Amelia’s Magazine | Earth Listings 22nd – 28th June

It’s Recycle Week! Look out for events near you.

Monday 22nd June

Voting begins for Climate Rush feminism poster.

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Carbon Trading Workshop

In association with Climate Camp, come join a Carbon Trading Workshop with Kevin Smith (Carbon Trade Watch) and watch a screening of The Carbon Connection documentary.

When world leaders negotiate a new climate agreement this December, they will promote one solution above all others: carbon trading. The EU already has its own carbon trading system; in the US, Obama is working hard to push a ‘cap-and-trade’ system through Congress. But what is carbon trading? What is the theory behind it? How does it work in practice? Kevin Smith will give a critical perspective on market-based solutions to climate change.

Please email london(at)climatecamp.org.uk to book a place.
19.00 – 21.00
(£3 suggested donation)
BASH studio
65-71 Scrutton Street
London EC2

Tuesday 23rd June

Out of the Wasteland: Hope for a greener world

A talk with Dr Richard Chartres, part of a series in association with the City of London Festival. Looking at what hope there is for London to turn itself into an environmentally friendly city. Gresham College is an independent institution, founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1597, of eight professors who give free public lectures.

6.15pm, St Paul’s Cathedral, OBE chabel.
Info: Gresham College lecture list.

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Crude

A screening of this new documentary with director Joe Berlinger present to discuss the making of the film. Crude has been shortlisted for the International Documentary Award at the upcoming One World Media Awards. It is the inside story of the infamous Amazon Chernobyl case, which pitted 30,000 indigenous and colonial rainforest dwellers against the U.S. oil giant Chevron.

At the Flea Pit, 49 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG
7.30pm (nearest Tubes – Old Street/Bethnal Green)
Space for this screening is limited – but we’d love you to come (and there are spaces left as this blog post is going to print)! Please email contact(at)oneworldmedia.org.uk if you would like to come.

Calais No Borders Camp

This Tuesday sees the beginning of the Calais No Borders Camp, planned to continue until the 29th June. Protesting an end to borders and freedom of movement for all, building links with migrant communities, challenge the authorities on the ground, and protest against increased repression of migrants and local activists alike.

The camp will take place in the park in rue Normandie-Niemen, East Calais, France.

Cape Farewell – Andes Expedition, Peru

Working with the Environmental Change Institute, Cape Farewell are setting off on an expedition with artists and scientists to visit shrinking glaciers, cloud forests, lower forests, areas of deforestation & the Amazon. Follow them online where the crew will be sending back live updates from the trek.

0622%20cloud%20forest.jpg
Photo by scientist John Fisher, from a previous Cape Farewell expedition.

Wednesday 24th June

Seeing Myself See

The Royal Society of Arts joins Radical Nature to present neuroscientist R. Beau Lotto performing a series of experiments involving the sky, music and bumblebees. He will demonstrate how colour, vision and seeing-ourselves-see can contribute to a more empathetic view of the environment and each other.

Free. Tickets must be booked.

The Royal Society of Arts
6 John Adam Street
London WC2N

Thursday 25th June

Guerilla Gardening

Part of the Radical Nature season at the Barbican. Have you thought of the horticultural potential of neglected spaces? How can we resist urbanisation using nature? For well-rehearsed tactics, strategies and instructions join South London based guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds, as he explores the colourful world of this illegal yet flourishing gardening movement.
Barbican Art Gallery, Redgrave Suite, Level 4
7.30pm, tickets £5, book here.

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Age of Stupid

Another chance to catch the Age of Stupid, directed by Franny Armstrong (McLibel, Drowned Out), with Pete Postlethwaite as the last guy alive in a climate-fried world.
At the Haringey Independent Cinema (map), 7pm

Friday 26th June

Eco-Design Summer Fair

Eco-Design Fair over the weekend presenting many contemporary designer-makers focussing on sustainable design processes.

Friday evening Recycling party special: multi-media event with design, fashion, music, DJ’s and more. Organic drinks and food, an eco street chic styling area, eco and vegan fashion and beauty.

Times: Friday 5pm – 9pm; Sat & Sun 10am – 6pm
Free entry with a donation of an old mobile phone
Dray Walk Gallery, Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery, off 91 Brick Lane, London
Contact – Louise Kamara – info(at)ecodesignfair.co.uk

After Darwin: Contemporary Expressions

Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and Darwin’s great-great-granddaughter, the poet Ruth Padel, are two of four artists and writers who have created new works for the Natural History Museum’s summer arts exhibition After Darwin: Contemporary Expressions.

The exhibition will feature new film and installation commissions from Jeremy Deller and Matthew Killip in collaboration with Professor Richard Wiseman and Diana Thater, alongside existing video work by Bill Viola. New literature, commissioned from award winning authors Mark Haddon and Ruth Padel, will also form part of the exhibition, which explores Darwin’s book ‘The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals’.

Opens 26 June
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 5BD

Saturday 27th June

Sheep and Wool Day at Vauxhall City Farm
Dyework is a workshop dedicated to traditional textiles. Come and see our sheep being shorn and then the fleece being spun into yarn. Lots of woolly craft activities and woolly items to buy. Fun for all ages. Relax with a cup of tea and a slice of cake
11.00 – 16.00
Vauxhall City Farm, 165 Tyers Street, London
Contact – Penny Walsh – 020 8692 2958 – pennywalsh(at)dyework.co.uk

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Sunday 28th June

Insider London’s Cutting-Edge Green Tour

Insider London tours take you round hidden corners of London’s flowering sustainable community. Browse through gorgeous shops, witness futuristic architecture and connect with inspiring communities.

A maximum of 8 spaces are available, letting the group get to know each other and to foster networking.

The green tour leaves from the Bishopsgate entrance of Liverpool Street station, finishing at the Oxo Tower around 3 hours later. Halfway through, there’s a fairtrade coffee break at one of London’s stunning green venues.

To book, email bookings@insider-london.co.uk, mentioning the London Sustainability Weeks special tour and stating the date you would like to attend, at least 48 hours in advance.

2pm (meet from 1.45pm)
£25 (Special rate for the Festival)
Meet at Bishopsgate entrance of Liverpool Street

Contact – Cate Trotter – 0844 504 8080 – catetrotter(at)gmail.com



Categories ,carbon, ,crude, ,gardening, ,guerrilla, ,oil, ,sheep, ,tour, ,trading

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Amelia’s Magazine | First Thursdays Bus Tour

I’m not a person who wins things; Lady Luck is not my friend. Never has my name been picked from a raffle or hat, scratch cards always defeat me, and even when I tried to Derren Brown the ticket man at Walthamstow Dogs, “Look into my eyes, this is the winning ticket”, I still came away empty handed. So when my name was electronically selected for the Time Out Bus Tour, a heavily over-subscribed perk to First Thursdays, I was veritably excited.

magicbus.jpg

I’m not sure what I imagined, a day of musing amalgamated in something entirely inconceivable bearing reference to the Playbus and set firmly beyond the realm of reality. This is the description from which I fabricated: Each month, join leading curators, writers, academics and artists on a guided bus tour visiting a selection of First Thursdays Galleries; and that’s precisely what it was, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed when I saw a very ordinary looking bus waiting outside Whitechapel Gallery, a bit health & safety and sanitised, OAP visit to Hastings anyone?

If you were in fact there for a guided bus tour with leading academics, curators, and artists, and not for a bus of dreams, then you’d probably be satisfied. Four selected galleries, a talk from a curator in each, and the wealth of information that only a guided tour can give, adding much more depth to your engagement with the work. My favourite part was a six-strong bowling team that unofficially tagged along, following the bus in a Transit, and innocuously joining the talks wearing matching blue team shirts, names on the breast. I did feel a pang of jealousy at the scores of people casually strolling between galleries on Vyner Street, drinks in hands, hmmms and ahhhs at the ready. I’ll opt for a home made bicycle tour next time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t recommend this.

Categories ,Art, ,First Thursday, ,Gallery, ,TimeOut, ,Tour

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Amelia’s Magazine | A preview of the National Trust Brutal Utopias Tour at the Southbank Centre

Brutal_Utopias_south_bank_centre_ventilation
It’s no great secret that I’m a big fan of Brutalist architecture, so I pulled out all the stops to join a preview of the Brutal Utopias tour hosted by the National Trust over the next few weeks (tickets sadly already sold out). The tour offers a unique chance to see areas of the Southbank Centre that are not usually open to the public before the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Hayward Gallery close their doors for a major refurb. Baby Carys came along in my wrap and was admirably well behaved for a not quite two month old.

