Nina Joyce – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Album Review: The Irrepressibles – Mirror Mirror

There are few men like Jamie McDermott. A man of his calibre is seldom found in the 21st century. His affection for cheeky baroque arrangements, doctor outlandish but hypnotising woodland performances and a theatrical charm that belies his context in our often over-starched popstar era marks McDermott as one of a very different breed indeed. As the master of ceremonies to the 10-strong orchestral collective The Irrepressibles, information pills McDermott offers pure carnal delight in a debut that is never once short of imagination, gusto or surprise. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the cabaret.

‘Mirror Mirror’ is a soaring, inquisitive and arresting debut that conjures the ethereal atmosphere of theatre in a swell of tempting arrangements and remarkable rhythmic pace. A chorus of strings rises from each song, perhaps to best effect in opener “My Friend Jo”. As the curtain rises, urgent sharp violins introduce the listener to the ‘crazy bitch’ Jo, the finest of introductions to the irreverent humour and talent of The Irrepressibles. As we slip and slide through the first act of ‘Mirror Mirror’, the fits and starts of strings and guitars are bolstered by McDermott’s unnervingly impressive vocal range. Keen to show he does not merely masquerade in the comic, “In Your Eyes” is typical of the vulnerability and touching emotion which McDermott’s voice projects. For all the showmanship there is no hesitation to allow the matters of the heart to take precedence and in moments of lucidity we are granted a glance through the keyhole guarding such secrets.

But everything is not quite what it seems in the wonderfully animate world of ‘Mirror Mirror’; “Knife Song” purrs with the allure of a lover as flutes flirtatiously tiptoe through the verses but the revelation that, “Jamie, it’s such a shame you disappoint me,” marks a song of personal confusion and searing but very human honesty. More than a voice on a record, more than a character paraded on stage, McDermott is a man who has poured not only his creative energies into The Irrepressibles but his heart and soul. We become intermingled in the melt of his thoughts in ‘Nuclear Skies’ as layers of light keys, wailing strings, intensifying reverberations and angelic calls become an otherworldly whirlwind.

Despite a willingness to expose the raw emotion of the heart, The Irrepressibles show a devilish streak. Never shy to taunt, tease and tempt, McDermott takes on Elvis himself to declare, “take my hand, take my whole life too, because I can’t help what I do to you,” in “Splish! Splash! Sploo!”. Crashing cymbals and scaling plucked violins punctuate a mocking warble to the publicly jilted. A complicated man indeed. Undoubtedly the finest moment of ‘Mirror Mirror’ arrives at the tail end in the form of “In This Shirt”, its beauty compounded by glitchy electronic stutters that chatter like birdsong, organs and the rolling expectancy of the cello. Feeling like fresh sun on your face, the finale is truly worth waiting for as it unravels itself in pure mastery.

McDermott’s exuberant performances dance on the border of disturbing, but an ability to melt between the light and the dark with such mesmerising grace has led to comparisons to Anthony Hegarty, though the heights McDermott’s voice can reach sometimes suggest a male Joanna Newsom, minus the folk. The time for the rise of the Irrepressibles is surely upon us. The somewhat poperatic tendencies undoubtedly catch your attention but the flamboyancy can sometimes seem more like a child starved of affection. The positive side to this is The Irrepressibles’s contagious spirit and exuberance for sticking a tongue out or a lithe finger up to convention. McDermott and his cohorts relish the playful charm of Anvil, a galloping soundtrack to a horseback race across the backdrop of twisted romances. The finesse of the orchestral arrangements and assault on the boundaries of musical genres mark ‘Mirror Mirror’ as an album that deserves to be given your time; not only is it a lot cheaper than a ticket to the theatre, but it offers you so much in return.

