the irrepressibles

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

by

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.

irrepressibleslive

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

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Presentation Review: Rachel Freire

by


Aiming to promote recent graduates onto a more commercially viable platform, information pills Fashion Mode launched this September with a show on the 19th September amid a lot of glitzy PR and press releases. The initiative is aiming ‘to bring back cutting edge fashion to London’, page enabling our ‘young fledgling designers…to be cultivated, supported and cherished’. Aside from this rather slushy blurb surrounding it, the ensuing show was enjoyable and a few gems were sent down the catwalk. Celeb top spot of the week must go to Nick Knowles of DIY SOS fame, who turned up with a man wearing a huge paper sock hat on his head. If anyone can shed any light on this guy, I would be so happy to find out more.

First onto the runway was Carlotta Actis Barone with a collection that reminded me of the kind of clothes clichéd royals in storybooks wear. Dark dramatic reds, with big shoulders and lots of dangly bits hanging off, the collection featured draped and knotted dresses, plus work style dungarees. The hair, which usually passes me by on the catwalk, was amazing (up do’s with lots of boof) so congrats must go to Toni and Guy who styled the whole event.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

The Wear My Skin collection is based on the fight against racism and the clothes attempt to represent workers clothes on the plantation fields. The skin element is portrayed using scribbled-print, black-and-white body con dresses, polo necks and leggings under all of the garments. A bit like those sleeves you buy when you want to look like you have a tattoo but an interesting way of pulling together collection none the less.
Next out was James Hillman, who based his collection on the 59 Bike Club, Teddy Boy look and a desire for simplicity. I will remember it for different reasons: the poor model who had to walk down the runway in a see through dress, the adorable grandma bursting with pride as her grandson (not in a see through dress) walked down the catwalk, and the stifling heat taking hold of the hall. NB Most people had picked up fans from the previous show and were fine…not me though.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

His collection was very neutral and very beige/grey/brown. The use of fabrics generally reserved for womenswear was a promising idea but wasn’t used to a great effect. The semi-opaque trousers and jacket/dress were fun but I expected more from someone who defines themselves on their use of simplicity, tailoring and well styled masculinity. I did however, love the army boots which were worn with every outfit including the smarter tailored suits.


Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Elson Figueiredo is inspired by 19th century European carnies and uses 100% organic fair-trade cottons. He presented a really strong collection with nicely tailored jackets, mid length coats and loose fit chino-esque trousers. His self-description of ‘quirky and distinctive’ is perfect. The jackets are well cut and the added elbow pads and red edgings on pockets and lapels were definitely a bonus for me in terms of well added details.


The black and blue hooded jacket worn with navy sloucy trousers was the highlight of the show for me, and slightly different from all of the other pieces he sent down the runway.

The star of the show (kept till last) was Florian Jayet. I really enjoyed his collection and many influences were prevalent in his styling – he interned with Alexander McQueen. Jayet’s S/S 2011 collection is inspired by insects and garments as armour style garments.

Using metallic fabrics and leather, his robust exoskeleton pieces are often softened with a long draped skirt or a flimsy top. Also, again with the noticing of the hair, I like the sharp pulled back ponytails sported by all the models.



Ones to watch are definitely Figueiredo and Jayet. They presented collections with distinctive yet restrained looks rather than over designing pieces a la River Island chic.


Aiming to promote recent graduates onto a more commercially viable platform, sale Fashion Mode launched this September with a show on the 19th amid a lot of glitzy PR and press releases. The initiative is aiming ‘to bring back cutting edge fashion to London’, link enabling our ‘young fledgling designers…to be cultivated, supported and cherished’. Aside from this rather slushy blurb surrounding it, the ensuing show was enjoyable and a few gems were sent down the catwalk. Celeb top spot of the day must go to Nick Knowles of DIY SOS fame, who turned up with a man wearing a huge paper sock hat on his head. If anyone can shed any light on this guy, I would be so happy to find out more.


See background for ‘man in hat’ with Nick Knowles

First onto the runway was Carlotta Actis Barone with a collection that reminded me of the kind of clothes clichéd royals in storybooks wear. Dark dramatic reds, with big shoulders and lots of dangly bits hanging off, the collection featured draped and knotted dresses, plus work style dungarees. The hair, which usually passes me by on the catwalk, was amazing (up do’s with lots of boof) so congrats must go to Toni and Guy who styled the whole event.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

The Wear My Skin collection is based on the fight against racism and the clothes attempt to represent workers clothes on the plantation fields. The skin element is portrayed using scribbled-print, black-and-white body con dresses, polo necks and leggings under all of the garments. A bit like those sleeves you buy when you want to look like you have a tattoo but an interesting way of pulling together collection none the less.

Next out was James Hillman, who based his collection on the 59 Bike Club, Teddy Boy look and a desire for simplicity. I will remember it for different reasons: the poor model who had to walk down the runway in a see through dress, the adorable grandma bursting with pride as her grandson (not in a see through dress) walked down the catwalk, and the stifling heat taking hold of the hall. NB Most people had picked up fans from the previous show and were fine…not me though.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

His collection was very neutral and very beige/grey/brown. The use of fabrics generally reserved for womenswear was a promising idea but wasn’t used to a great effect. The semi-opaque trousers and jacket/dress were fun but I expected more from someone who defines themselves on their use of simplicity, tailoring and well styled masculinity. I did however, love the army boots which were worn with every outfit including the smarter tailored suits.


Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Elson Figueiredo is inspired by 19th century European carnies and uses 100% organic fair-trade cottons. He presented a really strong collection with nicely tailored jackets, mid length coats and loose fit chino-esque trousers. His self-description of ‘quirky and distinctive’ is perfect. The jackets are well cut and the added elbow pads and red edgings on pockets and lapels were definitely a bonus for me in terms of well added details.


The beige knee length coat worn with characteristic edging details was the highlight of the show for me, and slightly different from all of the other pieces he sent down the runway.

The star of the show (kept till last) was Florian Jayet. I really enjoyed his collection and many influences were prevalent in his styling – he interned with Alexander McQueen. Jayet’s S/S 2011 collection is inspired by insects and garments as armour style garments.

Using metallic fabrics and leather, his robust exoskeleton pieces are often softened with a long draped skirt or a flimsy top. Also, again with the noticing of the hair, I like the sharp pulled back ponytails sported by all the models.


My ones to watch are definitely Figueiredo and Jayet. They presented collections with distinctive yet restrained looks rather than over designing pieces a la River Island chic.