Brutal_Utopias_south_bank_centre_passage
We began our adventure with Joseph Watson (London creative director of the National Trust) in the bowels of the complex, tracing the routes of the service pipes in an underground passage between the buildings. I can see why they filmed episodes of Doctor Who down in these atmospheric innards.

Brutal_Utopias_south_bank_centre_ventilation_turbine
A trek up the stairs to the roof of the building revealed an astonishing and unexpected sight. I’ve never got quite so excited about ventilation before but these great machines have been operating continuously since the 1960s which is pretty amazing. The vast turbines suck air in from the sky and send it down to the concert halls, but because this is not exactly energy efficient they will be replaced in the two year refit. Thankfully some parts will be saved and left in situ. I’m not sure you can tell from this great fluttering bank of filters but there was quite the breeze in this antechamber where the air gets sucked in to be processed. It felt like entering a hurricane and gave Carys quite a jolt!

Brutal_Utopias_south_bank_centre_projectors
The original 1960s projection unit looming over the wood panelled Queen Elizabeth Hall includes these hulking beasts that will be restored for use once more: I was dwarved beside them.

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Finally, we admired the walls of the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Hayward Gallery, which were lovingly cast in concrete from slabs of Arctic pine showing amazing attention to detail. It’s really great to see this under-loved architectural style finally getting the attention it deserves before all the best examples are ripped down, let’s hope a few more wonderful buildings can be saved before they befall the fate of the Tricorn Centre.

For more information on these tours visit the National Trust website here.

Categories ,1960s, ,60s, ,architecture, ,Brutal Utopias, ,Brutalism, ,Brutalist, ,Carys, ,Doctor Who, ,Hayward Gallery, ,Joseph Watson, ,National Trust, ,Queen Elizabeth Hall, ,South Bank Centre, ,Southbank centre, ,tour, ,Tricorn, ,Tricorn Centre

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Amelia’s Magazine | Music: Interview with Cults

Cults by Gemma Smith
Cults by Gemma Smith
Illustration by Gemma Smith

Cults are a New York duo with a 60s guitar pop sound. Their debut album is out in May and I can’t wait. Go Outside has transported my moods from dreary, information pills coffee needing blah, more about to jigging around on my wooden seat, dancing with the cat, joy. The harmonies are pure dream pop. Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin first posted three songs last spring anonymously on a Bandcamp account and have since received great support from the likes of Gorilla Vs Bear and NME. They’ve also supported Best Coast among others.

Could you introduce yourself please?
MF- He’s Brian Oblivion.
BO- She’s Madelline Follin

Could you describe your music?
On the surface it’s girl group inspired, bedroom pop, upbeat and uplifting but beneath that lies murkier realities. We wrap sinister tales in a sugar coated shell.

Why the name ‘Cults’?
BO- I think that the most startlingly beautiful things in life are pretty but desperately flawed at the same time. Cult leaders are a fascinating example of this so I guess our name came about is a result of this fascination.

Where are you both from? And where do you live now?
MF- We’re both from California, I grew up in San Francisco and Brian grew up in San Diego and we moved to New York together to go to film school.

How have these locations influenced your music?
BO- I suppose growing up in California we were tied trough our local history to some of the world’s most notorious cults. Charlie Mansion and his “Family,” spend a lot of time in LA and were responsible for Sharon Tate’s murder there. Jim Jones set up shop in San Fran, David Byrne’s Children of God were roaming California too. The inspirational, moving speeches that appear, ghost-like, behind our music are taken from speeches made by these guys. New York provided us with independence and the creative space for us to start making music in.

Cults

How did you get together…?
BO- By complete chance. Madeline’s brother is in a band that I was tour managing at the time, and she happened to be in San Diego the night they were playing. Then we did this drive from San Diego to San Francisco to pick up Madeline’s stuff. We were playing each other music from our iPod collection, and discovered that we loved all of the same stuff. Cults grew from there.

You are upbeat and 60s in your sound, are you particularly interested in ‘past pop’?
MF – Our sphere of musical influence is pretty diverse, we’re not bound to one particular era or genre. We’re as interested in and as influenced by The Wu Tang Clan and hip-hop as we are rock n’ roll or music from the 60s.

What’s the inspiration for your music?
BO- A lot of our songs are about what we’re going through right now – the fear of growing up and facing adult responsibility. These kind of fears are inspiring. Fear is what makes people join cults in the first place – wanting to escape competition and success and be a part of something bigger, communal. We also want to live our own lives with our own schedules and expectations, so in a way this band has become our own cult.

How do you create ‘your’ sound?
BO- Its spontaneous and real. We’re not sound technicians, we made our first track in our apartment. I layed down some demos and Madeline started singing along. You can suck the life out of a song by making it perfect and we never want to do that.

Do you write your own music?
MF- Our album, like our original demo is self written, self- produced.

What are your musical backgrounds?
BO- I’ve been in bands since I was 13, including a Slayer covers band.
MF- My stepdad owns a studio and I’ve sung on an Adolescents record – there was even a song I did with Dee Dee Ramone singing as well. But for me it wasn’t a big deal, Dee Dee was just one of my stepdad’s friends.

Did you expect Go Outside to be so massive?
MF- Not at all. Most people didn’t know the first thing about us when they heard that track.

Is it true that you actually want to keep an aspect of mystery around yourselves, which is why we don’t know very much about you?!
BO- Absolutley. Bands have become way too handy at promoting themselves. It cheapens the music a bit. It’s like Coca Cola or some brand. There’s nothing left to ponder if it’s all filled in – you can just consume it and throw it away.

But do you foresee yourselves coming to the UK more; perhaps the festivals this summer?
MF- Totally ! We love the UK. You have some world class festivals going on that we would love to get involved with. There is a great vibe here.

Do you enjoy touring? What’s it like for you?
BO- Yeh it rocks. It’s always nice to see witness the way fans receive you music at first hand.

What do you see as the future for Cults?
Unlike many of our historical counterparts ours will have a happy ending!

Cults tour dates can be found here. Go Outside is their first single, out on Columbia Records.

Categories ,Best Coast, ,Brian Oblivion, ,california, ,Charles Manson, ,Columbia Records, ,Cults, ,David Byrne’s Children of God, ,Dee Dee Ramone, ,festivals, ,Gemma Smith, ,Go Outside, ,Gorilla Vs Bear, ,Helen Martin, ,interview, ,Madeline Follin, ,music, ,new york, ,NME, ,pop, ,San Diego, ,San Francisco, ,Sharon Tate, ,single, ,tour, ,Wu Tang Clan

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Amelia’s Magazine | The I Like Trains interview: singer Dave Martin answers my Q&A

I Like Trains by Gemma Smith
I Like Trains by Gemma Smith.

You are currently on a very extensive tour: what prompted the decision to do such a big tour?
The best way to promote an album is to get out there and play it to as many people as possible. We’ve done more extensive tours than this in the past, so we know we have it in us. It can be hard work, but also a lot of fun. I guess we must be a pretty good live band as we’ve always had the ability to win over an audience. We’ve been playing together for 6 years, and it feels like we continue to improve as a band.

I Like Trains by Calico Charlotte Melton
I Like Trains by Calico Charlotte Melton.

You pride yourself on being “fiercely independent” – which was one of the things that first attracted you to me. Why do you think it is so important to take control of your own destiny?
I think it comes naturally to us now. You can sit and wait to be discovered, or you can get out and make the first steps on your own. Pretty soon the second and third steps will become obvious too. Coming from Leeds has helped in this respect, with bands before us making a success on their own terms. It showed us the way.

Why has it taken so long to get your second album finished? What have you been up to?
The main reason for this record taking so long to be released is that our label Beggars Banquet ceased to exist. We spent some time talking to other labels, but decided that we would be best served to release it ourselves. All of this took a lot of time. We also spent a while developing a new sound for the record.

I Like Trains by Karolina Burdon
I Like Trains by Karolina Burdon.

You made the album through an innovative pledge system. Can you tell us a bit more about this process?
Pledge Music is a website which facilitates fan funding of an album. We set ourselves a monetary target for what we needed in order to set up our own record label and release the album. We came up with a number of incentives for people to Pledge on, signed copies of the album, hand illustrated lyrics books, access all areas passes to gigs etc. The key thing about the Pledge system over some other fan funding initiatives is that no money exchanges hands until the target is reached and the album is guaranteed to be released. We were also keen to offer people value for money. The response we got when we went live completely blew us away. We weren’t entirely sure if anyone cared about us anymore, but we reached our target in about 24 hours and over 800 people went on to put their hard earned money into an album they hadn’t heard.  

I Like Trains by Rukmunal Hakim
I Like Trains by Rukmunal Hakim.