Written by Nina Joyce on Tuesday March 2nd, 2010 12:08 am

Categories ,album review, ,irrepressibles, ,music, ,Nina Joyce, ,the irrepressibles

Amelia’s Magazine | So Long, Sweet Luella, and the rest…

Images throughout courtesy of Me and Zena

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, buy information pills give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

This new line of kitsch accessories comes courtesy of the eponymous, up and coming London based designer Zena McKeown. With a BA in Visual Communication from Edinburgh College of Art, Zena moved to London in 2005 to live the dream, and has seen her homemade designs go from their humble beginnings at the Brick Lane Backyard Market to gracing the pages of Vogue. Of her collection she says: “Me and Zena is about satisfying your inner stroppy teenager.”

Not only is Me & Zena jewellery easy on the eye, but it won’t break the bank either with key rings starting from £8, bracelets from £10 and necklaces from £14, a welcome relief at this time of year!

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, cheapest give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, website like this and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, sales give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, capsule and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, viagra 40mg give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, pharmacy and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

You don’t have to go far to get your mitts on a piece of these fabulous designs, with stockists ranging from Ad Hoc, Jules and Gems and Lazy Oaf– and that’s just London. So for a bit of fun, eye-catching bling to make a bland outfit pop, hit up Me and Zena and indulge your adolescent self.
Some questions define a generation: where were you when JFK was shot? Or when the Berlin Wall fell? Or when Luella Bartley announced the end of her label in 2009? Whilst I may be overestimating the cultural impact of the latter, troche for lovers of the British label’s comic-book-worm meets aristocratic-party-girl designs, erectile it was a sad day indeed.

Luella SS10, malady image courtesy of Tumblr

In a year that already claimed king of Couture Christian Lacroix, the economy took another bite out of fashion when Luella announced her eponymous brand was to become the latest fashion victims of the recession. The wearable appeal of her clothes combined with a celebrity fan club spearheaded by Alexa Chung was not enough to stop Luella undeservingly and unexpectedly falling by the wayside. Anna Wintour’s inaugural stamp of approval by way of attending Luella’s premature final show suggested the label was heading for even bigger things. The cementing of Bartley’s reputation as a new national institution came earlier in 2009 when she collected the coveted Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

Christian Lacroix Couture SS09, image courtesy of Stylefrizz.

Luella might have charmed the international stage, showing in Milan and New York, but our British capital remained her city of choice. No label out there quite captured the spirit of young London in the same irreverent but indulgent way, and whilst the clothes might be adorned with enough frills and bows to safely cater an equestrian show, there was always a unique edge to the garments that proved they were made for girls who liked to stay up all night.

Luella SS10, image courtesy of Tumblr

Collections in the past have seen a nod to Ghost World, Batman, Princess Margaret and a menagerie of mismatched acid brights, but Luella’s s/s10 collection suggests that the rebellious, awkward adolescence has been left behind and from its shadow emerges a lighter feminine appeal. Trademark bows and tulle are out in force but softer 60’s inspired curves, bold polka dots and pastels are the cornerstone of Bartley’s final outing. Luella never fails to capture the imagination and her last London Fashion Week was the perfect time to showcase her romantic vision of the thrown-together-decorum of prom dresses topped with birds nest buns, proving that whilst the Luella girl has grown up she hasn’t forgotten where she’s come from, which now has a certain irony for the label too.

Christian Lacroix AW08/09, image courtesy of Getty

So what relevance does this have for the fashion industry as a whole, you may ask. Well whilst it’s not a good thing for the industry to have lost one of the godfather’s of Couture in Lacroix, the British fashion industry and fans alike will also be reeling from the loss of one of our best loved labels in Luella. If anything good can come from this it will be that consumers – like me and you – will hopefully be much more aware of the how much money we are spending on luxury fashion, and be mindful of how fragile fashion is at present, much like every other industry.

Whilst we should support fashion in its time of need, there are many things we can do other than buy expensive items. For starters we can always do more to support independent British designers – especially those who produce and manufacture in the UK. We can also steer clear of supporting the other extreme, by not opting for disposable fashion championed at stores such as Primark. So whilst ‘we’ hate to say it, perhaps with the cyclical nature of fashion, this is nature’s way of keeping the industry accessible to designers of all abilities and financial backing. This will hopefully lead to the emergence of several new designers on the scene in the new decade, not replacing those who sadly got left in the 00’s, but honouring them by moving the industry forward as a whole.

