Singer songwriter Phildel celebrates the imminent launch of her debut album The Disappearance of a Girl with the launch of a special remix of her song Union Stone, created to accompany a video collaboration with ethical fashion designer Henrietta Ludgate (read more about her here), artist Sam Birch and choreographer Rachel Riveros. The film reinterprets the aeons old ritual of the Maypole dance, and will be performed live on 15th May during a gig at Bush Hall in west London. Watch it here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

How do you create your music?
It involves quite a process – as I write the songs, compose the arrangements and map out the production before we go into the studio to record everything, each of those steps takes a while. I don’t try to write a song unless I feel overwhelmed by a strong kind of emotion, but when I am – I sit down at the piano, play the first note – and the melody just unfolds in my mind, I ‘hear’ what should come next…it’s organic and feels quite cathartic. Then the lyrics come to me in fragments – I don’t consciously try to think up lyric topics – I just let my subconscious or deeper ‘dreaming mind’ communicate. Often, the lyrics make no sense to me at first…but once a few months have gone by, I look back at the same lyrics and they make total sense in relation to what I was going through at the time. Whereas in the beginning I’d look at the lyric fragments and just think…“Really!? This makes so little sense to me!” Now I just trust it. I think that’s the amazing thing about psychology – we often don’t see our own patterns in the eye of the storm…but our dreaming minds, our imaginations – what some would call the subconscious – tends to be more aware and lets us know, through our dreams – how we’re feeling (resulting in things like stress dreams etc). But it’s not until we look back on it all through time that we have more conscious awareness.

Once the song is written, I can start really imagining the kind of space, the colour, the world that the song exists in. And I begin to hear the spaces around the melody which I can fill with sounds that to me, represent key things about that song world. So for example, in The Disappearance of the Girl - the choirs towards the end represent ethereal water spirits. Choirs tend to represent loving ethereal spirits to me apart from in The Wolf and Storm Song where they represent the ‘chorus’ in a more Greek mythology kind of way…I don’t really pay much attention to genre – I’m more interested in finding the right sounds to paint the picture of the album world. Really, my main priority is to use sounds and instrumentation that serve the ’spirit’ of each song.

As we have a world full of possibilities – the process of selecting the best sounds for the job, then bringing them together and making them work together is a long one. Because some of these sounds are not conventionally used together and getting their frequencies to sit well in a mix, presents another range of challenges. It’s not like working with a conventional arrangement using say, a bass, a guitar and a drum-kit – where the way those sounds sit together in terms of frequencies is reasonably well mapped out. There are all kinds of different obstacles in achieving a great sound with an unconventional arrangement. So there’s a lot involved in the process on both creative and technical levels. 

May rituals by Briony Jose.

Your debut album contains songs of resistance and escape, what inspired these themes?
From the age of 8 until 17 I lived in a house where I had no access to music. My mother re-married a religious fundamentalist, where as we had lived in a very liberal household with my father up until then – so there was a massive culture shock for me. I was forced to change my culture and identity completely. As well as the cultural change, my mother’s new husband was abusive. And so the experiences I had to contend with were dark – so I became used to escaping into my own imagination from a young age. I played piano at school lunchtimes, which I loved and so was able to nurture my passion for music that way.

I suppose I always felt like I was living three different lives simultaneously – the lie of a life where I was forced to accept all these religious principles that I didn’t believe in and was told to remain silent about the abuse I was experiencing and witnessing, then the hours at school where I could preserve myself and my identity, and thirdly, my own identity within the world of my imagination – which was what really saved me. In that dream-world I could do anything I liked, I could exact revenge for everything I’d been put through. Songs like The Wolf capture that element of my world. Where as songs like Beside You capture the lighter, more enchanting side. The title of the album The Disappearance of the Girl for me represents disappearing from the liberal world of my birth, into a world of silence and restriction. It also represents my disappearance from reality into the refuge of my imagination. I think disappearing is a major theme for me.