Has it been hard to do everything yourself? what are the hardest things about this approach and what are the most rewarding?
It has been hard work. It’s been a steep learning curve to release our record on our own label, and that has been the most difficult thing. Not knowing exactly what steps to take to get it into shops. I also feel as if there is some sort of stigma in releasing a record on your own label. Some people seem to perceive releasing a record via the more traditional record company route as a mark of quality control, and that fan funding bypasses that. For me it is a much more democratic model. If there is an appetite for a record then it will get produced whether or not one or two money men at a record label think they can make some money out of it. It is extremely rewarding to see the album in record shops all across Europe, and to know that it is down to our hard work and the faith of our fans.

I Like Trains by Jess Holt
I Like Trains by Jess Holt.

What is current single A Father’s Son about?
It is about population pressure. I don’t want to say too much as I’m keen for people to draw their own conclusions, but the record as a whole is looking at the future for the human race. I did a fair bit of research into the science of climate change, and took my inspiration from that.

YouTube Preview Image

Where was the video shot? It looks cold. And who is the kid?!
It was shot on the North Yorkshire coast around Saltburn. To be honest we didn’t have a great deal to do with the video. It was done by a company called Progress Films. We’d been admiring their work for a little while so trusted them to do a good job. They sent a few treatments over to us, we made some tweaks and then left them to it. We were pleased with the result.

Illustration by Sarah Matthews
Illustration by Sarah Matthews.

You released a solo album last year (which I haven’t heard) – how did this go down? and how does promoting a solo album fit in with promoting a group album too – is he supporting the band on tour?!
I’ve been asked about this a few times. This was an April Fool’s joke by our fan site: www.thisgreenandpleasantland.com. I think it says that it includes a Britney Spears cover. I have as yet, not done a Britney Spears cover! *the cheek!*

How did you choose support for your tour, and in particular Napoleon IIIrd of whom I am a big fan too?
Well it is as simple as us being big fans of his too. We were very pleased that he could do it. He actually went to the same school as Guy and I did in Evesham, Worcestershire. We didn’t really know him back then as we were in different years, but we recognised him when we got to Leeds. It’s a small world.  

I Like Trains by Bryony Crane
I Like Trains by Bryony Crane.

You lost a band member in Ashley Dean, do you think you might work with him on any new videos? Are the rest of you involved in other creative projects too? and if so what?
I would never say never. We’re still in touch with Ashley and its great to see him doing so well with his videos. Guy has taken on the graphic design for I LIKE TRAINS now.  

You seem to have become slightly less introspective in new album He Who Saw The Deep, and are looking to the future rather than the past. What prompted this change of perspective? 
It was just a desire to keep challenging ourselves, to keep things fresh and exciting. We didn’t want to make the same album twice. For the first 4 or so years as a band we worked hard to create an identity. With HWSTD we took all of that and turned it on its head. We’re happy that it still sounds like an I LIKE TRAINS record, and it has given confidence to continue developing and evolving.

YouTube Preview Image

You released a free download just before xmas – a cover of Wham’s Last Christmas. Why did you decide to cover this song? And did you have trouble keeping a straight face whilst you were recording it? I imagine it might have been a bit hard to do in a po-faced manner!!
It was fun. Again something we almost certainly wouldn’t have done 3 years ago. We were asked to contribute something to the Leeds Music Scene advent calendar. It was a few days before December so we knocked the cover out very quickly. We chose it because underneath all the sleigh bells and fake tan there was a certain darkness. We had a great reaction from it.

Where are you now? and how is the European leg faring… any highlights so far?
We are somewhere between Milano and Ravenna dodging some flamboyant Italian traffic! The tour has been fantastic, exceeding our expectations. There seems to be a certain momentum for the record in Europe, and an appetite for I LIKE TRAINS that we haven’t really had on previous trips. The highlight for me was the Botanique in Brussels. A sold out show at one of our favourite venues in the world. Everything seemed to come together for that gig.

Why should people come and see you on tour when you reach the UK?
That’s not really for me to say, but we can promise to give it our all and thousands of people across mainland Europe would probably back me up on this one.

The new album He Who Saw The Deep was one of my favourite albums of 2010. I Like Trains begin the UK leg of their tour today: and continue right on through to the 10th of March. Our full tour listing can be found here.

Categories ,Ashley Dean, ,Beggars Banquet, ,Botanique, ,britney spears, ,Brussels, ,Bryony Crane, ,Calico Charlotte Melton, ,Dave Martin, ,Gemma Smith, ,He Who Saw The Deep, ,I Like Trains, ,iliketrains, ,Independent, ,Jess Holt, ,Karolina Burdon, ,Last Christmas, ,leeds, ,Leeds Music Scene, ,Napoleon IIIrd, ,Pledge, ,Pledge Music, ,Progress Films, ,Rukmunal Hakim, ,Saltburn, ,Sarah Matthews, ,tour, ,Wham!

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Drums: “I Felt Stupid” : Single Review

“To last you need to be real” – Edward G Robinson
“This is quite a departure for us as we usually do not exhibit commercial art, website like this but fine arts”. With those words Martin Tickner let me know what the Maurice Einhardt Neu Gallery is all about. Nestled in the heart of Bohemia land and Gallery street as Redchurch street and Old street/ Brick lane could each be called, ailment this exhibition space is more known for showcasing interesting alternative performance art and installations such as “Seen” by Sean McLusky and Martin J Tickner. Those collaborations where an artist curates a group for a one-off show have in the past seen the high priest of gothic art, Matthew Stone – famous for his tableaux of shamanic rites of passage in the style of Caravaggio – join electro arrivistes S.C.U.M (named after Valerie Solanis’ 1968 manifesto Society For Cutting Up Men) who make music for the emotionally crippled, deficient and diseased.
Bare Bones however still fits in the gallery’s motto. Published in the paper format but looking a lot like a fanzine with its black and white series of independent-minded designs, the second edition embraces the abused tabloid format and has many more contributors. Funded entirely by its creators, Bare Bones features no advertising and revels in not being associated with corporate shilldom. Featuring artists, photographers, writers, musicians and other beautifully wayward human flotsam, Bare Bones aims to provide an insight into the unexplored creative avenues being beaten out by its protagonists. Positioning itself as an alternative to the morass of mind numbing free press littering the brains and streets of London Bare Bones shoots to provoke thought and conversation. Whilst not always aiming to offend just for the sake of it, people who quickly jump to back-footed offence and ill conceived moral judgment only encourage ignorance and deserve to be appalled at least four times a year. Bare Bones seems to be on a quest for a stronger constitution.
The gallery space is small and two walls are covered with limited edition prints costing between 50 and 200. One featured artist is aptly named Heretic Printmakers with gem quotes such as “ Themes that run through our work are ancient symbolism, (…) the inner beast, sex bats, naked witches, demented cats, trees, paranoid owls (…) the freakily parallel cosmos of Mutinopia…”
BARE BONES was Neal Fox, Frank Laws, Hannah Bays, Billy Bragg, Amelia Johnstone, and has since added Hanna Hanra, Sam Kerr, Richard Gilligan and Jamie Putnam to its list. Russell Weekes from lie-in and tigers is a previous Amelia’s magazine contributor- his stricking and witty drawings are part of the work created by the motley crew of proud to be baiting misfits. See it all at your enjoyable peril!
Bare Bones cblonehead“To last you need to be real” – Edward G Robinson

barebones2-3
“This is quite a departure for us as we usually do not exhibit commercial art, buy more about but fine arts”. With those words Martin Tickner let me know what the Maurice Einhardt Neu Gallery is all about. Nestled in the heart of Bohemia land and Gallery street as Redchurch street and Old street/ Brick lane could each be called, clinic this exhibition space is more known for showcasing interesting alternative performance art and installations such as “Seen” by Sean McLusky and Martin J Tickner. Those collaborations where an artist curates a group for a one-off show have in the past seen the high priest of gothic art, seek Matthew Stone – famous for his tableaux of shamanic rites of passage in the style of Caravaggio – join electro arrivistes S.C.U.M (named after Valerie Solanis’ 1968 manifesto Society For Cutting Up Men) who make music for the emotionally crippled, deficient and diseased.
Bare bones pornomaggie Bare Bones however still fits in the gallery’s motto. Published in the paper format but looking a lot like a fanzine with its black and white series of independent-minded designs, the second edition embraces the abused tabloid format and has many more contributors. Funded entirely by its creators, Bare Bones features no advertising and revels in not being associated with corporate shilldom. Featuring artists, photographers, writers, musicians and other beautifully wayward human flotsam, Bare Bones aims to provide an insight into the unexplored creative avenues being beaten out by its protagonists. Positioning itself as an alternative to the morass of mind numbing free press littering the brains and streets of London Bare Bones shoots to provoke thought and conversation. Whilst not always aiming to offend just for the sake of it, people who quickly jump to back-footed offence and ill conceived moral judgment only encourage ignorance and deserve to be appalled at least four times a year. Bare Bones seems to be on a quest for a stronger constitution.
Bare bones sisters The gallery space is small and two walls are covered with limited edition prints costing between 50 and 200. One featured artist is aptly named Heretic Printmakers with gem quotes such as “ Themes that run through our work are ancient symbolism, (…) the inner beast, sex bats, naked witches, demented cats, trees, paranoid owls (…) the freakily parallel cosmos of Mutinopia…”
BARE BONES was Neal Fox, Frank Laws, Hannah Bays, Billy Bragg, Amelia Johnstone, and has since added Hanna Hanra, Sam Kerr, Richard Gilligan and Jamie Putnam to its list. Russell Weekes from lie-in and tigers is a previous Amelia’s magazine contributor- his stricking and witty drawings are part of the work created by the motley crew of proud to be baiting misfits. See it all at your enjoyable peril!

