Why? Fest

I've been to see Why? two nights in a row in London (it wasn't originally planned that way; one was postponed because the bands got mumps and/or sustained broken limbs). I've been a massive fan ever since Josh sent me their song Fall Saddles about this time last year. I got pretty hooked on the Elephant Eyelash LP and this year's follow-up Alopecia is just as good. Happily the albums translated really well to a live gig. The first night in Soho was a bit lacking in atmosphere from the crowd, but for last night's gig at Cargo I was front row in the stinky little back-room venue and it was brilliant.

Lots more pics on my flickr.

Weekend in London

Last weekend we went to the Taste Festival in Regent's Park. It was a great evening of sampling all kinds of food, from Isle of Man cheddar to organic yoghurts to taster dishes from top London restaurants. For the £10 of show currency, I ate a Theo Randall courgette fritti and chocolate fondant, Sizchuan spicy tofu, Indian poories form Café Spice Namaste and many many more free samples.



And on Monday we went over to D&AD New Blood. I was particularly impressed by the Duncan of Jordanstone College show and I liked that you could make your own badges at the LCC stall.

New printer = new prints

I just bought a fantastic new beast of a printer and have been having fun all evening test-printing my new drawings! Here's a sneaky macro-tastic peek.. they'll be up on etsy by the weekend all going well.

Yesterday..

..Popped over to Brick Lane to check out the Free Range degree shows in the flesh. Particularly impressive was Middlesex University's Jewellery show, and of course the Brighton University graphics and illustration work (where I picked up a lot of beautifully designed 'calling cards' which will be gracing my wall soon).


Illustrator Aimee Holmes from Brighton


Jewellery by Charlotte Mobbs from Middlesex

Cooked a lovely dinner afterwards. I love summer food - the tomatoes are so juicy and inviting.


Red onion, tomato, asparagus and mozzarella tart, salt'n'chilli roast new potatoes and some more asparagus.. yum

ATP Explosions

ATP is such a grand festival. Who couldn't love watching obscure bands in Butlins, surrounded by fast food outlets, amusement arcades and kids' playgrounds, all next to the seaside...

Noteworthy acts from this year's Explosions in the Sky-curated festival:

1. Animal Collective


(my photos are quite awful I'm afraid; I need a new camera - got my eye on a Canon G9...)

These guys are amazing because they just sound like no one else. I don't know much about the band itself, but the 3 of them look like they have a combined age of 45 yet have been producing crazy, wonderful music for over 7 years. It was a treat to finally see them live and I was happy to discover they really make the records come alive by mixing up the songs, splicing them together in different ways with the help of a lot of electronic gadgetry.

2. Saul Williams



This guy gets on the list for sheer impact and showmanship - he and his band rocked out dressed like a cross between a Transformer, Ming the Merciless and a banshee, and delivered a powerful show. It seems he's being bashed at the moment for allowing his music to be in a Nike ad but his sound is refreshingly different.

3. Broken Social Scene



These guys closed the main stage on Sunday night. I've been a fan for a long time but the set rather disappointed me - it was a bit of a cheesy everybody-scream, hands-in-the-air kind of dealy. But they did do a lovely version of 'Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl' featuring Emily Haines from Stars, and a singalong of 'Backed out on the Cocks' featuring Explosions, The Constantines and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

4. Silver Jews



Again, I was disappointed by Silver Jews. I'm a big fan of their last record 'Tanglewood Numbers' and I love David Berman's poetry book, but the new material sounds a bit country and it felt more like David and some session musicians than a true band.

5. The National



I got into The National after buying tickets to a London gig a while ago, because they were cheaper than face value on eBay! They're a good solid classic-songwriting skilled-musicmanship kind of band and put on a good show.

Lots more photos on Flickr!

Diana+ New York pics

Diana+ is a contrary little lady - when she behaves, she's very good; when she messes up.. she's still sometimes good!

A few more New York snaps on Flickr.

New York

I've been in New York for a long weekend. It was a crazy and rushed holiday, but a lot of fun. Despite the inevitable aching it causes, I still maintain that going everywhere by foot is the best way to really experience a city. We walked from our hotel near Times Square to Greenwich Village, Soho, the Upper East Side, and all over Central Park. While it was a good place to spend a weekend and take advantage of the super-cheap shopping, I still think London is my favourite city. New York had a weird vibe that I can't quite put my finger on.. plus those wind chills!! I was freezing cold the whole time!

Here are some photos from the trip taken with my various cameras (Fuji F70 digital, Olympus Trip-35 and Vivitar Ultra wide and slim. I also have some from my Diana+ still in the processing place.)


I did love the architecture in NY. Even the 'cram-em-in' apartment blocks are more attractive than the concrete monstrosities London seems to favour, and as a result the city feels less overbearing and cloying than London sometimes can.


I also love the abundance of faded old advertising typography on building-sides; I always make a point to photograph good examples.


My favourite NY store was Anthropologie. Beautiful (but expensive)!


Kids playing baseball in Central Park, how quintessentially American! (Unfortunately neither of my analog cameras likes cloudy days, and it was overcast for most of the weekend.)


We went to the Cai Guo-Qiang retrospective at the Guggenheim. It was pretty cool - aside from the attention-grabbing hanging cars, he's done some really interesting large-scale work with gunpowder, and all the works really set off the lovely building. We went to MOMA on the same day but got museum-fatigue halfway through.


We went to see Minus the Bear on our final night. Interesting to see a gig in a different country - we felt like pariahs as we seemed to be the only people a) over 21 and b) drinking beer.


Our hotel was a crazy boutique called Night Hotel just off Times Square. It was completely black and white in decor with vaguely pornographic photos on the walls, hip-hop blaring out of the lobby, and totally blacked-out windows (which made getting up in the morning quite disorienting). Nevertheless it was in a great location on a quiet street and had a great buffet breakfast.


I found a few other random photos on the Vivitar, I think I shot this through my bedroom window. Love the effect the grimy glass gives to the shot.

More photos of NY, and a few randoms of London, on my Flickr.