The Hedgerow Collection

I’m not sure if it’s the wedding’s I’ve been too recently or the press attention regarding ladies hats at certain summer races (hello Ascot) or whether it’s as simple as the sun being out, dosage but recently I’ve been paying more attention to headwear. Therefore it was a great pleasure to be invited to Kensington and Chelsea College’s End of Year Millinery exhibition.

Who could resist Anna Pulleyn’s Forgotten Garden Collection?

Illustration by Krister Selin

Illustration by Lauren Macaulay

The quality of the work on display was unmistakable and the sculptural and innovative shapes a joy to look at. Each Milliner created a story around their final collection, cheapest the materials used were inspired by Japanese textile techniques, mechanics and traditional stories; for example Rachel Fallon’s take on Alice in Wonderland.

Illustration by Rachael Price

Another classic text revisited was the greek tragedy of Narcissus. Hannah-Kates Morgan collection was inspired by the story of a man simultaneously in in love with and in turmoil with the sight of his own reflection, coining the term Narcissism. A comment perhaps towards the trend in fashion to be socially elite both towards people and the different mediums of the trade?

Beth Simpson’s collection was inspired by the collection of the Marchesa Casati. Beth describes the collection’s muse as “extravagant, eccentric and bizarre, who for the first three decades of the 20th Century astounded Europe.”

Kate Underdown’s collection was inspired by medical specimens and the anatomical drawings by the Victorians sourced from the Hunerian and Grant Museums of Medicine.

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Elaine Lax’s wonderful Mechanical Movement collection created from the building blocks of machinery, that is required to keep our way of life moving.

Congratulations to all the students for a wonderful show and to Kate Underdown, Awon Golding, Rebecca Coffee, Angela Bruce, Ellen Bowden, and Mandy McGregor whose hats were selected to be exhibited at Fenwicks.

Photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

Illustration by Dan Heffer, help Hat by Angela Bruce; The Hedgerow Collection

I’m not sure if it’s the wedding’s I’ve been too recently or the press attention regarding ladies hats at certain summer races (hello Ascot) or whether it’s as simple as the sun being out, sale but recently I’ve been paying more attention to headwear. Therefore it was a great pleasure to be invited to Kensington and Chelsea College’s End of Year Millinery exhibition.

Who could resist Anna Pulleyn’s Forgotten Garden Collection?

Illustration by Krister Selin

Illustration by Lauren Macaulay

The quality of the work on display was unmistakable and the sculptural and innovative shapes a joy to look at. Each Milliner created a story around their final collection, the materials used were inspired by Japanese textile techniques, mechanics and traditional stories; for example Rachel Fallon’s take on Alice in Wonderland.

Illustration by Rachael Price

Hannah-Kates Morgan’s Narcissism collection, revisited another classic text; the greek tragedy of Narcissus.

Beth Simpson’s collection was inspired by the collection of the Marchesa Casati. Beth describes the collection’s muse as “extravagant, eccentric and bizarre, who for the first three decades of the 20th Century astounded Europe.”

Kate Underdown’s collection was inspired by medical specimens and the anatomical drawings by the Victorians sourced from the Hunerian and Grant Museums of Medicine.

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Illustration by Charlotte Gibson

Elaine Lax’s wonderful Mechanical Movement collection created from the building blocks of machinery, that is required to keep our way of life moving.

Congratulations to all the students for a wonderful show and to Kate Underdown, Awon Golding, Rebecca Coffee, Angela Bruce, Ellen Bowden, and Mandy McGregor whose hats were selected to be exhibited at Fenwicks.

Photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Lulu and the Lampshades

On Sunday we lost a few and gained a few. Pete Lawrie called by with terrible hayfever to say he couldn’t sing for fear of losing his voice but kindly volunteered to perform at another Climate Camp benefit. Of course I made him stand in front of our banners so I could get a photo anyway.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Pete Lawrie
Pete Lawrie.

Robinson just didn’t turn up. I missed a phone call whilst doing an impromptu Green Kite Midnight gig at the Greenpeace Stage, price which laughably requested that I get on the radios to sort out a vehicle escort to meet them from their Acoustic Stage gig (erm, website like this did you read any of my emails?) They then ignored all my later frantic calls. Professional. Still, they probably wouldn’t have had much of an audience, what with them clashing with that embarrassing worldcup football match and all.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Pete the Temp

I missed most of Pete the Temp but managed to catch him performing some fun mashed up covers dressed in a tutu from our grand raffle.

katie-harnett-lulu and the lampshades
Lulu and the Lampshades by Katie Harnett.
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Lulu and the Lampshades

Lulu and the Lampshades decided to play at the last minute once their Glastonbury tickets were confirmed. Fronted by my former art editor, the super talented Luisa Gerstein, I am ashamed to say that this was the first time I had seen them perform live. I had previously only visited them on myspace, which really doesn’t do justice to their ace live performance. Playing on a variety of strange string instruments, an old typewriter and an assortment of pots, pans and donating buckets scoured from the Climate Camp kitchen, they were incredibly inventive.

katie-harnett-lulu and the lampshades
Lulu and the Lampshades by Katie Harnett.

Both myself and Luisa have camped extensively with Forest School Camps, and her glorious melodies reflect the mix of traditional English, Irish, Scottish and American Bluegrass music that we love to sing around campfires.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Lulu and the Lampshades
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Lulu and the Lampshades

Lulu and the Lampshades ended on an acapella version of traditional gospel song You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone – here performed with just two of the band members and some old yoghurt pots (another trick I suspect she learnt around the campfire). A cult classic if ever I saw one – there are already multiple tributes on youtube.

YouTube Preview Image

Luisa’s best bit about playing the Tripod Stage: our make-shift drum-kit from the catering tent.
Luisa’s best bit about Glastonbury this year: Sunday evening: Mountain Man in the Crow’s Nest followed by Dirty Projectors followed by Stevie Wonder; twas dreamy. 
 
You can catch Lulu and the Lampshades at Bestival later this year.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Cats and Cats and Cats

Cats and Cats and Cats then borrowed a number of instruments from Lulu and the Lampshades to play another exclusive for the Tripod Stage, lead singer Ben George having come down from his parent’s pottery stand in the Green Fields to offer us the gig. Quite fortuitously Cats and Cats and Cats have their debut album If I’d Had An Atlas out next week, so we were treated to stripped down versions of a range of songs which I’ve since been able to listen to on record.

cats and cats and cats
Cats and Cats and Cats by Farzeen Jabbar.

When and where was the album recorded?
If I’d Had An Atlas was recorded over 11 days in deepest darkest Wales (Giant Wafer Studios in the Brecon Beacons), it was great to be so far away from any bustling cities and we could really concentrate there. We also did some recordings of extra instruments (tuba, cello, accordion etc.) in Folkestone at Barewires Studios.

What inspired the name If I’d Had An Atlas?
The name is from a lyric in the title track which reads “I don’t know, if I’d had an atlas, where we would be,” which fell out of my brain at some point and I scribbled it down. I like the imagery of someone imagining that if they’d had a map they would have done things differently but of course there is no map and life is chaotic and that’s why it’s amazing.

What was the best bit about playing on the Tripod Stage?
I really enjoyed just turning up and using what instruments we could gather to piece together a set and then managing to pull it off! Thanks loads to Lulu and the Lampshades for lending us their equipment and also for being really brilliant. The only bad point was when I dedicated a song to my brother only to find he’d run off to watch Nora Jones!

What was your favourite part of Glastonbury this year?
I saw some of my favourite Glastonbury performances this year by bands like: Boxcar Aldous Huxley, Tubelord, the Dirty Projectors, Meursault and Imogen Heap; I was also gobsmacked at the lightning men and amounts of fire in Arcadia. But I have to say the weather, I was there for 8 days and I didn’t see a drop of rain. Amazing.

What other festivals are you playing at?
We’ve got a couple more lined up in July: Lounge on the Farm in Canterbury on Friday 9th (at 12pm) and 2000 Trees Festival in Cheltenham on Saturday 17th. Then we’ll be playing a farewell show for our violin player in London at some point as she’s leaving the band, but we’ll be back on the scene in October for a UK tour. Hopefully see you soon.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Cats and Cats and Cats

Ben has one of those voices that delights in the slightly out of the tune: it shouldn’t work but most of the time it somehow does: his wailing vocals become a feature in themselves, especially when offset against such a lush backdrop: brass, strings, entire orchestras, choirs, all have their place on this album – occasionally screeching to a standstill that echoes the offkilter vocals. It’s all great fun. Stand out single A Boy Called Haunts is a triumphant melody about… a boy who is trying to impress a girl, so he dresses up as a ghost on Halloween. Only trouble is that he then becomes a real ghost and discovers that she spends her free time having sex with men in porn films. As you do. Ben has been learning Japanese for 3 years so he decided to write a song in Japanese “half to see if I could and half to show off”.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Cats and Cats and Cats

Towards the end of the album curveball Suizokukanni works surprisingly well, even if the subject matter is equally bonkers. In it Ben’s fictional brother talks to the fish in the garden pond so he gets shunned. One day Ben hears the fish in the garden calling his name and realises he can talk to them. The last line roughly translates to “Lets go to the aquarium together and never return!”. This is followed by the beautiful The Smallest Song, a much quieter and more subdued affair, even as the brass section kicks in. The next single will be If I’d Had Antlers, which features sawed and plucked violin melded to trademark awkward beats and a surprisingly delicate melody. Watch out for the animated video. Cats and Cats and Cats might be an acquired taste, but they’re wonderfully original and definitely a grower. Well worth checking out.

carolyn-alexander-attila the stockbroker
Attila the Stockbroker by Carolyn Alexander.

Our final performer was another late booking – Attila the Stockbroker, pint in hand, gave us some grand punk beat poetry. 60 years old and able to give any number of youngsters a run for their money. I’d like to see more of him one day.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Attila the Stockbroker

And so ended my Tripod Stage musical line-up. And what a joy it was. Here’s hoping we can do as well next year…

Categories ,2000 Trees Festival, ,Acapella, ,Acoustic Stage, ,Arcadia, ,Attila the Stockbroker, ,bestival, ,Bluegrass, ,Boxcar Aldous Huxley, ,brass, ,Carolyn Alexander, ,Cats and Cats and Cats, ,Climate Camp, ,Crow’s Nest, ,dirty projectors, ,Farzeen Jabbar, ,folk, ,Forest School Camps, ,Green Fields, ,Greenpeace, ,Imogen Heap, ,Katie Harnett, ,Kitchen, ,Lounge on the Farm, ,Luisa Gerstein, ,Lulu and the Lampshades, ,Meursault, ,Mountain Man, ,Pete Lawrie, ,Pete the Temp, ,Pottery, ,Robinson, ,Stevie Wonder, ,Traditional Music, ,Tripod Stage, ,Tubelord, ,wales

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Amelia’s Magazine | Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Tripod Stage Review: Friday

Deviating from the subject of Climate Change, viagra 100mg unhealthy Amelia’s Magazine finds ourselves mesmerised by Design Interaction Student, stuff Kjen Wilkens’ Weather Camera.

What is the impact on our relationship with the environment – when existing in a world where sensor monitors constantly interpret our daily surroundings, prescription producing endless streams of data? Are we moving into the final phrase of Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction?

The Weather Camera is Kjen Wilkens response to her search for a human presence within this deluge of electronic readings. Instead of taking a photograph to a record a special moment, the user of The Weather Camera can record the atmospheric conditions, weaving these into autobiographical memory. In time encouraging new methods of narration, titled by the designer as “Sensor Poetics.”

Described as “object of empowerment”, Becky Pilditch‘s prothestics showcase how functional pieces of designs can be both a thing of beauty and an extension of the wearer’s personality. Becky worked and developed the project with Holly Franklin .

Hand 8 the final part of the project, played with ideas of gesture and personality by creating numerous arms that related to Holly’s actions as she spoke or moved around a space. A fantastic aspect of the website is the blog, which can be used by other prosthetic limb users to feed back directly to the project.

In the Animation section of the exhibition Lauri Warsta’s Traumdeutung awaited. A wonderful animation baring the hallmarks (whatever that may mean…) of a “documentary,” the calming, not too dissimilar to the 1940′s DONT PANIC! voiceover narrated the data currently available on the subject matter: The Global Reserves of Dreams. The beauty in this short is it bared the possibility that it was itself entirely a dream.

The subtle block coloring of the animation maintained a ‘warmth’ more similar to hand drawn animation, that can sometimes be lost in 3D animation. An outcome of the animator’s experiments in combining ” two extremes (3D and Handmade) clash and merge. For example; bringing the uncontrollable movement of real hand-held footage to an otherwise sterile computer animation”

Adnan Lalani‘s experiment with augmented reality catches the attention, through being something the viewer can interact with. The action of turning the Pop Up Book’s pages is suplimented by additional narration appearing on the screen placed directly behind the book and inline with the viewers eye.

Below is a video documenting the Pop Up Book’s Prototype. Earlier this week Adnan kindly took a few moments to explain the idea behind combining the narrative structure of a Pop Up Book with Augmented reality: “The pop-up book felt like a natural compliment to augmented reality. I was hoping to see how AR could be used in a more tactile, playful context… i.e. take something we already know and play with, and allow it to be enhanced with animation and digital interactivity.”

RCA Work In Progress Show – Pop Up Book Prototype Documentation from adnan lalani on Vimeo.

Eventually Adnan hopes that as we grow more comfortable with the idea of Augmented Reality, ideas like the Pop Up book ” can allow a progression from the magical, novelty nature of AR, into more of a direct tool by which to communicate narratives and story telling”

The eye catching work of Design Interaction Graduate Louise O’Conner; used experimental dance to convey the movement of the smallest particles, for example: Atoms, in an attempt to connect us to movements that are beyond our physical awareness. Visit the exhibition to watch the film!

A particular lovely idea was the mapping out of the distances of the solar system along Kingsland High Street leading up to Stamford Hill. Eight Shopkeepers were asked if their shop would host one of the planets…

Photography by Mark Henderson

You can find the map and information about the project here:

Katrin Baumgarten’s Aesthetics of Disgust explores humans’ relationship and our reactions; both emotional and physical to the things or materials which disgust us. Using inanimate objects all too often taken for granted, (i.e. Light Switches) Kartin added disturbing features such as goo or hair that moved as the light switch is pressed. By ‘touching’ us back, the presence of these inanimate objects is brought back to the forefront of our attention.

In the installation at the Royal College of Art a screen documents the level of the reaction of each user.

Another subject explored by Katrina is Intimate touch or sexual disgust and how these feelings can be created “merely by inappropriate behaviours in society, such as touching another person in an intimate or sexual way in public, even though that might comfort the two persons involved and is a part of our human nature.” The outcome of which is the Intimate Touch Object, an item which enables you to touch another person secretly…

FINALLY on my second trip (yes second, it’s that big and really worth the time) I came across the brilliant work of Sivaprakash Shanmugam’s Expressive Scribble. Children draw onto the projector screen (this could be the kitchen floor, wall etc…) and an bring their drawings to life by clicking the ‘movie’ button. The idea being to “enrich their visual vocabulary,” sense of narrative and most importantly encourage children’s creativity.

Part two of the RCA show continues until 4th July 2010. It’s open from 11-8 daily at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU. Admission is free.

Images Courtesy of the Students and addition photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

KIRSTY-ALMEIDA-Lisa Stannard
Kirsty Almeida by Lisa Stannard.

On Friday we kicked off with Kirsty Almeida, generic who you can read more about in our interview here. My description of her music as bayou blues meets dub bass might suit her recorded material, but for this small show Kirsty ditched the big band that would later be accompanying her on the Avalon stage and instead took a more stripped back acoustic approach, dressed in a fetching stripy all-in-one pants suit.

KIRSTY-ALMEIDA-Lisa Stannard
Kirsty Almeida by Lisa Stannard.

A particularly creative course of action was required from all the percussionists who visited the Tripod Stage and, in between rattling and banging a wide variety of objects, Kirsty’s drummer once again stole the show… dancing and gurning in accompaniment to her song about the “wrong Mr Right” in a thoroughly endearing fashion.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Kirsty Almeida
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Kirsty Almeida
cheeky drummer!
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Kirsty Almeida

One of a breed of strong female musicians who have no desire to fit the normal pliable record label mould, Kirsty was relaxed and chatty during her songs: an absolute delight. Her album Pure Blue Green comes out on Decca on 31st August, and she finished painting the album artwork just last night!

Kirsty on the Tripod Stage: I loved how creative yet peaceful the area was. The stage was so beautifully bonkers it brought our bonkersness out of us and gave us a licence to be cheeky too.
Kirsty’s favourite part of Glastonbury: Definitely all the street entertainers. I loved The Dead Weather too but for us as performers the highlight was definitely the chance to entertain and share our music.

Following Kirsty we had a session from Newislands, who despite worries that they would not be able to make a big enough noise managed to wow a small but perfectly formed mid afternoon crowd with their melodic post rock.

Abi Daker - Newislands -Glastonbury
Newislands by Abigail Daker.

It was only after the gig that I discovered they were missing their bassist Bogart…. we are mutual friends of the Mystery Jets and met many years ago at a small festival called Blissfields that we all went to together. Later that night Bogart called on me in my tent with Marina Pepper. I was fast asleep and woke with the fear of God in me…. it wasn’t the best way to be reintroduced but apparently he insisted on seeing me “the nicest person he knows” – I look forward to meeting Bogart again one day when I am wide awake.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp newislands
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp newislands
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp newislands

Lead singer David’s best bit about playing the Tripod Stage: Well apart from the lovely stage itself, complete with the best speaker system I’ve ever seen, receiving a cup of tea from yourselves midway through the set, was pretty special.
David’s Glastonbury highlight: Apart from playing two amazing gigs, (one for you and one for BBC Introducing), seeing Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood on stage together was ace… “For a minute there I lost myself…”
 
Newislands are playing at Napa Live in Cyprus and then return to the UK to play the Farm Festival. A new single, followed by their debut album, will be released soon. You can watch their other Glastonbury performance here.

We then had our first session from Climate Camp poets Danny Chivers, Claire Fauset and Merrick – all of whom deliver brilliant spoken word commentaries on the state of the world. Danny and Claire have a way of making the environmental/political mess we are in make complete and simple sense, and Merrick takes on the whole system. Why do we work? If you’ve heard Merrick speak you’ll question the sense in ever getting a job.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny Chivers
Danny Chivers.
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Claire Fauset
Claire Fauset by Gareth Hopkins
Claire Fauset by Gareth Hopkins.
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Merrick
Merrick.
Natasha-Thompson-Bristling-Badger
Merrick by Natasha Thompson.

After a somewhat more subdued ceilidh we were then treated to the most extraordinary live set from Danny and the Champions of the World, who decided to ditch most of the electrical amplification and instead sprawl towards their audience in a great acoustic morass.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny and the Champions of the World
Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny and the Champions of the World

This band was made for live gigs…. myself and Dom, the banjo player in Green Kite Midnight, were so enthralled by the set that we dusted ourselves down after dinner and set off to hear them once more at the Croissant Neuf bandstand. Danny is a massively confident and skilled musician who has clearly been playing for years: talents like his ought to be better celebrated.

donna.mckenzie.dannyandchampions
Danny and the Champions of the World by Donna McKenzie.

Danny liked playing the Tripod Stage because: the audience was really great and there was an atmosphere that seemed very ‘other’ to the mad hustle and bustle of the rest of the festival – like a haven of good vibes and togetherness, like a family or maybe like what my minds eye would conjure up when I think of festivals in the 60′s. We really just love playing and it’s always great to pass the instruments around, have fun with friends and sing a bunch of songs, and it felt like the perfect time for that – we could’ve played for hours. The lentil dal [for supper] was a treat too!  

Danny’s favourite part of Glastonbury this year: I guess the best part of it was getting to play music with friends to loads of folks. We were lucky enough to play on a bunch of different types of stages so we got a pretty broad experience of it all – we played about seven times which was amazing… but my feet still ache! It’s what we live to do: drink a few ciders and pass the guitar around. 

Danny and the Champions of the World on the road: Our band really lives and breathes on the road, meeting good people and having a great time playing tunes. We’re doing… Maverick, Cornbury, Lounge on the Farm, Deershed, Secret Garden Party, Port Elliot, Truck Festival, Summer Sundae and Greenbelt – and maybe a couple more that I’ve forgotten. We’ll probably start to record a new record at the end of the year.

But, it didn’t end there…. like a magic jack-in-the-box, there were more surprises in store. Out of the band popped a duo who’s music I have loved since the very moment their album plopped onto my doormat. Like a butterfly emerging (from a particularly sexy and gorgeous caterpillar) Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou shed the rest of the musicians to perform a few gorgeous tunes of their own. I was beaming like a motherfucker by this point.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou
A surprise performance from Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou.