Russellelephants
drums2

Brooklyn quartet The Drums have hit everyone’s playlists hard (bit of a drum pun there for you), visit this site their infectious summer style is sustaining us through what looks set to be a typically wet and dark winter. ‘I Felt Stupid’ is emblematic of the 50’s/60’s surf-pop style sound that characterises their critically acclaimed EP ‘Summertime’, and much of the music from the summer just gone.

The difference with this band, evident in ‘I Felt Stupid’, is their unashamed love for bouncing, shiny melodies framed within bright, jangly pop music. With elements of synth- pop and new wave, on tracks like ‘Submarine’ I actually thought I was listening to The Cure, added to the milieu their sound is varied and not without texture. This original and emotive sound is even more impressive when you consider they have only been together for just over a year, starting in Florida and then moving to Brooklyn.

drums1

The lamentable lyrics of this song add another dimension to the music, if you were under the impression this was just another vacant beach boys-esque sounding band, it isn’t, there is real depth in the words. With crooned refrains like ‘have I lived my life too selfishly baby?’ and ‘your arms around me seem to be the only good thing that ever happened to me’ it juxtaposes the upbeat tone of the song with imagery of a summer love lost. For this reason this song, and this band, don’t get old, each listen reveals another layer. Lets hope the next offering from this band lives up to the high expectations set by this record.

drums

The Drums return to the UK to tour in February as part of the Shockwaves NME tour with The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Big Pink.
Single “I Felt Stupid” available now.

Categories ,Bombay Bicycle Club, ,music, ,NME, ,single, ,The Beach Boys, ,the big pink, ,the cure, ,the drums, ,The Maccabees, ,tour

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with The Raincoats as 1981 album Odyshape is rereleased on We ThRee

The Raincoats by James Shedden
The Raincoats by James Shedden.

The Raincoats are an all girl band who formed during the late 1970s and split up in the mid 1980s. I was very little at the time of their original releases so unfortunately I did not discover The Raincoats until much more recently, online well into my adult years. The band had an exciting can do attitude that melded punk, see classical and reggae influences into spiky arrhythmic folk punk tunes that even today sound way more exciting than many current bands. They reformed in the mid 90s after a resurgence in interest thanks to gushing plaudits from Kurt Cobain and are now widely hailed as one of the seminal post punk bands. I catch up with founders Ana da Silva and Gina Birch as they gear up to rerelease their second album on its 30th anniversary.

Raincoats in Poland

Why did you decide to reissue Odyshape now?
ANA:  This year is the 30th anniversary of this album. So, as we like anniversaries, we decided to release The Raincoats and Odyshape on their 30th… We remastered the albums for Japan and re-did the art work so it would sound and look the best possible. We now own the rights to them and, as they should be available, we thought we’d release them on our own label We ThRee. Both on CD and vinyl. They look and sound the best ever! Theyl also have a booklet and A4 sheet respectively with liner notes, lyrics, photos and a piece of writing from me on the 1st album and from Gina on Odyshape.

The raincoats odyshape
What does Odyshape mean?
GINA: The title was a pun on the odyssey of a body. The idea that a body could have an ideal shape and it if did, what happens when a body doesn’t live up to that ideal. It was at a time, when (as probably now) there seemed to be a body fascism. It was important for women to be this shape or that shape. Thanks to people like Beth Ditto, and hopefully The Raincoats, things have been broken down a little. Hair can be crazy, messy, outfits can be baggy or tight, inside out or upside down, we can be fat or thin, creative, playful, stylish and beautiful without having to subscribe to some fashion mag ideal.

The Raincoats1981
You formed the original band whilst still at art college… how did your studies in art influence how you made music?
ANA: Besides the obvious side of art work, I think we’re trying to do what art should do: create works that inspire other people, that question the status quo, that express ideas which come from our own minds and hearts and also works that look at the human condition and provide some comfort to the listener.

The Raincoats by Karin Soderquist
The Raincoats by Karin Soderquist.

Odyshape seems to owe as much to contemporary classical music as it does punk – was this something that inspired you?    
ANA: We listen to all sorts of music so, intentionally or unintentionally, different  things appear. I do like some classical music very much, like the Bach‘s cello suites, Erik Satie, some opera, etc.  but I don’t think my playing sounds very classical…maybe you mean the violin which was played by Vicky Aspinall who is classically trained.

The Raincoats by Janette Beckman1981
The Raincoats in 1981.

You haven’t produced a new album since the mid 90s – what have you been up to since then?
ANA: I’ve been doing my own solo music and released an album called The Lighthouse on Chicks On Speed records. I’ve also been doing some drawings and paintings some of which I’ll be showing at the Pop Montreal festival, together with Gina’s videos and Shirley’s photographs. It’s really a great opportunity to show our art, visual and musical. It’s the first time we do this and are very happy and excited about it.
GINA: I have been collaborating with various musicians and artists and very involved in a project called The Gluts, (with two women artists) Also I have been playing solo, writing songs, making films, painting and, raising two children.

The Raincoats by Rukmunal Hakim
The Raincoats by Rukmunal Hakim.

Gina – you were an early fan of the craft revival – knitting on tour. Do you still craft and if so what?
GINA: I did knit on the first Raincoats tour, when I wore the jumper at the final gig… and then didn’t do any knittingfor quite a few years but have always liked to paint, draw, knit, mosaic, make films whatever. I have been knitting a lot in the last year or two and have made Raincoats inspired bags, and I have also been sewing banners with lyrics and messages on them.  

The Raincoats by Kassie Berry
The Raincoats by Kassie Berry.

Has Gina Birch’s film, The Raincoats, Fairytales, been completed? 
GINA: The film is still a work in progress. It is an organic process it seems and hopefully will be concluded in the coming six months.

YouTube Preview ImageBaby Song performed live in the 80s

You will be playing your debut album live again at ATP this December – anything special in store and what are you looking forward to most about the Holiday Camp experience?
ANA: Just playing is a special thing, but we’ve played twice at ATP and really enjoyed it: swimming, meeting people, being able to choose amongst so much different music and the relaxed atmosphere. We will be playing the first album at Jeff Mangum‘s request but will play other songs too, not sure which yet.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Raincoats perform live at ATP in 2010

Which other current bands do you enjoy listening to or watching?
ANA: I think P.J. Harvey‘s latest album is so good, so I enjoyed listening to it at seeing them live a couple of times. Also saw Portishead whose music I like but had never seen live and that was very good too. I was listening yesterday to Ponytail, Colleen, Electrelane, Neutral Milk HotelLouis and Bebe BarronJenny O in the car coming back from Portugal.

The-Raincoats-By-Barb-Royal
The Raincoats by Barb Royal.

What next for The Raincoats?
ANA: We’re doing a tour in the U.S.A. and Canada (New York, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and Montreal) in September and ATP in December. And because of the re-release of Odyshape and those dates some interviews too… thanks for your part. Otherwise nothing concrete, but I’m sure other things will happen.

YouTube Preview ImageOnly Loved at Night, performed live in 2009

Odyshape is rereleased in heavyweight vinyl and as a special edition CD on We ThRee records on September 12th 2011. The band will tour the east coast of the USA from 16 – 26 September 2011 and play Jeff Mangum’s ATP, Minehead on 3 December 2011.