Aiming to promote recent graduates onto a more commercially viable platform, decease Fashion Mode launched this September with a show on the 19th amid a lot of glitzy PR and press releases. The initiative is aiming ‘to bring back cutting edge fashion to London’, viagra buy enabling our ‘young fledgling designers…to be cultivated, approved supported and cherished’. Aside from this rather slushy blurb surrounding it, the ensuing show was enjoyable and a few gems were sent down the catwalk. Celeb top spot of the day must go to Nick Knowles of DIY SOS fame, who turned up with a man wearing a huge paper sock hat on his head. If anyone can shed any light on this guy, I would be so happy to find out more.


See background for ‘man in hat’ with Nick Knowles

First onto the runway was Carlotta Actis Barone with a collection that reminded me of the kind of clothes clichéd royals in storybooks wear. Dark dramatic reds, with big shoulders and lots of dangly bits hanging off, the collection featured draped and knotted dresses, plus work style dungarees. The hair, which usually passes me by on the catwalk, was amazing (up do’s with lots of boof) so congrats must go to Toni and Guy who styled the whole event.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

The Wear My Skin collection is based on the fight against racism and the clothes attempt to represent workers clothes on the plantation fields. The skin element is portrayed using scribbled-print, black-and-white body con dresses, polo necks and leggings under all of the garments. A bit like those sleeves you buy when you want to look like you have a tattoo but an interesting way of pulling together collection none the less.

Next out was James Hillman, who based his collection on the 59 Bike Club, Teddy Boy look and a desire for simplicity. I will remember it for different reasons: the poor model who had to walk down the runway in a see through dress, the adorable grandma bursting with pride as her grandson (not in a see through dress) walked down the catwalk, and the stifling heat taking hold of the hall. NB Most people had picked up fans from the previous show and were fine…not me though.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

His collection was very neutral and very beige/grey/brown. The use of fabrics generally reserved for womenswear was a promising idea but wasn’t used to a great effect. The semi-opaque trousers and jacket/dress were fun but I expected more from someone who defines themselves on their use of simplicity, tailoring and well styled masculinity. I did however, love the army boots which were worn with every outfit including the smarter tailored suits.


Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Elson Figueiredo is inspired by 19th century European carnies and uses 100% organic fair-trade cottons. He presented a really strong collection with nicely tailored jackets, mid length coats and loose fit chino-esque trousers. His self-description of ‘quirky and distinctive’ is perfect. The jackets are well cut and the added elbow pads and red edgings on pockets and lapels were definitely a bonus for me in terms of well added details.


The beige knee length coat worn with characteristic edging details was the highlight of the show for me, and slightly different from all of the other pieces he sent down the runway.

The star of the show (kept till last) was Florian Jayet. I really enjoyed his collection and many influences were prevalent in his styling – he interned with Alexander McQueen. Jayet’s S/S 2011 collection is inspired by insects and garments as armour style garments.

Using metallic fabrics and leather, his robust exoskeleton pieces are often softened with a long draped skirt or a flimsy top. Also, again with the noticing of the hair, I like the sharp pulled back ponytails sported by all the models.


My ones to watch are definitely Figueiredo and Jayet. They presented collections with distinctive yet restrained looks rather than over designing pieces a la River Island chic.


Aiming to promote recent graduates onto a more commercially viable platform, online Fashion Mode launched this September with a show on the 19th amid a lot of glitzy PR and press releases. The initiative is aiming ‘to bring back cutting edge fashion to London’, page enabling our ‘young fledgling designers…to be cultivated, shop supported and cherished’. Aside from this rather slushy blurb surrounding it, the ensuing show was enjoyable and a few gems were sent down the catwalk. Celeb top spot of the day must go to Nick Knowles of DIY SOS fame, who turned up with a man wearing a huge paper sock hat on his head. If anyone can shed any light on this guy, I would be so happy to find out more.


See background for ‘man in hat’ with Nick Knowles

First onto the runway was Carlotta Actis Barone with a collection that reminded me of the kind of clothes clichéd royals in storybooks wear. Dark dramatic reds, with big shoulders and lots of dangly bits hanging off, the collection featured draped and knotted dresses, plus work style dungarees. The hair, which usually passes me by on the catwalk, was amazing (up do’s with lots of boof) so congrats must go to Toni and Guy who styled the whole event.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

The Wear My Skin collection is based on the fight against racism and the clothes attempt to represent workers clothes on the plantation fields. The skin element is portrayed using scribbled-print, black-and-white body con dresses, polo necks and leggings under all of the garments. A bit like those sleeves you buy when you want to look like you have a tattoo but an interesting way of pulling together collection none the less.

Next out was James Hillman, who based his collection on the 59 Bike Club, Teddy Boy look and a desire for simplicity. I will remember it for different reasons: the poor model who had to walk down the runway in a see through dress, the adorable grandma bursting with pride as her grandson (not in a see through dress) walked down the catwalk, and the stifling heat taking hold of the hall. NB Most people had picked up fans from the previous show and were fine…not me though.


Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyren

His collection was very neutral and very beige/grey/brown. The use of fabrics generally reserved for womenswear was a promising idea but wasn’t used to a great effect. The semi-opaque trousers and jacket/dress were fun but I expected more from someone who defines themselves on their use of simplicity, tailoring and well styled masculinity. I did however, love the army boots which were worn with every outfit including the smarter tailored suits.


Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Elson Figueiredo is inspired by 19th century European carnies and uses 100% organic fair-trade cottons. He presented a really strong collection with nicely tailored jackets, mid length coats and loose fit chino-esque trousers. His self-description of ‘quirky and distinctive’ is perfect. The jackets are well cut and the added elbow pads and red edgings on pockets and lapels were definitely a bonus for me in terms of well added details.


The beige knee length coat worn with characteristic edging details was the highlight of the show for me, and slightly different from all of the other pieces he sent down the runway.

The star of the show (kept till last) was Florian Jayet. I really enjoyed his collection and many influences were prevalent in his styling – he interned with Alexander McQueen. Jayet’s S/S 2011 collection is inspired by insects and garments as armour style garments.

Using metallic fabrics and leather, his robust exoskeleton pieces are often softened with a long draped skirt or a flimsy top. Also, again with the noticing of the hair, I like the sharp pulled back ponytails sported by all the models.


My ones to watch are definitely Figueiredo and Jayet. They presented collections with distinctive yet restrained looks rather than over designing pieces a la River Island chic.


