Tortoise

Julian J Smith was back for a second helping of London Fashion Week this season, sale after his brilliant debut last September showing his inspired SS10 collection. Having previously worked with the likes of Roland Mouret and Erdem, before branching out with his own label – Julian J Smith is one designer who certainly knows his craft.

Illustrations throughout courtesy of Teabelle.

Set to fast paced music the collection consisted of edgy urban wear, with a touch of femininity in the fitted dress silhouettes. It is said that Julian was inspired by a mixture of ‘Icy Scandinavia and the wild natives of Central America,’ and these influences shone through. Pixelated diamond prints rocked the runway in pretty shades of pink, mustard yellow and baby blues, which contributed to the Central America theme; contrasted against hard black, which was a recurring theme right across the catwalks this season. Shiny, black, puffa-style jackets added something playful and individual to the Julian J Smith collection; creating a beautiful contrast with the summery colour palette.

Photograph courtesy of Camilla Sampson.

Beautiful dress panels that reminded me of spider’s webs were a favourite; filled with delicate holes, and combined with other colour panels. Other recurring trends from previous seasons included the statement shoulder, but here there was a softer take on the look: puff sleeves on black jackets were juxtaposed against tougher zips across the front. Some draping was seen on skirts, and there were splashes of bolder colours, such as acid green, warming up the look for AW10. Monochrome paint splatter graphics were scattered throughout, on shoulders and dress panels, whilst attention to detail was a definite strength of the collection, such as cut-out shoulders.

The looks were teamed with French plaits, opaque tights, and glossy black plastic headbands with touches of grey that had something a little sci-fi about them (but were most likely the ‘Icy Scandinavia’ influence). Finally there was a subtler approach to the sheer trend, with just sleeves being presented transparently.
Julian J Smith is definitely on our list of ones to watch next season, with his talent most definitely growing from strength to strength. With recurring trends being a key focus for the collection, Julian J Smith deftly manipulated them to his advantage in a way that only an emerging design talent could.
Julian J Smith was back for a second helping of London Fashion Week this season, information pills after his brilliant debut last September showing his inspired SS10 collection. Having previously worked with the likes of Roland Mouret and Erdem, visit before branching out with his own label – Julian J Smith is one designer who certainly knows his craft.

Illustrations throughout courtesy of Teabelle.

Set to fast paced music the collection consisted of edgy urban wear, buy with a touch of femininity in the fitted dress silhouettes. It is said that Julian was inspired by a mixture of ‘Icy Scandinavia and the wild natives of Central America,’ and these influences shone through. Pixelated diamond prints rocked the runway in pretty shades of pink, mustard yellow and baby blues, which contributed to the Central America theme; contrasted against hard black, which was a recurring theme right across the catwalks this season. Shiny, black, puffa-style jackets added something playful and individual to the Julian J Smith collection; creating a beautiful contrast with the summery colour palette.

Photograph courtesy of Camilla Sampson.

Beautiful dress panels that reminded me of spider’s webs were a favourite; filled with delicate holes, and combined with other colour panels. Other recurring trends from previous seasons included the statement shoulder, but here there was a softer take on the look: puff sleeves on black jackets were juxtaposed against tougher zips across the front. Some draping was seen on skirts, and there were splashes of bolder colours, such as acid green, warming up the look for AW10. Monochrome paint splatter graphics were scattered throughout, on shoulders and dress panels, whilst attention to detail was a definite strength of the collection, such as cut-out shoulders.

The looks were teamed with French plaits, opaque tights, and glossy black plastic headbands with touches of grey that had something a little sci-fi about them (but were most likely the ‘Icy Scandinavia’ influence). Finally there was a subtler approach to the sheer trend, with just sleeves being presented transparently.
Julian J Smith is definitely on our list of ones to watch next season, with his talent most definitely growing from strength to strength. With recurring trends being a key focus for the collection, Julian J Smith deftly manipulated them to his advantage in a way that only an emerging design talent could.

Being signed to Mogwai’s label certainly sends out indicators to what’s in store. Much in the same way that Rock Action’s inceptors have long become a hardy perennial of having a very particular sound over forking down any new roads, what is ed the new album from Glasgow based 4 piece Errors doesn’t take any big risks or curveballs. Two years on from their debut It’s Not Something But It Is Like Whatever, sildenafil we have more of the same sharp, clean and medically precise electro rock – yet, this is no bad thing.

What they have learnt is a honing in of their craft, they’ve locked it tight, made it solid. Hermetically sealed almost. Admirable though it was, their debut had a feel of studiousnous, of meticulous “rock school” perfectionism that left the end product somewhat cold. Here, much of what flawed their debut works to their advantage.

Errors love clean sounds, precisions, crispness and angles. This is music that could only ever be made after someone had already made Tortoise: that Chicago band born out of an intense one night stand between a Hardcore that can no longer suppress its futuristic inclinations, and its old nemesis musicality, itself tired of the dullness of its own knowledge.

Errors are direct descendents of this spiky yet somehow eggheaded family tree. Cousions of Pivot, nephews of Kieren Hebden and Tyondai Braxton and grandchildren of Mogwai, great grandchildren of Slint, somehow along the way blood ties with Mike Patton and Richard James remain strong.

Although, perhaps just as their great forebeares Tortoise did one hot night, Errors now have a massively aroused horn, a swollen crush on records from Manchester with serial numbers like FAC451, they are eyeing up cocktails at the bar, cocktails with neon tinged 80s names drank to make one feel like your on a yaught. They will go home tonight lusting after these sexy items as they spoon their mathematically precise post rock partners. A few years ago M83 transformed their dreamy layers of synth into something more sparkly, in a similar, if more visible way, here Errors begin a slow, subtle shift.

The 7” A Rumour In Africa is sunny, optimistic and almost sounds like a festival band, clean shiny guitars lay the signature down weaving in and out of the crispy, quantised beats. The stand out comes third in, Supertribe is a beautifully rendered collision of old and new – early nineties clean synths and drum patterns like acid era Factory records mechanically but sensitively rebooted into a post – emo, post – electro, post – post rock world.

This is not a groundbreaking record. It does not move mountains. Yet it is the satisfying site of seeing a previously uptight friend fall in love. In a small way, Errors have found their own mutation of post rock.

Written by Paul Hanford on Monday March 1st, 2010 1:03 pm

Categories ,errors, ,Kieren Hebdan, ,M83, ,Mike Patton, ,mogwai, ,Richard James, ,slint, ,Tortoise, ,Tyondi Baxton

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