Written by Nina Joyce on Wednesday January 27th, 2010 5:57 pm

Categories ,Alexa Chung, ,Anna Wintour, ,British Fashion Awards, ,Christian Lacroix, ,JFK, ,London Fashion Week, ,Luella Bartley, ,Nina Joyce

Amelia’s Magazine | Frillybylily: The one-stop-shop for one-of-a-kind jewellery

All photographs courtesy of Leon Diaper

Leon Diaper is a 23-year-old very talented photographer hailing from New Forest. Leon graduated last summer from the art institute of Bournemouth where he had studied a BA in Commercial Photography. He is now trying his luck in the big city of London.

Valerie Pezeron: Hello Leon, price how are you getting on living in London?

Leon Diaper: I am trying to make my way with everyone else, doing my own work. I have a day job to earn money in American Apparel at the moment. This is all right. I have a few friends who work there. I needed a job when I came to London and this is better than the bar job I used to have back home, with crazy hours. It does not make you particularly productive.

VP: Why commercial photography?

LD: If you want to make a living, the course I did was more grounded than the other photography BA a few of my friends did. Theirs was a really open-ended and really fine art based course. It wasn’t anything I liked, looked at or ventured towards. With my course, I could do fashion, documentary and you get 6 weeks to do a project in anything you want. I was shown how you could sell your work and get it published.

VP: So you did work for Dazed and Confused? How did that come about?

LD: Just band stuff and portraits, which is always nice to do. Normally I would email them, just annoy people and then call. Most of the time, clients you approach are quite nice; I’m going to meet someone from Tank magazine today. They just said, “Come over and show me your work”. It’s often quite informal, and then you just have to prop them again to go “hey, what do you think!’ and things like that. It was a paid gig, which is always really nice.

VP: So far you have been photographing bands but the rest of your portfolio is quite different.

LD: Yes, because music photography is the easiest way to get your work into magazines. I have so far photographed bands like Siren and Siren. My personal work tends to be more documentary stuff. I enjoy doing narratives, meeting groups and individuals.

VP: What king of magazines would you see your work fit in best?

LD: In Dazed, they have the editorial piece. I would love to do stories for such magazines. I love spending a lot of time building a body of work in order to narrow it down into a piece. Bands are always really hard to make that exciting, to be honest. It’s a really good thing to do but… but here are two guys I have never met and I’ve got 50 minutes to get a picture that is good!

VP: I love the work of Anton Corbijn. Who do you like and who influenced you?

LD: I’m quite traditional. William Eggleston and Steven Shaw…all the photographers from back in the 60s and 70s, these are the people I go back to, that I am excited about. That’s why I do a lot of work in America when I go away.

VP: Did you always know you wanted to be a photographer?

LD: I remember doing photography way back at A’ levels and being a little bit unsure where to go. I was doing communications then and did not know what to do with it so I thought maybe I’d give photography a go. I’ve carried on with it since. I don’t come from a family of artists. My step dad played the guitar, that’s about it! My mum is science based and no one took photos around me. I’d say music was always the thing I was into and I am in a band. Film, music and photography all excite me.

VP: What do you play in the band?

LD: I play the guitar and sing. I try to sing! It’s quite 90’s grungy pop songs sort of thing. Louder bands like Sonic Youth and singer-songwriters like Elliott Smith are on my play list, Joanna Newsom also. Things like that are good to listen to when you are reading. I love the nostalgic sound of albums one used to listen to a while ago and you listen to now to remember things by.

VP: What kind of camera do you use?

LD: I use a Bronica medium format camera for some stuff. My favourite camera for my documentary work is the Kiev; it’s got a really nice quality to it for things like portraits..

VP: Tell us about your printing methods? Do you use just colour?

LD: I normally take it somewhere because colour is really hard, black and white you can just do at home. Lately I have popped in a few black and white images in there.

