Amelia's Blogtag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//22008-07-03T15:21:56ZMovable Type 3.35Port O'Brien - All We Could Do Was Singtag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.7002008-07-03T15:02:54Z2008-07-03T15:21:56Z With a hint of sea air, this folksy group from the deep dark depths of Kodiak Island, Alaska, have...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
With a hint of sea air, this folksy group from the deep dark depths of Kodiak Island, Alaska, have created a relaxing but catchy and almost addictive new album. It’s a move away from the acoustic sounds of their first but Port O’Brien has managed to retain a sense of their previous identity.
The album as a whole creates a brilliant relaxed nautical atmosphere, not surprisingly as most of it was written whilst the lead dude was out solo in the Gulf of Alaska fishing months of his life away. Their Arcade Fire type passion is quite mesmerising and each song did leave me wanting more.
A splash of The Go! Team style shouting/village singing on their first track draws you in with excitement although the remainder of the album is not quite so uplifting. There is a woody, dusty feel to each song, I couldn’t help but imagine sitting round a camp fire with a few old chums, a guitar and everyone singing until their heart’s were content. Maybe even a porch, a straw hat and that trusty guitar would do the trick.
Quite a good album over all, indeed, all I could do was sing along (to the first track anyway). It won’t be making history any time soon, but a nice little listen. ]]>
The most fashionable Glastonbury yet?tag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6992008-07-03T14:15:25Z2008-07-03T15:18:41Z As I packed for my first ever Glastonbury, I thought PRACTICAL and WARM. My long time friend and side...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
As I packed for my first ever Glastonbury, I thought PRACTICAL and WARM. My long time friend and side kick had relayed stories of the year before being a torrent of mud and rain. What dedication. She and 136,999 others had traipsed through thigh high mud for 5 days all in the name of music.
So when I asked the veteran Glastonbury go-er what on earth should I pack? she could not stress enough how many thermals, fleecies, and things that can be destroyed, I should take. And don’t forget your wellies! Having just moved here from NZ and lacking all the essentials, I was pointed in the direction of the camping store and left to my own devices! I hit Katmandu for a completely uncool but practical fleece jumper and Primark to stock up on tights and cheapie things that can be thrashed – after all, you don’t go to Glastonbury to hide from the elements.
As I arrived and joined the queue for international ticket pick up I was instantly struck by gumboot envy! An array of colors and patterns strutted past and I rarely saw the same pair twice. Fortunately my own pair was black and decorated with cute pink flowers and pink soles so they made the cut.
Check mine out on the right
We arrived 2 days early purely to get the best campsite in all of fair Glastonbury, and after setting up tent we ventured down to explore and make the most of the sunshine – after all it wasn’t going to last, right?! The market stalls were already bustling, and the scene was a feast for the eyes! Girls in vintage dresses, colored tights, floral patterns -everything high street and everything fashion was on display.
Thursday evening bought the rain and Friday saw drizzle turning the once dust bowl farm into a thick mud that threatened to steal your boots with each step. But this did not hinder efforts from the crowd to look every bit like the glossy photos we see each year of celebrities looking effortlessly cool.
The boldest looks seemed to appear directly from the onsite costume stalls in Shangri la. Super heroes, brides, cows, video game characters and even a banana competed on the muddy catwalk.
Of course when it comes down to it, after a couple of pear ciders you’re so excited to be jumping and shaking in front of your favorite band, you forget about your own mish mash of uncoordinated practical warm things and have just want to have a damn good time!
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Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, Hayward Gallerytag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6972008-07-03T13:48:24Z2008-07-03T14:38:03Z “Its all ocean cried Dostoyevsky. I say it’s all cellophane” these words from the mouth of Kurt Vonnegut greet...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
Kurt Vonnegut greet you as you enter the Hayward Gallery’s current exhibition of The Crochet Hyperbolic Reef. Judging by the facts, I think Vonnegut got it spot on.
Organised by Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute for Figuring, the woolly reef, once the preserve of grandmas, highlights the plight of the disappearing reef the world over.
Within the depths of the North Pacific Ocean, there is a floating aquatic wonder created from material not usually associated with the deep blue sea. The humble plastic bag (along with all its plastic friends), that is now oh so fashionable not to carry is the creator of this wonder. Of course, its not the plastics fault, it’s ours! Since the 1950’s when plastic first commandeered fascination, production of this wonder has increased ten fold.
Over 50 years plastic trash has accumulated in the North Pacific Ocean and is now a mass that is 4 times the size of England and 30m deep. Consequently, the coral reef is disappearing at a rate five times faster than the rainforest, each year 3,000 square km is obliterate, something Poseidon would not be happy about.
In the UK, we produce 3 million tonnes of plastic waste, and 57% of that accounts for all the litter on British beaches. No wonder people would rather holiday abroad, you’ll get plastic there too, but at least you’ll have sun. Makes you think, when you get yet another plastic bag to carry your chocolate bar in.
The taster exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall has you peering through the vast glass windows at this crocheted curiosity. Directly comparing the genteel pastels of the Coral Reef and the nasty neons of its tormented toxic counterpart you become eye-poppingly aware of how serious the degeneration of the reef.
This leads you to the main exhibition at the Haywood gallery, where walking in is like being submerged under the ocean, or at least taking a trip to the Sea Life Centre. Darkly aquamarine walls in a cool and dimly lit space create the feeling of a deep sea diving expedition, allowing you to explore the knitted reef in a setting that feels eerily accurate.
Dyed wools and antique lace spill from walls and ceilings, whilst sponge and beads make for uncannily realistic stand ins for the many textures of the ocean. Plastic jellyfish trail their threadbare woollen legs through entwined straws, beads and plastic bottles, signifying the lost reef that has been replaced by this man made monster.
More refined, intricate corals made from tiny beads and softly spun wools are confined to sand lined, glass cases which leaves you not only dying to reach in and touch, but also makes you realise that the real thing is just as delicately ephemeral as the materials used to recreate it.