Illustration by Jaymie O’Callaghan

As I was leaving the Orschel-Read show at Fashion Scout last week, page I was planning to rush out of the Freemasons’ Hall and dash off to meet fashion editor at Somerset House. However, buy more about on walking into an atrium where I had queued only a little while earlier, I found myself in semi-darkness as part of the audience of an interactive performance presentation. It wasn’t until later that I discovered this was Rachel Freire’s S/S 2011 collection. 


Illustration by Jaymie O’Callaghan

(I would like to apologise in advance for the quality of my photos – I was taken unawares and had to snap away fairly blindly in the dark to catch anything I could!) 

The room veered between bright light and pitch black, with strobe lights picking out flamboyant reflective detailing on the garments.  Models were standing on plinths along the centre and around the edges of the room, all seemingly pretending to play violins and cellos in accompaniment to the riotous and slightly Patrick Wolf-esque backing music.  I didn’t realise until a few minutes in when some began to sing, that they weren’t models at all, but members of a band who were playing live, with the frontman hidden by a crowd of photographers at the opposite end of the darkened room. 

The clothes were a juxtaposition of 1950s-style flesh-toned corsets and underwear, alongside cutaway assymetric jackets with tudor-style sculptural tailoring.  Some of the band members wore huge luminescent head-dresses, staggering through the crowds like mythical beasts on sky-high wedges, stroking people’s faces and running their fingers through their hair. Reflective embroidery and fringing flashed bright white with the strobing, and at some points could even have been lit from inside as it flared up in red tones (although this may have had something to do with dozens of red camera focus lights struggling to function in the dark). Along with the ethereal white make up, the overall impression was part-Midsummer Night’s Dream and part-Cybergoth, with a slight nod towards Diana Dors. 

When I made it outside, blinking into the sunlight, the only clue I had to go on was a flyer handed to me for ‘The Irrepressibles’. After a bit of research I discovered the band are no strangers to Freire’s creations; she designs their stage costumes, which seem to be a perfect pairing with their dark, theatrical sound. 

Rather than taking the more traditional route of fashion and tailoring, Freire studied Theatre Design at Central Saint Martins, explaining the bold, dramatic themes in her work. Describing her style as period drama meets Bladerunner, her influences are said to stem from her love of historical costume combined with furutistic imagery, which sounds like it could be a recipe for disaster but in fact works amazingly well.  

All photography by Naomi Law

Written by Naomi Law on Monday October 4th, 2010 10:24 am

Categories ,1950s, ,A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Diana Dors, ,London Fashion Week, ,menswear, ,Orschel-Read, ,Patrick Wolf, ,Reflective, ,S/S 2011, ,Somerset House, ,Strobe Lights, ,the irrepressibles, ,theatre, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

Similar Posts:






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

by


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

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

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


GYandotheranimals2 Kayleigh Bluck
Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

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

GYandotheranimals1 KayleighBluck
Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

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

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

irrespressibles by daria h

Illustration by Daria Hlazatova

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

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

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

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

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

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

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Jamie McDermott of The Irrepressibles.

by

Illustration by Paolo Caravello

Illustration by Stephanie Thieullent

Illustration by Alia Gargum

Illustration by Jo Cheung

Illustration by Kellie Black

The_Irrepressibles_by_Helmetgirl
The Irrepressibles by Helmetgirl.

If Amelia’s Magazine had a wish list of character traits that would perfectly encapsulate its personality then you would struggle to surpass those of Jamie McDermott, viagra sale one of the magazines favourite performers. The founding member, page and centre piece of The Irrepressibles, could have tailored his CV to fit the remit of Amelia’s Magazine. The Irrepressibles’ creator, composer, arranger and avant garde curator wears his heart firmly on his sleeve and is intensely protective and proud of his conception, and rightly so. Their mix of love and lust, longing and tragedy is often borne out as cathartic confessionals. Jamie’s vision and passion, which he so effectively channels through his ‘performance orchestra’, were captured brilliantly, earlier this year on his bands debut album Mirror Mirror.
 
The Irrepressibles, Jamie’s very personal labour of love, have been a regular source of fascination for the Amelia’s Magazine, having been previously featured both in print and on-line. Their very original and ground breaking approach continues to push the boundaries of live popular music, as their choice of venue can also testify to. Having performed in places as diverse as Latitude Festival and the V&A, and from the Hackney Empire to a recent guest appearance at London Fashion Week you are unlikely to experience the norm.
 
It was shortly after their recent LFW performance that I managed to hook up with Jamie. With a little trepidation, a youthful excitement and a great deal of pleasure I tracked him down and interrupted his very busy schedule. I was not only hoping to get a little insight into the world of The Irrepressibles but also an idea of who Jamie really is. I wasn’t to be disappointed. Jamie talked vividly and most candidly about how it all began, where his influences have come from and above all what an incredible journey it has all been. (Just don’t mention the Pope, you’ll only be greeted with silence!) Here is Jamie McDermott from The Irrepressibles.

The_Irrepressibles_Cello_Bass_by_Helmetgirl
Cello and Bass by Helmetgirl.

Way back before the formation of The Irrepressibles was there a pivotal moment in your life where you decided that you would be a performer, a musician, a composer? What lead to your epiphany?
I had fallen in love with my best friend – another boy – and we were inseparable. He had a band and I wanted to be around him so I began to sing in it. But one night I explained how I felt. We fell apart as friends. I felt alone, I knew that I was gay and that people didn’t feel it was right… I wanted to throw myself of the cliffs of the seaside town where I lived. But when stood there in the air I heard music. My own. Instead of jumping I decided to explain to the world through music the beauty of being in love with another man in a way that everyone would understand. 

How did you go about creating The Irrepressibles, did you have a defined vision of how you were going to express yourself? Has it changed at all? Do you see it as an evolutionary process and if so what are the triggers to change? How did you all meet?
I had been writing music focused on what I wanted to say and the emotions I needed to express. I wanted to surround this emotion with a world, a soundscape that could explain the depth of feeling, so I began to work with orchestral instrumentation as they could offer the abrasive and the sublime the surreal and the polyphonic. Initially it was me and four others on a course in popular music studies. I had discovered the library and as a working class boy from North Yorkshire I was starving for the words and pictures. I read about Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McClaren, Andy Warhol and the KLF’s work with pop music subculture, about the political force of music in the words of Atalli and Eisler and fell in love with the iconic imagery of film makers Fasbinder and Kenneth Anger. I also read about the work with spectacle by Dali, Meredith Monk with The House and Laurie Anderson amongst others. I had been seeing visions since I was a child that accompanied the music in my head, I wanted to create something and these people gave me the confidence to make my visions real. I was irritated by the manufactured pop music and it’s lack of real emotion but also the boring visual aesthetics of indie music at the time and I wanted to create something fresh and reactionary. 