VP: You seem to enjoy manipulating light, light effects such as smoke.

LD: I bring in little props such as powder to make an image such as photographs of people dynamic, less stiff. Things become fun; it brings surrealism and freedom to the images. I pay special attention to colours also.

VP: What is your most precious possession?

LD: Probably my guitar! I’ve been in bands for years and I have had it through the whole time. It’s quite a good electric guitar; I remember saving a lot of money for it. My Kiev and Bronica come next. These two are my main cameras. I have other pinhole cameras that I have used for series with the sort of dreamy sequence.

VP: What do you think of Pentax and Leicas…?

LD: I’d love a Leica camera but they’re so beyond being able to afford them! I’d love to buy lots and lots of cameras, but now that I’ve found ones that I can use I’m sticking with them.

VP: Yes, and these are gorgeous pictures! What would be your dream job?

LD: I’d love to be paid to do the sort of documentaries like this one I did when I went to America for two months, establishing myself as part of those great photographers. It’s that kind of that grand ambition of great adventure, of disappearing and coming back.

VP: Have you read “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac?

LD: I have! My pictures of Slab City are a great example; it’s an old military place in the middle of the Colorado Desert. Back in the war, it had been used for bombing then they closed it. The army stayed and lived there for a bit, people started coming there for a bit and in the 60’s, there was a huge commune…

VP: It’s one of the last frontiers, isn’t it?

LD: Yes, and it looks like something out of Mad Max. Have you seen the film “Into the Wild”? They filmed at Slab City this guy; my friends and me helped him paint the mountain at 6 am. Everyone has a dog in Slab City. It’s probably one of the coolest places I have ever been, being there with these people. It’s people on drugs, down and outs and I see the beauty, the freedom. These people are living their own way with their own means, getting by without harming anybody. Some people there have super posh motor homes and on the other end of the spectrum, others live in makeshifts. They live day by day almost for free, gas and food are almost all they worry about. I’d be lying to myself if I claimed I could live like that.

VP: It’s really quite different from Bournemouth, isn’t it?

LD: It’s definitely worlds and worlds away from Bournemouth! I love the contrast of American Pop culture because it’s loud and all quite new, the strange, weird and wonderful.

VP: Literature seems to have played a big part in your development.

LD: Ah yeah, definitely! 50’s and 60’s culture, Beatniks…Faulkner. I’m currently reading Hunter S. Thompson. The backbone of my work is freedom based American culture. Another photo series of mine is in San Francisco, outside of this bookstore where Kerouac and friends used to meet. The first year we drove from New York to LA for two months. We rented a half decent car and did a five a half thousand miles!

VP: There is an overwhelming sense of nostalgia in your work. It’s as if you wish we were still in that place.

LD: Massively! Definitely! I’ve always wanted to go back and we did; we went from Vancouver to San Francisco- the pacific Coast. Why can’t we do this all the time!

VP: Have you watched Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green?

LD: I have but never looked at it artistically.

VP: There is something there about civilisation having been there a long time ago, but then you look back on it. Things have really moved on but there are places, like in the movie where Charlton Heston discovers the Statue of Liberty in the sand…

LD: Forgotten times, yes. I like kind of weird stuff like Harmony Korine and Gummo. The mix of playfulness and the serious: I did some work on wrestling, obviously it’s bigger in the US. I always see images in films and that informs my work. I try to find weird and wonderful people.

VP: What are your plans for this year?

LD: I’d like to go away again somewhere. I’d like to go to Alaska.

VP: Oh, wow! Maybe you could put Palin back in her habitat, which might be good.

LD: (Laughter) Exactly! There is a British Journalism Photography competition I entered last year and got short-listed for. I got some work in their magazine, which was nice- I am not quite sure when I hear from them if I win. You get 5 000 pounds if you win to do a project you propose to them, that’s why I want to go to Alaska o follow the Transatlantic oil line that goes from north to south. It would be reportage on the freedom of meeting different kind of people along the way. I like taking detail shots and landscapes.

