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.

LIVE REVIEW: Bombay Bicycle Club - O2 Academy Bristol, 12th March 2014

Originally published at Middle Boop Mag: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/live/live-bombay-bicycle-club-o2-academy-bristol-12th-march-2014

Bombay Bicycle Club are our very own home grown, quintessential indie band. The fresh faced poster children of their generation – but can their fourth album in four years, a fast turnover for any band, do enough to keep us interested?

BBC dove in with their game changing debut record (I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose) back in 2010, followed it with a folk-acoustic offering (Flaws), dabbled in art-rock shoegaze (A Different Kind Of Fix) and have now added beats and loops on their current album So Long See You Tomorrow. They have fearlessly done the unthinkable – considerably reinventing their sound with each album, pleasing current fans and keeping them thoroughly refreshed, whilst attracting new ones in their droves.

Their fantastic new album has finally taken the idiosyncratic North London foursome to the lofty heights of the number one spot, which is surprisingly their first. What an achievement - the entire LP was also their first to have been entirely self-produced– promising wholly raw talent and hopeful longevity for this superb band, without needing to hide in the shadows of impressive producers.

Most bands are either loved for their ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ music, it’s not often that a band can receive equally strong reactions live to these opposite ends of the spectrum. Their live show did just that, sweeping us up in the dizzy euphoria of ‘Carry Me’, back down to the bashful heartache of‘What If’.

Having spent the last year travelling Turkey, India and Asia, Front man Jack Steadman is said to have drawn the exotic influences on the record from these travels, finding not only himself – but the true essence of the band, as trite as that sounds. ‘Feel’, another gem from their latest record was an amazing moment live, and gauging the crowds response to this unusual swerve in sound – it seems these risks have well and truly paid off.

Their performance was a whirlwind or colour and noise through their impressive back catalogue, mixing the old with the new, cherry picking from the best with no vanity filler ballads or boring, overly long instrumentals. The audience was excitable and completely consumed throughout. 

They have in the past, (and still to this day) been criticised for lacking an identity. But does having a number one album suddenly mean that they should start smashing up their guitars and making grandiose statements about the state of ‘modern music’ during their live shows now? They are a band of few words, with art and craft at the forefront of their imaginations.

LIVE REVIEW: Anna Calvi - Komedia, Bath - 12th February 2014

Armed with shimmering second album One Breath and her Fender Telecaster guitar, British singer/songwriter Anna Calvi is back on tour, playing a modicum of European and UK dates. Her self-titled debut album won the once-shrinking-violet countless awards and a 9/10 from NME, a modern day rarity. 

With a blue sunny sky graphic as her backdrop, Calvi looked every bit as stunning and intriguing as before. As a performer, Calvi is irresistibly alluring – effortlessly commanding the attention of everyone present with an entrancing yet humble stage presence.

The Domino Records protégé opened with ‘Suzanne and I’ - a firm fan favourite from her debut. ‘Sing To Me’ oozed confidence and unmistakable sincerity about her craft, and the stunning ‘Cry’ was every bit femme fatale as it needed to be when played live.

Her cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ’Fire’ was the moment of the night for most, and her version of ‘Desire’ was incredibly special. Calvi’s encore was a real chance for her free, less inhibited side to shine. She barely spoke throughout the performance, which added even more to that undeniable mystique that wasn’t compromised once throughout the evening.

Calvi has previously spoken about once having a phobia of singing, and called it a ‘block’ on wanting to hear her own voice, this is probably the driving force as to why her vocals and guitar are now so acutely in harmony, having learned both skills at different times. Tonight was an intense, un-punctured performance from an incredibly exciting artist.

LIVE REVIEW: Kodaline @ O2 Academy Bristol 18/11/2013

Originally published at Middle Boop Mag: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/live/live-kodaline-o2-academy-bristol-18112013

Radio friendly. Soft rock. One for the mums. These are some of the connotations that your mind may subconsciously throw up at the mention of Kodaline, and you could be forgiven for this for it’s certainly how they’ve been packaged. You’ll probably recognise them from tracks like ‘High Hopes’ and ‘Love Like This’, which are played religiously on the hour, every hour on Radio One.

Essentially, the Irish four-piece are all of these dreadful things, but (hang on in there) they were bloody good live, and their album In A Perfect World is bloody fantastic too, despite it all. They’ve been compared with Coldplay, Muse and The Script, so they really are a mixed bag of what some people might call 'easy listening'. 

The gig was comprised of 30 something’s and swooning teenage/a little older girls. Their album washed appreciatively over the crowd as they fiercely and some a little too intensely (listen to ‘High Hopes’ and imagine the person next to you wiping a tear from their eye and singing along in a rather wobbly voice)  lost their minds to their biggest hits.  

It was easy, it was pleasant, and for a gig on a Monday night after a rather messy weekend, they were just what the doctor would have prescribed, if doctors dabbled in events based remedies.  I entered the building jaded, over it before it had even begun. I left a fan, and listened to the album on repeat for upwards of a week. To all your high-brow muso's out there, initial thoughts deserve to be cast aside on this one. 