Crochet sessions draw enthusiasts, from beginners to full-time artists, worldwide, who unite each Monday at 5:30pm at the southbank centre to spread the message. It’s a woolly testimony to the disappearing wonders of the Coral Reef, intended to put back a little of what we are destroying by raising awareness in a very hands on manner. The craftsmanship is awe inspiring enough to make you grab a crochet hook and see how handy you can be. Maybe my Mum’s ability to turn out a production line of crocheted waistcoats in the Seventies could come in useful in the form of a lesson or two.
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Tamara Villoslada Illustrationstag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6962008-07-03T11:32:45Z2008-07-03T12:04:15ZOpening up an email I got from Tamara Villoslada, I decided to take a wee peek at her website. Having...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
Villoslada, I decided to take a wee peek at her website. Having previously contributed to Amelia’s mag I was obviously biased towards her quiet and beautiful designs. Pieces are spontaneous yet muted, as if she doodles in quiet café corners, eye-spying people and the intricate movements of Spanish life, where she resides.
Why not get drawn to her captivating wonderful world and check out her website where you can buy a personally designed t-shirt or a wallet-perfect for a special present or personal treat for just being great (you don’t need an excuse)!
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White Denimtag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6952008-07-03T11:22:49Z2008-07-03T11:44:49Z White Denim's drummer Joshua Block comes from the same physical gene pool as Will Ferrell, Tom Waits and Ron...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.comWhite Denim's drummer Joshua Block comes from the same physical gene pool as Will Ferrell, Tom Waits and Ron Perlman and rides his kit right at the front of the stage. His arms wind milling like a man swimming with meat knives, cutting into each wave as it passes with the zeal of a drunk mid remembrance of a favorite song. Straddled either side by guitarist and bass player to make up this year's Banana Splits. This year's Magic Band. This year's Monkees.
Debut album, Workout Holiday just in the shops. A frenetic yet accessible blending of southern wildcat zest and inventive charm that could only derive from a band that are far more clued up that they'd ever let on, a similar trick to that pulled off by prime era Pavement. White Denim have everything going for them this year. Tonight's appearance at Koko's Club NME is marred by the kind of volcanic reverb an old theatre style building generates and this ill fits a band you need to see tight and dry as fuck in a sweaty bar to get a full grip on their maniacal moonshine melodies and near math-rock riffage.
White Denim are shape shifters, and tonight the song's are in mid mutation, arriving somewhere else by the time you grip what they had been playing a moment ago. A short blast of new single Shake, Shake, Shake's Beasties-esque gang intro gallops into frenetic lashes of wah wah, while the venue's reverb adds an oddly rockabilly twang to James Petralli's voice. Losing your grip here is to be encouraged. It's been a long time since a band came along both so viscerally for-the-kids and yet truly idiosyncratic and White Denim still have some way to go in terms of their name catching on before a song like 'Don't Look That Way At It' is crowned the guitar looped anthem it demands. Judging by the way they blast through tonight, like pirates drunk on loot, the more we have of White Denim, the better.
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The Return of The Jelliestag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6942008-07-03T11:22:09Z2008-07-03T12:09:38ZDo you remember about 9 years ago when the UK was hit by that huge jelly sandals movement? Gentleman this...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
jelly sandals movement? Gentleman this period might not be as vivid to you, but I clearly recall my twin sis and I owning an identical turquoise pair of these flat jelly numbers purchased by our loving mother who, always one to keep up with the latest trends, owned the higher heeled version. I think it’ fair to say most women during this period found themselves squelching their way around in different variations of these coloured jellies which were THE must have summer item. This jelly revolution stuck around for a couple of months and then was gone as quickly as it arrived, which is why I was particularly surprised when we recently received a sky blue pair in the post.
I’ve since been informed that jellies are in fact back for this summer and Gisele Bündchen has jumped on the PVC bandwagon by incorporating the material in her new collection, G2B.
The supermodel has teamed up with Brazilian Footwear Company, Ipenama flip flops, to produce a range of environmentally friendly summer sandals, which include a variety of 6 different styles.
According to the press information, we’ve been sent the classic jellies, which are apparently ideal for ‘trekking up a cliff path’. While I’m not sure I’ll be doing that anytime soon, I’ll agree these sandals would make a cute addition to a casual daytime outfit.
Other designs in the collection include Refresh which are classic Havana style flip flops; Cascade, a glamorous gold strappy Greek style sandal; Agua, a rather peculiar looking flip flop with a slightly irrelevant extra strap, and my favourite, Pure, a trendy T bare style with added diamantes. Gisele can also be seen here modelling the ‘Clear’ sandals in this surprisingly unflattering promotional photograph.
Prices for the sandals range from £12.99 to £19.99, with a portion of the proceeds this year being used to support water preservation projects such as WWF, Y Ikatu Xingu and de olho nos mananciais.
They’re perfect little holiday shoes, so grab a pair online if you’re looking for something that can carry you comfortably from a long beach day to the intoxicated early hours of next morning. If however, like myself, you wont be going away this year, why not just follow our art editor Tanya, and bring them out on the rare occasions that the British sun decides to put in an appearance.
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Young & Lost CLubtag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6932008-07-03T09:32:29Z2008-07-03T15:55:38Z The people who run record labels have traditionally had an image problem. Musicians are cool, obviously; djs are cool;...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
The people who run record labels have traditionally had an image problem. Musicians are cool, obviously; djs are cool; hell, even some music journalists are, but company execs? Not so much.
Both cynical and prone to hyperbole, they have a reputation for chalking up ounces of coke to their ‘flowers and chocolates’ expense accounts, spouting jargon and inventing spurious music genres in the pub. Indie labels fare better in musical mythology, of course, but with their earnest dedication to the egalitarian principles of Marxism, you can’t escape the feeling that Geoff Travis and his associates at Rough Trade couldn’t make the tea without voting on it. Well, Art and Commerce were always going to have an uneasy relationship. Anyhow, everyone knows that record company execs are frustrated musicians themselves. And they’re all boys.
The Young and Lost Club label is different. Reassuringly, founders Sara Jade and Nadia Dahlawi most emphatically don’t yearn to get up on stage. “We know our limits!” says Sara. This might be a touch disingenuous considering the girls’ status as precocious veterans of the London indie scene – at only 23 apiece, they’ve been fanzine editors, label owners, and club promoters as well as djing as the Pyrrha Girls.