 The_Irrepressibles_Fluteplayer_by_Helmetgi
Fluteplayer by Helmetgirl.

What do you see as your main influences and inspirations, both musically and personally?
The sounds of the world around me. I am most influenced by non musical elements. The world itself is musical everything from the sounds of laughter to the hum of the bus I’m sitting on now are singing. The movement of people and machines all have a complexity of nature a kind of polyphony in their interaction. My music has this interaction. As do my spectacles where movement meets light installation meets interactive set meets music meets movement to create one being of emotion – one machine of emotion. 
 
Of your contemporaries, are there any that you are listening to, any that you are finding particularly creative or challenging?
Yes Simon Bookish is incredible, I adore Peaches, Broadcast are consistently inspirational, The Knife are wonderful…

Many people have tried to capture the essence of your performance and creation without necessarily being able to convey the whole experience adequately on paper. How would you describe your music and performance?
It is an organic machine of emotion. 

The drama and theatre within your music and shows is clearly crucial and only serves to heighten the experience for the audience. At what point in the creative process does this become a consideration? Do you have a structured way of writing a song? How does it all work for you as the writer/composer?
I write automatically i.e. from my subconscious. I let my decisions be as spontanious and uncontrived as possible in order to explain fully the depths of my subconsious. I then see visions of how I can present the music in a space working with the parameters of lighting and set installation, movement and feeling. 

The_Irrepressibles_Violin_by_Helmetgirl
Violin player by Helmetgirl.

There have been comparisons drawn with your style of music to Antony Hegarty and David Bowie among others. For me there is are also the theatrics of early Marc Almond solo work such as Vermin In Ermine as well as a sympathy and empathy with a lot of New Romantic sensibilities. Where do you see your musical style?
I am very much influenced by what I would call the leneage of gay artists. I also believe that gay artists create a slightly different aesthetic of sound and visual generally – a very varied one when you consider Grizzly Bear, Owen Pallet, Patrick Wolf and Me at this time – but there is an aesthetic. I am also massively influenced by female artists like Meredith Monk and Kate Bush of course. I believe like Kate I see music and performance as innately another world a fantasy world were emotions can be better expressed – a dream. 

Many of your songs, such as In This Shirt, are very personal and clearly connect with your audience. Do you find that laying yourself bare, so to speak, gives a song more truth, depth and sincerity and as such it is more credible and infinitely more appreciated? Is that what you strive for?   
I only ever write honestly and cathartically – I am completely open but I was bullied throughout all of my schooling you get to the point were you feel pretty much naked to everyone anyway. Sometimes you wont believe it as the songs sound melodramatic but when you consider that My Friend Jo was in fact about looking in the face suicide at a time of hysterical emotions it does make sense. Why does everything have to be simple in music? Life of course is complex and polyphonic and so I believe music should be too. Sometimes my music is more simplistic because the emotion is, other times it’s like a mad person you can’t understand. We are all mentally ill in some way. 
 
Both the 2009 release, From The Circus To The Sea, and this years album, Mirror Mirror, have been very well received garnering much critical acclaim. Do you now feel the swell of expectation and public consciousness rising as your audience grows ever bigger?
It’s been nothing short of incredible. I spend most of my time talking to fans all over the world. I always feel awful when people complement my work and I don’t get back to them. I have become a whore to Facebook and Myspace… ha ha! 

You have played some decidedly different venues this year from The Roundhouse and The V&A to three shows at Latitude. How were they for you and what can everyone expect from the forthcoming shows that are due to start at the end of this month? 
At the Roundhouse the orchestra performed 10 meters in the air on moving seats, at Latitude we opened the festival with ‘Gathering Songs’ which consisted of several pieces for different parts of the orchestra that were performed desperately all over the forest over 2 and a half hours which accumulated in a spectacle on the water, the year after I created the Light and Shadow spectacle with lighting installation. The V&A commissioned me in 2009 to create a spectacle for their Baroque Exhibition then came the chance to create my Human Music Box installation which was then taken to Latitude the same year. This year I created the Mirror Mirror Spectacle which began with a commission for the Queen Elizabeth Hall. We are touring this internationally now and present it again in London at the Scala tomorrow.  

The Irrepressibles are touring into 2011, are there plans after that to record any new material or are you working on other projects, if so what are they?
I am working on my new AIR spectacle which will be premiered in Modena Italy next week. I am then going to begin work on music for a Manga Opera with Hotel Pro Forma who famously created the opera with The Knife. The next album is now half written and we should begin recording this soon. 

Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate you taking the time. Best of luck for your forthcoming shows.

Written by Andrew Lockwood on Friday October 8th, 2010 2:34 pm

Categories ,Andy Warhol, ,Antony Hegarty, ,Atalli and Eisler, ,Broadcast, ,David Bowie, ,Fasbinder, ,grizzly bear, ,Hotel Pro Forma, ,Jamie McDermott, ,Kate Bush, ,Kenneth Anger, ,KLF, ,latitude, ,Malcolm McClaren, ,Manga Opera, ,Meredith Monk, ,Mirror Mirror, ,Owen Pallet, ,Patrick Wolf, ,Peaches, ,Roundhouse, ,Simon Bookish, ,the irrepressibles, ,The Knife, ,va, ,Vivienne Westwood

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Jamie McDermott of The Irrepressibles.

by

The_Irrepressibles_by_Helmetgirl
The Irrepressibles by Helmetgirl.

If Amelia’s Magazine had a wish list of character traits that would perfectly encapsulate its personality then you would struggle to surpass those of Jamie McDermott, one of the magazines favourite performers. The founding member, and centre piece of The Irrepressibles, could have tailored his CV to fit the remit of Amelia’s Magazine. The Irrepressibles’ creator, composer, arranger and avant garde curator wears his heart firmly on his sleeve and is intensely protective and proud of his conception, and rightly so. Their mix of love and lust, longing and tragedy is often borne out as cathartic confessionals. Jamie’s vision and passion, which he so effectively channels through his ‘performance orchestra’, were captured brilliantly, earlier this year on his bands debut album Mirror Mirror.
 
The Irrepressibles, Jamie’s very personal labour of love, have been a regular source of fascination for the Amelia’s Magazine, having been previously featured both in print and on-line. Their very original and ground breaking approach continues to push the boundaries of live popular music, as their choice of venue can also testify to. Having performed in places as diverse as Latitude Festival and the V&A, and from the Hackney Empire to a recent guest appearance at London Fashion Week you are unlikely to experience the norm.
 