What made you decide to reinterpret the May Day rituals?
For a while now, I’ve wanted to explore the concept of the ‘ritual’ and how it manifests in communities as well as individuals lives. It’s a massive part of our psychology and comes up all over the place. I asked my supporters on facebook what rituals they had as individuals and I looked through cultures at various ritual celebrations. As May was approaching, it felt like the right time to explore the Maypole dancing ritual. It’s something that’s appeared through history and even popular culture in cult-classic films such as The Wicker Man. On top of this, I’ve always felt a deep connection to the land and nature. And so, I thought it would be interesting to create a re-interpretation of the Maypole dance in collaboration with other artists.

Rachel Riveros choreographed the movements beautifully, Henrietta Ludgate adorned the dancers in her amazing collection, artist Sam Birch designed the set and Maypole and I created a bespoke arrangement of my track Union Stone to soundtrack the film. We ended up capturing many authentic details so in fact, we stayed quite true to tradition. I had a response from a Wiccan high-priestess in the US who said she was so pleased to see so much attention paid to detail, which was lovely.

What prompted the collaboration with Henrietta Ludgate?
Henrietta Ludgate is an incredibly creative and visionary fashion designer. I’ve worked with her for a number of things, namely her first London Fashion Week presentation for which she asked me to supply the music for the catwalk – which I performed live for the runway. Her catwalk theme was an indoor installation of an enchanted forest. Her designs are beautifully structured – I really feel there’s a sense of the iconic about them – but they maintain a playful edge so have this really extraordinary balance. So, I felt like her collection would be perfect for the project as it would add a sense of iconic, sculptured form to the dancers whilst looking very fresh and playful. I asked her if she’d like to be involved and she and artist Sam Birch (who designed the set and Maypole), were both really excited about it. The Maypole was actually created by Sam Birch entirely out of ‘found’ items – and he crafted it to replicate a Birch tree which is what is traditionally used as the Maypole. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

What were the logistics of filming and when did you find such fine weather?
It’s actually a little cosmic. Because we all had Friday 3rd May down in our diaries for the filming…but it was overcast and rainy every single day of the week except for Wednesday 1st May –  traditionally the day to dance around the Maypole. And it was a truly glorious day, the sky was blue the entire time and loads of people came up to us to say how lovely it was to see the Maypole up on May 1st and on such a perfect day. With the glory of the weather, the date and performing the dance, everything felt so right, we were overjoyed with how well it all turned out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What next for Phildel?
We’re about to perform the Maypole dance live for my show at Bush Hall on Weds 15th May – so we’ll be erecting the 15 foot Maypole in the venue. After that, I’ll be performing live in Manchester and Bristol as part of Dot-to-Dot Festival followed by a performance at How The Light Gets In Festival of art, music and philosophy at Hay-on-ohe-Wye. Then I’ll be off to the USA in July for a collaboration with a great artist called Sleepthief amongst a few USA live dates. I’m also really looking forward to performing at Vancouver Folk Festival and Secret Garden Party both in July, before a show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

Randomly, my album track Holes In Your Coffin is on the Hollyoaks trailer on tv at the moment and a few radio stations will be giving it a spin over the next few weeks, so listen out for that one – I’m actually currently creating the music video for Holes In Your Coffin which will be a compilation of footage submissions from my supporters, who are helping me create the video, some outstanding submissions from those as young as 10 and 11 – so I can’t wait to make the video public.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Disappearance of a Girl is released on 3rd June, featuring twelve magical songs of resistance and escape, inspired by a period during Phildel’s childhood when music of all kinds was forbidden in an oppressive household.

We had some wonderful entries for our Uniqlo fashion illustration competition to celebrate the launch of their new range of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat UT t-shirts, and were blown away by the imaginative interpretations of our callout, which asked illustrators to imagine their choice of t-shirt worn and styled to their taste. The overall winning entry is by Rebecca Higgins of Rebecca May Illustration, who created the stunning image above. I love the way she shows the t-shirt worn in movement, with an echo of the print design in the graphics used to create depth behind her model. It’s a simple but very effective image which underlines the street history of Keith Haring’s work, whilst bringing his graphics bang up to date. Uniqlo say: ‘We felt that this illustration captured the spirit of the artist and the Uniqlo brand in the most relevant way.‘ Rebecca receives two tickets to travel by Eurostar to Paris and two tickets for entry to the new Keith Haring exhibition.