“The first musicians I was into were the Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman, Television, Richard Hell and Patti Smith and that led me to reading "Please Kill Me", she says. “The DIY aesthetic and attitude in that book was a big influence on us, everyone just did things for themselves and created their own scene for similar minded people”. The idea of creating a scene seems to hold a continuing magic for Sara and Nadia, for whom the founding of a label seems to be the logical progression of their other interests. Already there’s been a Young and Lost national tour while recent clubnights have seen The Teenagers, Klaxons and Horrors play alongside their own signees.
They are clearly blessed with excellent taste. Currently on the Young and Lost Club roster are the Golden Silvers, who’s glorious Arrows of Eros - an arch disco track about lovelorn boys and girls dwelling in ‘London Town’ that recalls the best of Orange Juice - is getting played loads on 6 Music and looks set to be one of the defining songs of Summer 08. Previous highlights for the label have included the debuts of Vincent Vincent and the Villains, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong and Larrikin Love’s Six Queens – in which Ed Larrikin memorably traded his usual pastorals for a glammy Velvets pastiche. Currently on their books are Pull Tiger Tail, Noah and the Whale (who will be Young and Lost’s first album release), Lord Auch and Naked and the Boys.
And they don’t see the gender thing as an issue: “I don’t think there is a big difference in the way boys and girls approach djing,” says Sara. “Girls are probably approached more for song requests though”.
Oh, and as for that vow not to take up instruments themselves, there is one exception... “Nadia would definitely make a guest appearance on someone’s album playing the harp, if asked”. Bet she’s a really good harpist, too.
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Climate Change Conversations, Lift Festivaltag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6922008-07-02T16:58:55Z2008-07-02T23:10:38ZThis Summer, Lift, one of the Europe's leading arts festivals, arrives at Southbank Centre. As well as art performances, screenings...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
Lift, one of the Europe's leading arts festivals, arrives at Southbank Centre. As well as art performances, screenings and talks, this year sees the launch of ‘The Lift’- the interactive Lift Festival hub and a new venue for fresh conversation which involves: artists in mass one-on-one, open-space events, artist talks, debates and panel discussions such as ‘Parliament and climate change.’ This will be taking place on 5th and 6th July in the beautiful mobile structure, housed in Theatre Square behind the Royal Festival Hall.
One particularly interesting activity to go to is 'A night with TippingPoint and Fellow Travellers' happening this saturday 7:30pm-9:30pm, costing £5. With lively climate change discussions, a Green House Quiz, a session to create your own bubble-free brand-it ensures that you will get to the heart of some ecological issues whilst keeping you on your toes. Since 2005 TippingPoint has brought artists and scientists together to explore global warming, working together with the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University.
Other sessions you can move and shake down to include: the climate change talk at 1.30pm by the Cape Farewell Youth Voyagers and at 3:30pm you can get info on how to set up Transition Town, whereby a future with less oil is explored. There are a variety of topics such as: Report from Bangladesh, Mapping the London Flood Plains Cycle Ride and Walk,the absurdity of the world picture offered us to keep your mind stimulated. So why not scroll through the list of talks on the Lift Festival website and grab a ticket whilst you're at it! Enjoy the Summer sun whilst dipping into engaging topics which are effecting us today. Get involved. Get informed.
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Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Artstag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6912008-07-02T15:51:34Z2008-07-03T09:44:36Z Photo: Sam Butler Around this time last year, I spent a very depressing weekend staring at a television getting...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.comPhoto: Sam Butler
Around this time last year, I spent a very depressing weekend staring at a television getting progressively more annoyed at the presenters on the BBC’s coverage of the hallowed Glastonbury festival. As Lauren Laverne, or whichever doofus it was, complained about the rain, me and the handful of my friends who were also unable to get tickets sat in a living room, sat inside a children’s play tent, gawping at what looked like more fun than an Olympic sized ball pit.
This year was definitely less of a sob story - thank god for Jay-Z and trench foot I say. I was finally able to experience my first Glastonbury and with the added bonus of being with the overwhelming majority of my chums.
We arrived around midday on the Wednesday due to our eagerness to make the most of the very expensive weekend. Our camp, in a prime location near the park, was filling nicely by late afternoon and everybody was in a party mood. Muchos kudos to my friends who brought a tent the size of a small aircraft hanger, it’s fair to say it served us well.
What struck me first of all as something that sets Glastonbury apart from any other festival i've been to is the amount of effort they put into making it look nice. There is art literally everywhere, making it such a pleasant place to be. The whole time I was there I was literally not bored once.
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The first night was filled with overly excited antics mainly consisting of running around near the stone circle meeting plenty of ‘interesting’ people and enjoying the frankly breathtaking view. The highlight for me however was the steward who entertained us for some time by speaking to his boss through what he believed to be his mobile phone (it was actually a copy of Observer Music Monthly).
Thursday saw the start of music, even though it came in dribs and drabs. The highlight for me was a fantastic cinematic show put on by DJ Yoda. The phenomenon that is a silent disco is one I have enjoyed before, and if you haven’t experienced it, it’s basically a normal disco but you hear the music through headphones. This is fun mainly because of the obscure sing-a-longs with impeccable timing that can be heard in the queue outside. You find yourself severely confused as to why on earth so many people are singing ‘Kids in America’.
Friday
A sore head was nourished back to health by a large breakfast and the sound of Santogold working its way over to our campsite. We hurriedly mooched over to the park stage to catch the majority of her set in what was probably the worst downpour of the festival (this was actually just a bit of drizzle, but I wanted to make it sound a little more dramatic). Her big beat drums and wonderful melodies instigated sporadic screeches of the intro to ‘Creator’ throughout the day.
Next up was the delightful, yet immensely over hyped, Foals. They did however entertain me enough to make me late for Hercules and Love Affair. After being so infatuated with their album, I simply couldn’t miss them. They transformed the tent into their own little New York nightclub, with sassed out horns and infectious riddims. I was a fan of Anthony and the Johnsons, but I think Antony Hegarty’s vocals work a lot better in what he is calling his side project.