It was shortly after their recent LFW performance that I managed to hook up with Jamie. With a little trepidation, a youthful excitement and a great deal of pleasure I tracked him down and interrupted his very busy schedule. I was not only hoping to get a little insight into the world of The Irrepressibles but also an idea of who Jamie really is. I wasn’t to be disappointed. Jamie talked vividly and most candidly about how it all began, where his influences have come from and above all what an incredible journey it has all been. (Just don’t mention the Pope, you’ll only be greeted with silence!) Here is Jamie McDermott from The Irrepressibles.

The_Irrepressibles_Cello_Bass_by_Helmetgirl
Cello and Bass by Helmetgirl.

Way back before the formation of The Irrepressibles was there a pivotal moment in your life where you decided that you would be a performer, a musician, a composer? What lead to your epiphany?
I had fallen in love with my best friend – another boy – and we were inseparable. He had a band and I wanted to be around him so I began to sing in it. But one night I explained how I felt. We fell apart as friends. I felt alone, I knew that I was gay and that people didn’t feel it was right… I wanted to throw myself of the cliffs of the seaside town where I lived. But when stood there in the air I heard music. My own. Instead of jumping I decided to explain to the world through music the beauty of being in love with another man in a way that everyone would understand. 

How did you go about creating The Irrepressibles, did you have a defined vision of how you were going to express yourself? Has it changed at all? Do you see it as an evolutionary process and if so what are the triggers to change? How did you all meet?
I had been writing music focused on what I wanted to say and the emotions I needed to express. I wanted to surround this emotion with a world, a soundscape that could explain the depth of feeling, so I began to work with orchestral instrumentation as they could offer the abrasive and the sublime the surreal and the polyphonic. Initially it was me and four others on a course in popular music studies. I had discovered the library and as a working class boy from North Yorkshire I was starving for the words and pictures. I read about Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McClaren, Andy Warhol and the KLF’s work with pop music subculture, about the political force of music in the words of Atalli and Eisler and fell in love with the iconic imagery of film makers Fasbinder and Kenneth Anger. I also read about the work with spectacle by Dali, Meredith Monk with The House and Laurie Anderson amongst others. I had been seeing visions since I was a child that accompanied the music in my head, I wanted to create something and these people gave me the confidence to make my visions real. I was irritated by the manufactured pop music and it’s lack of real emotion but also the boring visual aesthetics of indie music at the time and I wanted to create something fresh and reactionary. 

 The_Irrepressibles_Fluteplayer_by_Helmetgi
Fluteplayer by Helmetgirl.

What do you see as your main influences and inspirations, both musically and personally?
The sounds of the world around me. I am most influenced by non musical elements. The world itself is musical everything from the sounds of laughter to the hum of the bus I’m sitting on now are singing. The movement of people and machines all have a complexity of nature a kind of polyphony in their interaction. My music has this interaction. As do my spectacles where movement meets light installation meets interactive set meets music meets movement to create one being of emotion – one machine of emotion. 
 
Of your contemporaries, are there any that you are listening to, any that you are finding particularly creative or challenging?
Yes Simon Bookish is incredible, I adore Peaches, Broadcast are consistently inspirational, The Knife are wonderful…

Many people have tried to capture the essence of your performance and creation without necessarily being able to convey the whole experience adequately on paper. How would you describe your music and performance?
It is an organic machine of emotion. 

The drama and theatre within your music and shows is clearly crucial and only serves to heighten the experience for the audience. At what point in the creative process does this become a consideration? Do you have a structured way of writing a song? How does it all work for you as the writer/composer?
I write automatically i.e. from my subconscious. I let my decisions be as spontanious and uncontrived as possible in order to explain fully the depths of my subconsious. I then see visions of how I can present the music in a space working with the parameters of lighting and set installation, movement and feeling. 

The_Irrepressibles_Violin_by_Helmetgirl
Violin player by Helmetgirl.

There have been comparisons drawn with your style of music to Antony Hegarty and David Bowie among others. For me there is are also the theatrics of early Marc Almond solo work such as Vermin In Ermine as well as a sympathy and empathy with a lot of New Romantic sensibilities. Where do you see your musical style?
I am very much influenced by what I would call the leneage of gay artists. I also believe that gay artists create a slightly different aesthetic of sound and visual generally – a very varied one when you consider Grizzly Bear, Owen Pallet, Patrick Wolf and Me at this time – but there is an aesthetic. I am also massively influenced by female artists like Meredith Monk and Kate Bush of course. I believe like Kate I see music and performance as innately another world a fantasy world were emotions can be better expressed – a dream. 

Many of your songs, such as In This Shirt, are very personal and clearly connect with your audience. Do you find that laying yourself bare, so to speak, gives a song more truth, depth and sincerity and as such it is more credible and infinitely more appreciated? Is that what you strive for?   
I only ever write honestly and cathartically – I am completely open but I was bullied throughout all of my schooling you get to the point were you feel pretty much naked to everyone anyway. Sometimes you wont believe it as the songs sound melodramatic but when you consider that My Friend Jo was in fact about looking in the face suicide at a time of hysterical emotions it does make sense. Why does everything have to be simple in music? Life of course is complex and polyphonic and so I believe music should be too. Sometimes my music is more simplistic because the emotion is, other times it’s like a mad person you can’t understand. We are all mentally ill in some way. 
 
Both the 2009 release, From The Circus To The Sea, and this years album, Mirror Mirror, have been very well received garnering much critical acclaim. Do you now feel the swell of expectation and public consciousness rising as your audience grows ever bigger?
It’s been nothing short of incredible. I spend most of my time talking to fans all over the world. I always feel awful when people complement my work and I don’t get back to them. I have become a whore to Facebook and Myspace… ha ha! 

You have played some decidedly different venues this year from The Roundhouse and The V&A to three shows at Latitude. How were they for you and what can everyone expect from the forthcoming shows that are due to start at the end of this month? 
At the Roundhouse the orchestra performed 10 meters in the air on moving seats, at Latitude we opened the festival with ‘Gathering Songs’ which consisted of several pieces for different parts of the orchestra that were performed desperately all over the forest over 2 and a half hours which accumulated in a spectacle on the water, the year after I created the Light and Shadow spectacle with lighting installation. The V&A commissioned me in 2009 to create a spectacle for their Baroque Exhibition then came the chance to create my Human Music Box installation which was then taken to Latitude the same year. This year I created the Mirror Mirror Spectacle which began with a commission for the Queen Elizabeth Hall. We are touring this internationally now and present it again in London at the Scala tomorrow.  

The Irrepressibles are touring into 2011, are there plans after that to record any new material or are you working on other projects, if so what are they?
I am working on my new AIR spectacle which will be premiered in Modena Italy next week. I am then going to begin work on music for a Manga Opera with Hotel Pro Forma who famously created the opera with The Knife. The next album is now half written and we should begin recording this soon. 

Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate you taking the time. Best of luck for your forthcoming shows.

Written by Andrew Lockwood on Friday October 8th, 2010 2:34 pm

Categories ,Andy Warhol, ,Antony Hegarty, ,Atalli and Eisler, ,Broadcast, ,David Bowie, ,Fasbinder, ,grizzly bear, ,Hotel Pro Forma, ,Jamie McDermott, ,Kate Bush, ,Kenneth Anger, ,KLF, ,latitude, ,Malcolm McClaren, ,Manga Opera, ,Meredith Monk, ,Mirror Mirror, ,Owen Pallet, ,Patrick Wolf, ,Peaches, ,Roundhouse, ,Simon Bookish, ,the irrepressibles, ,The Knife, ,va, ,Vivienne Westwood

Similar Posts:






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

by


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson
The Pipettes by Andrea Peterson.

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

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


GYandotheranimals2 Kayleigh Bluck
Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

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

GYandotheranimals1 KayleighBluck
Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

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

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

irrespressibles by daria h

Illustration by Daria Hlazatova

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

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

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

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

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

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

Similar Posts:






Amelia’s Magazine | My Best Albums of 2010

by


Image courtesy of Rogue

Initiating a relationship over the Internet is an age-old tale and I have friends who have successfully trodden this path, viagra dosage no rx but not without some initial trepidation. There’s always the joke about boys being deluded about their height, unhealthy often adding an inch or four to their profiles (or being axe-murderers), and girls uploading old photos when they were a good few pounds lighter (or being bunny boilers). But beyond the aesthetics, how much do you really know about your online confidante? And on the flipside, how far are you willing to stretch the truth to ensure that you are presenting yourself in the best light?

Produced by filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, who directed the brilliant docufilm “Capturing the Friedmans” in 2003, Catfish is the directorial feature film debut of Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, who explore these themes, human psychology and the modern technological landscape as a medium for communication, closely following a ‘virtual’ relationship as it unfolds over Facebook and phone calls. Made with a budget of only around $30,000, the film was an unlikely hit at the Sundance Film Festival last year, which had audience members and critics alike hyperventilating with excitement.


Illustration courtesy of Avril Kelly

When I received my invite to the press screening, I was urged to read as little about Catfish as possible to avoid spoiling my experience of the film. As I would urge you to do the same, I can tell you that writing this review is going to prove difficult but here goes…

Filmed using a grainy handheld camera, the story revolves around the film’s protagonist, Nev Schulman, a young, charismatic, sleepy-eyed New-York based photographer who becomes involved, via Facebook, with an eight-year-old art prodigy named Abby in Michigan. Abby approaches Nev to ask for his permission to use a photograph for a painting and a fraternal relationship ensues between Nev and Abby, which becomes increasingly complex as Nev becomes involved with the rest of her family: Abby’s mother, Angela, and Abby’s attractive horse-riding, guitar-playing, party-loving 19-year-old sister, Megan, along with Megan’s intricate network of friends.  Needless to say, a less fraternal relationship develops between Nev and Megan and before we know it, they are “sexting”, amalgamating naked photos of themselves and speaking every night via the plethora of the networking tools that we have at our disposal today. Nothing, however, is quite as it seems as the film takes several unexpected twists and turns to reach a not entirely surprising yet poignant conclusion. 


Illustration courtesy of Avril Kelly

One of the film’s key strengths lies in Nev’s engaging hopeless romantic, drawing empathy from his viewers as we are taken on a journey of his evolving feelings for Megan and her family. Throughout the course of the film, we see Nev experience infatuation, doubt, anger, disappointment, betrayal and then sympathy – feelings of which are all doubtless familiar to us, whether in the virtual or real world. The way in which the film is shot, where Nev talks about his thoughts and feelings directly to the camera as if we were talking to a family member or a close friend (fitting really seeing as Schulman is Nev’s brother and Joost is one of his best friends), makes us feel as if we are sharing a very private experience with Nev, helping us to bond and identify with his character.

Where David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Network” is about the creation of Facebook, Catfish is a film about the consequences of such creations, which may explain why its subject matter has resonated so strongly with audiences, seeing as approximately 5 billion of us across the globe are subscribed to a mobile phone contract and 500 million of us are active users of Facebook (although I exclude myself from the latter).


Illustration courtesy of Avril Kelly

At the risk of revealing too much, “Catfish” goes far deeper than simply being “another film about Facebook”. It throws up moral questions such as to what extent one can indulge in what superficially appears to be harmless innocent fantasies before we start to infringe on the wellbeing of others. This issue, however, is not strictly confined to the realms of an online environment, although it can be argued that modern technological advances, especially social networking, has made this deception somewhat easier to play out and sustain.

There has been much debate about the authenticity of “Catfish” and I for one am not completely convinced that we are not being taken for a ride, however, regardless of whether the movie is a hoax, Catfish is an absorbing, thought-provoking and affecting indie about hope, crushed dreams and the society that we live in where social media and modern technology provides a platform for our inner-narcissist, potential to deceive or desire to escape reality to a fictional world where life is more kind. In Joost’s own words, “Our profiles are a chance to present ourselves to the world in a way we can completely control – unlike face-to-face interaction”.

Read our exclusive interview with the director of Catfish, Henry Joost, here.

Catfish is currently showing at selected cinemas across the UK and available on DVD from today.  

Ariel “Rel” Schulman (left) and Henry Joost (right); illustration courtesy of Matilde Sazio

The co-directors of Sundance favourite Catfish, for sale   Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, page met in high school and have been filmmaking partners since 2006. Together they founded the New York City production company Supermarché and have produced award-winning advertisements and documentaries for well-known companies and institutions, this including Nike, American Express, Harvard Business School, Pitchfork Media and The National Scrabble Association. As an acknowledgement of their talent, the duo’s web short “What’s the Big Idea“, starring Danny DeVito, was nominated for a Webby in 2008.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Joost spent most of his childhood travelling the world with his mother, a photographer, and his father, an international banker. He is still an avid traveller and collector of cameras, which he uses to capture both film and still.