Categories ,1980s, ,2011, ,album, ,Ana da Silva, ,Arrhythmic, ,atp, ,Baby Song, ,Bach, ,Barb Royal, ,Bebe Barron, ,Beth Ditto, ,Body Fascism, ,Chicks on Speed, ,classical, ,Colleen, ,December, ,Electrelane, ,Erik Satie, ,folk, ,Gina Birch, ,James Shedden, ,Jeff Mangum, ,Jenny O, ,Karin Söderquist, ,Kassie Berry, ,Kurt Cobain, ,Louis, ,Neutral Milk Hotel, ,Odyshape, ,Only Loved at Night, ,PJ Harvey, ,Ponytail, ,Pop Montreal, ,Portishead, ,punk, ,Rerelease, ,review, ,Rukmunal Hakim, ,The LIghthouse, ,The Raincoats, ,tour, ,Vicky Aspinall, ,Violin, ,We ThRee, ,WETHREE

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Amelia’s Magazine | Touriste & Blue Sky Band

Chan Marshall is a confusing character, viagra sale you hope for her to be brilliant live but there’s always the niggling feeling that it might just go pear-shaped. She’s always been a little fragile; undoubtedly it’s part of her charm. However as soon a she skips onto stage you realise that tonight’s performance is going to be different.

Chan seems to have overcome, approved or at least learnt to deal with her performance issues. She arrives with a curtsey and a gigantic grin on her face, symptoms and it seems immediately obvious that this isn’t going to be one of her infamous ‘two songs and I’m off’ performances. The crowd sense that she’s on good form and welcome her with a roar of applause, perhaps out of relief as well as appreciation.

Keeping the chit-chat to an absolute minimum, the audience are treated to a brilliant mix of covers including I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction) and Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ (giving us a taste of her upcoming release) as well as songs from her latest and much-celebrated album; The Greatest. A set of pure blues, however the replacement of the Memphis Rhythm Band with The Dirty Delta Blues seemed to leave the arrangement blues-light and admittedly I missed that extra layer of soulful vocals from her regular group of backup singers.

At times I longed for a break from the rather slow pace and the absence of any of her pre-Greatest material was a disappointment. However, there’s very little to criticise about the woman herself and the audience were quick to give encouraging yelps and cheers at every opportunity. At times she seemed overwhelmed and kind of surprised that we’d even turned up, ‘You guys are amazing, you’re going to make me cry’. Of course, her unmistakeable voice was as incredible as ever, she’s one of those rare performers who understands the power of restraint.

Chan isn’t out to prove her vocal abilities by show-off jazz grandstanding; there are no self-indulgent runs or vocal acrobatics. Perhaps a skill born out of self-preservation, Chan sings as if no one is watching. And it’s beautiful.
Well, and I have just spent the last three days intensively shooting the Sheffield band the Harrisons for their press shots – they are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album in a remote studio called The Chapel in Lincolnshire with reknowned producer Hugh Jones, who has worked with such luminaries as Echo and the Bunnymen. The studio has seen many famous bands pass through it’s environs – the Arctic Monkeys being the most recent to record their block-busting album in what would once have been the alter of the chapel and is now a cosy wood panelled studio. It was really fun, if hard work – getting the boys out of bed early enough in the morning to get moving and actually get enough shots done before a) they had to return to carry on recording and b) the sun went in for good – jeez the days are short, especially in the north-east – was quite a lot of effort. They range in age evenly from 20 – 23 yrs old and it’s just not very rock ‘n’ roll to get up before lunchtime anyway.

Read more

Amelia’s Magazine | Lissie’s Star Is On The Ascendant.

Water Kerry Lemon thumb
Water Natasha-Thompson-Water-Umbrella-Editorial

It’s been sticky, viagra sale hasn’t it? The sunshine is all well and good whilst you are within spitting distance of a garden or beer garden (or a patch of pavement if you frequent the majority of London pubs), drug but battling with public transport, malady with people so far in your space that they may as well be inside you is no party. Some trains still seem to have the heating on and we are incessantly reminded to consider carrying a bottle of water with us which, curiously, makes me want to punch the drivers face in. Moving in any way other than a slow glide is ghastly in the heat. As one friend put it yesterday, ‘its like moving through hummus’.

Water Fritha Strickland

Where is this tirade taking us, you wonder? It is taking us to water. Or rather the lack of it. We have all seen the adverts that contain images of people in faraway countries using buckets to scoop putrid, fly-ridden water into canisters to use as drinking and cooking water. But the reality is that these images have become so pervasive in our consciousness that they simply cease to shock us. What’s that got to do with us? Whilst we are nowhere near the poverty of many countries with minimal access to safe drinking water, as the population rises and industrialisation increases, water will become more and more precious in all parts of the world.

WaterNatasha-Thompson-Water-Bath-Editorial

The northern, ironically much wetter, half of the country was aghast last month when the prospect of a hosepipe ban was floated before them. The rule only legislates against the equipment and not the water use, i.e. you could still tip the same amount of water over your garden, as long as you are not using the pipe. Oh, and it’s still ok to top up your swimming pool and wash the caravan. That repeated banging sound is my head hitting the table.

Water Kerry Lemon

With our once or even twice daily showering, long, luxurious bath’s, dishwashers, washing machines and hosepipes; We are a nation addicted to water. The government estimates that we each use about 150 litres of water a day, and rising. And right now? We couldn’t imagine our hot, hummusy lives without easy access to a glass of cold water and a cool shower. It’s a human right, right? The reality is that water is a finite resource. The days of using it with merry abandon are coming to an end, and we need to stop wasting it.

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén

There are some glaring absurdities in our liberal water use. Whilst almost a billion people on the planet only have access to dirty, unsafe water, we flush our toilets with drinking water. This is bonkers. Most of our homes are un-metered too, meaning water is charged at a set rate. This means there is no financial incentive to reduce water use. Ofwat stats show that metered homes use much less water and save tons of money. (So, water powers that be, and Mr Cameron, please change that.)

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén

Over the past year I have been trying to do my bit to save water, but I would also be very interested to hear your suggestions too, if you have them.

• Buy a non plastic bottle and refill it before you leave the house.
• If you have a garden, consider putting a water butt somewhere to collect water.
• If you own your house, would you consider harvesting rainwater (or greywater) to water your plants and flush your loo? Do you already do this?
• You don’t always need to flush after you wee. You probably saw this coming a mile off, but, all together now…if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down!
• Save any unfinished water dregs and pour them into a watering can or jug near the sink. Next time you need to water the plants you won’t have to fill the jug up as much.
• Instead of running the tap for ages to get cold water, put water straight out of the tap and into big bottles in the fridge.
• If you don’t have a double flush toilet you can get free water bags from Thames Water that fill up and save tons of water. Or you can just stick an old brick into the cistern.

So what’s your take on it? Are you a twice-daily-showerer, or a proud twice-a-weeker? Do you think it’s all pointless unless the government and authorities make changes? Do you already try to preserve water, and, if so, how? Couldn’t give two hoots, or are you a ‘be the change’ kinda person?

P.S. To learn more see Treehugger’s list of the top 5 documentaries to watch to understand the water crisis

Water Natasha-Thompson-Water-Umbrella-Editorial

It’s been sticky, erectile hasn’t it? The sunshine is all well and good whilst you are within spitting distance of a garden or beer garden (or a patch of pavement if you frequent the majority of London pubs), treat but battling with public transport, this with people so far in your space that they may as well be inside you is no party. Some trains still seem to have the heating on and we are incessantly reminded to consider carrying a bottle of water with us which, curiously, makes me want to punch the drivers face in. Moving in any way other than a slow glide is ghastly in the heat. As one friend put it yesterday, ‘its like moving through hummus’.

Water Fritha Strickland

Where is this tirade taking us, you wonder? It is taking us to water. Or rather the lack of it. We have all seen the adverts that contain images of people in faraway countries using buckets to scoop putrid, fly-ridden water into canisters to use as drinking and cooking water. But the reality is that these images have become so pervasive in our consciousness that they simply cease to shock us. What’s that got to do with us? Whilst we are nowhere near the poverty of many countries with minimal access to safe drinking water, as the population rises and industrialisation increases, water will become more and more precious in all parts of the world.

WaterNatasha-Thompson-Water-Bath-Editorial

The northern, ironically much wetter, half of the country was aghast last month when the prospect of a hosepipe ban was floated before them. The rule only legislates against the equipment and not the water use, i.e. you could still tip the same amount of water over your garden, as long as you are not using the pipe. Oh, and it’s still ok to top up your swimming pool and wash the caravan. That repeated banging sound is my head hitting the table.