VP: Any other plans?

LD: A Masters Degree one day but not any time soon. I’m doing a group photography exhibition called “Clinique Presents” from the 11^th of February at the Amersham Arms. There will be some prints for sale and the theme is loosely based on magic.

Do you ever get that hundred-heartbeats-a-second feeling when you see a piece of jewellery that’s really one of a kind? That piece you’ve got to have, website like this now, before anything else happens, before another breath can be taken? I get this feeling, and I call it Frillybylily-itis. The beautiful jewellery of London based designer Lily McCallin is a collection of forgotten treasures with a charm and delicate beauty that is hard to ignore. Each piece is created individually from recycled trinkets, charms, beads, or indeed whatever Lily can lay her hands on, to create a truly individual look that draws inspiration not only from the elegance of a bygone era, but indulges in a cheeky, modern aesthetic that never fails to bring a smile to your face.

Imagery throughout depicting Frillybylily products, created and photographed by Lily McCallin. ‘Blue Eyes’ necklace.

Frillybylily is showered with as much love in production as it deserves in wearing, and with a keen eye for hunting down the kind of pieces most of us would take a lifetime to find, Frillybylily takes all the hard work out of becoming a costume jewellery connoisseur. As each day passes and the contents of the high street seems to morph further into one tangled mess of the same drab, rehashed ideas, Frillybylily is a ray of light, a hope of salvaging some kind of pride and enjoyment in affordable but quality designs. What’s more, they come with the added bonus of appeasing the fashion conscience as McCallin is keen to utilise an eco-friendly outlook in her work. Her delightfully girlish website lists the recycled percentage of each piece so you can rest assured that you’re not only ‘doing your bit for the environment’ but are getting gorgeous jewellery and feeling wonderful for it in return.

‘Train’ bracelet.

Each piece is layered with an array of intricate and interesting trims and touches from the naval graving chunky chains adorned with antique gems, to an experimentation with Perspex and fridge magnets that transports you back to the innocence of childhood and a fascination with all things sparkly. Don’t necessarily be distracted by the name, this jewellery is not simply frilly, there are also some standout, chunky designs that, if taken care of properly, will see you through season after season never failing to draw admiring glances. Any neckline would long for the Junglist Massive Necklace (pictured below), a menagerie of leaves, wooden hoops and overflowing crystals that wouldn’t look out of place if Tarzan’s Jane decided to finally add a little edge to her look. Charm bracelets are overloaded with a minutia of striking gold accessories, semi-precious stones and quirky one-offs in a colour palette that varies from the Japanese pop freshness of apple greens and candy pinks to a deep jade that emanates a mysterious allure.

‘Junglist Massive’ necklace.

There must be something in the name, because Lily Allen was unable to resist a Frillybylily charm necklace, whilst the brand has been touted by Grazia, Time Out and has even had an exclusive line in Urban Outfitters. But there’s no need to worry about one of London’s best kept secrets getting too mainstream; Lily promises never to make two pieces the same, though if you are inclined to invest in a truly stunning and personal project, you can work together to create your own commissioned piece. These ventures are not limited to jewellery alone and with a foray into chandeliers, bridal accessories and a growing men’s range offering the same humour and eye for detail that characterises its sister collection – Frillybylily could be a more permanent fixture in your life soon. Just don’t hesitate when you feel your breath quickening as you begin to covet her infectiously enjoyable work; once they’re gone, they’re really gone.

‘Horseshoe’ necklace.

Written by Nina Joyce on Monday February 8th, 2010 6:17 pm

Categories ,Frillybylily, ,Grazia, ,Junglist Massive Necklace, ,Lily McCallin, ,Nina Joyce, ,Time Out

Amelia’s Magazine | Album Review: The Irrepressibles – Mirror Mirror

Similar Posts:

Amelia’s Magazine | So Long, Sweet Luella, and the rest…

Similar Posts:

Amelia’s Magazine | Frillybylily: The one-stop-shop for one-of-a-kind jewellery

Similar Posts: