1950s & 1960s is showing at the Photographers’ Gallery until the 16th November. The exhibition is a selection from three sources: Jean Straker, David Hurn and The Daily Herald newspaper, all of which document aspects of Soho during its rather peculiar epoch.
Images, historical images, rarely fail to spark up some sort of intense flash of nostalgia within me. Perhaps because such images show things gone forever: beautiful things, exhilarating and ominous things, which create a sense of loss, of missing out on a bygone era.
At the moment of the 50s, beehives and gin hummed through London, somewhat more voraciously than any previous 50s revival. It’s quite nice then to plunge into the place from which it all derived.
It seems today’s Soho is all but a faint charge of the former sexed up version, being now composed of some rather dreary sex shops and a denizen of bars. Maybe history romanticized Soho in the 50s. However I think Soho was, most certainly awash with something dark and glittering.
Unfortunately this isn’t really shown at The Photographers’ gallery, not really. There’s lots of nudes, and yes, that was a huge part of Soho, a vast part even, but it’s a bit dull after awhile. The photographs by David Hurn are quite funny (I just hope they’re supposed to be). They document Soho’s strippers both at work and resting. The strip clubs themselves are the funny bit. It’s a rather odd set up-the way seats are arranged around a boxing ring. Members of the audience have hilarious expressions, riddled with awkwardness.
There are some edited photos, accompanied by cuttings, all by anonymous photographers of the Daily Herald. These are the most interesting part. They capture the rush of excitement, the buzz that you think about when you think of Soho in the 50s and 60s. A plethora of crime, music, gin and Tommy Steele (whom I’d hadn’t ever heard of, and am not embarrassed to say so; but I am sure he was and is-for he still remains with us-spectacular. He looks like an awful lot of fun regardless.)
Soho Archives is ultimately a historical exhibition: it doesn’t really do anything. It only presents a small fragment of Soho which feels slightly limp.
Along side Dryden Goodwin’s exhibition Cast, this is going to be the last exhibition held at The Photographer’s gallery before it moves. Featuring an exhibition such as this does show the Galleries value of the importance of photographic Archives.

While trawling through the internet yesterday afternoon Dearbhile happened to come across a picture of myself and Tanya on the Elle Magazine website.

Tanya and I faintly remember a lovely lady asking to take our picture at the Swarvoski Rocks Giles party during London Fashion Week, but what with all the cocktails, and bizarre celebrity sightings, we thought nothing more of it. Turns out our hounds tooth prints caused quite a stir. According to Elle they’re bang on trend this season, which is great news considering both items were fairly cheap vintage discoveries.

Visit the Elle page here and read the story of our night on the website.

Monday is definitely the dullest day of the week. Oh the efforts of clambering out of bed attempting to persuade your body clock that your not supposed to continue your weekend of snoozing... perhaps a little compensation is deserved? We propose you dash down to Electric Lane for a little inspiration from some extraordinary people.

Having travelled across 43 different countries, the Berlin based freelance photographer Katharina Mouratidi brings her collection of portrait photography to Brixton having already toured with her work in the Netherlands and Italy. Entitled "The Other Globalisation" Moutratidi exhibits the results of interviews and portraits with members of social and political movements from reindeer-breeders to revolutionaries.

Michel, 2003 is an unemployed engineer, France

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, taken in 2003 is Maya-Quiché Indian, born 1959, Guatemala

In asking the question "Why do you do what you're doing" to such a varied panel of backgrounds including Nobel Prize winners, answers unite in the idea of a desire for a change of consciousness for the survival of our humanity and our planet, thus creating a sustainable relationship with the environment. Right up our street and its only on our turf for one night.

Nawal El Saadawi, taken in 2004 is a writer, psychiatrist, born 1931, Egypt

José Bové taken in 2004 is an activist and trade unionist, born 1953, France

Monday 29th September

Chik Budo and Med Damon - Durr at The End, London
White Lies - Komedia Theatre, Brighton
Seasick Steve - Rough Trade East, London
Iglu & Hartly and Lele - Cargo, London
The Spinto Band - Oran Mor, Glasgow
Foals - UEA, Norwich
Friendly Fires - 53 Degrees, Preston

Tuesday 30th September

Hot Club De Paris and Copy Halo - 100 Club, London
Stevie Wonder - O2 Arena, London
Ladyhawke - Komedia Theatre, Brighton
Rolo Tomassi - Firebug, Leicester
Johnny Foreigner, Dananananakroyd and William - White Heat at Madame Jo Jo's, London
Cajun Dance Party - Academy 2, Newcastle upon Tyne

Wednesday 31st September

Kasms, Three Vicars and Micron 63 - The Windmill, London
Islands - Dingwalls, London
Timbaland - Carling Academy, Glasgow
Golden Silvers - Monto Water Rats, London
Lykke Li - The Scala, London

Sebastien Tellier - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Sebastien Telier is literally the only Eurovison Song Contest entrant I would ever want to go and see live. I never really understood why he entered - it's not like he wasn't successful already, and there was no chance he would win, he didn't even have a dance routine.

Thomas Tantrum and The Daisy Riots - Moshi Moshi at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London
Maps and Atlases - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Neils Children, O Children and Televised Crimewave - Barden's Boudoir, London
Heartbreak - Pure Groove Records, London

Thursday 2nd October

The Subways - Carling Academy, Glasgow
Friendly Fires - Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Gotye and Rod Thomas - Bush Hall, London
Jeremy Warmsley - Marquee, Norwich
Pivot - Bodega Social Club, Nottingham

Friday 3rd October

Concrete And Glass - Lykke Li, James Holden, Let's Wrestle, Port O'Brien, Micachu, Artefacts For Space Travel, Selfish Cunt, Casper C and more - Various Venues in East London

There seems to have been rather a lot of these mini, multi-venue festivals in London recently. They're often better in theory though, the idea of going from venue to venue is actually just really annoying. This one has got a very enticing line-up though.

Errors - The Shakespeare, Sheffield
The Young Punx, The XX and Modernaire - Twisted Licks at The Last Days of Decadence, London
Midnight Juggernauts - Duchess, York

Saturday 4th October

Liquid Liquid and Junior Boys - Barbican Centre, London
The Streets - Barrowlands, Glasgow
Johnny Foreigner - Cabaret Volitaire, Edinburgh
Pivot - Korova, Liverpool

Late of the Pier and Tricky - Warehouse Project, Manchester

Manchester's warehouse project has a really good reputation, and the line-ups this year seemed to have excelled themselves. This looks like it might be the best of the lot though.

Sunday 5th October

Bearsuit, Le Tetsuo and 2 Hot 2 Sweat - Barden's Boudoir, London
British Sea Power - Junction, Cambridge
Das Pop - Exeter University
Albert Hammond Jr - The Scala, London

Denim, that noble savage of fabrics, is a tough one to get overly excited about. Granted, there is nothing like the comforting hug of an old faithful pair of jeans. And it has been a pleasure to get reacquainted with the stonewashed species after years in the cold. But any attempt at something ‘different’- embellishment, embroidery, paint splashes, frills, feathers-no matter how expensive or supposedly tasteful, always seems to end hideously.

So it was with trepidation that I approached the ‘Lee Cooper 100 years’ auction project, part of a year long cavalcade of events celebrating a century of the Cooper family business. Designers, celebrities, companies and, erm, Playboy were invited to create unique and iconic pieces from denim, for sale at a special auction in Paris on 29th September, with all proceeds going to the French Red Cross and Aids charities.

This kind of affair, a celebrity endorsed event for famine/climate change, does tend to have a distasteful odour around it. Ideally, the bidders and celebrities would just donate money without all the palaver, but the world doesn’t work like that. One has to be pragmatic about these things- especially for such undeniably important causes.

It would be great to say some aesthetically unexpected and wonderful emerged from all of this; say Linford Christie as London’s next big design talent, perhaps? However, it seems to be the usual suspects doing their ‘iconic’ thing, with the rest as a heavily embellished filler.

Giles Deacon heads the pack with an armour-like, precisely cut dress that looks starched to within an inch of its life. It is a glorious combination of (literal) toughness and softness, almost like a prom dress crossed with a nun’s habit; serious in its high, austere neckline but playful with the accompanying vampire smiley necklace. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac matches Giles for barminess (the people would expect nothing less); a jacket and sofa heave under numerous denim teddy bears. Visually more kaleidoscopic than it sounds and a sunbeam of humour.

Giles Deacon dress

The rest is fine to unpleasant, with some bad paintings and even worse embellished denim, but there are a few (nice) surprises. The denim Playboy bunny suit is a collision of two American icons and is trashily good fun. Jade Jagger’s contribution is surprisingly good, with a little help from a certain rocker; a denim jacket with a gold pair of the Stone’s melting lips emblem on the back.

Jade Jagger jacket

Some of most arresting pieces aren’t clothes at all, such as the denim Marshall amp and upholstered Landrover. The auction itself promises a few secret surprises- the denim version of the eccentrically attired fashion blogger Diane Pernet’s signature get-up sounds the most intriguing. A few stand out pieces, plus the promise of more on the day, maybe isn’t such a bad lot after all.

The nail bomb attacks of '99, hosting cannabis festivals, gangs, guns and drugs... Brixton has seen it all, not necessarily to its good fortune. Times are moving in Brixton's favour this week with the announcement that it is set to be London's first Transition Town.

Great news, but what exactly is a Transition Town? Well, its all about change for a positive future. Aiming to rethink Brixton's approach to living, it works with the idea of reconnecting to the planet and community. This is achieved by breaking down the issues to lower energy use in food, work, transport, health and general culture.

As the brainchild of the Lambeth Climate Action Group, their motivation (apart from the fact that we are nearing an irreversible way of living) is to keep an imaginative, practical and fun outlook during the course of the transition, resulting in a local community which is interconnected, resilient and self-relient. Major issues within the project will be to spread awareness of Peak Oil and Climate Change, to motivate a significant number of people to engage in the change, to record and demonstrate the benefit of reducing carbon readings, and finally to plan and create the Brixton Energy Descent Action Plan.

Amelia supporting the Brixton Transition Town's Local Economy Day launching a one day trial of the local currency, the Brixton Brick back in June

We may have missed the opening talks in early October, but fear not. There are many ways to get involved. Now run under TTBrixton, the transition town movement has 100 towns and initiatives run worldwide. Brixton is merely the first to launch in a major city. If you too share our concern that the our political powers are not going to deliver a safe and fossil-free future for our future generation, have a look at the initiative 350.

