Slam Dunk Da Funk 4
This year I finally made it to Slam Dunk, giving into the fourteen year old suppressed self within, craving the music of my youth! I couldn't help it when I saw some old favourites on the lineup such as Less than Jake, Capdown and Motion City Soundtrack bringing back memories, not to mention my band of the moment We Are The In Crowd!
We were lucky the weather was great, we spent a lot of the time by the outside stage and stalls but also caught some great intimate performances inside, such as a surprise acoustic performance by Deaf Havana. It was great to catch up with some old uni friends and really get back into the music, even if I did feel a little old for it now.
To be a true fourteen year old fan girl once again I decided to use my talents and make front woman Tay Jardine, from We Are The In Crowd, a bespoke hand crafted piece using the word 'Ohana', luckily the meet and greet proved an opportune time to hand this over and I even got a cheeky hug off her and Mike. She seemed rather chuffed with it as the word had a lot of personal meaning, so hopefully this won't get lost with the piles of other fan stuff!
After the meet and greet we went over to the main stage and caught Motion City Soundtrack who played a few old favourites, shortly followed by We Are The In Crowd who worked the crowd brilliantly wrapping it up with an energetic performance of 'Rumour Mill' with Tay getting down onto the barrier.
2014-05-26
Comics Unmasked 4
This Saturday saw me take a visit to the opening of Comics Unmasked at the British Library. The exhibition features the work of many iconic names including Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta), Grant Morrison (Batman: Arkham Asylum) and Posy Simmonds (Tamara Drewe) plus my personal favourite Jamie Hewlett. It looks back through time at how comics have developed and showcasing titles on specific themes such as politics, gender, sex and altered states.
The exhibition itself is very well done, not only providing a wide range of content, and being set out in an exciting and well designed manner, taking you through different themes and periods of time. Unfortunately going on the opening day this proved an issue as we walked round in what can only be described as an airport queue manner fighting to see any of the individual comics displayed! An excellent addition to the experience was a section which recreated a teenagers room, showcasing various items that have influenced and been influenced by comics. A single table in the centre of the room allowed you to sit down and draw your own pieces getting you more immersed in the environment.
Unfortunately you cannot take images inside so you will have to go check it out for yourself! I would highly recommend going when it is less busy.
2014-05-12
Cats and Cakes! 4
This May bank holiday weekend I took a very special Trip to Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium in Shoreditch. Having booked this up months in advance, after eagerly anticipating its opening and being a huge cat lover, I was very excited to see what they had to offer! After being taken through the rules of the cafe we were let through to an underground hive full of cats, quirky furniture and play toys!
At first it seems a little awkward sitting with a load of strangers all gathering around some cute little friends, but after a while you relax into it and find yourself even talking to these strangers about your love of cats. My favourite was Mue, the mummy of the group, who took interest in me waving around a feather toy for her to roll around with. The great thing about this place is that the cats are rescues, and knowing that they now have a great life being pampered all the time!
We ordered a bagel and quiche, as well as the cream tea which came with a choice of flavoured scones, opting for the cinnamon and apple version. The food was good, though I would recommend going for one of the cakes as they looked amazing! With our two hour slot coming to a close we joined the floor and met some of the other characters of the emporium, including a great ginger character called Romeo. This is must for any cat lover!
2014-05-03
Pick Me Up 2014 4
Last night some of the guys from the studio and myself popped along to the late night opening of Pick Me Up 2014 at Somerset House. Always proving to be a tasty selection of visual eye candy for the creative minded this year didn't disappoint.
Not only was there a mixture of fantastic work, credit had to also be given to the branding of the event. Throughout the space it was applied very successfully, with the pencil shaped paper clips appearing all over the place as way-finding on walls and stairs, creating bright graphic directions in between the vast amount of work.
There was quite a few different workshops going on that I wish I had got involved with. There was a lovely hand painted lettering one by Animaux Circus which obviously took my eye! Tropical is in this year apparently! Mystery Meat popped up again, as did an old school friend Eliot Wyatt, who are both part of Puck Collective; they had a workshop going on creating top trump cards.
For me the highlight of the evening was stumbling across Matthew the Horse doing poetry to live illustration, proving words can be just as creative than the visual arts. There was also some lovely bits floating around like neon signs and work on the theme of a giant cat island paradise, which sounds heavenly to me!
I picked up two pieces from this years pick me up, including a lovely letterpress birthday card and a Gremilins print by Sam Peet. 1980's movies did seem to feature heavily this year!
2014-05-02
Back on the farm… 4
After working on Lounge on the Farm for the past few years I am delighted to have been asked to look at doing some new lineup posters and flyers for them again this year. Taking place on just one day, 2nd August, at Merton Farm the festival will be a lot smaller and going back to its roots more, so the feel of the promotional materials needs to reflect that. The colouring and pattern sets the retro feel of the festival and also gives it a fresh homely feel about it, which is one of the great things about the festival site and vibe. Looking at rolling this out further over more materials I intend to explore the colours and patterns more taking inspiration from vintage 'kitsch' design.
Acts this year include Fun Lovin' Criminals, Dub Pistols and some favourites of mine The Subways and Coco & the Butterfields. All in all its looking to be a great summer event to enjoy with some friends back home and I am very much looking forward to going along this year and seeing what it has to offer.