Water Kerry Lemon

With our once or even twice daily showering, long, luxurious bath’s, dishwashers, washing machines and hosepipes; We are a nation addicted to water. The government estimates that we each use about 150 litres of water a day, and rising. And right now? We couldn’t imagine our hot, hummusy lives without easy access to a glass of cold water and a cool shower. It’s a human right, right? The reality is that water is a finite resource. The days of using it with merry abandon are coming to an end, and we need to stop wasting it.

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén

There are some glaring absurdities in our liberal water use. Whilst almost a billion people on the planet only have access to dirty, unsafe water, we flush our toilets with drinking water. This is bonkers. Most of our homes are un-metered too, meaning water is charged at a set rate. This means there is no financial incentive to reduce water use. Ofwat stats show that metered homes use much less water and save tons of money. (So, water powers that be, and Mr Cameron, please change that.)

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén

Over the past year I have been trying to do my bit to save water, but I would also be very interested to hear your suggestions too, if you have them.

• Buy a non plastic bottle and refill it before you leave the house.
• If you have a garden, consider putting a water butt somewhere to collect water.
• If you own your house, would you consider harvesting rainwater (or greywater) to water your plants and flush your loo? Do you already do this?
• You don’t always need to flush after you wee. You probably saw this coming a mile off, but, all together now…if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down!
• Save any unfinished water dregs and pour them into a watering can or jug near the sink. Next time you need to water the plants you won’t have to fill the jug up as much.
• Instead of running the tap for ages to get cold water, put water straight out of the tap and into big bottles in the fridge.
• If you don’t have a double flush toilet you can get free water bags from Thames Water that fill up and save tons of water. Or you can just stick an old brick into the cistern.

So what’s your take on it? Are you a twice-daily-showerer, or a proud twice-a-weeker? Do you think it’s all pointless unless the government and authorities make changes? Do you already try to preserve water, and, if so, how? Couldn’t give two hoots, or are you a ‘be the change’ kinda person?

P.S. To learn more see Treehugger’s list of the top 5 documentaries to watch to understand the water crisis

Water Natasha-Thompson-Water-Umbrella-Editorial

It’s been sticky, visit this site hasn’t it? The sunshine is all well and good whilst you are within spitting distance of a garden or beer garden (or a patch of pavement if you frequent the majority of London pubs), seek but battling with public transport, with people so far in your space that they may as well be inside you is no party. Some trains still seem to have the heating on and we are incessantly reminded to consider carrying a bottle of water with us which, curiously, makes me want to punch the drivers face in. Moving in any way other than a slow glide is ghastly in the heat. As one friend put it yesterday, ‘its like moving through hummus’.

Water Fritha Strickland

Where is this tirade taking us, you wonder? It is taking us to water. Or rather the lack of it. We have all seen the adverts that contain images of people in faraway countries using buckets to scoop putrid, fly-ridden water into canisters to use as drinking and cooking water. But the reality is that these images have become so pervasive in our consciousness that they simply cease to shock us. What’s that got to do with us? Whilst we are nowhere near the poverty of many countries with minimal access to safe drinking water, as the population rises and industrialisation increases, water will become more and more precious in all parts of the world.

WaterNatasha-Thompson-Water-Bath-Editorial

The northern, ironically much wetter, half of the country was aghast last month when the prospect of a hosepipe ban was floated before them. The rule only legislates against the equipment and not the water use, i.e. you could still tip the same amount of water over your garden, as long as you are not using the pipe. Oh, and it’s still ok to top up your swimming pool and wash the caravan. That repeated banging sound is my head hitting the table.

Water Kerry Lemon

With our once or even twice daily showering, long, luxurious bath’s, dishwashers, washing machines and hosepipes; We are a nation addicted to water. The government estimates that we each use about 150 litres of water a day, and rising. And right now? We couldn’t imagine our hot, hummusy lives without easy access to a glass of cold water and a cool shower. It’s a human right, right? The reality is that water is a finite resource. The days of using it with merry abandon are coming to an end, and we need to stop wasting it.

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén

There are some glaring absurdities in our liberal water use. Whilst almost a billion people on the planet only have access to dirty, unsafe water, we flush our toilets with drinking water. This is bonkers. Most of our homes are un-metered too, meaning water is charged at a set rate. This means there is no financial incentive to reduce water use. Ofwat stats show that metered homes use much less water and save tons of money. (So, water powers that be, and Mr Cameron, please change that.)

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén

Over the past year I have been trying to do my bit to save water, but I would also be very interested to hear your suggestions too, if you have them.

• Buy a non plastic bottle and refill it before you leave the house.
• If you have a garden, consider putting a water butt somewhere to collect water.
• If you own your house, would you consider harvesting rainwater (or greywater) to water your plants and flush your loo? Do you already do this?
• You don’t always need to flush after you wee. You probably saw this coming a mile off, but, all together now…if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down!
• Save any unfinished water dregs and pour them into a watering can or jug near the sink. Next time you need to water the plants you won’t have to fill the jug up as much.
• Instead of running the tap for ages to get cold water, put water straight out of the tap and into big bottles in the fridge.
• If you don’t have a double flush toilet you can get free water bags from Thames Water that fill up and save tons of water. Or you can just stick an old brick into the cistern.

So what’s your take on it? Are you a twice-daily-showerer, or a proud twice-a-weeker? Do you think it’s all pointless unless the government and authorities make changes? Do you already try to preserve water, and, if so, how? Couldn’t give two hoots, or are you a ‘be the change’ kinda person?

P.S. To learn more see Treehugger’s list of the top 5 documentaries to watch to understand the water crisis

Water Natasha-Thompson-Water-Umbrella-Editorial

It’s been sticky, recipe hasn’t it? The sunshine is all well and good whilst you are within spitting distance of a garden or beer garden (or a patch of pavement if you frequent the majority of London pubs), this web but battling with public transport, stuff with people so far in your space that they may as well be inside you is no party. Some trains still seem to have the heating on and we are incessantly reminded to consider carrying a bottle of water with us which, curiously, makes me want to punch the drivers face in. Moving in any way other than a slow glide is ghastly in the heat. As one friend put it yesterday, ‘its like moving through hummus’.

Water Fritha Strickland
Illustration by Fritha Strickland

Where is this tirade taking us, you wonder? It is taking us to water. Or rather the lack of it. We have all seen the images of people in faraway countries using buckets to scoop putrid, fly-ridden water into canisters to use as drinking and cooking water. But the reality is that these images have become so pervasive in our consciousness that they simply cease to shock us. What’s that got to do with us? Whilst we are nowhere near the poverty of many countries with minimal access to safe drinking water, as the population rises and industrialisation increases, water will become more and more precious in all parts of the world.

WaterNatasha-Thompson-Water-Bath-Editorial
Illustration by Natasha Thompson

The northern, ironically much wetter, half of the country was aghast last month when the prospect of a hosepipe ban was floated before them. The rule only legislates against the equipment and not the water use, i.e. you could still tip the same amount of water over your garden, as long as you are not using the pipe. Oh, and it’s still ok to top up your swimming pool and wash the caravan. That repeated banging sound is my head hitting the table.

Water Kerry Lemon
Illustration by Kerry Lemon

With our once or even twice daily showering, long, luxurious bath’s, dishwashers, washing machines and hosepipes; We are a nation addicted to water. The government estimates that we each use about 150 litres of water a day, and rising. And right now? We couldn’t imagine our hot, hummusy lives without easy access to a glass of cold water and a cool shower. It’s a human right, right? The reality is that water is a finite resource. The days of using it with merry abandon are coming to an end, and we need to stop wasting it.

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén
Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

There are some glaring absurdities in our liberal water use. Whilst almost a billion people on the planet only have access to dirty, unsafe water, we flush our toilets with drinking water. This is bonkers. Most of our homes are un-metered too, meaning water is charged at a set rate. This means there is no financial incentive to reduce water use. Ofwat stats show that metered homes use much less water and save tons of money. (So, water powers that be, and Mr Cameron, please change that.)

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén
Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

Over the past year I have been trying to do my bit to save water, but I would also be very interested to hear your suggestions too, if you have them.

• Buy a non plastic bottle and refill it before you leave the house.
• If you have a garden, consider putting a water butt somewhere to collect water.
• If you own your house, would you consider harvesting rainwater (or greywater) to water your plants and flush your loo? Do you already do this?
• You don’t always need to flush after you wee. You probably saw this coming a mile off, but, all together now…if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down!
• Save any unfinished water dregs and pour them into a watering can or jug near the sink. Next time you need to water the plants you won’t have to fill the jug up as much.
• Instead of running the tap for ages to get cold water, put water straight out of the tap and into big bottles in the fridge.
• If you don’t have a double flush toilet you can get free water bags from Thames Water that fill up and save tons of water. Or you can just stick an old brick into the cistern.