You can view the rest of our wonderful entries below. Read the original brief here and see all the entries with comments (please do add your own!) on the Uniqlo facebook page here. Enjoy!

Uniqlo by Milly Jackson.

Uniqlo by Laura Hickman.

Uniqlo by Louise Madzia.

Uniqlo by Lisa Moldau.

Uniqlo by Louise Maher.

Uniqlo by Laura Hickman.

Uniqlo by Danielle Royer.

Uniqlo by Callum Russell.

Uniqlo by Shy Illustrations, Sheilagh Tighe.

Uniqlo by Daniel Fennings.

Staged by the renowned John Walford, this Bath based show aimed to rival the best of them. Held on Friday the 19th of April in The Assembly Rooms (which is also the home of The Fashion Museum), this show brought out the most fashion conscious of this lovely little spa city. Shops and brands exhibiting their wares included Bloomsbury, Austin Reed, Prey, Howl and Wolf,The Frock Exchange and Paul Smith. There was even a section dedicated to Bath Spa University student collections, all of it sponsored by high end jeweller Mallory.

Animals made from Linen and Champagne shaped fancy dress costumes from the 1400s were just some of the diverse exhibitions and events on show as part of this years Bath in Fashion 2013 and this kitten-walk displayed the same range and variety as the rest of the festival. Men, women, ballerinas, flower-girls, baggy jumpers, eye-wear and lingerie: all got their time in the spotlight.

The baby-blue walls and extravagant chandeliers of The Assembly Rooms reminded me of the surroundings at The Savoy LFW Gyunel Show I attended this season. The interiors of a venue always make a huge difference to the impact of the show itself, and the glitzy decor definitely gave these collections some extra oomph.

Bath in Fashion by Warren Clarke

Standing at the back of the room, I could hear three women, one holding a young ‘un chattering away, giggling at the cheeky smile of a middle-aged male model who, whether clad in shorts or suited up, never failed to excite the female members of the audience. The most significant thing about this show was the audience: a far cry from the young, tottering heels and extravagant, celebrity attended shows of Londres, this down to earth audience gave the show a friendly atmosphere. At LFW the audience are an attraction in themselves and many people spend their time scouting for familiar star-studded faces in the audience while they glance over the collections. This audience was mixed, and rather than the young, fresh faces in the crowd I’m used to, the audience was made up of a more mature crowd: presumably women with actual cash to splash.

Bath in Fashion illustration by youdesignme

I have a few clear favourites among the collections: umbrellas lined with grey city-scapes, and pouffy skirts, as well as colourful baggy jumpers featuring geometric prints. Each time the lights changed there was a new surprise, from girls laden with three or four bags, piled up on each arm, to uber-revealing outfits showing hip-bones and side-boob. For one collection girls wearing dresses adorned with fake birds were styled carrying flowers, and yet another look featured minimal bold lipstick and dark sunglasses.

Bath in Fashion by Emma Ferry

With the knowledge that Bath in Fashion 2013 was almost over for another year, there was a vague sense of sadness as the show drew to a close. Bath in Fashion is a great week in this little town, where the shops, the streets and exhibitions all take the quiet little city by storm. Known for being just a little bit posh, Bath has built a reputation for it’s lovely little boutiques, and love of all things vintage. This is something obvious from the catwalk itself, which shows the city at its most fashionable.

Mallory Show by Daniel Alexander

Diane Turner at the Secret Emporium Christmas Market. Photography by Elizabeth Khan–Greig.

EA Burns stall at Secret Garden Party.

This summer Amelia’s Magazine and Secret Emporium will celebrate the best in graduate design by helping a gifted young designer to launch a career as a designer maker. We are searching for a super talented graduate with bags of ideas about what they would like to make. This could be: jewellery, sunglasses, visors, clothing, accessories, illustrated goods, screen printed wares or art based food. Products with ethical or environmental considerations will be favoured.

Yellow cheetah sunglasses by Spangled at Secret Emporium.

And now for the best bit of all: the Prize! The winner of Amelia’s Award will be gifted a scholarship place worth £495 to showcase and sell their work with Secret Emporium at Wilderness Festival (held in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire on 8th – 11th August 2013). They will be profiled and promoted on Amelia’s Magazine, as well as through the Secret Emporium and Wilderness Festival promotional channels. A couple of runners up will also receive special recommendations and promotion in Amelia’s Magazine, and for the winner there will be the potential to become part of Secret Emporium in the future.

This is a great opportunity for a talented young design graduate to kickstart a glittering career so we can’t wait to hear from you! All we are looking for right now is some brilliant design ideas, the ambition to create wonderful things, and the desire to win Amelia’s Award and be a part of Secret Emporium this summer. Advice will be on hand to ensure those ideas become a reality, so don’t delay: fill in the form at this link now, or pass the information on to any talented design graduate friends who might be interested! The closing date for submissions is Monday 17th June.

Rosita Bonita. Photography by Emma Saunders.

Here’s a bit more information about Secret Emporium and Wilderness Festival to whet your palette:

Secret Emporium seeks out grass roots designers and curates events, collaborations and mentorship schemes to support designers and launch their careers. Every summer Secret Emporium embarks on a tour of the best British festivals with a tent full of independent designers hand sourced and curated from a mix of graduates and more established labels. Each designer takes a 8ft x 6ft pitch and sells their fashion, jewellery, art or illustration to the crowds for 4 full days. It allows designers who are starting out and who perhaps don’t have their label with stockists yet, who are doing things independently for themselves, the opportunity to access up to 60,000 people for sales. Designers get to interact with customers and benefit greatly from being juxtaposed with other designers who are able to share the same trials and successes of growing their own business. Collaborations are born and ideas are shared, but ultimately the most important part of being with Secret Emporium is the access to so many people thirsty for independent design, which results in sales and revenue that allows designers to financially support themselves.

Daisy Thomas at Secret Emporium.

Wilderness Festival is a 15,000 person music and culture festival at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire on 8th – 11th August 2013. Secret Emporium has a tent at Wilderness festival each year showcasing the best of independent British designers. The winner of Amelia’s Award will win a scholarship place in this tent worth £495. Wilderness Festival is a particular favorite for Secret Emporium as the Wilderness crowd love the tent and, financially, it is the most successful festival of the season.

Grace Du Prez at SGP. Photo by Maria Papadimitriou.

Further reading:
My reviews of Wilderness Festival in 2011 here and here (including photos of the Secret Emporium tent), an extensive review of the Secret Emporium tent at Secret Garden Party in 2012 by Maria Papadimitriou, a piece about Secret Emporium artist Lauren Baker and a recent interview with jeweller Rosita Bonita by Jessica Cook.

You’ve met my first pick of the 2013 graduating Middlesex University fashion and fashion textiles students: now meet the rest.

A tailored trio of sleek cream dresses and suiting by Jiselle Pineda featured tie detailing, high collars and a cut out back which made clever use of contrasting black fabric.

Wanita Panchal presented a brave menswear collection with a patchwork effect created from contrasting textiles on zippered loose coats, worn over drainpipe trousers and accessorised with pointy Arabian style shoes.

Jeyda Yilmaz put a pretty lilac print on a cute flared skater dress with pom-pom heeled shoes.

Jason Patrick Carvalho presented a sweeping dress with beautiful bold styling: a golden frame and letterbox red gloves.

I loved stiff golden frills on ra-ra skirts by Sarah Kathryn Grantham.

Natasha Tandoh used great accessories to match intriguing prints on peasant inspired garments.

Eva Juhasz mixed outsized mesh and ruffles with fiery print chiffon and woven geometric appliqué.

Kirin Atwal’s mainly cream collection featured panels of a striped burnt orange and black fabric that was also used in oversized holdall bags in this very professional and well styled collection.

Outsize roped knitwear by Eliot Moran was accessorised with hard knitted helmets to present an intriguing silhouette.

I loved the way that Charlotte Stewart matched neon tartan checks with black fabric and chunky lace up shoes: late 80s style made modern once more.

A delicate rope work motif took centre stage in designs by Charlotte Jones.

Intricate pleating by Lisa George was formed into an amazing rippled all-in-one jumpsuit.

An elegant swing trench coat with tie fronted waist by Karolina Formici was worn with brogues and a stunning double rope necklace.

Ange Syret presented avante grade clashing printed menswear – with tasselled headgear to match fringing on the garments.

Finally, it looked as if a car crash had inspired Laurence Wright to create a clever collection which made light of injuries: wounds reinterpreted as decorative detail and accessorised with bandaged heads.

Laurence Wright by Cathy Hookey.

I look forward to seeing what the chosen designers create for the big catwalk show at the Truman Brewery during Graduate Fashion Week in June.

Last week fashion students at Middlesex University held their 2013 internal fashion show, featuring work from over 100 graduating students. Some of them were then chosen by fashion world luminaries (including Louise Gray and James Long) to showcase full collections on the catwalk during Graduate Fashion Week this June: an exciting event to look forward to. Due to a mix up in timings I sadly missed the collections from the first 25 students to show: but here’s the best of those I did see, all of them possible stars of tomorrow. What a wonderful diversity of work on show!

Ethical menswear by Annest Gwynedd hit a contemporary nerve with useful pockets adorning aqua and coral coloured tailored coats, and chunky knitwear details.

Rachel Chapman’s exotic urban look saw men sporting neon wristband ruffs, appliquéd 3D flowers on shirts and prints inspired by ancient stone carvings on parka coats.

I.R. Walcott’s models wore dip-dyed high-tops to match distressed devore garments inspired by the textures of the urban environment.

I loved the elegant appliqué detailing on sleek dresses by Anna Giles: in this dress the green lobes remind me of a prickly cactus.

Grace Peverall went dotty with layered body con dresses that reminiscent of all over body painting by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Marion Doreau styled her menswear with some great papermache animal heads which provided a striking focal point on the catwalk.

Kirsty Anderton by Gaarte.

I don’t believe there can ever be enough over the top knitwear, and Kirsty Anderton’s skull shaped knitted dress was a major highlight of the show.

Luke Anthony Rooney successfully mixed wild colours and textures in his sculptural outfits, topped with tiaras.

I loved the simple styling of Abbie Ridler’s oversized mens’ jumpers, which were resplendent with abstract motifs inspired by African designs.

Sophie Chiesa by Chetna Shetty.

Sophie Chiesa by Cathy Hookey.

Sophie Chiesa’s discharge printed catsuit was a riot of colour, styled to great effect with over the top hair extensions that would not look out of place on a Barbie doll.

Anita Tetteh’s tapered powder pink harem pants were worn with cream chiffon and a pencil skirt and scalloped crop top in bold monochrome stripes were a lesson in understated elegance.

Tailored menswear by Shiri Elmekless featured beautiful oversized shirts with clever layers of folds and beautiful button detailing.

Sylwia Szyplik took inspiration from relaxed 80s style in her cream and dove grey collection.

Scalloped sculptural cutaway shapes were combined with geometric triangle detailing and fringed mohair by Christia Charalambous.

Read my next blog to discover the best of the rest. You saw them here first!

It’s not often that I get over-excited about a music artist on the basis of one video, but that is exactly what happened after hearing the soon to be released single Who Am I? from singer Tiny Dancer, a pop star in the making if ever I saw one. This exotic whirlwind hails from a small village just outside Sheffield, where a passion for music secured her a place at the local theatre school. With a look that channels the leotards, swaying moves and swinging locks of Kate Bush, and a dance floor friendly sound that is all her own, I caught up to find out what makes Tiny tick.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You describe yourself as an ‘artist having a love affair with music’ – which came first and how do the two entwine in your life?
I made a commitment to my music, music is the love of my life. It’s a relationship without the problems and it will never stop making me happy. There wasn’t really a question as to whether or not I’d be doing this, I’ve been doing it all my life so why would that change? I was making music since i was around 8 when I first sat by my dad at the guitar, I wrote my first song when I was 13 with a few basic chords on the piano. 

Tiny Dancer by Sharon Farrow.

You’ve already been compared with some greats: Kate Bush, Gwen Stefani, Marina & the Diamonds. Who were you listening to when you were a little girl?
I grew up listening to a lot of songs my dad would play – by The Beatles, Phil Collins, The Monkees and Genesis. Then I discovered Lene Lovich, by that time I’d lost my mind… she’s still living somewhere inside of me I’m sure. I knew at the early stages of my life I was different. I sometimes felt and still feel like I’m channelling another person or someone else lives inside me… I’m definitely being guided and watched. 

Tiny Dancer by Carley Chiu.

Tiny Dancer by Gemma Cotterell.

It’s been said that you are not another ‘winsome girl perched on a stool with an acoustic guitar‘ – how do you write?
I experience things, I write about them, and then I move on. Writing about experiences enables me to move on from them. It’s a cathartic process, and has, in many ways, changed my outlook on life as a result. My lyrics are often dark, but I’m not exactly the Tim Burton of lyrics. Darkness is supposed to be the absence of light but for me it’s a place where creativity thrives, this is the kind of darkness that inspires me to write in the way that I do. I write stories really, that’s what my songs are, short stories but I hope they enable people to create their own personal story.

Tiny Dancer by Katie Eberts.

Tiny Dancer by Simon McLaren.

I love your outfit in Who Am I? – how did you decide what to wear and how important is the way you dress?
You know how a child wears exactly what they want? Well that’s me. Maybe it’s difficult to understand, but I’m not fashionable. My image will forever be evolving, change is what keeps everything on it’s feet… each outfit I wear has it’s own personality, in fact you could say that my clothes control me. My favourite piece to wear is self expression, I have always wanted to wear a black fin. Face paint is also a vital part of me, paint is art and art is a form of exorcism… it adds another dimension to my performance.

Tiny Dancer by Daniel Alexander.

Tiny Dancer by Lea Rimoux.

You’ve been working with Wayne Wilkins – how does the relationship work?
Wayne is one of the most talented and genuine people you will ever meet. I’m deadly serious when I say this… When we work together, we are always in a very focused space. It’s also very much a wonderland when musical magic is born.

Who Am I? by Tiny Dancer is released by Croydon Boy on 6th May.

When listened together the whispers of the performers creates a cacophony of courtroom language and cross examination questions to BP staff. Liberate Tate suggest viewers play all three videos at the same time to bring out the dialogue between the texts, accompanied by unexpected visual interplay as the performers move around different parts of the gallery. Here, one performer beautifully describes how being part of All Rise made her feel:

‘Earplugs muffled the surrounding noise, so that all I could hear was a clear expressionless voice reading a transcript of part of the trial. With my focus intent on the lens of the camera phone fixed a few centimetres in front of me, my visual field was limited, with only the most striking items beyond the narrow field catching my attention. The straps attaching the pole with the camera to my body were snugly tight, slightly restricting my breathing. I felt isolated, cut off, separated from the world. The film gives a good impression of how I felt – as though I was travelling through the gallery encased in a bubble separating me from everyone and everything. It was disconcerting – paintings, sculptures, installations which illustrate and embody connection to the world seemed to pass by me without my being able to connect with them in the way that I’m used to doing. And I felt strangely claustrophobic, stuck inside my head, focusing on the voice intoning into my ears, on repeating the words without processing their meaning, and on staring into the spyhole directly ahead of me.

What relief I felt at stepping out afterwards into the sunshine, feeling the air on my skin, connecting with others through conversation, looking around at the brilliant varieties of colours and shapes and people…

And it struck me that this sense of being cut off and the feeling of claustrophobia in the performance echoed the claustrophobia and isolation of a courtroom, especially one where a long trial is in process, with no windows looking out. Where the proceedings, delivered in often archaic and certainly formulaic language, and usually with sombre lack of inflection and minimal emotion, can begin to seem unconnected to the real world – the place, the context for the incident under examination. And a long legal process can also give rise to a feeling of claustrophobia in the way that you don’t know when it will end, or whether it’s even going to result in justice.