MGMT was next and they were definitely the most festival band of the weekend. They just have an anthemic sound that suits big crowds full of flag waving and people willing to shout along to every song. After being on the go all day a good sit down with refreshment in the form of beverages was needed, and by the time we had found a good spot for headliners Kings of Leon I was really quite merry. Seeing one of your favourite bands of all time on the mythological pyramid stage is really something else. It really was a memorable show for me.
What made the night even better was hearing the last few songs of Pete Doherty’s set on our arrival back at camp. I wouldn’t have like to go and see him as I try to maintain my mental image of how good he used to be, but taking the weight off my feet to the sounds of Albion really was quite enjoyable.
Saturday
After a fairly decent sleep I was ready to check out the winners of this year’s New Talent Competition, Golden Silvers. Having seen them before only a couple of weeks ago I was in doubt they were worthy of this title, and they proved so even more. I simply love the simplicity and brilliance of all their songs. A long trawl followed this as we headed back to the park area to catch Lykki Li. It was definitely well worth it though, sitting on the grass letting the Swedish star’s set wash over us was a welcome relaxing break from all the walking we had done that morning.
I decided to catch Metronomy’s set after being relatively impressed by their second album. I’ve some how managed to see them quite a few times, and this was probably the best time I’ve seen them, and I’ve realized that there is definitely still a lot of good stuff to come from Metronomy.
Another band that I have seen countless times is Hot Chip. After being forcefully subjected to their first two albums, I had grown tired them. Then I gave their fantastic new album a listen. The arrival of which has rejuvenated my taste for them, and the new tracks were amazing live. Also, the appearance of Wiley for a cover of Wearing My Rolex was quite a spectacle. Even though it sounded rubbish and Wiley was less than on form, it was just one of those things that had to be seen.
The realization that it was unlikely I would be able to catch much of MGMT and Battles due to the amount of travel it would involve led me to go straight to Jay-Z. I was determined to see whether all the hoo ha was justified. I’m probably the last guy to be found enjoying hip-hop, but I was definitely impressed by the amount of effort that had gone into his live show. Kicking off with a montage of comments against his appearance and an Oasis cover gave the show the much-needed badass attitude. There was no way that his appearance wasn’t going to be entertaining after all the controversy, although I was disappointed that there were no special appearances. Not that I’d get all giddy over the appearance of Linkin Park or Beyonce, it’s just that there had been so many rumors flying around that I was just expecting it.
Sunday
Due to severe weariness after four days of festival I was pleased to see the line-up for the nearby park stage was very tempting indeed. The incredible White Denim were very impressive and certainly woke me up with their psychedelic blues-rock. In fact, they rocked the most, and were even nice enough to give a little shout out to some of my friends who had met them the previous night.
A trip to the Hare Krishna tent for a spot of lunch was my only option due to being a little too lavish with my funds. Much better than the food however was all the singing and dancing that goes on around you while you eat. It’s a bit like a spiritual version of one of those family diners they have in America where they sing to you if you order the biggest steak on the menu. I didn’t stay too long though, as i’m a very busy person and I didn’t want to get converted due to fear that all the meetings and stuff would eat up all my free time.
I then headed back to the park yet again to see Mystery Jets, Laura Marling and Caribou one after another. Mystery Jets seem to have almost abandoned the tracks on their first album, I can only really remember them playing ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis’, and this was still overshadowed by every track they played off of Twenty One. I’m sad to say I only really saw Laura Marling’s set from afar as some of my friends were far more interested in the nearby bar area, but I did manage to tear them away in time to see Caribou. I’d not even heard of them before, but they had been heartily recommended to me, and I am so glad I didn’t miss them. The most fantastic live drum spectacle I’ve ever seen; they wowed the few and far between that had stuck around for them. We all left gob smacked by how good they were and all with mental notes to follow them up when we got home.
For the rest of the day are plans were left very undecided. Not really what you want on the last night of a festival, so we settled for the idea of heading back to camp to ‘mentally prepare’ for the night ahead.
We made our way down to Groove Armada in the hope of at least a good light show, and something we could have had a bit of a dance to, and we got what we asked for. It was one of those gigs you don’t expect to be that great, but it was actually surprisingly fun. We did get a little bored about half way through though and checked out Benga & Skream in the form of their alias Magnetic Man on the rather garish G stage. It was interesting to say the least, though the state of some of the people there began to scare us, so we ended up heading back to the other stage in time to catch ‘Superstylin’.
The rest of the Sunday is a little bit of blur, though judging by the epic struggle which was the journey home, I’m guessing I had a pretty good time. I just hope I don’t set up a tent inside next year as well.
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Print series 2008-July: Tom Gauld & Letmantag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6902008-07-02T14:44:07Z2008-07-02T15:21:06ZIf You Could is a project by London design studio HudsonBec, showcasing professional illustrators and designers as well as emerging...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.comIf You Could is a project by London design studio HudsonBec, showcasing professional illustrators and designers as well as emerging new talent. This month sees the production of two beautifully hand crafted pieces from Tom Gauld and Letman which will only be available to order until 31st- so if you've got the cash, get your mits on a print snappish! Other projects include the transformation of the new Pure Groove record store in Clerkenwell, East London next month as well as this year’s V&A fete.
Tom Gault's print design:
Letman's print design:
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Cath Kidston's New Eco Shopping Bagstag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6892008-07-02T10:28:27Z2008-07-02T14:23:03ZEverybody's heard that famous Tesco slogan 'Every Little Helps', what I didn't realise is that it means much more than...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
Tesco slogan 'Every Little Helps', what I didn't realise is that it means much more than shaving a few pence off our fruit & veg each week.
Throughout 2008, Tesco has been supporting Marie Curie Cancer Care. And to help raise money for the cause, they have called on the assistance of London based designer Cath Kidston.
“Cath Kidson?” commented a friend of mine. “Isn't she the one that designs all the countryside kitchenware?” This is true, but Kidston, famous for her floral prints, is no stranger to leaving her mark on the big retailers.You might remember the Carphone Warehouse Nokia range, girling-up the phones with flowers and stars, making the previously dull handsets look fab. And she's now worked her magic on Tesco too.