So what’s your take on it? Are you a twice-daily-showerer, or a proud twice-a-weeker? Do you think it’s all pointless unless the government and authorities make changes? Do you already try to preserve water, and, if so, how? Couldn’t give two hoots, or are you a ‘be the change’ kinda person?

P.S. To learn more see Treehugger’s list of the top 5 documentaries to watch to understand the water crisis

Water Natasha-Thompson-Water-Umbrella-Editorial
Illustration by Natasha Thompson

It’s been sticky, approved hasn’t it? The sunshine is all well and good whilst you are within spitting distance of a garden or beer garden (or a patch of pavement if you frequent the majority of London pubs), cure but battling with public transport, page with people so far in your space that they may as well be inside you is no party. Some trains still seem to have the heating on and we are incessantly reminded to consider carrying a bottle of water with us which, curiously, makes me want to punch the drivers face in. Moving in any way other than a slow glide is ghastly in the heat. As one friend put it yesterday, ‘its like moving through hummus’.

Water Fritha Strickland
Illustration by Fritha Strickland

Where is this tirade taking us, you wonder? It is taking us to water. Or rather the lack of it. We have all seen the images of people in faraway countries using buckets to scoop putrid, fly-ridden water into canisters to use as drinking and cooking water. But the reality is that these images have become so pervasive in our consciousness that they simply cease to shock us. What’s that got to do with us? Whilst we are nowhere near the poverty of many countries with minimal access to safe drinking water, as the population rises and industrialisation increases, water will become more and more precious in all parts of the world.

WaterNatasha-Thompson-Water-Bath-Editorial
Illustration by Natasha Thompson

The northern, ironically much wetter, half of the country was aghast last month when the prospect of a hosepipe ban was floated before them. The rule only legislates against the equipment and not the water use, i.e. you could still tip the same amount of water over your garden, as long as you are not using the pipe. Oh, and it’s still ok to top up your swimming pool and wash the caravan. That repeated banging sound is my head hitting the table.

Water Kerry Lemon
Illustration by Kerry Lemon

With our once or even twice daily showering, long, luxurious bath’s, dishwashers, washing machines and hosepipes; We are a nation addicted to water. The government estimates that we each use about 150 litres of water a day, and rising. And right now? We couldn’t imagine our hot, hummusy lives without easy access to a glass of cold water and a cool shower. It’s a human right, right? The reality is that water is a finite resource. The days of using it with merry abandon are coming to an end, and we need to stop wasting it.

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén
Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

There are some glaring absurdities in our liberal water use. Whilst almost a billion people on the planet only have access to dirty, unsafe water, we flush our toilets with drinking water. This is bonkers. Most of our homes are un-metered too, meaning water is charged at a set rate. This means there is no financial incentive to reduce water use. Ofwat stats show that metered homes use much less water and save tons of money. (So, water powers that be, and Mr Cameron, please change that.)

Water Michelle Urvall Nyrén
Illustration by Michelle Urvall Nyrén

Over the past year I have been trying to do my bit to save water, but I would also be very interested to hear your suggestions too, if you have them.

• Buy a non plastic bottle and refill it before you leave the house.
• If you have a garden, consider putting a water butt somewhere to collect water.
• If you own your house, would you consider harvesting rainwater (or greywater) to water your plants and flush your loo? Do you already do this?
• You don’t always need to flush after you wee. You probably saw this coming a mile off, but, all together now…if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down!
• Save any unfinished water dregs and pour them into a watering can or jug near the sink. Next time you need to water the plants you won’t have to fill the jug up as much.
• Instead of running the tap for ages to get cold water, put water straight out of the tap and into big bottles in the fridge.
• If you don’t have a double flush toilet you can get free water bags from Thames Water that fill up and save tons of water. Or you can just stick an old brick into the cistern.

So what’s your take on it? Are you a twice-daily-showerer, or a proud twice-a-weeker? Do you think it’s all pointless unless the government and authorities make changes? Do you already try to preserve water, and, if so, how? Couldn’t give two hoots, or are you a ‘be the change’ kinda person?

P.S. To learn more see Treehugger’s list of the top 5 documentaries to watch to understand the water crisis


Illustration by Abi Daker

A while back I happened to catch a performance by Lissie at the Old Queens Head in Angel. I hadn’t planned on watching her – truth be told, viagra 40mg I was there to check out the band before her; but my curiosity was piqued as I watched the room fill up with an expectant and excited audience, view all craning their necks and standing on their tippy toes to get a better view of the girl serenading us. It’s been a while since I saw someone so captivating. Golden haired, freckled and just a slip of a thing, Lissie entranced the room who in turn treated her to a hushed and reverential silence, punctuated only by bursts of spirited applause and cheers. I watched the audience watching her. Everyone seemed transported out of their location; away from the top room of a pub on grimy old Essex Road and into the world that Midwestern native come Californian girl Lissie inhabits, laced with the scent of orange blossom, filled with wide open skies, winding rivers and smokey mountains, and night-times spent on porches with nothing but a guitar, a couple of beers and a pack of Marlboro Reds . No wonder we were all enchanted.

A couple of weeks later, I got to meet the busy Lissie. In the time between, Lissie had appeared on Jools Holland, toured around Europe, duetted with Ellie Goulding at The Great Escape, and graced the airwaves, all in the name of the hectic promotion of her debut album, Catching a Tiger (hot on the heels of the release of last years Why You Runnin’ EP). The phrase ‘riding a juggernaut’ comes to mind with Lissie; bursting into our consciousness with the brightest of starts. The day we met was a rare moment of down time; her touring schedule is in a constant state of flux – stretching to accommodate gigs that are being added on a daily basis, and Lissie had only just made it back from the previous nights gigs in Manchester and Newcastle. Curled up wearing her newest acquisition – a red jacket with white piping brought from a charity shop up North which made her look, she remarked cheerily, like “Santa Claus”, she lamented the ever decreasing amount of free time but was laughingly quick to note that it’s “a quality problem- it’s only busy because it’s going well, if no-one liked the music then there wouldn’t be things for me to do!” As Amelia’s Magazine is nothing if not versatile in its roles, I was happy to take on the guise of English Tourist Board representative, and suggest a list of places to visit when she finally gets a day off; though when that day will be, we will never know! ( FYI, Lissie was especially keen on the visit to Hampton Court Palace idea). As she munched on a healthy beetroot salad – my lunch advice was a visit to Jerk City in Soho for some fattening salt fish patties; probably best that not all of my suggestions get listened to) – I decided to find out just where this free-spirited songbird got her start in life.

“I always loved to sing, I was a pretty outspoken, strong willed little kid! I got a little shyer and more introverted when I got older but as a kid I used to stomp my feet when I walked (swings arms in a very determined manner), I was always talkin’… My family were really sweet and encouraging, but at school I would get into a lot of trouble because I would talk back, I always knew what was best for me, and when other people used to tell me what was best for me, I would be like “uh oh! Not gonna do it!” (laughs) I loved to sing, so becoming a songwriter was a great way for me to express my feelings, you know. I wasn’t always great at talking about things, and so I could write these little melodies…. even as a little kid, I would sing my feelings. I sang to my sister; I do recall tape recording this mean song about her, and leaving a tape recorder about her under her bedroom door and then pressing play and running away! (laughs) And then in high school I went through my phase of being more introverted – I pierced my nose, got a tattoo, started smoking,….I did my own thing cause I didn’t really fit in to any particular group. I started writing music, taught myself guitar and then started working at this coffee shop where I could play.”

What type of music were you listening to then?
Music wise, when I was younger I was into folk, Americana, musical theatre, and then in high school I was into country and gangsta rap

Those are two very different genres!
You wouldn’t think that these are similar in any way, but when you listen to either country or rap, it’s people telling their story. Indie rock can be more obtuse or obscure. Country and rap is some one speaking in the first person, you know? It’s more like, “this is my story, this is my experience.”

Do you respond to music that is more heartfelt and honest?
Totally, but I like all kinds of stuff. Although I don’t really listen to music to get inspired for my own music.

Did you move to California immediately after high school?
First I went to Colorado, to go to study at Colorado State. I was playing music and sang with a DJ there, and he ended up getting our song placed on tv shows. That was a catalyst for me; I realised that I could make a living making music, maybe eventually a good living! And then I went and did a semester of school (our version of uni) in Paris. I was singing there as well; I met a woman who helped me get shows in bars, and I also got some stuff played on college radio. After that I dropped out of school, and moved to LA – only cause I figured that that’s where you go when you want to be a singer!