The 350 degrees campaign

Not only is this group intelligently named (that's the carbon-dioxide humanity needs to get back to in order to avoid runaway climate change) it aims to create an international following and really do something about the state of climate change. Their task, as they describe it, "to make enough noise that we can't be easily ignored." The United Nations is working to make an international agreement to reduce carbon emissions which will be completed by the Copenhagen conference December 2009. This treaty however is not drastic enough, and amongst other aspects 350 wishes to put pressure on the powers nation-wide to ensure change is made.

We will only be listened to in force. Help us make a difference, even if the actions aren't quite your cup of tea, there are many ways we can contribute to provide a sustainable future.

We should have seen the nipples coming, really. After all, we were greeted on the door by the most exciting clipboard wielder I've ever laid eyes on. A taste of what was to be expected...he checked our names off the list showing not one sign of embarrassment over his outfit (nor should he! He was fabulous, dahling), an ensemble that consisted of Russian army hat atop blue hair and teeny shorts held up by Union jack braces. And nothing on top. So, if we had had our wits about us, we should have known that nipples would be on the menu for the night.

We were, of course, at the Under/Current Magazine launch at Cafe OTO in Dalston. All the cool kids were in attendence (tired of heading West for Fashion Week, presumably) with many guys rocking the Giles Deacon/Terry Richardson big glasses look. There were some not so cool ones, too; we were rather put off by a guy who's jacket was covered in dead foxes - not big, not clever. Still, we averted our eyes by taking a sneak peek at the first, 'Dynasty' issue of the new arts and fashion magazine. After taking in the beautiful cover shot by Babette Pauthier we had a good flick through. It's a lovely size (30cm x 23cm, to be exact), full of avante garde fashion photography and I'm sure it's set to become a firm favourite of mag junkies like myself. Lot's of pictures, not so many words - just the way I likes 'em.

On to these nipples then. As we watched a few members of Cleckhuddersfax setting up, we noticed a rather foppish guy step on the scene and begin disrobing. 'How alarming! Would there soon be nudity?' we whispered amongst ourselves. Alas, no, as we soon realised that this was the lead singer, rather than some strange streaker, and he was only taking off his top layers to reveal his official stage outfit. Suitably under-dressed, and giving us no time to prepare ourselves, Cleckhuddersfax got stuck in.

Cleckhuddersfax describe themselves as sounding like 'Fake-Prog Musique Con-cretin' on their myspace page. Erm... yep, it's actually a fairly good description. From the looks of the band (excepting the lead singer, of course) long hair and beards had led us to believe that things would be getting pretty old school rock, and we were not dissapointed. Cleckhuddersfax also have a bit of that mental operatic thing going on, which did feel pretty prog, but on top of this there's keyboards and voice warping devices a-plenty.

Cleckhuddersfax make the most alarming noises; it's as if Wyld Stallyns had found a Korg and got into Devo. Perhaps it all sounds a little strange, but it was very fun and definately dance-able with much toe-tapping taking place at the front of the crowd.

Toe tapping wasn't enough for the tango-ed front man, however. Seen below giving it his all in front of a video-projection by Adham Faramawy, he rampaged his way into the first few layers of crowd, shouting into audience members faces and daring everyone to dance. Many were glad to take him up on his offer, and things got a little messy in the front row.

After getting all hyped up by Cleckhuddersfax, it was unfortunate that we had to take our leave. Ahh, well, I suppose Fashion Week is about cramming in as many parties as possible and, to be honest, I think I'd seen quite enough nipples for one evening...

Tuesday seemed to be the main party night during London Fashion week! I kinnda understand why… at the beginning of the week, your body isn’t quite use to the rhythm of thealcohol fused late nights and hectic rushing about by day -and by the end of the week you’re so knackered you can just about lift yourself up from the bench at the end of a show. Consequently we had so many invites for Tuesday night, we pretty much didn’t know where to start.

Out of all of the exciting invites that we received a party named Swarovski Rock Giles seemed to be the most appealing. In order to celebrate the launch of their bi-annual magazine, Rocks, as well as their ten-season relationship with designer Giles Deacon, Swarovski were throwing a lavish do at the Old Sorting Office in New Oxford Street. The invite promised cocktails, Nadja Swarovski and Giles himself. Just the thought of the possible goodies we could possibly receive (Quite stupidly we were hoping for a watch) was enough to get myself and Tanya walking through Oxford Street after a great evening with the rest of Team Amelia at the Laura Lees do.

We got inside without much trouble, which was unusual for something so exclusive. We’re much more used to sour faced pr’s shouting ‘your not on the list’ than an actual dignified entrance. Inside I was pleased to see it wasn’t full of a load of dulled up wannabes as id expected, but young fun-going party people, dressed unusually casual and just out to have a good night. Off course there were a few familiar faces that we spotted such as a slightly tired looking Giles, the lovely Fred Butler, that guy off of skins…you know… the main character that was in About A Boy, and Agyness Deyn, who seemed to believe her celebrity status deemed her above the law as she walked around casually puffing on a cigarette.

The mojito cocktails were probably one of the highlights of the night. That and seeing Nicole, Mo and a cocky looking Rex from Big Brother, having to wait their turn at the bar like the rest of us mere mortals.

We didn’t get any goodies in the end, but we weren’t complaining as we danced the night away - with the help of the mojitos of course!

Tanya looking gorgeous

Little ol me - sipping on a mojito

I just had to get a picture with Nicole- check out Rex with his shirt open in the background

There are two Ladyhawk(e)s. Ladyhawke is Pip Brown- a girl with a very good fringe, signed to Island Records. The other Ladyhawk is a Canadian Indie band signed to Jagjaguwar. I know which one I’d rather go on holidays with.

A thumping bass beat laced with a drum machine high-hat on the opening track- ‘Magic’- sets the scene, the rules and the dress code. Simultaneously trashy and wonderful, Ladyhawke holds court in an underground nightclub, where all the drinks have cocktail umbrellas in them, and nobody’s been to bed for three days. Tracks like ‘Professional Suicide’ offer a master-class in how to write music for a bonding montage in a John Hughes movie, while current single ‘Dusk ‘til Dawn’ sounds like a Natasha Khan at the village disco, complete with swirling lights and synchronised handclaps.

‘Ladyhawke’ is firmly rooted in Kim Wilde territory, and knowingly so. Brown’s aim for the record was to ‘write songs that could make people feel nostalgic even though they were hearing them for the first time’. In this she succeeds- ‘Another Runaway’ could be a Fleetwood Mac B-side, or a solo Stevie Nicks offcut. The synth-based instrumentation nods a head to the era evoked, but stylized production keeps the record on the right side of homage. At just under 50 minutes, the record leaves the listener with a new-wave pop high, with none of the comedown and all of the fun.

Robots In Disguise are perhaps not the best way to start an evening. They are usually a band I try to avoid, but I was making the effort to try and get a good spot for These New Puritans - who I’ve been desperate to see all year. Robots In Disguise play a set of mediocre, yet still somehow quite grating, electro/indie/mash-up. The best bit was the guy (or girl) in the big robot mask.

After a break for refreshments, it was time for These New Puritans to take to the stage. Two things that stood out immediately were the overly cool expression the female synth player was sporting (making her look like the most bored person ever) - and the chain mail shirt the lead singer had donned for the occasion. Not only was it fun to look at, but I can also imagine it to be quite practical when walking home through unsafe areas late at night.

They begin their set with the brash intro to 'Swords Of Truth'. Their sultry vocals, and gothic strut should seem pretentious and dislikable, but something allows them to get away with it. They’re the pinnacle of what so many modern bands aim to do, but they do it the best – so it’s okay.

The highlights of their set were tracks like ‘Elvis’ and ‘Numbers', which revert against their attempts to be so freakin’ avant-garde. There are moments where they create new wave genius, and the 3-minute psych out feedback marathons in between actually do build the intended suspense. As a live show their music and musicianship would struggle to be beaten, but their stage manner is at times slightly cringing.

I thought it would be almost impossible for me not to really, really enjoy a Young Knives gig. That was until I saw them play a set of less than stand out album tracks. I know they must have grown tired of playing the same tracks over and over, but they’re the most popular songs for a reason. People like the songs, that’s why they’ve come to see them live.

In all fairness, I missed about 5 minutes of the beginning of their set – but literally the only song I recognized was ‘The Decision’. Unless they filled the first five minutes with an impressive mini mix of ‘Terra Firma’, ‘She’s Attracted To’ and ‘Weekends And Bleak Days’. It was necessarily a bad gig, it just seems like they’ve given up on pleasing their fan base.

Back in the mist of time now, well…namely a fortnight ago, Sarah and I had a rather arty night of mischief and mayhem. First we ventured to the ‘Drawn to each other’ event where I got to go back to A level art years. After drawing various colourful characters with charcoal and also getting my portrait done, we were in the mood for another dollop of fun. So we went to 93 feet east where ‘Laser fingers’ had an event called ‘Do you want fries with that?’ Unfortunately we didn’t get a serving of fries but we did get to view some cool zines and talk to some art collectives.

My first pit stop was Middleboop , a graphics collective headed by Gordon Reid and Simon Stroud. They describe themselves as ‘two designers who enjoy moaning about the state of art, design, film and music at the moment.’ If you’re a graphics-head check out their blog and let them know what you think.

Next I talked to ‘Laser Fingers' Collective who organized the whole affair. The team from Hertfordshire consists of Sophie Buckle (Graphic Design) and two illustrators, Nikki Hemmings and Ella Tamplin-Wilson. With a colourful array of designs and fresh faced illustrations, they are creating quite a buzz within the art collective scene.

sarah having fun with a 'laser finger' pizza box

derv modelling a felt sandwich badge by 'laser fingers'

Unkle Baxta is a fashion design label and this girl loves what she’s doing as she pipes her creations are ‘original, unique and they look boss!’ It’s not exactly my cup of tea but if you’re into your bold designs, and indie rock prints have a peek.

One zine that caught my eye was called ‘the smell of the wild’ by Gareth Brookes. Delicately drawn and with poetry recording the ageless beauty of the countryside, the zine both tickles and delights. It sure is worth the £1.50. Gareth Brookes also contributes to the banal pigs publications.

Another favourite was Sally Faulkner’s beautifully naïve zine, English Grub-filled with pastel coloured sprinkled cakes and whippy ice creams. Just graduated from Kingston Uni, and with a recent illustration in the Guardian Magazine; she is definitely one to watch.

cute badges

So all in all a good night! After all this creative mingling-it was time for a tipple at the bar.

Monday 22nd
Museum of Brands, Robert Opie Collection: Until 31st May 09
2 Colville Mews, off Londsdale Rd, W11 (£5.80, concs £3.50, kids £2)
Robert Opie’s 12,000 original items from his collection moves to Notting hill after seventeen years in Gloucester. Think back to the good ol’ days of vintage postcards, Skippy chocolate bars, cadburys toffee buttons. O.k. you may not be old enough to get too nostalgic but the collection of toys, posters and magazines ensure even the most cynical will get doey eyed at the past as consumer culture is revealed decade by decade. In short, this is a retro lover’s heaven on earth.
(Adults £5.80, Children (7-16) £2.00, Family £14.00, Concessions £3.50. Group discount 10% (groups of 10 or more, pre-booking appreciated).

Tuesday 23rd
The Gallery at BFI Southbank, London, ‘The all seeing Eye’: An installation by Pierre Bismuth and Michel Gondry: until 16th November
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XT
A mesmerizing video installation by the inventive French duo Pierre Bismuth and Michel Gondry, celebrated for their Oscar award winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The installation consists of a well furnished apartment involving a central camera revolving around a room where the room spins, armchairs, magazines, houseplants, rugs, mirrors and a dining table appear only to disappear during successive rotations until the apartment is stripped bare. First conceived and shown in Paris in 2005, this new version of The All Seeing Eye has been commissioned and specifically conceived by Bismuth and Gondry for the Gallery at BFI Southbank. A series of films selected by Pierre Bismuth and Elisabetta Fabrizi, BFI Head of Exhibitions, on the theme of erasure has also been included.

Wednesday 24th
BISCHOFF/WEISS: ‘Our Immortal Souls’: Maya Hewitt: Until 1st November
95 Rivington Street
London 
EC2A 3AY
British born Hewitt juxtaposes childish fantasy with an adult perspective in intricate pieces loaded with symbolism and iconography. Characters are displaced from their original context from the past and placed in the present, allowing for an ambiguous and eerily surreal landscape.

Thursday 25th
Transition Gallery, ‘Mime 1’ Mimei Thompson: Until 5th October
Unit 25a Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Rd, London E8
Recent RCA graduate Mimei Thompson’s work depicts dark, mutating cosmic worlds, populated by clouds, probing eyeballs and cartoon brains. Surreal portraits including alien beings connects the real with imagined worlds, evoking questions such as death, decay and regeneration.

Jaguar Shoes, ‘Horse Tears’: Matthew Hodson: Preview Show
32 Kingsland Rd, London, E2: 25th September: 7pm till late
Why not join us to the preview show of Hodson’s weird, melancholic and rude illustrations and comic books? Hailing from a small village in Yorkshire Dales, Hodson was soon drawn to the mean streets of London, although he still retains a soft spot for wind, dogs and trees. Although he adopts a simplistic style, do not be tricked into thinking all his work is as sweet as pie-With contemporary references and dark undertones, Hodson allows us to be kept on our toes.

Friday 26th
The Photographers’ Gallery, ‘Soho Archives: 1950s &1960s’: Until 16th November
5 & 8 Great Newport St, London WC2H 7HY
Three archives from Jean Straker, David Hurn and the Daily Herald newspaper documents Soho in the 1950s and 1960s. They capture a Soho that provided a haven for those dissatisfied by Britain’s provincialism. Also a place known for it’s criminal activity and creativity, as well as scandal and sexuality, images document the vibrancy and eroticism of the time.

Saturday 27th
Paradise Row, ‘The Day Nobody Died’: Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin: Until 26th October
17 Hereford St, (off Cheshire St) London, E2 6EX
In June of this year Broomberg and Chanarin traveled to Afghanistan along with the British Army units on the front line in Helmand Province. What results is strange abstract passages and patterns of black, white and variegated hues - all modulated by the heat and the light invites us to question the nature of violence, culture, politics and morality.

Hamiltons Gallery, ‘Bokuju Kitan/ Marvelous Tales of black ink’: Nobuyoshi Araki: Until 19th October
13 Carlos Place, London W1K 2EU
Born in 1940 Nobuyoshi Araki’s photography, heralded as Japan’s foremost contemporary photographer blurs the line between art and pornography. He selects 88 images from over 30 years worth of Kinbaku work (bondage art) and hand-painted calligraphy on each photograph. His erotically charged pieces are both lyrically beautiful and steamy, without being brash. Phwaorr indeedy!

Monday 22nd September

Hearts Revolution - Puregroove Records, London
Iglu & Hartly - Carling Academy 2, Liverpool
Ponytail and Mirror! Mirror! - Durr at The End, London

Rolo Tomassi - Macbeth, London

I'm hardly the biggest fan of metal, but Rolo Tomassi are something else. I haven't heard a band so forward thinking in ages and i think a live show would be very exciting.

Dananananaykroyd, Johnny Foreigner, My Psychoanalyst - The Venue, Derby
Undeground Railroad - Rough Trade East, London

Tuesday 23rd September

Adem and Mary Hampton - ICA, London

Islands - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

'Rough Gem' is one of those songs that has stayed in my favourite, despite frequent listenings, and although none of their songs have really matched up to it again, they're still an ace band.

Black Affair, The Oscillation and Hearts Revolution - White Heat at Madame Jo Jo's, London
Ladyhawke - Pure Groove Records, London
Attack Attack - Rock City, Nottingham
Hope and Social, Muarena Helena, The Dodo Fightback, Royston Jones and Funny Face - Monto Water Rats
White Lies - Rough Trade East, London

Wednesday 24th September

O'Death - Crane Lane Theatre, Cork
Friendly Fires - The Joiners, Southampton
Little Man Tate and Inner City Pirates - Islington Academy, London
Rolo Tomassi - Barfly, Glasgow
Pete Doherty - Opera House, Bournemouth

Thursday 25th September

Broadcast 2000 and Gold Teeth - Proud Galleries, London
Dragonforce - Carling Academy, Glasgow
Thomas Tantrum - Cockpit 3, Leeds
Esser and Your Twenties - The Macbeth, London
Hot Club De Paris - Banquet Records, Kingston upon Thames

Friday 26th September

Midnight Juggernaughts and Heartsrevolution - ULU, London
Barringtone - Louisiana, Bristol
Chas and Dave - Rayne Theatre, London
Micachu - Down The Rabbit Hole at Barghouse, London
SCUM, Futurism vs Passéism, Vegas Whores and Wire Rooms - Whitechapel Gallery, London
Pete Doherty - Kasbah, Coventry
Lovvers, Bromancer and Sad Shields - Old Blue Last, London
Metronomy and Tubelord - The Macbeth, London

Saturday 27th September

Sky Larkin, Data.Select.Party, Sportsday Megaphone - Notting Hil Arts Club, London
Benga, Late Of The Pier, Metronomy and more - Tate Britain, London

Gig of the week

Archie Bronson Outfit, Micachu, Clinic, SCUM, Jay Jay Pistolet, Ipso Facto, Polly Scattergood, Hatcham Social and more - Nail The Cross at Various venues, London

A very interesting line-up which promises to be the most interesting event in town on this Saturday night.

Future of The Left, Bearsuit, Calories, Cats In Paris, Chris T-T, Copy Haho, The Deirdres and more - This Ain't No Picnic at KCLSU, London
The Spinto Band - Arts Centre, Norwich
Primary 1, Frightened Rabbit and The Hair - Weather Club @ 93 Feet East, London
Let's Wrestle - Push at Astoria 2, London
Artefacts for Space Travel - Down The Rabbit Hole at Bargehouse, London

Sunday 28th September

Foals and Maps and Atlases - University, Cardiff
Polysics, Alan MX, Brontosaurus Chorus, The Duloks, Fighting With Wire, Popular Workshop and more - KCLSU, London
The Duke Spirit - Cockpit, Leeds

I know it’s been long since Bestival, but I’ve literally only just finished cleaning the mud off me. Seriously. Okay, maybe not. But it did take a long time and I have also sadly reached the conclusion that perhaps I am not as young as I used to be because it took me a good three days to properly recover from three days of fun, mud, music and random happenings. Still, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to buy my early bird tickets for Bestival next year.

So, after my copious amounts of fruit smoothies and milk thistle tablets to get me on the mend, I can finally positively reflect on what was a bloody awesome weekend. After a comic session of wading through the mud-river that was the road to the campsite and then setting up our tents in an equally hilarious manner (to any onlookers not hiding in their tents) we gave up hope of ever being dry and warm, and sat and got drunk on rose boxed wine instead.

Friday night started off poptastically perfectly with Alphabeat, and continued with Chromeo. We were gutted when Sam Sparro and Black Kids had cancelled, however. Something about the BBC Introducing stage being too muddy – um, what? Why not cancel the whole festival then? Bloody squares. (I later found out that Sam did do a set to a small crowd at the X-Box tent, but with no way of communicating this to the crowds, we all missed out.) Anyway we tottered along to CSS instead who were awesome, (although I think the sound technician was on acid) and then we headed to the Bollywood tent for a DJ set.

Saturday was never going to be dry so we decided to hide in the Restival section instead and after a few games of Shithead, we were treated to some brilliant poetry performances from Hammer & Tongue. Seriously, if you live in London or Brighton or somewhere where they perform regularly, check them out. It’s a night you won’t forget.

Why I even bothered wasting my time going to see Amy Winehouse on Saturday, I don’t know. Hot Chip were awesome and well worth pushing our way to the front for, but after that we had over an hour of waiting for Miss Amy should-go-to-Rehab-immediately Winehouse to pratt about on stage and manage to sing about 4 recognisable songs. It was pretty funny at the time, but looking back, it meant that I was so knackered after standing around in the cold I had no energy left to dance.

Miracle of miracles, it didn’t rain on Sunday and we made the most of it by finding all the places we hadn’t been to. Bramble FM was a highlight – a seemingly imaginary radio station which appears at all the festivals and gets the crowds dancing around in a circle or cheesy tunes – true story. And actually, it was awesome fun. Which is what festivals are all about – being just plain silly sometimes.

We kept our blood pumping after a brilliant set by Six Nation State by heading to the ‘come dancing’ tent and showed ourselves up by being the only ones dancing to RnB. After the organisers realised that no true festival goer lowers themselves to enjoying RnB music, let alone dancing to it, they started a dance lesson, teaching us the ‘cha-cha’. That got everyone on the dance floor and after working up a suitable sweat, we watched a powerful performance by thecocknbullkid.

As it had finally stopped raining, we actually managed to have a meal outside our tent for the first time all weekend, and refuelled we headed to the main arena, having a bit of a boogie in the X-Box tent (Bournemouth clubs come to Bestival – hurray! – please note the sarcasm) and then checked out the Cockney Knees Up tent, which was supposed to have some drag acts on, but was actually just a bunch of transvestites dancing around to eighties music. Not really what we were looking for.

The Rizla arena was awesome, and we ended the night in true Bestival style by meeting some randoms and bringing them back to our tent for pointless conversation and more alcohol.

Getting off the island was less than pleasant – after a muddy session of packing up our tents we struggled with our backpacks up numerous mudslides and eventually made it back to land of solid ground.

After a whole week of hot footing it to fashion shows and cocktail swigging after parties, we wanted to celebrate the last day in style. Cue an invite to ‘Fash Off’- a Closing LFW Party at the fancy Beach Blanket Babylon in association with Stimuli magazine.

When we first got there we were excited but we were soon confused at the long queue at the door. After much waiting around we were eventually let in. However I must note that there was a rather annoying PR lady who kept disappearing, then reappearing only to haphazardly look at a chart and exclaim ‘only guess list!’ brushing people aside like flies. I like to think of her as dragon lady.

However when we were eventually in we went downstairs for a much needed drink. It wasn’t until 11ish that things hotted up with Skin spinning some tunes and people dancing along. Amongst those at the party were Daisy Lowe, the model Lara Stone and plenty of Stimuli magazine people. Although I was much more excited about the music and a big fan they had in a corner (perhaps you had to be there!)

sarah and mel lookin' beauuutiful

sarah's sexy fan pose

...and it's mel's turn

this girl even gets in on the act-gettin' down and dirty on the floor

what look is that guy trying to go for?! well at least he's having fun!

skin getting the party started

and the crowd goes wild...well comparatively..

After toasting to this years LFW Sarah, Mel and I parted ways, with fond memories of all things fashion.

The Israli born Inbar Spector’s gothic collection certainly raised eye brows and expectations in an explosion of delicate laces, zipped corsetry and mass of tulle. Her pieces consisted of futuristic and OTT couture-like constructivism with an edgy twist which made her designs captivating.

Taking the nomadic immigrant as her muse for autumn/winter 09-09, there was a mix of energetic movement created by the twisted chiffon, zips and pvc trousers, but there was also a sense of structure. Tight corsets, belted waists and armoured tops, ensured an empowered woman emerged.

one of my favourites from the collection

The last two pieces twisted tulle ballgowns was greeted by whoops of applause. This was a perfect finish for a collection that bursted with intelligently conceived modern gothic pieces.

i want this dress!

We're rather taken with London based Turkish designer, Bora Aksu, here at Amelia's. Not only was he featured by us way back in issue 1, but his ongoing collaboration with fair-trade fashion pioneer People Tree has got him into our good books AND our forthcoming issue 10. Needless to say, we were looking forward to see his Spring/Summer 09 collection debut at the British Fashion Council Tent.

It looked like the designer has been partaking in one or two viewing sessions of The Sound of Music as we were greeted by a girl in a white dress and satin sash as the show began. Okay, so the sash was pink, and not blue, but girlish dresses did seem to be amongst Aksu's favourite things for next Spring/Summer.

The feminity presented at Aksu's show was not all young and frilly, however, with wonderfully tailored pieces (cropped jackets, high necks and puffed sleeves) giving an assured and womanly aspect to the collection. The head wear veered between youthful oversized bows and grown up Sunday-best hats (both by milliner Misa Harada).

Aksu's colour pallette was spot on for the season; with frosted peaches, pistachios and lemon tones gracing the runway at the start of the collection. With talk of pastels (from candy colours right up to neon hues) being a big part of our warmer-month wardrobes next year, Aksu's collection looks set to be bang on trend. Personally, I'm a little hesitant to go all out sugar-sugar with my own attire next Spring, so I was relieved to see daring combinations of purple and black further in to the show.

The striking thing about many of Aksu's creations was the Art Nouveau style embellishments that drew attention to the contours of the wearer. Ribbon like piping ran across the garments, mapping out curves and acting like the leading in a stained glass window; it was a technique that allowed Aksu to bring in panels of new colour and texture.

There has been much talk of 'the modesty dress' this London Fashion Week, the term referring to a trend for enveloping unforgivingly skin tight body-con dresses with billowing translucent over dresses. The double dresses were seen at Issa, Graeme Black, Aquascutum and, of course, on the Bora Aksu catwalk. Aksu's take on the modesty dress involved anything from pink chiffon capes cinched in over dresses to Grecian style draping of fabric pieces that concealed choice areas.

The stand out piece, for me, was a bubbly black party frock. A bustier front over a body of black mesh was both modest and sexy in it's half revelation of back and shoulders, but this simplistic top soon burst out ino an eruption of petal-like layers in the skirt. The movement of this skirt was flighty and fun, being especially voluminous at the back. Can you spy my favourite frock at the rear of the model queue?

Romantic and whimsical, Aksu's fairytale collection was the epitome of Spring/Summer 09 style. In a show backed by floaty folk and violins, ruffles and pleats took centre stage and won our hearts.

Watch highlights of the show for yourself here. And look out for our profile of Aksu and People Tree in our forthcoming Issue 10!

For their second season at London Fashion Week, Aminaka Wilmont’s “Perfect Imperfection” collection took the stage for the BFC Tent’s final show on Friday. Maki Aminaka Lofvander and Marcus Wilmont were inspired by the eyes of modernist architects, Jean Nouvel, Richard Rogers and Frank Gehry, which translated to the catwalk means soft, feminism pieces with a powerful, industrial edge.

Featuring silk trimmed with leather, and chiffon dresses paired with geometric gray and blue graphic prints, the collection has a futuristic feel to it. The color palette combines soft neutral tones with blacks, grays and blues, coinciding with those colors found in cement, metals and steel.

The most striking design of the show I found to be the shoes. Binding only to the heel, this leather and wooden device left the sole of the foot completely exposed to the ground below. I question how this would work out on the street, but for the purpose of the avant garde look this design duo desired, this so-called shoe definitely exemplifies the collection.

Aminaka Wilmont is most notably recognized for being Fashion Fringe’s 2007 winner. You can check out more of their line at net-a-porter.com.

Like many, I often attend cultural events showcasing the work of friends with more than a little trepidation. Understandable given that I’ve fallen prey to that dreadful trap: the good friend’s bad gig that you’re obliged to praise in the name of all that is amiable.

Attending the London Fashion Week S/S ’09 show of designer Scott Ramsay Kyle however was marred by no such reticence. His two prior collections the stuff of “can I borrow it if I’m really, really careful” fashion friend dreams; being collections that have garnered this young Scot quite the reputation as a burgeoning British fashion talent.

Indeed, Glaswegian Ramsay Kyle, a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art and the revered womenswear MA at fashion star factory Central Saint Martins is becoming quite the name to drop amongst the fashion cognoscenti. His work appearing in Another Magazine, V Magazine and Italian Vogue and garnering this unassuming designer a reputation as yet another young Scottish designer to watch.

With his sculptural shapes and luxe embroidery - a skill put to good use in his work for Biba and Boudicca amongst others - Ramsay Kyle makes the kind of clothes you can imagine flying off the racks at arts and crafts - and latterly fashion - Mecca Liberty. Even more so in that his untitled S/S ’09 collection was at once more understated and assured than previous ones, bringing new meaning to that term beloved of fashion editors, ‘stealth fashion’.

With a studied palette of subdued gold and sand tones, inspired by the opulence of the Riviera and the psychedelicism of seventies pop, Ramsay Kyle’s S/S ’09 collection marked a clear departure from his one time affair with kaleidoscopic colours and statement shapes in its muted tones and decidedly pared down silhouettes.

And in a firm nod to the unapologetic eighties in the form of a plethora of playsuits, jumpsuits and all-in-one’s, Ramsay Kyle’s clever juxtaposition of his signature couture quality embellishment with of the moment shapes resulted in a clever fusion of exquisite craftsmanship à la Dries Van Noten and the avant-gardism of the best of British fashion.

Highlights of Ramsay Kyle’s untitled collection included a micro mini with fluid black and bronze fringing, a long-line tuxedo style jacket with exaggerated lapels and fringing, and a lavishly embroidered jumpsuit in metallic shades that quite possibly achieved the impossible in rendering the all-in-one chic. Hoxtonites take note, the eighties may be back but this time they’re beautiful.

A central St Martins graduate, Scott Ramsay Kyle made his debut at Vauxhall Fashion Scout with his S/S09 collection. Scott took inspiration from The Queen of Hearts' henchman from Alice in Wonderland and Grace Jones' iconic strong style.

Jumpsuits, playsuits (surely a double whammy of all-in-ones spells a HUGE trend for next season), shift dresses and tunics were Tabard shaped. Not since the animated cards of Alice in Wonderland did a pack of cards look so appealing. Peek-a-boo sides lead the eye down to embroidered embellishment in metallic shades, that Scott had harnessed during his time at legendary label Biba, adding extra decoration to the sharp clean lines. Scott also used heavier embroidery, with beads and tassles, as focal points on the front of tabards, giving these designs a military-esque feel.

Once again, as seen at many shows, bright colour took a back seat to neutrals and more muted shades. Scott took this to a more extreme level than I had previously seen, harnessing creations in only three colours. White, Beige and Black were the colours to march down the catwalk under Scott's watch. Laudable in his use of boring beige, Scott gave the much lambasted colour a style injection complimenting it with shimmering gold. This restrained use of colour flattered the structured shapes.

The sophisticated collection had a real summer in city feel to it. Helped by a 'beep beep' traffic noise song featuring on the playlist (much googling has not revealed what song this is, if anybody knows please do share). With many of the looks suitably for office wear, well fashion offices anyway. That said some of the more structured tabard shapes may prove a bit difficult to make the skip from catwalk to high street. Easier to wear looks, included the knee-length more relaxed all-in-one's and tunics worn with 90's style cycling shorts.