And then… I discovered that the band line up also features the delightful brothers who run Truck Festival, a great independent music festival near Oxford. They also run the smaller and folkier Wood Festival which takes place at the gorgeous Braziers Park, a sustainable community where I have camped on many an occasion. I really hope I can hook up with them some more. A nicer and more talented bunch of folk I have seldom met.

Glastonbury 2010 Climate Camp Danny and the Champions of the World
This man runs Truck Festival.

Moving on, my next blog tackles a very busy Saturday on the Tripod Stage – read it here.

Categories ,Abigail Daker, ,Avalon, ,BBC Introducing, ,Blissfields, ,blues, ,Brazier’s Park, ,Climate Camp, ,Cornbury, ,Croissant Neuf bandstand, ,Danny and the Champions of the World, ,Deershed, ,Donna Mckensie, ,Farm Festival, ,folk, ,Gareth Hopkins, ,glastonbury, ,Greenbelt, ,Kirsty Almeida, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Lounge on the Farm, ,Marina Pepper, ,Maverick, ,Mystery Jets, ,Napa Live, ,Natasha Thompson, ,Newislands, ,Port Elliot, ,Prog Rock, ,Secret Garden Party, ,Summer Sundae, ,The Dead Weather, ,Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou, ,Tripod Stage, ,Truck Festival, ,Wood Festival

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Amelia’s Magazine | Lounge on the Farm 2013: Festival Review

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Way back in 2009 contributor Amelia Wells visited Lounge on the Farm in Kent for Amelia’s Magazine. She was duly wowed by this small scale family orientated music festival and wrote a glowing review, so I promised myself I would make it along one day too. It’s taken me a mere four years to fulfil that promise, but this year my little family finally made the trip down to Merton Farm near Canterbury, mega pop up tent in tow (Quechua 4.2 seconds family pop up tent since you asked: can’t recommend it enough). How things have changed for me since 2009! Back then it would have been all about the late night dancing. Now my festival needs are somewhat different – I’m looking for a laid back atmosphere with space to relax with my baby, plus lots of things to keep him entertained. Lounge on the Farm does this admirably, with a dedicated childrens area called the Little Lounge full of wonderful willow structures, yurts and a miniature big top playing host to entertainments aimed at the wee ones. All this and a wonderful space hosted by the local NCT group: a haven for breastfeeding and nappy changing.

Jennifer Dionisio Illustration Lounge on the Farm Review
Lounge on the Farm by Jennifer Dionisio.

We arrived on Friday evening, and were directed to pitch our tent in the ‘quiet area’ rather than in the designated ‘family area’ at the top of the hill. Camping in the quiet area was an unfortunate choice as it turned out, since it was also a cut through from every other part of the camp and during the first night it seemed as if half the festival tripped over our (dark coloured) guy ropes and nearly crashed wholesale onto our slumbering bodies. In between this and constant breastfeeding (he’s teething, that’s the latest reason at any rate) I didn’t get the greatest of sleeps. But enough of the griping, we had a wonderful time.

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm by Marianna Madriz
Lounge on the Farm by Marianna Madriz.

Once we’d unpacked we headed into the festival to see what was on offer, a big eyed Snarfle in tow. After an impromptu tour around the working part of the farm we feasted on Merton Farm burgers, 0 meat miles. These were cooked in a kitchen at The Farmhouse Restaurant staffed by chef Rob Cooper, one of the founding DJs, and coincidentally the brother of my NCT friend Christine. It’s a small world, and growing ever smaller: his wife Vicky founded the festival 8 years ago with her friend Sean and nowadays works closely with a lovely ex student and ex intern of mine, James Penfold, who books all of the bands.

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm by Emma Russell
Lounge on the Farm by Emma Russell.

Everything at Lounge on the Farm has been lovingly thought through: there was a full Victorian funfair with helter-skelter and big wheel, hay bales aplenty to relax against and artwork everywhere I looked: lasercut painted sculptures and brilliant illustrated cutouts of festival goers from wonderful illustrations by Maddy Vian. The main site was split across three fields bounded by striking beech hedges, with plenty of space to rollick around: I hate it when festivals get stupidly busy and this was never a risk, though the music stages became packed enough to generate the ideal atmosphere for good bands. All the food we ate was delicious and in the main organic and local as well as very reasonably priced. Special mention must go to the fantastically tasty wild venison and wild boar burgers served up with duck eggs by Phil the Gameskeeper at the Godmersham Game stand: all hunted from the wilds of the Kent countryside. At The Farmhouse Restaurant the beer and ale had all been produced from Kent hops. The festival aims to support ‘the local arts, culture, agriculture and economy‘ and does so admirably.