To celebrate the release of Catfish, Joost talks exclusively to Amelia’s Magazine about the inspiration behind the film, his views on social networking and the emotional rocky road he shared with the Schulman brothers (Nev, the film’s protagonist and Ariel, co-director), from the moment the cameras started rolling…


Illustration courtesy of Matilde Sazio

How was the initial idea for ‘Catfish’ conceived? What made you start filming Nev in the first place?
From my perspective the film began as one of Rel’s pet projects that I became increasingly interested in. When Nev and Abby’s story became like a living soap opera I joined in, filming Nev as well. We have a deal with each other and with our friends that it’s ok to film all the time. We keep a personal record of our lives with these little HD cameras we keep in our pockets. Sometimes it turns into something but more often than not the footage lives on a hard-drive, unwatched.

Did you have any expectations when you started filming?
Rel had an instinct that he was shooting what could become a charming short film about two artists meeting on the internet and inspiring each other. Or just another strange episode in his brother’s life. That’s enough for us to go on. It was only after 8 months of filming sporadically in the midst of our busy lives, that we realized that true nature of the story we were telling.

What makes Nev compelling as a protagonist? Why should we care what happens to him?
Nev is compelling to me because he’s one of my best friends and plays a huge part in my life. I think he has a natural charisma that people connect with.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s not afraid to expose himself, which people respect. In Catfish he’s an everyman. We’re all looking for connections online, hoping to find love, friendship, or inspiration.

How did you find your directorial relationship with Ariel evolve over the course of filming? Were there any debates at any stage in how you wanted to approach things?
Rel and I have been working together for about 6 years now, so we have a natural and largely unspoken dynamic. I think our personalities complement each other and we rarely disagree. My role was often to keep the peace between the two brothers.


Illustration courtesy of Matilde Sazio

What was the most challenging thing about filming ‘Catfish’?
The most difficult thing for me was balancing making the film with fear for my personal safety, although that fear turned out to be unfounded. There is a moment in the film that was the scariest of my life, but I felt emboldened by the camera and knowing that we were on a quest for truth.

Has Nev’s experience made you more cautious of social networking?
I was cautious about social networking to start with, so this has only confirmed my suspicions. Although the contradictory effect of the film is that I’m also much more open to people I meet online now, because those people could turn out to be real friends or collaborators.

Do you think social networking has served to strengthen or weaken the depth of the relationships that we build with people?
I don’t think it’s possible to have more than a few close friends with or without Facebook.  Social networking has allowed us to maintain more superficial relationships than ever before with incredible speed and ease, but I don’t think it particularly affects our few real relationships.

I don’t have a Facebook account – can you give me one fool-proof reason why I should join?
Wouldn’t you like to know what your boyfriend from 8th grade looks like now?

SPOILER ALERT!! READ ON ONLY IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE FILM…

Illustration courtesy of Aysim Genc

Prior to the revelatory moment where Nev discovers that ‘Megan’ has uploaded Suzanna Choffel’s version of Tennessee Stud as her own, did you at any point have any suspicions about Megan and her family? Did anything seem odd to you?
We did have suspicions at first. It seemed strange that this artist was giving her valuable paintings away for free. But suspicions about a potential financial scam were assuaged when Angela sent Nev a check for $500 – half of the winnings from an art contest Abby won with a painting of one of Nev’s photos. Suspicions were always addressed in a clever way or buried under a mountain of contradictory evidence.


Illustration courtesy of Aysim Genc

What were you most surprised about when you first met Angela?
I was completely surprised by Angela. We imagined a lot of scenarios, but in my wildest imagination I don’t think I could have ever conjured up Angela in all of her complexity. More surprising still was how well we all got along so well.

What were your own feelings towards Angela initially and did they change as you got to know her better?
I expected to meet some kind of villain behind all of this deception, so it was a relief to meet Angela. We found her to be fun, smart, and engaging and were happy that she and Vince really welcomed us into their lives.


Illustration courtesy of Aysim Genc

Is there a message you’d like viewers to go away with after having seen ‘Catfish’?
I think one of the great things about the film is that everyone brings their own experiences into the theater with them, and walks away with a different message. I would hate to color that in any way with my own personal opinion.

Do you think there is an element of Angela in all of us in how we go about presenting ourselves in the ‘virtual world’?
I think we all curate our online personae and what Angela did is incredibly relatable. Who among us has not de-tagged a photo, or agonized about our “interests” or “relationship status” on Facebook? Our profiles are a chance to present ourselves to the world in a way we can completely control – unlike face-to-face interaction.

Read our review of Catfish here.

Catfish is out at selected cinemas across the UK now and available on DVD from Monday 10th January.  
Best Albums of 2010 by LJG Art & Illustration
Best Albums of 2010 by LJG Art & Illustration.

Last year I discovered a whole slew of marvellous new albums. So I thought I would round them up before we got too far into 2011 – some I have already reviewed, approved and some I meant to review but didn’t get around to it, sildenafil thereby giving me the perfect opportunity to do so now. Without further ado here are my picks of 2010.

Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou by Abigail Nottingham
Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou by Abigail Nottingham.

Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou – England
Loose Music
We’ve been championing this duo in various musical guises over the years… and their current husband and wife incarnation perfectly suits the harmonic beauty of their unique song-writing. England is a beautiful folk album that brings a modern flavour to age old tales of “peas, mash and pie” and “the catch of the day.” They have been working on a new album over the past few months and they start their extensive Tin Tabernacle tour soon, full listing here. Last summer they blew me away when they played an impromptu gig with Danny and the Champions of the World at our Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury. Make sure you catch up with them.

YouTube Preview Image

I Like Trains – He Who Saw The Deep
self-released
I first fell in love with the historical tales of iliketrains many years ago when I featured them in the print version of Amelia’s Magazine. Since then they have become I Like Trains (small but crucial difference), parted with their label and lost cornet player Ashley Dean – who has since created a fab video for Our Broken Garden which you can read about here. The crowd funded new album He Who Saw The Deep retains the gravelly baritone voice of lead singer David Martin but ditches the historical references in favour of a stirring elegy to the perils of an uncertain future “as Europe slips into the sea”. They go on tour at the start of February. Full listing info here.

the golden filter by daria h
The Golden Filter by Daria Hlazatova.