Now I for one am all for saving the environment, and I do try to avoid using too many plastic bags when I go shopping. This has, however, proved a problem for me in the past with the regular 'bag overload', which has lead to the embarrassing 'wine bottle smashed all over pavement' incident on more than one occasion. Oh dear.
There is a solution to this, but I have to put my hands in the air and admit that I've never fancied carrying around those huge, rather hideous looking eco-shopping bags that you can buy at the tills. So imagine my delight when I found out about the Cath Kidston range of eco-shopping bags!
There are two designs available at the moment, the pretty multi floral print, and the classic blue and white dotty design. Then over the next six months, four more hot designs will be released. All are made entirely of recycled plastic bottles, so they are eco-friendly and strong, as well as being stylish, with Kidston's girly-retro feel.
The great thing about these little gems is that neither Tesco, nor Cath Kidston are receiving any profits. The sole purpose of the new range is to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, while changing our consumer habits of using single-use plastic bags (or wine-smashers as I now like to call them).
The bags are big enough to carry the bulk of your shopping, rather than having to negotiate about eight wine-smashers at the same time. Just two of these eco-friendly delights will mean you can effortlessly breeze out of the shop, leaving all the less gracious-looking shoppers struggling behind you.
I think the multi floral design is lush, and the best thing about my new find is that the 'Tesco' logo is tiny rather than being splashed all over it, meaning that I'm not restricted to just taking it to the shops. I'm off on my summers hols this week and I'm all set to use my new bag on the flight, on the beach and even when I'm wandering around in the Greek sun. And for just £3.50, why not buy all six designs? As Mr. Tesco says, 'Every Little Helps'.
Art Editor, Tanya
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Errors - It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatevertag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6882008-07-01T16:18:30Z2008-07-02T10:27:47Z Glasgow four piece Errors are a band of precision - being on a label run by Mogwai, it's no...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
Glasgow four piece Errors are a band of precision - being on a label run by Mogwai, it's no surprise that their music has a similar ability to pull cold beauty from a tool - like discipline, fashioning smooth, sleek and slippery surfaces from rugged terrain. The album often drifts into a post-rock glaciality with a Warp-esque glitch like a more humane Squarepusher. It often resembles almost any album from 2003, and at its least successful it illuminates how far we have moved from the implied seriousness of five years ago into a much less consistent and more creatively free era. Here Errors can sound overtly studied, like four intelligent men working their way through a BA(Hons) in Structurally Complex Musical Ideas at the Battles University.
Album opener Dance Music sets the pace for what's to follow, blurring the line between a live and a studio-textured sound. A series of evolving motifs played with cold clarity, drums mutate between fixed live grooves and laptop spluttered electrical showers - while the guitars remain glassy and spidery.
There is a real depth of ideas to Errors music that feels like it is yet to free itself from an unnecessary adherent to musical disciplines. Definitely a 2.1 dissertation in Mathematical rock yet it would be great to hear these chaps a little after Graduation, nine months into menial jobs and a few heartbreaks later. Then, maybe we could hear a band managing to structure their inventive, texturally fascinating ideas into something more idiosyncratic, more individual and certainly more unfamiliar than their only standout track Pump - in all its echoes of a cut loose acid New Order strives for.]]>
Poppy Valentine - New Hepburn Leather Rangetag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6872008-07-01T12:15:00Z2008-07-01T12:57:25ZRecently the levels of exposure regarding ethical and environmental issues have reached an explosive high. On a daily basis, newspapers...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
purse strings and known to frequent high street stores, I have often bought items on the basis of their low price tag. My love of fashion and design has meant that I generally only bought the essentials from the budget stores (plain white shirts, tracksuit bottoms, strappy tops) wanting to discover unique statement pieces from vintage stores, charity shops and car boot sales to ensure I wasn't yet another clone.
It's a great feeling going to a social event without the fear of being faced with someone in the same outfit (even worse when they look infinitely better). I think more and more fashion fans are cottoning on to the fact its good to be unique and being able to answer the question 'where did you get your ... from?' with the comforting knowledge they won't be able to go and buy one themselves.
Currently I am keeping my eyes peeled for any shops that have an eco/environmental slant that can also maintain my need to 'feel special' in an outfit.
Poppy Valentine in Portobello, Notting Hill, have listened to their customers worries and the climate of ethical/environmental awareness and have involved themselves in the research and development of a new bio leather which will reduce environmental harm.
Their newest bags in the popular Hepburn range are made from vegetable tanned leather which uses less harmful chemicals and no chrome during production. As well as the aforementioned benefits of their process, it also gifts the bags with a beautiful soft and slouchy appeal which is far more favourable for a day outing than the rather rigid, boxy examples that are around in many of the high street stores.
You may already be aware of Poppy Valentine through their printed/vibrant clothes and accessories that are completely individual and made from fabrics that the designers have sourced over many a dedicated year: trawling through thrift stores and antique markets. Undoubtedly there will be something in their store to suit people who seek inspiration from different fashion eras from the 40's (which with the release of Edge of Love is an era sure to be emulated by many a fashionista) to the psychedelic 70’s. Their choice of fabrics also capture trends of the s/s 08 season with both ditsy and bold floral print and abstract print dresses, bags, and blouses.
Initially the plain leather bags in their contemporary collection don’t have the wow factor as they do not feature any intricate embellishment, unusual design features (such as the gold frog a la Marc Jacobs) or capture any of the major bag trends of this season (over sized clutch, ruffling, tassels) but this isn’t important. They are unarguably usable, long lasting and wearable and that is vital in these times of money woes.
I appreciate a bag that is honest, it does exactly what bag is meant to do, the slouchiness of the material makes it comfortable to bash against your side on a days jaunt, the bold but plain colours (oyster, red, black) make it a bag that will go with many an ensemble and it isn't emblazoned with tacky logos. It’s a bag that won't go out of fashion and will look great against some of the multi-coloured prints around this season and why must functionality be a bad thing!
The other bags in the collection combine their 'Blossom Print' with their leather and carry a sweet retro feel which will look fun in the summer, but not as useful all year round.
We have to come to the realisation that a lot of the clothes and accessories we have bought in the past, with their shockingly low price were so wallet friendly for a reason. In a sense, many of us will have to retrain ourselves with new knowledge of what is acceptable to pay for an item, which may mean spending more. The knowledge you aren't contributing to a system that harms people or the environment makes it more than worth it.
I think the Poppy Valentine leather bags are very reasonable at £120 and you aren’t getting a fad item that you will regret and keep hostage in the fashion graveyard at the bottom of your wardrobe next year, it will come out day after day, year after year, a classic bag that isn't a gimmicky show off.
A visit to their shop will inevitably give you a hint of the rush you feel when searching for one-off treasures at car -boots, markets, and take you away from the hoards of crowds that still flock to the high street budget stores rifling through piles of garments and trampling on items fallen from the hangers.
I look forward to seeing the next collection - I’d love to see some more soft leather bags with more design detail, interesting pockets and straps.]]>
The Hot Puppiestag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6862008-07-01T10:25:05Z2008-07-01T10:59:56Z Blue Hands is the Welsh quintets follow up to Under the Crooked Moon and marks the departure point both...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
Blue Hands is the Welsh quintets follow up to Under the Crooked Moon and marks the departure point both in sound and inspiration. Showcasing an array of influences from just about every source, David Bowie, Neil Young, Kraftwerk and Edith Piaf are all apparently present, as is the Old Testament! Even Hollywood actress’ of the silent movie era are drawn upon. Orphans of The Storm tells the story of the silent actress Lillian Gish’s near death experience filming the movie of the same name.
But, there is something about this showcase of influences that doesn’t quite ring true and sounds more like PR spiel. Is citing the aforementioned Miss Gish and John the Baptist really evidence of ‘Hollywood Reporter meets the Old Testament’. In some instances, references seem to be thrown in for no particular reason, on King of England the serial killer Son of Sam is name checked right next to Fred Astaire.
At least, The Hot Puppies are not playing it safe and have tried to experiment, even if the results are not always successful. In the alleged Kraftwerk influenced, How To Choose a Wife synthesizers have indeed been used, but the end result is confused, and sounding in places like a programmed demo on a Casio keyboard. Again, on King of England it feels like the same Casio keyboard has been dragged out and just left to play. However, the experimenting does pay off on the seemingly two separate sounding songs that make up Secret Burial.
The most successful tracks appear where singer Becki Newman is allowed to showcase her yearning vocals without the addition of synthesizers. On Dear Brutus Newman is initially accompanied on pianos and it seems like The Hot Puppies have found their niche, but then the synthesizer comes in and competes for attention. Elsewhere, Newman’s voice soars on Somewhere, sizzles on Where the Werewolves Meet, and is powerfully heartbreaking on Blue Hands, the strongest track of the album. Other nice moments on the album are provided by the sing-a-long catchy chorus Disney would be proud of, on Clarinet Town and Orphans of the Storm showcasing the whispered subdued lead vocals of Luke Taylor.
With their burgeoning ability to straddle genres, The Hot Puppies could have music critics eating out of the palms of their hands. But, it seems they can’t decide whether they want to record ballad quality songs or live out all their synthesizer fantasies. So, The Hot Puppies have settled for doing it all and therefore suffer the consequences.
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The House of Viktor & Rolf: Illustrating Fashiontag:www.ameliasmagazine.com,2008:/amelias_blog//2.6852008-07-01T08:40:27Z2008-07-01T09:20:42Z The second in the series of the Barbican Fashion Lates, presented by the Fashion Illustration Gallery (FIG) hosted presentations...Ameliawww.ameliasmagazine.com
The second in the series of the Barbican Fashion Lates, presented by the Fashion Illustration Gallery (FIG) hosted presentations and an informal discussion with three of the world’s most renowned fashion illustrators.
While I entered the small, grey, less than fabulous conference room on the building’s 4th floor the tight corridor outside held an array of individuals holding out all hopes for absent ticket holders in order to gain a much wanted seat at this sold out event. As usual though it was who you know, not what you know as a group of Gladys Perint Palmer’s acquaintances were let in without having splashed out a penny on the £3 tickets.
Gladys Perint Palmer, David Downton and Francois Berthoud were the brilliant fashion illustrators who graced us with their presence. Michael Ling from FIG introduced the artists while first discussing if fashion illustration should be classed as art. Of course he is ridiculously biased, making his living from such work. There were a number of plugs for his website as he encouraged us to buy, buy, buy, “now is the time” he said. At the end his children were stuffing flyer upon flyer for FIG in to my hand. Never the less, an illustrator myself, I do agree with him in that of course, all illustration is art. Desirable, museum worthy and collectable it’s as valid an art form as any other.
David Downton went on to state his belief that fashion magazines are richer for including hand drawn images. Without drawings a magazine is purely a catalogue whilst illustrations make you stop and look, whether you like them or not. His view was we have been all the poorer in recent decades for having lost fashion illustrations in couture magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
Downton, close friends with Erin O’Connor and the like, is perhaps most recently famous for his work with Marks and Spencer. Those lovely ink and brush drawings of Erin, Twiggy and Lily Cole adorning many M&S bag’s for life, that’s all the work of Downton. His beautiful brush strokes, selective use of colour and simple lines have made him one of my favourite illustrators, whom I have admired for quite some time. If you’re not so familiar he is definitely worth a Google search at least!
Gladys Perint Palmer works at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Much older than the other two illustrators present, she is still working hard, recently selling successful publications at both the London and New York Book Fairs. She mixes humour, text and image, and her work though perhaps not as beautiful as Downton is far more fun with an air of passion and excitement.
Francois Berthoud began his career in comic strips before he got his big break from Anna Piaggi to combine all his passions within fashion illustration. Not a born presenter, audience enthusiasm began to dwindle at this point as he mumbled his way through a handful of images. Berthoud has done much work for Viktor & Rolf, including Flag Woman 2000 included in V&R’s first ready to wear collection “Stars and Stripes”. His work shows more vector based imagery and is less like the hand drawn work of Downton and Perint Palmer. His illustrations are more graphic and experimental in medium (e.g. the famous x-ray image for V&R where line images of the whole collection are layered on top of one another). Far less of the brush and ink approach.
Afterwards we were all invited to the Level 3 gallery where Tanya Ling was conducting a live fashion illustration performance. Her table was full to the brim with paper, brushes and a rainbow of acrylic paints. She was producing vibrant pieces in minutes, painting from a book of V&R collections. Although the illustrations were not realistic they captured the essence of V&R perfectly each showing energy, flow and life.
As an extremely interesting and thought provoking evening I would definitely recommend any of the Late Night events. I was thoroughly inspired, and began sorting out my paints as soon as I returned home!
The only downside of the evening for me was when I simply enquired how much Tanya Ling would sell her images for “I don’t think they’d be in you budget” replied her husband looking down his nose at me. I may not have been designer clad but I had made quite an effort I thought! He was right though… £1250 a piece.
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Check mine out on the right
We arrived 2 days early purely to get the best campsite in all of fair Glastonbury, and after setting up tent we ventured down to explore and make the most of the sunshine – after all it wasn’t going to last, right?! The market stalls were already bustling, and the scene was a feast for the eyes! Girls in vintage dresses, colored tights, floral patterns -everything high street and everything fashion was on display.
Thursday evening bought the rain and Friday saw drizzle turning the once dust bowl farm into a thick mud that threatened to steal your boots with each step. But this did not hinder efforts from the crowd to look every bit like the glossy photos we see each year of celebrities looking effortlessly cool.
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Prices for the sandals range from £12.99 to £19.99, with a portion of the proceeds this year being used to support water preservation projects such as WWF, Y Ikatu Xingu and de olho nos mananciais.
They’re perfect little holiday shoes, so grab a pair online if you’re looking for something that can carry you comfortably from a long beach day to the intoxicated early hours of next morning. If however, like myself, you wont be going away this year, why not just follow our art editor Tanya, and bring them out on the rare occasions that the British sun decides to put in an appearance.
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The first night was filled with overly excited antics mainly consisting of running around near the stone circle meeting plenty of ‘interesting’ people and enjoying the frankly breathtaking view. The highlight for me however was the steward who entertained us for some time by speaking to his boss through what he believed to be his mobile phone (it was actually a copy of Observer Music Monthly).
Thursday saw the start of music, even though it came in dribs and drabs. The highlight for me was a fantastic cinematic show put on by DJ Yoda. The phenomenon that is a silent disco is one I have enjoyed before, and if you haven’t experienced it, it’s basically a normal disco but you hear the music through headphones. This is fun mainly because of the obscure sing-a-longs with impeccable timing that can be heard in the queue outside. You find yourself severely confused as to why on earth so many people are singing ‘Kids in America’.
Friday
A sore head was nourished back to health by a large breakfast and the sound of Santogold working its way over to our campsite. We hurriedly mooched over to the park stage to catch the majority of her set in what was probably the worst downpour of the festival (this was actually just a bit of drizzle, but I wanted to make it sound a little more dramatic). Her big beat drums and wonderful melodies instigated sporadic screeches of the intro to ‘Creator’ throughout the day.
Next up was the delightful, yet immensely over hyped, Foals. They did however entertain me enough to make me late for Hercules and Love Affair. After being so infatuated with their album, I simply couldn’t miss them. They transformed the tent into their own little New York nightclub, with sassed out horns and infectious riddims. I was a fan of Anthony and the Johnsons, but I think Antony Hegarty’s vocals work a lot better in what he is calling his side project.
MGMT was next and they were definitely the most festival band of the weekend. They just have an anthemic sound that suits big crowds full of flag waving and people willing to shout along to every song. After being on the go all day a good sit down with refreshment in the form of beverages was needed, and by the time we had found a good spot for headliners Kings of Leon I was really quite merry. Seeing one of your favourite bands of all time on the mythological pyramid stage is really something else. It really was a memorable show for me.
What made the night even better was hearing the last few songs of Pete Doherty’s set on our arrival back at camp. I wouldn’t have like to go and see him as I try to maintain my mental image of how good he used to be, but taking the weight off my feet to the sounds of Albion really was quite enjoyable.
Saturday
After a fairly decent sleep I was ready to check out the winners of this year’s New Talent Competition, Golden Silvers. Having seen them before only a couple of weeks ago I was in doubt they were worthy of this title, and they proved so even more. I simply love the simplicity and brilliance of all their songs. A long trawl followed this as we headed back to the park area to catch Lykki Li. It was definitely well worth it though, sitting on the grass letting the Swedish star’s set wash over us was a welcome relaxing break from all the walking we had done that morning.
I decided to catch Metronomy’s set after being relatively impressed by their second album. I’ve some how managed to see them quite a few times, and this was probably the best time I’ve seen them, and I’ve realized that there is definitely still a lot of good stuff to come from Metronomy.
Another band that I have seen countless times is Hot Chip. After being forcefully subjected to their first two albums, I had grown tired them. Then I gave their fantastic new album a listen. The arrival of which has rejuvenated my taste for them, and the new tracks were amazing live. Also, the appearance of Wiley for a cover of Wearing My Rolex was quite a spectacle. Even though it sounded rubbish and Wiley was less than on form, it was just one of those things that had to be seen.
The realization that it was unlikely I would be able to catch much of MGMT and Battles due to the amount of travel it would involve led me to go straight to Jay-Z. I was determined to see whether all the hoo ha was justified. I’m probably the last guy to be found enjoying hip-hop, but I was definitely impressed by the amount of effort that had gone into his live show. Kicking off with a montage of comments against his appearance and an Oasis cover gave the show the much-needed badass attitude. There was no way that his appearance wasn’t going to be entertaining after all the controversy, although I was disappointed that there were no special appearances. Not that I’d get all giddy over the appearance of Linkin Park or Beyonce, it’s just that there had been so many rumors flying around that I was just expecting it.