LIVE REVIEW: Disclosure @ O2 Academy Bristol 16/11/2013

Originally published at Middle Boop Mag: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/live/live-disclosure-o2-academy-bristol-17112013

The Disclosure brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence kicked off their eight-date UK tour at Bristol’s O2 Academy on Saturday night. The pop/house duo have been extremely busy since the release of their debut album Settle (which reached number one in the UK back in June) and their smattering of top 10 singles including ‘Latch’, ‘You And Me’ and ‘F For You’. The pair also played just about every summer festival going, and have just finished off a string of US and European dates.

Support came from Aussie music whizz- kid producer Flume, could there have been a better warm-up? Flume set the tone of the evening with his experimental and avant-garde beats, and took it beyond a gig, coupled with the fact is was a Saturday night, his tracks ‘Sleepless’, ‘Insane’, ‘Holdin On’ and ‘On Top’ went off in a huge way.

Disclosure’s sound was crisp, their set flawless, yet there was noticeably a certain lack of atmosphere. The boys didn’t really talk much between tracks, and it felt as if they were hammering through their set in the same fashion a check-out operator might idly scan through someone’s grocery shopping. It lacked a certain something, and although a joy to hear all of their summer infused tracks in succession, it felt as if you may as well be hearing them in some club played out by the resident DJ.

The highlight of their set was on last track ‘Latch’, which debuted at number one in the UK back in spring. Vocalist Sam Smith came to join them on-stage and his silky smooth vocals echoed around the room. The Disclosure album seemed to divide opinions, some found it amazing, some even stated it the best thing to happen to current dance music, others found it monotonous and sterile. This difference in opinion may well be true of their live shows too, but coming from a huge fan of the album, it was overall rather disappointing.

ALBUM REVIEW: Pink Martini – Get Happy (Wrasse Records)

Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée: November/December 2013. 

Pink Martini, fronted by China Forbes, formed in 1994. Get Happy is the groups’ sixth album, and sees the self titled ‘little orchestra’ doing what they do best, playfully genre hopping from classical, latin, jazz and classic pop. 

‘What‘ll I Do?’ is a highlight, with its spine tingling romanticism. Legendary singer/composer Rufus Wainwright also lends his delectable vocals on tracks ‘Kitty Come Home’ and ‘Get Happy’. 

Their glamorous blend of cafe culture ambience is nothing short of remarkable, with lyrics in German, Spanish, Japanese and Turkish. Get Happy is eclecticism at its very finest, to be enjoyed with a crisp glass of white on many a dusky summers eve.  

BOOK REVIEW: Bon Courage! A French Renovation in Rural Limousin, By Richard Wiles

Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée: November/December 2013. 

Author and journalist Richard Wiles is famed for a succession of DIY books, and was previously Senior Editor of Ideal Home Magazine. After a failed marriage and the loss of said job, Wiles felt compelled to embark on an ultimate DIY adventure all of his own. He, along with new partner Al, decided to renovate an uninhabitable, rodent infested barn in the picture perfect Limousin region. 

This autobiographical account of their trials and tribulations, titled thoughtfully Bon Courage (which is a French tongue- in-cheek expression, nodding knowingly to the enormity of life’s necessary and unexpected renovations) is a charming, easygoing and insightful read, and serves as great inspiration to anyone who is contemplating their own similar project. 

EP REVIEW: Best Coast - Fade Away

Originally published at Planet Notion: http://www.planetnotion.com/2013/10/18/ep-review-best-coast-fade-away/

It’s been a year since California’s favourite revivalist duo Best Coast released their second album, The Only Place.  Their new seven-track EP, Fade Away, featuring lead single ‘I Don’t Know’, shows Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno carrying on perfectly complimenting one another lyrically and sonically.

Opener ‘This Lonely Morning’ is a sunny grunge gem; Cosentino’s voice coming together with the track’s hazy guitars for a west coast gem. ‘I Wanna Know’, meanwhile, is a romantically yearning, girl-pop number, and in that classic Best Coast way, Cosentino’s self-deprecating charm is executed perfectly once again.

Title track ‘Fade Away’ ironically features the couplet, “I won’t change/I’ll stay the same.” And, that’s exactly what they’ve done. A couple of tracks into the EP, it becomes clear that Best Coast don’t plan on changing a single thing about their direction. ‘Baby I’m Crying’ leans towards more of a classic, sixties pop hue, with Bobb expertly matching Cosentino’s sentiment with each chord wrung from his guitar.

At times Fade Away is very self-indulgent, but it’s real and is a much needed, sun-drenched dose for fans to enjoy; sticking to much the same formula as their previous material. So, as you prepare to delve into the next chapter of Cosentino’s indie rock diary, get set for more heart-on-sleeve lyrics, unrequited love and hating on boys.