Performing in All Rise was a strangely disembodied experience. Just as the dry legal process is a long way from the reality of toxic seawater, dolphins struggling to breathe, people’s livelihoods ruined and communities left stranded, a corner of the earth and a wide stretch of ocean poisoned. It was a lesson, reminding me that what matters is matter, the breathing, heaving world that my body connects me to. Every piece of work in the Tate is about how what’s inside each of us connects with what’s outside, and how that connection comes about – through our skin, our eyes, our ears, our senses. When we forget to keep that connection alive, disasters happen, injustice becomes possible. In bringing that disembodied voice of law to the place where connection is celebrated, we make it matter.’

Week of Pines is the beautiful long playing debut album by Welsh singer-songwriter and harpist Georgia Ruth, it’s creation prompted by a return to Wales. Love that has been lost is tempered with joy at being home, and in the solitude of a Snowdonia studio she has melded together a plethora of influences to create an album that has an all pervading sense of calmness. Opening track and album namesake Week of Pines is a highlight, the gorgeous melody swinging along to a hastening drum beat. Welsh tune Codi Angor harnesses more obvious folk influences, and Dovecote includes the atmospheric clanging of bells, Georgia’s voice drifting in and out of the instrumental with hypnotic grace. Seeing You Around and In Luna trace the troubles of lost love, her vocals soaring in delicate arcs around the harp. A lonesome harmonica takes pride of place in Old Blue, a reinvigorated Appalachian song made popular by Joan Baez, and the album finishes with the slow beat of Winter, redemptive lyrics bringing the album to a fitting close.

Week of Pines features songs in both Welsh and English – but I believe you did not even grow up speaking Welsh. How did you get to the position where you were confident to write and sing in it?
I grew up bilingually from the age of 4, when my family moved from South Wales to Aberystwyth and I started going to a Welsh language primary school. From then on, the two languages were an integral part of my everyday identity. And it’s very much true of my music, too. There are some things I feel only able to express in Welsh, and vice versa. But I knew the album would have songs in both languages.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You have said that most of your songs come from personal experiences – what experiences have made this record?
On the next album I’ve told myself that I’m not allowed to write one song that relates to my actual life, just to see how I get on! Narcissistic bugger. But in many ways Week of Pines is a record about coming home. I moved back to Wales a couple of years ago, after living in London and Brighton, and the friends and relationships that I found waiting for me here have been so important and strengthening.. It’s a happy record, sun through the leaves stuff, despite some moments in the shade!

Georgia Ruth by Laura Griffin.

Why did you decide to learn the harp, and what is the best thing about it?
I started learning when I was 7. But it wasn’t quite my choice. In our primary school, the instrument you got was very much dependent on your place in the register. I wanted clarinet (the instrument of the enviable 10 year olds) but being a Williams did not stand in my favour. All the Evanses and Griffithses got the clarinet. So they offered me the harp, and I said yes! The best thing about the harp is that it’s a great conversation starter. You’re standing at the bus stop with one of these beauties stood next to you, someone’s going to want to ask you about it! That being said, it’s a nightmare to get it on planes. That is absolutely the worst thing about it. 

Georgia Ruth by Rhi Pardoe.

You happily meld influences such as sea shanties, appalachian tunes and traditional folk. What were you listening to as you grew up?
Lots of different stuff! My parents would play a lot of Hank Williams, American and British folk music, Paul Simon, Melanie. And then I was learning these Welsh folk songs in school. When I hit my teens, it was the solo women who took up most of my earspace: Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Aimee Mann, Sandy Denny. 

What was it like to record in the middle of Snowdonia?
Very quiet! Bryn Derwen is such a wonderful, peaceful studio. We were there for a week in the middle of August, and the air was thick and heavy with the smell of the eucalyptus trees. At times, you weren’t sure which country you were in! It was a very happy time. 

Georgia Ruth by youdesignme.

This record has been described as a homecoming – what prompted the move back to Wales and will you be staying for the near future?
I just woke up one morning in Brighton, and realised that I missed Wales terribly. And I came back! I’m definitely very happy here, so yes: I’m not going anywhere. Unless someone forces me to live in sun-filled San Francisco, I would have to concede to their wishes… 

What can musicians find in Wales that is not so easy to find elsewhere?
Mountains! Certainly for me, it’s been the sense of fraternity and support amongst the musicians here in Wales that has been the most amazing. In London, I often felt quite isolated as a musician. I didn’t feel as much a part of a community as I do now. And that’s been so key to the making of this record. I was all but ready to give up, and then I came home, met these remarkable people, and thought: nope! 

Georgia Ruth by youdesignme.

Where can fans hear you over the course of 2013?
I’ll be touring the album in May and June with the band (current list of dates is on georgiaruthmusic.co.uk with a possible few more to be added) and I’m particularly excited about playing in Spillers Records in Cardiff on the day of release. It’s such a brilliant record shop, that’ll be a real privilege. 

Week of Pines by Georgia Ruth is released on 20th May 2013 by Gwymon Records.

In the upstairs section of the Embankment Galleries at Pick Me Up are housed a plethora of hand-picked collectives, some of which have had a presence in previous years, some of which are new for 2013. The section begins with a superb display by Day Job, a collaboration between ten recent Camberwell graduates who share a studio in Peckham, South London, some of whom I recognised.

Charlotte Mei’s idiosyncratic pottery was a stand out feature at her graduate show: for Pick Me Up she has created a whole fleet of cars, characterful naked ladies in contorted positions, a pizza with strange toppings and a host of other animals. Brilliant stuff!

I loved all of the prints by Charlene Man, and I was also tempted by her pastel painted wooden blocks for Snarfle, but feared he might chew the patterns off.

Human After All is the latest brainwave from Danny Miller and friends. As promotion for their newly launched creative agency they are hosting a space where you can construct your own #facestamp, to be applied to a t-shirt, with eye-catching results.

Zombie Collective is five illustrators: their interactive cog machine is a splendid addition to the gallery, spitting out gifts for lucky punters. Maggie Li’s beautiful house print really caught my eye, as did this politely sleeping fox by Frann Preston-Gannon. Also for sale, some sweet acrylic treats.

Print Club London are hosting the main room with a chance to help create a ‘living wallpaper’ drawn by the likes of Fred Butler and Margot Bowman. It looks like the just the place to hang out with the kids: give Snarfle a few years and we’ll be there!

Columbia Road’s Nelly Duff gallery have created perhaps the most spectacular room, where artworks and specially commissioned wall decals on a ‘flower show’ theme combine to stunning effect. Of particular note: Dan Hillier’s foil blocked lady, curlicued skulls courtesy of Sweet Toof, and a skull print by Various and Gould (seen above in situ on a doorway just off Brick Lane).

Back for a second year running Soma Gallery are showcasing a wide selection of prints by long running collaborators such as Peskimo and Tom Frost, as well as newbies such as Telegramme Studio and Hazel Nicholls. I particularly loved these 3D wooden gum ball artworks by Peskimo.

Unlimited Collective is a print company based in Brighton. Taking pride of place in their busy space is a huge yellow tattooed man, complete with hipster moustache. All over tattoos continue to be the badge of the uber cool, but if you’re too chicken to go the whole hog yourself then artwork by El Famoso might be just the ticket instead.

I was so taken by a black bear on a tiny tricycle by Jessie Ford that I bought one on a whim – it will go up in Snarfle’s room: something more to growl at.

Handsome Frank is an illustration agency that has done a great job of snapping up brilliant up and coming illustrators, including many that have featured in these pages (Lesley Barnes, Tim McDonagh, Sarah Maycock). Some of my favourite works on display at their interactive stand include a stunning paper gatehouse by Helen Musselwhite, a curious character by Emily Robertson, sleeping log gremlins by Matt Saunders and a wonderful knight on a horse by Lesley Barnes.

Read my review of Pick Me Up Selects here, and if you are unable to check out Pick Me Up in person make sure you check out all the talent above online. Full listing information here.