Sunday
Due to severe weariness after four days of festival I was pleased to see the line-up for the nearby park stage was very tempting indeed. The incredible White Denim were very impressive and certainly woke me up with their psychedelic blues-rock. In fact, they rocked the most, and were even nice enough to give a little shout out to some of my friends who had met them the previous night.
A trip to the Hare Krishna tent for a spot of lunch was my only option due to being a little too lavish with my funds. Much better than the food however was all the singing and dancing that goes on around you while you eat. It’s a bit like a spiritual version of one of those family diners they have in America where they sing to you if you order the biggest steak on the menu. I didn’t stay too long though, as i’m a very busy person and I didn’t want to get converted due to fear that all the meetings and stuff would eat up all my free time.
I then headed back to the park yet again to see Mystery Jets, Laura Marling and Caribou one after another. Mystery Jets seem to have almost abandoned the tracks on their first album, I can only really remember them playing ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis’, and this was still overshadowed by every track they played off of Twenty One. I’m sad to say I only really saw Laura Marling’s set from afar as some of my friends were far more interested in the nearby bar area, but I did manage to tear them away in time to see Caribou. I’d not even heard of them before, but they had been heartily recommended to me, and I am so glad I didn’t miss them. The most fantastic live drum spectacle I’ve ever seen; they wowed the few and far between that had stuck around for them. We all left gob smacked by how good they were and all with mental notes to follow them up when we got home.
For the rest of the day are plans were left very undecided. Not really what you want on the last night of a festival, so we settled for the idea of heading back to camp to ‘mentally prepare’ for the night ahead.
We made our way down to Groove Armada in the hope of at least a good light show, and something we could have had a bit of a dance to, and we got what we asked for. It was one of those gigs you don’t expect to be that great, but it was actually surprisingly fun. We did get a little bored about half way through though and checked out Benga & Skream in the form of their alias Magnetic Man on the rather garish G stage. It was interesting to say the least, though the state of some of the people there began to scare us, so we ended up heading back to the other stage in time to catch ‘Superstylin’.
The rest of the Sunday is a little bit of blur, though judging by the epic struggle which was the journey home, I’m guessing I had a pretty good time. I just hope I don’t set up a tent inside next year as well.
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Letman's print design:
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Now I for one am all for saving the environment, and I do try to avoid using too many plastic bags when I go shopping. This has, however, proved a problem for me in the past with the regular 'bag overload', which has lead to the embarrassing 'wine bottle smashed all over pavement' incident on more than one occasion. Oh dear.
There is a solution to this, but I have to put my hands in the air and admit that I've never fancied carrying around those huge, rather hideous looking eco-shopping bags that you can buy at the tills. So imagine my delight when I found out about the Cath Kidston range of eco-shopping bags!
There are two designs available at the moment, the pretty multi floral print, and the classic blue and white dotty design. Then over the next six months, four more hot designs will be released. All are made entirely of recycled plastic bottles, so they are eco-friendly and strong, as well as being stylish, with Kidston's girly-retro feel.
The great thing about these little gems is that neither Tesco, nor Cath Kidston are receiving any profits. The sole purpose of the new range is to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, while changing our consumer habits of using single-use plastic bags (or wine-smashers as I now like to call them).
The bags are big enough to carry the bulk of your shopping, rather than having to negotiate about eight wine-smashers at the same time. Just two of these eco-friendly delights will mean you can effortlessly breeze out of the shop, leaving all the less gracious-looking shoppers struggling behind you.
I think the multi floral design is lush, and the best thing about my new find is that the 'Tesco' logo is tiny rather than being splashed all over it, meaning that I'm not restricted to just taking it to the shops. I'm off on my summers hols this week and I'm all set to use my new bag on the flight, on the beach and even when I'm wandering around in the Greek sun. And for just £3.50, why not buy all six designs? As Mr. Tesco says, 'Every Little Helps'.
Art Editor, Tanya
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You may already be aware of Poppy Valentine through their printed/vibrant clothes and accessories that are completely individual and made from fabrics that the designers have sourced over many a dedicated year: trawling through thrift stores and antique markets. Undoubtedly there will be something in their store to suit people who seek inspiration from different fashion eras from the 40's (which with the release of Edge of Love is an era sure to be emulated by many a fashionista) to the psychedelic 70’s. Their choice of fabrics also capture trends of the s/s 08 season with both ditsy and bold floral print and abstract print dresses, bags, and blouses.
Initially the plain leather bags in their contemporary collection don’t have the wow factor as they do not feature any intricate embellishment, unusual design features (such as the gold frog a la Marc Jacobs) or capture any of the major bag trends of this season (over sized clutch, ruffling, tassels) but this isn’t important. They are unarguably usable, long lasting and wearable and that is vital in these times of money woes.
I appreciate a bag that is honest, it does exactly what bag is meant to do, the slouchiness of the material makes it comfortable to bash against your side on a days jaunt, the bold but plain colours (oyster, red, black) make it a bag that will go with many an ensemble and it isn't emblazoned with tacky logos. It’s a bag that won't go out of fashion and will look great against some of the multi-coloured prints around this season and why must functionality be a bad thing!
The other bags in the collection combine their 'Blossom Print' with their leather and carry a sweet retro feel which will look fun in the summer, but not as useful all year round.
We have to come to the realisation that a lot of the clothes and accessories we have bought in the past, with their shockingly low price were so wallet friendly for a reason. In a sense, many of us will have to retrain ourselves with new knowledge of what is acceptable to pay for an item, which may mean spending more. The knowledge you aren't contributing to a system that harms people or the environment makes it more than worth it.
I think the Poppy Valentine leather bags are very reasonable at £120 and you aren’t getting a fad item that you will regret and keep hostage in the fashion graveyard at the bottom of your wardrobe next year, it will come out day after day, year after year, a classic bag that isn't a gimmicky show off.
A visit to their shop will inevitably give you a hint of the rush you feel when searching for one-off treasures at car -boots, markets, and take you away from the hoards of crowds that still flock to the high street budget stores rifling through piles of garments and trampling on items fallen from the hangers.
I look forward to seeing the next collection - I’d love to see some more soft leather bags with more design detail, interesting pockets and straps.]]>
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