PREVIEW: Bath In Fashion

Written for Shoon, appears on the company website. http://www.shoon.com/articles/this-weeks-bath-in-fashion.htm

Bath in Fashion is upon us once again, a glorious week of programming that celebrates the British fashion industry; its origins past and present. It’s a time when the picturesque city comes alive with street-style, fashion celebrities and a wealth of exciting events for everyone to get involved with. These include style debates, stage workshops, style counsel, exhibitions and installations.

This year, it’s the turn of fashion giant BIBA, marking their 50th anniversary. It’s a time for celebration, reflection and insider know-how. Starting life as a London fashion store in the 60’s and 70’s, BIBA had a humble beginning, stocking affordable fashion for its customers. BIBA is now housed by House Of Fraser, and its creator Barbara Hulanicki will be leading the talks, joined for a debate by former Fashion Director from The Telegraph, Hilary Alexander.

Other guests include Meadhame Kirchhoff – cited as the most creative duo at this years’ London Fashion Week, as she talks about her work with Sarah Mower, from Bath, who is currently the Contributing Editor of American Vogue. 

Other speakers include Mary Homer, MD of Topshop and Clarks’ creative designer Paolo Gabreilli as part of the Fashion As a Business segment of the week.

Bath in Fashion Pavillion is a main feature and will showcase a programme created in partnership with Selvedge Magazine, visualising the imagination and poignant skills of local craftsmen and women from the area and beyond. 

Nina Campbell, (below) will also be hosting a master class on interior design, which will explain how she uses colour, texture, lighting, art pieces and flowers to create the perfect indoor space.

ALBUM REVIEW: Foster The People - Supermodel

Originally published at Gigwise: http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/89568/foster-the-people---supermodel-columbia

Californian three-piece Foster The People are best known for their breakthrough single ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, which was released in 2010. Front man and former jingle writer Mark Foster essentially dressed one of America’s historical tragedies (The Columbine High School massacre of 1999) in a happy hat, and a worldwide hit ensued. It was a good song, but the dark narrative was a strange juxtaposition against the cheerful whistles and happy-go-lucky beat.

A self-titled EP and their debut album Torches (which includes singles ‘Helena Beat’ and ‘Call It What You Want’) followed, and did do exceptionally well across the US, Australia and Britain. The following singles followed the same formula, and Foster’s jingle-writing background is very apparent, their music does lack a certain depth, but bloody hell it’s catchy.

‘Coming Of Age’, the bands lead single from new album Supermodel, is pleasant – an easy, universally identifiable narrative about (you guessed it) coming of age, set against sugary sweet, LA- centric indie/pop and syrupy guitars reverbs.

The album is said to be a comment on fame and how it can change people, and how those around you can also change as a product of the (what I imagine to be the most minimal amount of) fame. It’s a nice idea, but doesn’t carry much weight for the FTP guys, who are still relatively new on the scene, and haven’t really done that much yet, in the grand scheme of things.

The record on the whole is fine, but isn’t really anything to get too excited about, it’s pretty transparent, and different songs seem only to mimic their influences, take ‘Fire Escape’ which just screams Bon Iver, or ‘Ask Yourself’ which is essentially Talking Heads territory.

A second album from Foster The People is like being offered seconds of a meal that you didn’t really enjoy that much anyway, you’ll have a bit more, you suppose, you guess it would be rude not to, but you could really have done without that last slice. 

ALBUM REVIEW: Cheatahs -Cheatahs

Originally published at Gigwise: http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/88577/cheatahs---cheatahs-wichita

Cheetah’s self-titled debut was created in an old, stone-floored cottage in Devon - which is a strange setting to imagine a record like this to have been born in. Their self-titled album sounds as its cover connotes – fiery, decollate, hazy and slightly Americanised – a far cry from the chocolate-box, parochial setting in which it was indeed crafted.

The American sounding grunge hue clearly derives from the drummer and producer of the record, San Diego born Dean Reid. Vocalist and lead guitarist Nathan Hewitt , originally from Canada, and James Wignall (guitar, vocals) from Leister, met whilst working at a bar in Camden. The pair became great friends and eventually in 2010, after years spent messing around in numerous punk and rock bands, decided to form a band of their own. Cheatahs was born.

The four-piece went on to spend a couple of months touring the US with surf rock stoners Wavves and FIDLAR before completing the album, you’ll find many a nod to both bands mentioned on the record, which was finished off in an east London studio when the band returned home.

Cheatahs have managed to come up with an album that sounds so utterly nostalgic and familiar, whilst steering clear of those often copyright infringing tendencies that put other bands like this in the ground before they’ve even taken off. Think Nirvana, Interpol and even Tame Impala – the record is a haze of low-fuzz, moody rock homage, washed out and distorted down to a T with little room for complaint.