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm by George Morton
Lounge on the Farm by George Morton.

I didn’t know many of the bands playing during the day time, but as always made some impressive discoveries: on Friday we were treated to Lucy Rose, a diminutive blonde with a guitar and a big voice. Sadly I missed the headliner Seasick Steve as it was early to bed for me: there was no way Snarfle was going to sleep with so much stimulation going on so we were tent bound by 8pm on both nights (and most handy when a huge thunderstorm struck on Saturday night).

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
On Saturday my big discovery was the lilting sounds of a Southampton based outfit called Pale Seas on the Farm Folk Stage: I loved the combination of evocative melodies from the lead singer, with backing vocals contributed by the unassuming female drummer. My other big discovery was the astonishingly tasty fruity drinks at the Sunshine Smoothies van behind the NCT tent – who would have thought that lavender would work with cherry? We visited the NCT tent on numerous occasions, where Snarfle enjoyed the Baby Sensory classes and free access to bedtime books. Outside there were toys to play with, edible gardens to make, bushcraft shelter classes, drumming, juggling and much more. The film tent (complete with popcorn stand) hosted a singalong Jungle Book showing.

At The Playhouse we enjoyed comedy excellently compered by John Robbins and cabaret from Lekido, Lord of the Lobsters (above).

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge On The Farm by Zo Bevan
Lounge On The Farm by Zo Bevan.

On Sunday I treated myself to a lovely massage in the obligatory Healing Fields, and enjoyed music by the Snowdown Colliery Band, Intensified and Aswad. I missed Margate based rapper Mic Righteous but heard good things. Sadly we missed Soul II Soul because after a long weekend of partying Snarfle was starting to fray at the seams. This was a massive shame since they are the sound of my youth (summer of 1989, ghetto blaster, Clapham Common, Brixton, The Fridge) and it would have been the perfect end to an absolutely glorious two days of sunshine, but we drove off into the Kentish night refreshed and just a little bit more in love with this beautiful and abundant part of the UK.

Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm 2013 review
Lounge on the Farm by Rose Hudson
Lounge on the Farm by Rose Hudson.

What I love about festivals such as Lounge on the Farm is how they happily cater to all age groups – this was certainly the perfect boutique festival for London and Kent based families, but it was also thoroughly enjoyed by a younger local crowd. As night fell it seemed as if half the teenagers of Canterbury were thronging around the dance orientated Hoe Down tent in heightened hormonal anticipation. I may have seen far fewer bands than I would have done in years past (Snarfle was not always a keen wearer of protective headphones) but I had a wonderful time adapting our visit to the needs of a little one. We definitely plan to return next year, need I say more?

Categories ,2013, ,Amelia Wells, ,Aswad, ,Baby Sensory, ,Breastfeeding, ,Brett Anderson, ,Canterbury, ,Child Friendly, ,children, ,Emma Russell, ,Families, ,Family Orientated, ,Farm Folk Stage, ,George Morton, ,Godmersham Game, ,Healing Fields, ,Hoe Down, ,Intensified, ,James Penfold, ,Jennifer Dionisio, ,John Robbins, ,Jungle Book, ,kent, ,Lekido, ,Little Lounge, ,Lord of the Lobsters, ,LOTF, ,Lounge on the Farm, ,Lucy Rose, ,Maddy Vian, ,Margate, ,Marianna Madriz, ,Merton Farm, ,Mic Righteous, ,NCT, ,Pale Seas, ,Phil the Gameskeeper, ,Pop-Up Tent, ,Quechua, ,review, ,Rob Cooper, ,Rose Hudson, ,Seasick Steve, ,Snarfle, ,Snowdown Colliery Band, ,Soul II Soul, ,Sunshine Smoothies, ,The Farmhouse Restaurant, ,The Playhouse, ,Victorian funfair, ,Vine, ,Zo Bevan

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