Illustration by Abi Daker

Comparisons have been made to the hazy and bohemian rock n’ roll that came out of Laurel Canyon in the 70′s (think Joni Mitchell, The Doors, and Stevie Nicks). Lissie’s 2010 version is honed from living in an area not more than a mile or two away; Beachwood Canyon, a creative hub of artists and musicians and a world away from the plastic glamour and sheen of Beverly Hills. Los Angeles is known for chewing up and spitting up many a wide eyed starlet and ingenue, but strong-willed Lissie was never going to be one of the victims….
I don’t know if it’s me being stubborn, or being from the Mid West, but….I’m not bullshit, I don’t want bullshit in my life. I’m still nice, you know? I was never tempted by (the LA madness.) I always knew what I wanted to do. And I wasn’t immediately successful… I had figured that by 22 I was gonna make a record, and I didn’t make one till I was 26. But I was never like “I’m never going to be successful, maybe I need to be skinnier, or prettier, or I need to start doing drugs!

A year ago (while dealing with the messy end of a relationship) Lissie made a decision – part gut instinct, part cosmic order – to leave LA and head north to the tranquil town of Ojai, a place that she had never even stepped foot in…

Do you get inspired by the peace of Ojai?
Unfortunately I was more inspired to write when I was in Hollywood, because there was more to get worked up about. (sighs) There was this guy that I dated…… we broke up and our breakup process was drawn out and painful, which gave me a lot of material (laughs). Part of the reason why I moved was because it felt like my family was broken, and I needed a change. I put it out there; I was on a plane coming back from Tennessee and…. sometimes I just say what I want, and try to have faith that it will happen, and this is the weird thing; I found myself sitting next to two people who lived in Ojai, and I told them that I was heading back to LA, and they suggested I visit Ojai. So I got back to LA and instantly knew that I couldn’t be there; there was something in me that said “you have to move to Ojai, even though I had never been there before!” I went online, and found this house that cost less than my apartment in LA . I put down a deposit and moved, gone! And it was the best thing for me. I totally healed my heart there, and got myself in a position where I could really focus on myself, and what I need to do. I live alone, with my dog, I go for walks – it’s so peaceful.

While you’re here, you have a summer of touring in England?
Yeah, every day we get a revised schedule. We’re (Lissie and her band) doing festivals for the next few months, and in October, November and December there will be at least one thing a month going on in England, so it’s unclear whether we will just stay here or start our momentum in the States, ’cause I still have to go promote my album over there. I don’t exactly know what’s going to be happening, but it’s all good.

Categories ,album, ,americana, ,blues, ,california, ,Ellie Goulding, ,folk, ,glastonbury, ,Joni Mitchell, ,Jools Holland, ,Lissie, ,The Great Escape Festival, ,tour

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Amelia’s Magazine | Clayton Strange – Interview

Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.
Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.

Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, order a problematical J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, online hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, decease cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Dirty Oil has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.
Illustration by Daniel Almeroth.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…

“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.

You can read our preview here and find out where to see the film over the next few weeks here.
Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, buy more about a problematical  J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, visit this site hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, medications cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Oil Sands has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…
“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.
Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, search a problematical  J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, viagra 60mg hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, viagra buy cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Oil Sands has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…
“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.
Back in the days when climate change was a vague notion – something for the 22nd century, ambulance a problematical  J curve for academics to ponder over – I thought nothing of hopping on a short haul from LA to Las Vegas, hiring a chevvy and heading out towards Monument Valley, cool desert and home of the Navaho. On the way I  would pass the Grand Canyon, a journey that forced me to redefine my concept of size. For this thing, this hole in the ground was absolutely gi-fucking-normous. It just kept on going.  No matter how long you drove, you came round a bend and there it was. Still. So huge was this new huge I even had to redefine my sense of how big infinite space might actually be. At the time is was as mind blowing as taking acid. It changed me forever.

Now I’m not saying the film Dirty Oil has changed me forever. But it has affected my mood. For now I discover a bigger huge. Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada. It is – or was – the biggest unspoilt forest in the world.  But just underground it’s the second biggest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. It’s bigger than Florida. Bigger than England. And it is the single biggest emitter of climate change gases in the world. If the oil industry gets the $379 billion investment it’s demanding we’ll get a rise of between 9 and 15 billion parts per million of C02 in the atmosphere. And you know what that means? It means the tipping point of runaway climate change. It can do this all on its own without any help from us leaving lights on or driving short journeys to Tesco.

This film though isn’t content to be another film about climate change. It brings you the human story of the Beaver Lake Kree – who are having their ancestral lands torn up, their rivers and lakes polluted and their health destroyed. Thanks to the arsenic in their fishstocks, the Kree are 30 % more likely to get cancer, including rare ones,  than other populations. And why are they subjected to this? So that America gets cheap oil without having to bully – er bother –  the Arabs for a decade. That’s it. A decade of cheapish growth. I could weep – except the film left me emotionally stunned. The problem here is capitalism. An unadulterated free market economy where the bottom line profit – the false prophet indeed – over rides all other considerations, including the survival of life on this planet itself, spews  unchecked in Alberta. It’s not just a local pollution issue, it’s a global one. The Co-op, which hosted this week’s screenings across the UK, wants us all to petition companies like RBS and BP through our pension plans. But is that enough? Is it even worth having a pension when the future is governed by this ginormous scrag-heap of crap? “It’s time to start blowing things up,” says a comrade as we leave the cinema a little stunned. “How big?” I jest.

But there is a minute sliver of hope here. They don’t raise this in the film, but it was the Cree Indians who predicted that a time would come when we discovered that we can’t eat our money. I think we’re getting there. And a Cree woman called Eyes of Fire fortold: “A time when trees fall, the rivers are black, fish die in the rivers and birds fall from the sky…
“And when it does a tribe will gather from all the cultures ?of the World who believe in deed and not words. ?They will work to heal it…  they will be known as the “Warriors of the Rainbow.”
Cree Indian Proverb

I assume that’s us. For anyone calling themselves an activist – if we don’t get together and stop Tar Sands, while forcefully overcoming ignorance to promote alternative ways of running economies and energy supplies, we’re doomed. And doomed is just too huge a deal to imagine.

Four-piece Clayton Strange have already been heralded as “Portsmouth’s most promising local band at the moment” by the local press, sickness and they’re gaining popularity across the South Coast. I managed to grab a few minutes with drummer Steve Bull to find out why they’re making a name for themselves in the South, and to find out about their first national tour.

“With our sound we are trying to mix fast, sharp guitar, intelligent driving rhythm and heartfelt melodies,” says Steve after I ask him to describe their music. “We draw influence from electronica, rock and pop acts like Foals, Talking Heads and Metronomy. One thing that is keeping us different from a lot of the other bands is that we steer clear of computers and keyboards, and focus on creating interesting sounds in a live setting.”

Straddling Portsmouth and Brighton, Clayton Strange are made up of four lovely lads who formed the band when they were teenagers. Singer Deniz Muharrem, guitarist Rob Dawson and drummer Steve have been playing the local circuit for a few years, under a different guise.

After honing both their instrumental and song writing skills, the band changed direction and became Clayton Strange. “Our songs have always been about life events and experiences, but our sound had evolved to the point where we felt our old name didn’t fit” says Steve. “We tell stories that haven’t been told; some about us, and some about others.”

Clayton Strange have a new bassist to compliment their new name, after their original bassist left “for personal reasons”. Dan Charter joined the band after playing in a few local bands. “He’s always been around the music scene and has already added a lot to our creative process,” says Steve as he tries to pinpoint just how they know each other. Dan couldn’t have joined at a better time; the four lads are set to dominate the world, providing their gigs go as well as those they played last year.

In 2009 Clayton Strange had a couple of really successful support slots. They played with the Virgins and the Joy Formidable, but the highlight was supporting Let’s Wrestle; it was a rare gig where the support act outshone the headliners.

“We’re looking to build on this success with an energetic UK tour and a debut EP release set for the spring,” explains Steve. He thinks part of their success is down to being friends since school and knowing each other so well: “we have a real understanding of each other’s playing which translates into a tight and exciting live sound.”

Clayton Strange will be kicking off their UK tour in March with a gig in Bristol, before making their way up to Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and York, before heading back south to play London.

Steve concluded: “We can’t wait to get on the road, play to more people and have new experiences. Manchester will be really special as we are playing the Night & Day, such a famous venue, and sharing the bill with our friends Run Toto Run.”

Categories ,brighton, ,clayton strange, ,dance, ,Indie, ,live, ,new wave, ,portsmouth, ,Post Punk, ,punk, ,south coast, ,southampton, ,tour

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