The Golden Filter – Voluspa
Brille Records
This album didn’t register on my radar until I saw The Golden Filter play live at Secret Garden Party in 2010. But here lies a clear case of an impressive live performance translating equally well into a recorded version – thereafter I’ve listened to Voluspa on a regular basis. It is impossible to find any information about The Golden Filter on the internet because they have done their best to maintain an aura of mystery around them akin to the swirling atmosphere that surrounds singer Penelope Trappes during their live performances. Other reviews have not been so kind about the hazy noodlings of the album experience but I love listening to it as a whole.

YouTube Preview Image

The Pipettes – Earth Vs The Pipettes
Fortuna Pop
In 2010 The Pipettes staged a come back with a very different flavour to their last studio album, (read our interview with them here). This time the line up features sisters Gwenno and Ani, and they’ve taken a distinctly dancey turn away from their 50′s doo-wap inspired songs… whilst still retaining their deliciously girly harmonies. This should be a good year for this truly independent pop band, starting with their DJing spot for their irresistibly bouncy tunes at my launch party for ACOFI at the end of January. After which they will be guesting on the new Does it Offend You Yeah? album. You wouldn’t find the Sugababes doing that now would you?

Our Broken Garden by Faye West
Our Broken Garden by Faye West.

Our Broken Garden – Golden Sea
Bella Union
Bella Union rarely puts a foot wrong, and Golden Sea by Our Broken Garden is no exception… an absolutely stunning album that I have listened to over and over and over again. If you get a chance to see Anna Bronsted perform live TAKE IT immediately. Her gig at St. Giles-in-the-Fields was one of the most magical performances I have ever seen. You can read my review here.

6 Day Riot by Jenny Lloyd
6 Day Riot by Jenny Lloyd.

6 Day Riot – On This Island
Tantrum
Self released on their own label, 6 Day Riot are a prime example of an uber talented band doing it for themselves. As singer Tamara candidly writes on their blog it’s hard work to get yourself heard when you are up against the promotional purchasing powers of the major labels, a fact which as an independent publisher I know only too well. On This Island is an incredibly rich and rewarding album and 6 Day Riot are just as much fun live. I can’t wait for them to play at my launch party for Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Motorifik secret things

Motorifik – Secret Things
Moto
Despite a pretty terrible name – calling to mind, perhaps, Jeremy Clarkson loving rockers – Anglo-french twosome Motorifik won me over towards the end of 2010 with their 90s influenced shoegaze crossed with dance beats. Well worth checking out if you like your indie music lushly melodic.

Peggy Sue – Fossils and Other Phantoms
Wichita Recordings
Combining indie, folk, doo-wop and blues, this was my stand out favourite album at the start of 2010. The two girls in this three piece line up take turns on lead vocals, singing of complex love lives with heart rending passion. You can read my review here.

Napoleon IIIrd by illustratin grain
Napoleon IIIrd by Kiran Patel at Illustrating Rain

Napoleon IIIrd – Christiania
Brainlove Records
Starting with an intense splash of impassioned vocals yelped against a backdrop of reverberating beats, Christiania means business from the get go. Previous album In Debt To gained Napoleon IIIrd a coveted profile in the printed version of Amelia’s Magazine and this latest release does not disappoint, taking on board influences from genres as diverse as balearic beats, woozy cosmic pop and big bands. It comes out on the Brainlove label, home of all things eclectic and wonderful. Excitingly you can see both Napoleon IIIrd and I Like Trains together when they go on tour this February.

YouTube Preview Image

Malachai – Ugly Side of Love
Flying the flag for totally out there psychedelia is Bristol based Malachai. Ugly Side of Love is a wonderful stoner concoction recently given the blessing of Portishead’s Geoff Barrow. Malachai mash up stomping rock riffs, crashing moogs and sampled loops – it’s totally mental and I bloody love it. You can read our review here.

Laura Marling by Yelena Bryksenkova
Laura Marling by Yelena Bryksenkova.

Other albums that I loved probably need no further promoting as they will have done well on more mainstream “best of” lists but I will give them a brief mention here. Following a storming tour of the festival circuit Villagers‘ Becoming a Jackal did incredibly well and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Read my review here. Perhaps inevitably Laura Marling‘s I Speak Because I Can has also done brilliantly…. because it is brilliant. What can I say? Laura is amazing. And of course you could read about her many years ago in Amelia’s Magazine, which ran one of her first interviews in print. Read our review here. The Irrepressibles finally released their incredible album Mirror Mirror, which I was lucky enough to discover several years ago when I put them in the print issue of the magazine. Read our review here.

Sea of Bees by Gemma Birss
Sea of Bees by Gemma Birss.

Helen Martin has already mentioned Mountain Man, Sea of Bees (tour listing here) and This Is The Kit albums in her excellent round up… and I loved them all too. She has great taste so I’m sure her other nominations are fabulous too, but I must confess that I haven’t heard them all for myself. Which is just as well because it left me space for this little round up.

I do hope you’ll support these incredibly talented musicians by splashing out on one or two of these releases, most of which have come out on tiny labels for the love of music. As for what to look out for in the coming year? I’ll be giving you my low down shortly… watch this space.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday January 10th, 2011 4:52 pm

Categories ,6 Day Riot, ,Abigail Nottingham, ,album, ,Anna Brønsted, ,Becoming a Jackal, ,Bella Union, ,Brainlove Records, ,Brille Records, ,Christiania, ,Climate Camp, ,Danny and the Champions of the World, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,David Martin, ,Does it Offend You Yeah?, ,Earth vs The Pipettes, ,England, ,Faye West, ,Fortuna Pop, ,Fossils and Other Phantoms, ,Gemma Birss, ,Geoff Barrow, ,glastonbury, ,Golden Sea, ,He Who Saw The Deep, ,Helen Martin, ,I Like Trains, ,iliketrains, ,Illustrating Rain, ,Indigo Moss, ,Jenny Lloyd, ,Jeremy Clarkson, ,Kiran Patel, ,Laura Marling, ,LJG Art & Illustration, ,Loose Music, ,Malachai, ,Moto, ,Motorifik, ,Mountain Man, ,Napoleon IIIrd, ,On This Island, ,Our Broken Garden, ,Peggy Sue, ,Portishead, ,review, ,Sea of Bees, ,Secret Things, ,Tantrum, ,The Golden Filter, ,the irrepressibles, ,The Pipettes, ,This Is The Kit, ,Tin Tabernacle Tour, ,Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou, ,Ugly Side Of Love, ,Villagers, ,Voluspa, ,Wichita Recordings, ,Yelena Bryksenkova

Similar Posts: