I posted up on here a fair while ago now (in fact, probably a whole year ago!) to say that I was thinking about starting my own business selling stuff for your home online.
I'm really proud to say that a year, a whole lot of hard work and lots of fun down the line that my business - Pretty Dandy - launched just before Christmas!
I've worked really hard to put together a collection of products which I would personally love to keep and have in my own home. There are beautiful vintage crockery, hand made lampshades, african printed cushions and lots of gorgeous art prints for your walls. I hope that I can give people a place to find things for their home which make them happy and express a little bit of their personality.
So, if you have a spare moment please pop over and visit us:
Pretty Dandy - vintage, handmade and new design homewares
Pretty Dandy on facebook
Pretty Dandy on twitter
Oh and I have an online moodboard where I collect lots of photos of pretty things, inspiring interiors and pictures of kittens. You can see that here.
Thank you!
Becky
x
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
It's My Birthday!
Yep, today is my birthday. I'm turning 30. Overall I feel a bit weird about it. I think turning 30 means I have to become a grown-up, right? I have to be sensible and save money and think about having babies and a five year plan. Scary.
So, to rebel against the big Three-Oh I shall be celebrating at Jumpers For Goalposts, my favourite night of playing "arts and crafts" and listening to goofy music. If anyone would like to come and join me and help me celebrate then here are the details:
So, to rebel against the big Three-Oh I shall be celebrating at Jumpers For Goalposts, my favourite night of playing "arts and crafts" and listening to goofy music. If anyone would like to come and join me and help me celebrate then here are the details:
THURSDAY 18TH AUGUST
JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS
The Alley Café
8pm to latePM
Nottingham’s craftiest craft night returns on 18th August to bring some calm to our riot-torn city and make everything all music and google-eyes again.
There will, however, be a riot of colour and creative ideas, with arresting creations but NO CHARGES FOR ADMISSION!
We’ll have live music from ‘Santo and Claus’ and you can dance the night away (in your seats while making craft items) to the sonic collages made by DJ's from the fantastic film society Kneel Before Zod... we're expecting amazing soundtracks all round!
And don’t forget, the Alley Café serves excellent vegetarian and vegan food until 9.00pm if you fancy Dinner and Craft and Music.
****
If you're wondering what to get me as a brilliant 30th birthday present, I like cake... and diamonds.
Bex
xxx
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Awesome People Hanging Out Together
http://awesomepeoplehangingouttogether.tumblr.com/page/5
This site pretty much does what the name says & shows photos and occasional videos of awesome people hanging out together. (EDIT: I wanted to show you some actual pictures of Karl Lagerfeld & Kanye West, Shaquille O'Neal & Dr Ruth and Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman, but BLOGGER SUCKS)
There are some hilarious photos, some incredible ones and some which show important/interesting things in history. For example, look for the photo of the physicists where there's about 30 of them and Marie Curie is the only woman. Or look for young Bill Clinton meeting JFK. I also like that it gives you a sense of the timeline of people more, by relating them to other famous people. It's really interesting to see Mick Jagger progress through from being a young dork with Peter Tosh, a hip young guy with James Brown to an elder statesmen with Madonna. It's also interesting just to see who has hung out with who throughout the past century. This sort of thing might make fame actually worth it!
http://awesomepeoplehangingouttogether.tumblr.com/
Bex
x
This site pretty much does what the name says & shows photos and occasional videos of awesome people hanging out together. (EDIT: I wanted to show you some actual pictures of Karl Lagerfeld & Kanye West, Shaquille O'Neal & Dr Ruth and Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman, but BLOGGER SUCKS)
There are some hilarious photos, some incredible ones and some which show important/interesting things in history. For example, look for the photo of the physicists where there's about 30 of them and Marie Curie is the only woman. Or look for young Bill Clinton meeting JFK. I also like that it gives you a sense of the timeline of people more, by relating them to other famous people. It's really interesting to see Mick Jagger progress through from being a young dork with Peter Tosh, a hip young guy with James Brown to an elder statesmen with Madonna. It's also interesting just to see who has hung out with who throughout the past century. This sort of thing might make fame actually worth it!
http://awesomepeoplehangingouttogether.tumblr.com/
Bex
x
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Pretty Dandy
Right now I'm in the process of setting up my own business... Pretty Dandy! It's exciting, but quite slow going because I work full time hours. I'd love to be able to give up my dayjob and do it full time, so that's what I'm aiaming for over the coming year. Pretty Dandy is going to be an interiors/homewares website selling stylish vintage, handmade, art & new design pieces.
I've already started to amass some of the vintage stock, and have found some gorgeous things - like a china teaset with a gilt edging and a fifties-style blue flower, some wonderful vintage fabrics which are soon to become cushions and frames old adverts from women's magazines.
I'm also putting together a range of handmade items, such as beautiful snuggly chunky cableknit cushions, placemat sets in clashing fabrics and lampshades made from old mats. Finally there's the art & new design pieces. There are some really exciting things to go in this section, like a coat rack which appears like a living branch growing out of the wall, original prints by artists & illustrators, a gorgeously designed energy-saving lightbulb which can go on show in the best lamps or even just on it's own.
It's really exciting sourcing all this stock and planning for the launch of my website: www.prettydandy.co.uk - nothing there until August, so please add it to your favourites and check back then!
In the meantime, if there's something you've been looking for for your home then get in touch, I might be able to source it for you - email hello@prettydandy.co.uk.
Becky
I've already started to amass some of the vintage stock, and have found some gorgeous things - like a china teaset with a gilt edging and a fifties-style blue flower, some wonderful vintage fabrics which are soon to become cushions and frames old adverts from women's magazines.
I'm also putting together a range of handmade items, such as beautiful snuggly chunky cableknit cushions, placemat sets in clashing fabrics and lampshades made from old mats. Finally there's the art & new design pieces. There are some really exciting things to go in this section, like a coat rack which appears like a living branch growing out of the wall, original prints by artists & illustrators, a gorgeously designed energy-saving lightbulb which can go on show in the best lamps or even just on it's own.
It's really exciting sourcing all this stock and planning for the launch of my website: www.prettydandy.co.uk - nothing there until August, so please add it to your favourites and check back then!
In the meantime, if there's something you've been looking for for your home then get in touch, I might be able to source it for you - email hello@prettydandy.co.uk.
Becky
Friday, 20 May 2011
Beyonce: Run The World
I just watched this video and had to share it on here in case people haven't seen it yet:
It's insane. The Guardian has an interesting article here about how cultural references are becoming more obscure, with particular mention of the "Beyonce & two Hyenas" shot in this video (1:56). There are countless references in this video, from the Jacksons & Fosse (dancing) to potentially even the news media/ reportage (the setting etc). All in a pop video with incredibly high fashion outfits (check the shoes at 2:17) and an immense cast of female dancers.
The only thing that makes me a little sad is that despite what Beyonce says, girls don't really run the world, and while this video is really interesting and a bit challenging in terms of mainstream pop, it's probably not going to change that.
So, let's listen to this call to make Beyonce's claims real:
Women of the World by Jim O' Rourke
Becky
It's insane. The Guardian has an interesting article here about how cultural references are becoming more obscure, with particular mention of the "Beyonce & two Hyenas" shot in this video (1:56). There are countless references in this video, from the Jacksons & Fosse (dancing) to potentially even the news media/ reportage (the setting etc). All in a pop video with incredibly high fashion outfits (check the shoes at 2:17) and an immense cast of female dancers.
The only thing that makes me a little sad is that despite what Beyonce says, girls don't really run the world, and while this video is really interesting and a bit challenging in terms of mainstream pop, it's probably not going to change that.
So, let's listen to this call to make Beyonce's claims real:
Women of the World by Jim O' Rourke
Becky
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Gig in London this weekend!
Hello
Hello Thor are curating one of Rough Trade's legendary afternoon gigs at the Notting Hill Arts Club this weekend. Woop!
An extension of Rough Trade's classic in-store gigs (just with a bit more room, and fewer records), the RoTa shows have been graced / curated by the likes of Hot Chip, The Line Of Best Fit, Warp, Jamie T, Saddle Creek, Fortuna Pop, Truck, Jonquil, Yuck and more.
It's on Saturday (21st May) from 4pm until 8pm and it's completely for FREE.
Warm Brains - new band from ace DIY producer Rory Attwell (Fair Ohs, Male Bonding, Fists). They make fuzzy, dreamlike, carefully-woven, lo-fi slacker tunes as heard on debut single Old Volcanoes.
Fists - recently described as a "one band John Peel show" Fists' sound ranges from bittersweet vocal harmonies to stomping garage rock. Or as Artrocker put it "they sound like a drunken art collective playing country songs they’ve never heard before. Which is meant to be a compliment.”
We Show Up On RadaR - combining the optimism and joy of the Flaming Lips with the melancholy of Daniel Johnston, WSUOR's music is gentle, mischievious and magical indie pop to dream to.
Not Cool - these gutter pop pioneers specialise in frenetic, melodic and slightly demented post punk. Think Fugazi or Pavement, but from Downham, south London.
Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=inbox&setup#!/event.php?eid=201457909891967
with super cool poster by Angi from Fists
.
It's gonna be ace!
love Bex
x
Hello Thor are curating one of Rough Trade's legendary afternoon gigs at the Notting Hill Arts Club this weekend. Woop!
An extension of Rough Trade's classic in-store gigs (just with a bit more room, and fewer records), the RoTa shows have been graced / curated by the likes of Hot Chip, The Line Of Best Fit, Warp, Jamie T, Saddle Creek, Fortuna Pop, Truck, Jonquil, Yuck and more.
It's on Saturday (21st May) from 4pm until 8pm and it's completely for FREE.
Warm Brains - new band from ace DIY producer Rory Attwell (Fair Ohs, Male Bonding, Fists). They make fuzzy, dreamlike, carefully-woven, lo-fi slacker tunes as heard on debut single Old Volcanoes.
Fists - recently described as a "one band John Peel show" Fists' sound ranges from bittersweet vocal harmonies to stomping garage rock. Or as Artrocker put it "they sound like a drunken art collective playing country songs they’ve never heard before. Which is meant to be a compliment.”
We Show Up On RadaR - combining the optimism and joy of the Flaming Lips with the melancholy of Daniel Johnston, WSUOR's music is gentle, mischievious and magical indie pop to dream to.
Not Cool - these gutter pop pioneers specialise in frenetic, melodic and slightly demented post punk. Think Fugazi or Pavement, but from Downham, south London.
Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=inbox&setup#!/event.php?eid=201457909891967
with super cool poster by Angi from Fists
.
It's gonna be ace!
love Bex
x
Sunday, 17 April 2011
FUN-Raising at Jumpers for Goalposts
Please come along to the Alley Cafe on Thursday from 8.30pm for an evening of music, craft & entertainment. ish.
Becky
x
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Jumpers FUNraiser
Check out the blog here for more info
Get yourself added to the facebook event (& invite your friends too!)
Comment on LeftLion
It would be super awesome to see you there. It's Pretty Good Thursday (21st April), so you've got the day off afterwards (Good Friday). So, why not come and share a cup of tea or organic ale with us, bring some unusual craft materials and a pound or two to donate to our chosen charity and have a good time.
Becky
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Peruvian Delicacies
My big sister now lives in Peru. This means that I now think Skype is one of the best inventions of the last 100 years, I regularly get postcards with llamas on and I worry about her whenever there's an earthquake / mudslide / flash flood / tsunami etc. It's a bit different to when she was just up the road in Sheffield.
It also means that when she comes back for a visit we get to taste the delights of Peruvian cuisine. Ever eaten Peruvian food? Had any in your local Peruvian restaurant? Thought not... there's definitely a reason why. My sister assures me that some of the Peruvian cuisines are actually very well thought of and that posh Peruvian restaurants are opening up in various cities across the world. Based on what we ate on Saturday I might hold off on booking a table...
Here is what she cooked for me, Anders and Abi:
Menu:
Starter - Papas A La Huancaina
This is a sort of cold salad. You put boiled potatoes, boiled eggs & olives onto some lettuce leaves and cover them in the special sauce. To make the sauce you need onions, bread, peanuts, chillies, garlic, condensed milk and feta. Yes. All of those things. Mushed up into a sauce. It's an unusual flavour combination and a strange consistency - not a dish I'll be hurrying to repeat. Initially I thought it was pretty tasty, with a nice light chilli spice and a creamy peanut flavour at the fore. However soon the heaviness of the sauce took me down and I realised I couldn't even face eating the mouthful I'd just put onto my fork.
Main - Arroz con Pollo
This was actually delicious, so I can't complain too much. It's basically chicken and rice, but this basic description doesn't do it justice. In the Cuscenian version you cook the rice in beer as well as stock, adding chilli, garlic and plenty of coriander. It's really tasty, richly flavoured and surprisingly light for a dish with so few vegetables.
Dessert - Picarones
To round off our Peruvian experience my sister had brought home a packet of mix to make Picarones. These are sweet potato donuts. I know. Sweet potato donuts. You fry the mix into little rings and eat it dipped in molasses syrup (or golden syrup in our case). Actually they were pretty nice, but another heavy heavy treat. I don't know how people in Peru eat this sort of cuisine every day.
Luckily she also treated us to a big bottle of posh Pisco - Peruvian brandy - with which to make Pisco Sours - a delicious citrussy cocktail comparable to the fabulous caipirinha, but with less heartburn. I think I can definitely say they were the highlight of the meal for me.
We had a brilliant evening and I love getting to spend time with my sister again. However... next time I'm cooking.
Becky
x
It also means that when she comes back for a visit we get to taste the delights of Peruvian cuisine. Ever eaten Peruvian food? Had any in your local Peruvian restaurant? Thought not... there's definitely a reason why. My sister assures me that some of the Peruvian cuisines are actually very well thought of and that posh Peruvian restaurants are opening up in various cities across the world. Based on what we ate on Saturday I might hold off on booking a table...
Here is what she cooked for me, Anders and Abi:
Menu:
Starter - Papas A La Huancaina
Main - Arroz con Pollo
This was actually delicious, so I can't complain too much. It's basically chicken and rice, but this basic description doesn't do it justice. In the Cuscenian version you cook the rice in beer as well as stock, adding chilli, garlic and plenty of coriander. It's really tasty, richly flavoured and surprisingly light for a dish with so few vegetables.
Dessert - Picarones
To round off our Peruvian experience my sister had brought home a packet of mix to make Picarones. These are sweet potato donuts. I know. Sweet potato donuts. You fry the mix into little rings and eat it dipped in molasses syrup (or golden syrup in our case). Actually they were pretty nice, but another heavy heavy treat. I don't know how people in Peru eat this sort of cuisine every day.
Luckily she also treated us to a big bottle of posh Pisco - Peruvian brandy - with which to make Pisco Sours - a delicious citrussy cocktail comparable to the fabulous caipirinha, but with less heartburn. I think I can definitely say they were the highlight of the meal for me.
We had a brilliant evening and I love getting to spend time with my sister again. However... next time I'm cooking.
Becky
x
Friday, 25 March 2011
Dr Who!
As mentioned before we recently held a special magical Jumpers for Goalposts party at the Alley Cafe where we celebrated the magic of Dr Who via the medium of improvised music & craft. Here's the evidence (bit bumpy, don't get motion sickness!)
In case you've never been, Jumpers for Goalposts is held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at the Alley Cafe in Nottingham. Essentially it involves a lot of larking around with child-friendly craft materials (googly eyes, pipe cleaners, lollipop sticks) making wonderful creations for our competition AND live music. That time the live music was the audience, usually it's a proper band. Come down and join in and see for yourself how much fun you can have with glitter glue and a pint of organic cider!
Becky
In case you've never been, Jumpers for Goalposts is held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at the Alley Cafe in Nottingham. Essentially it involves a lot of larking around with child-friendly craft materials (googly eyes, pipe cleaners, lollipop sticks) making wonderful creations for our competition AND live music. That time the live music was the audience, usually it's a proper band. Come down and join in and see for yourself how much fun you can have with glitter glue and a pint of organic cider!
Becky
Flash!
In Popbitch this week they pointed the reader towards an amazing website. I recommend a visit (needs sound ideally):
Possibly the greatest use of flash on a website ever. Don't, under any circumstances, skip the intro. But you have to wait for the site to load. That's when the guitar solo kicks in: http://www.evangelcathedral.net/
Becky
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Black Swan, Good Hair and things to do this week
Hello,
How are you? What've you been up to lately? Have you changed your hair? I like it!
Here's some things we've been up to lately:
- Bird watching - we've got lots of little blue tits, great tits, blackbirds & robins fluttering around in our garden, along with a big fat squirrel that keeps eating all their seeds!
- Getting ready for the awesome new Fists release on Hello Thor records (details in previous post)
- Going to the auctions (it's a different world)
- Making more things on my sewing machine (tea cosies & placemats are my latest adventures)
- Practising for Jumpers for Goalposts (scroll down for more info)
- Going to Just The Tonic (only once, saw Paul Foot & thought he was really very funny)
AND...
- Watching loads of films & TV - round-up & recommends here:
Misfits - If you haven't got into this TV series yet then DO. It's funny, rude, a bit gory, endearing and exciting. About a bunch of asbo kids who get magic powers from a storm. That does it no justice. *RECOMMENDED*
Going The Distance - Anders will tell me off for adding this to my list, but I enjoyed it. If you're a fan of the romcom this strays slightly away from the usual format (by just being a bit less lame and having characters you're a bit more likely to want to be friends with) - e.g. Drew Barrymore is the main character and she's not a control freak like every other female in rom-com land. I liked it.
Black Swan - I still don't know how I feel about this film 2 weeks after seeing it and I'm still talking to people about it. That seems pretty good to me. However, I found it a bit annoying, over-blown and trashy too. It's hard to pigeonhole and hard to describe without giving anything important away. My enjoyment of it was shared 50-50 with annoyance, so this isn't a glowing recommendation from that point of view. I would however still say you should watch it, if only because it will keep you talking. *RECOMMENDED*
Beetlejuice - I am aware that I'm the last person in the world to see this film, but isn't it fun?! I love the bit where they all do a dance around the dining table and I bet that was awesome to film. Plus it has the woman in from all the Christopher Guest films. Love her.
30 Rock - We went for a marathon of the latest series at Bones' house and it was AWESOME. If you've never seen it then it's about Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) who is head writer on a SNL-type of show in America. It's also got Alec Baldwin in and he is hilarious. It's got a really high gag-rate, you care about the characters but it never tries to make you cry and Anders hearts Tina Fey. Watch it from the start, it will be a pleasure and a joy. **RECOMMENDED** (Big time!)
The Baader Meinhof film (I'm getting the name a bit wrong there) - This is often on those "films you should watch" lists, but I wasn't really feeling it that much. It's about a terrorist group in Germany in the 60's and is a bit confusing if you don't know anything about the situation (me) before you watch it. Interesting, some good performances and nice to see a mix of real-life footage and drama, but overall left me a bit cold.
Good Hair - This is the Chris Rock documentary about black hair. It's absolutely fascinating, a peek into a world I knew very little about. AND there is a hair styling contest. It's worth watching for that alone. One of the stylists entered before and her theme was "brokefront mountain" (no I don't get it either) and there was an awful video she made of her and some women dressed in cowgirl outfits with a bit of hay. It made NO sense and her entry in this documentary is even more random. A thoroughly enjoyable film, well-presented, good structure, interesting and funny in places. **RECOMMENDED**
So, that's what we've been up to.
Now on to what's coming up this week:
1 - Jumpers for Goalposts - Thursday @ Alley Cafe, FREE
This is a monthly event we run where you can come, hang out with your friends, hear a bit of music (usually just 1 band will play a few songs) and make something shit out of plasticine and pritt stick and straws. We call that part the Creative Competition and there are mega prizes involved. It's also very hard-fought and sometimes people create actual amazing things, not just rubbish penis-related puns!!
Anyway, this month we are doing something a little bit different. In place of our usual (talented) musical act YOU will be the band. Come and join in as we create an intergalactic jam session on tiny instruments. No musical talent needed (phew!), jsut enthusiasm and a willingness to have a go on a kazoo (no euphemism). We'll be playing a very exciting special TV theme tune... if we can all learn it quickly enough over the night to make our final performance a success then we will film it and share our talent with the world!
2 - Record Breakers - Saturday @ the Arts Theatre, £10 in advance
This is a huge gig organised by Denizen Records which features some of the best musical acts Nottingham has to offer, all together on one stage. Come along to see the likes of Yunioshi, Kogumaza, Dearest, Swimming, Hhymn & Fists ply their trade in this gorgeous venue. There are Late Of The Pier DJ's and apparently a world-record attempt too! You can get £10 tickets, or even get a cheap group booking deal from http://www.hellothor.com/.
what a lot of stuff. I'm tired now. See you thursday or saturday or both!
Bex
x
How are you? What've you been up to lately? Have you changed your hair? I like it!
Here's some things we've been up to lately:
- Bird watching - we've got lots of little blue tits, great tits, blackbirds & robins fluttering around in our garden, along with a big fat squirrel that keeps eating all their seeds!
- Getting ready for the awesome new Fists release on Hello Thor records (details in previous post)
- Going to the auctions (it's a different world)
- Making more things on my sewing machine (tea cosies & placemats are my latest adventures)
- Practising for Jumpers for Goalposts (scroll down for more info)
- Going to Just The Tonic (only once, saw Paul Foot & thought he was really very funny)
AND...
- Watching loads of films & TV - round-up & recommends here:
Misfits - If you haven't got into this TV series yet then DO. It's funny, rude, a bit gory, endearing and exciting. About a bunch of asbo kids who get magic powers from a storm. That does it no justice. *RECOMMENDED*
Going The Distance - Anders will tell me off for adding this to my list, but I enjoyed it. If you're a fan of the romcom this strays slightly away from the usual format (by just being a bit less lame and having characters you're a bit more likely to want to be friends with) - e.g. Drew Barrymore is the main character and she's not a control freak like every other female in rom-com land. I liked it.
Black Swan - I still don't know how I feel about this film 2 weeks after seeing it and I'm still talking to people about it. That seems pretty good to me. However, I found it a bit annoying, over-blown and trashy too. It's hard to pigeonhole and hard to describe without giving anything important away. My enjoyment of it was shared 50-50 with annoyance, so this isn't a glowing recommendation from that point of view. I would however still say you should watch it, if only because it will keep you talking. *RECOMMENDED*
Beetlejuice - I am aware that I'm the last person in the world to see this film, but isn't it fun?! I love the bit where they all do a dance around the dining table and I bet that was awesome to film. Plus it has the woman in from all the Christopher Guest films. Love her.
30 Rock - We went for a marathon of the latest series at Bones' house and it was AWESOME. If you've never seen it then it's about Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) who is head writer on a SNL-type of show in America. It's also got Alec Baldwin in and he is hilarious. It's got a really high gag-rate, you care about the characters but it never tries to make you cry and Anders hearts Tina Fey. Watch it from the start, it will be a pleasure and a joy. **RECOMMENDED** (Big time!)
The Baader Meinhof film (I'm getting the name a bit wrong there) - This is often on those "films you should watch" lists, but I wasn't really feeling it that much. It's about a terrorist group in Germany in the 60's and is a bit confusing if you don't know anything about the situation (me) before you watch it. Interesting, some good performances and nice to see a mix of real-life footage and drama, but overall left me a bit cold.
Good Hair - This is the Chris Rock documentary about black hair. It's absolutely fascinating, a peek into a world I knew very little about. AND there is a hair styling contest. It's worth watching for that alone. One of the stylists entered before and her theme was "brokefront mountain" (no I don't get it either) and there was an awful video she made of her and some women dressed in cowgirl outfits with a bit of hay. It made NO sense and her entry in this documentary is even more random. A thoroughly enjoyable film, well-presented, good structure, interesting and funny in places. **RECOMMENDED**
So, that's what we've been up to.
Now on to what's coming up this week:
1 - Jumpers for Goalposts - Thursday @ Alley Cafe, FREE
This is a monthly event we run where you can come, hang out with your friends, hear a bit of music (usually just 1 band will play a few songs) and make something shit out of plasticine and pritt stick and straws. We call that part the Creative Competition and there are mega prizes involved. It's also very hard-fought and sometimes people create actual amazing things, not just rubbish penis-related puns!!
Anyway, this month we are doing something a little bit different. In place of our usual (talented) musical act YOU will be the band. Come and join in as we create an intergalactic jam session on tiny instruments. No musical talent needed (phew!), jsut enthusiasm and a willingness to have a go on a kazoo (no euphemism). We'll be playing a very exciting special TV theme tune... if we can all learn it quickly enough over the night to make our final performance a success then we will film it and share our talent with the world!
2 - Record Breakers - Saturday @ the Arts Theatre, £10 in advance
This is a huge gig organised by Denizen Records which features some of the best musical acts Nottingham has to offer, all together on one stage. Come along to see the likes of Yunioshi, Kogumaza, Dearest, Swimming, Hhymn & Fists ply their trade in this gorgeous venue. There are Late Of The Pier DJ's and apparently a world-record attempt too! You can get £10 tickets, or even get a cheap group booking deal from http://www.hellothor.com/.
what a lot of stuff. I'm tired now. See you thursday or saturday or both!
Bex
x
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
New release on Hello Thor Records - Fists single - Ascending b/w Stag
As you may be aware Anders runs a record label with Nick & Tom, based in Nottingham called Hello Thor. They do gigs and stuff and put out singles by amazing bands. Their first ever signing was Fists who have released an amazing 7" and a brilliant EP so far.
21st Feb 2011 will see the release of Fists' next single Ascending b/w Stag on limited edition coloured vinyl with an individually screenprinted sleeve. It's going to be a beautiful thing.
Both Ascending and Stag have already received loads of airplay on 6 Music, Radio 1 and were selected for the 6 Music Rebel Playlist. They are great. You can read more, pre-order the vinyl, download tracks and so on here. If you'd like to support Hello Thor then please do buy from their site http://www.hellothor.com/ - no middle man costs! Oh and if you'd like to hear more from them then follow them on Twitter (@hellothor) or sign up to the mailing list on the website.
You can hear previews of the tracks on the Fists myspace and you can see them live, celebrating the release at a huge gig at the Nottingham Arts Theatre on the 19th February with loads of other amazing bands including:
Swimming
Hhymn
Dearest
Yunioshi
Kogumaza
Injured Birds
AND special guest DJs. It's being put together by a new Nottingham label Denizen Records (look for it on facebook!) and it's going to be AWESOME!
Thanks!
Bex
x
p.s. there are some great photos of the band here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdadesign/sets/72157618427893224/with/3542947105/ by KDA Design
21st Feb 2011 will see the release of Fists' next single Ascending b/w Stag on limited edition coloured vinyl with an individually screenprinted sleeve. It's going to be a beautiful thing.
Both Ascending and Stag have already received loads of airplay on 6 Music, Radio 1 and were selected for the 6 Music Rebel Playlist. They are great. You can read more, pre-order the vinyl, download tracks and so on here. If you'd like to support Hello Thor then please do buy from their site http://www.hellothor.com/ - no middle man costs! Oh and if you'd like to hear more from them then follow them on Twitter (@hellothor) or sign up to the mailing list on the website.
You can hear previews of the tracks on the Fists myspace and you can see them live, celebrating the release at a huge gig at the Nottingham Arts Theatre on the 19th February with loads of other amazing bands including:
Swimming
Hhymn
Dearest
Yunioshi
Kogumaza
Injured Birds
AND special guest DJs. It's being put together by a new Nottingham label Denizen Records (look for it on facebook!) and it's going to be AWESOME!
Thanks!
Bex
x
p.s. there are some great photos of the band here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdadesign/sets/72157618427893224/with/3542947105/ by KDA Design
Friday, 14 January 2011
Making things...
I have been making some great things in my sewing class and with my new sewing machine. I love it, it's so exciting to choose some fabric, spend some time concentrating and carefully cutting, pinning, lining up and sewing. Then to end up with something special that yo'uve created at the end is just great. What a sense of achievement.
Anyway, here are a few little things I've made (cushion, scarf, bag... in that order). What do you think?
Yeah! Even just looking at the pictures now I feel really proud of myself.
Love Bex
x
Anyway, here are a few little things I've made (cushion, scarf, bag... in that order). What do you think?
Yeah! Even just looking at the pictures now I feel really proud of myself.
Love Bex
x
Sunday, 2 January 2011
New Year's Resolutions
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I love making resolutions for the New Year and this year have a few I'll be hoping to keep. They include doing something new each week (this week it was learning to play the Dr Who theme on a child's toy accordion) AND doing something I've thought about for a really long time... starting my own business. If you have a moment you could help me keep resolution No.2 by scrolling down in the window below....
Thank you!
Becky
x
I love making resolutions for the New Year and this year have a few I'll be hoping to keep. They include doing something new each week (this week it was learning to play the Dr Who theme on a child's toy accordion) AND doing something I've thought about for a really long time... starting my own business. If you have a moment you could help me keep resolution No.2 by scrolling down in the window below....
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Thank you!
Becky
x
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
He's behind you!
I went to the panto at the Playhouse with Anders & Nick last week. Now, I've got to be honest, at about 2 o clock that afternoon I was feeling really tired and really just wanted to ditch the panto and have a night snuggled up on the sofa watching some dreadful TV and taking it easy. Partly this was down to the tiredness and partly down to my aversion to pantos. I've just always thought they would be bawdy, childish and get infuriated by all the "he's behind you" shouting. I think I went to see a particularly bad one as a child. I have a memory of tiny me all red faced and angry being made to shout "He's behind you" for about the fifteenth time. I used to hate it when people deliberately used to pretend not to know/see things. Sounds like I was an angry child. Weird.
Anyway, off we went to see Mother Goose, rather reluctantly, had a quick bite to eat at Cast (burger, very nice) and loaded up on sweeties for the performance. About 10 minutes in I think the first "Boo!" squeaked past my lips. About 20 minutes in I was laughing along at the one liners and ad-libs. Before the first act ended I was joining in with the singing, cheers and jeers with all my heart. I loved it! It was genuinely funny, the costumes and set were bright and spangly, the songs were fun and I didn't have to repeat chants 10 times to get anything to happen. They had a really nice balance between stuff for kids and adults, between playing it knowingly and getting involved in the performance and between the different characters. I've always been pretty certain that the panto wouldn't be for me, but I loved it and would recommend it to anyone.
On Friday we were hosting two gigs - one a proper Hello Thor gig at Spanky Van Dykes, with Injured Birds & We Show Up On Radar playing live - one a Broadway gig with Anders doing the organising, a celebration of Scandinavian sounds called Nordic Noise, with a Cardigans For Goalposts element thrown in.
Thankfully both were a great success, with lots of nice comments and some awesome performances. I won't talk about them all, but just want to record that We Show Up On Radar played with their full band for only the 3rd time. They were great. Having a fuller sound just totally makes sense and gives the songs a proper setting in which they can sparkle. The full band brings a bit more power and confidence to the performance as well as the tunes and everything just seems really right. I can't wait to see them again.
Here are a few of my favourite pics from the evening:
See more pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellothor/sets/72157625467734169/
This week I will be:
- Sewing tonight! Yeah! last one before Christmas
- Jumpers for Goalposts tomorrow - not at the Alley Cafe for one month only. Read more here: http://thesecretdiaryofjumpersforgoalposts.wordpress.com/
- Dinner at Angi & James' on Friday
- Daddy Bones' Birthday at Broadway on Saturday - This is going to be great. The Yeah I'll Play It Later DJs will be on the decks, lots of lovely people will be hanging out and dancing. FUN.
- Snoozing all day Sunday please.
See you soon!
Bex
x
On Friday we were hosting two gigs - one a proper Hello Thor gig at Spanky Van Dykes, with Injured Birds & We Show Up On Radar playing live - one a Broadway gig with Anders doing the organising, a celebration of Scandinavian sounds called Nordic Noise, with a Cardigans For Goalposts element thrown in.
Thankfully both were a great success, with lots of nice comments and some awesome performances. I won't talk about them all, but just want to record that We Show Up On Radar played with their full band for only the 3rd time. They were great. Having a fuller sound just totally makes sense and gives the songs a proper setting in which they can sparkle. The full band brings a bit more power and confidence to the performance as well as the tunes and everything just seems really right. I can't wait to see them again.
Here are a few of my favourite pics from the evening:
See more pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellothor/sets/72157625467734169/
This week I will be:
- Sewing tonight! Yeah! last one before Christmas
- Jumpers for Goalposts tomorrow - not at the Alley Cafe for one month only. Read more here: http://thesecretdiaryofjumpersforgoalposts.wordpress.com/
- Dinner at Angi & James' on Friday
- Daddy Bones' Birthday at Broadway on Saturday - This is going to be great. The Yeah I'll Play It Later DJs will be on the decks, lots of lovely people will be hanging out and dancing. FUN.
- Snoozing all day Sunday please.
See you soon!
Bex
x
Friday, 26 November 2010
Rene Gruau
Last weekend we went to visit Chloe & Jamie and see our other friends in London. On the Friday we went to see a 12 piece band who play DJ Shadow's Endtroducing through from start to finish and do all the samples live. I was really excited about that and thought it was going to be super cool, it turned out to be super lame. Lewis likened it to when his teachers formed a "rock band" at school. At times it was toe-curlingly uncool. Shame. However, we did get to go to Koko, which looks like this:
Lovely!
Over the weekend we also ate lovely food, caught up with Lewis and Emma, did a bit of shopping at a vintage market and went to see a great exhibition at Somerset House.
The exhibition was of work created for Dior by the illustrator Rene Gruau. His work is so beautiful and luxurious I just wanted to live in that world. You can imagine it feels like silk and smells amazing! He created pieces such as these:
.jpg)
His illustrations are incredibly stylish, yet minimal, confident and sophisticated. I could've looked at them all day. There were some 80's influenced ones which didn't really work for me so much (airbrushed style faces and angular cheekbones etc), but the 50s-70s ones were so good that didn't matter. Even his signature is beautiful. Look:
Anyway, enough wallowing in the glory of bygone days.
Stuff coming up:
2nd Dec - Studio sale at I Dress Myself to say goodbye to Han & Pete. I still can't believe they're leaving Nottingham, and so soon! They'll be missed.
10th Dec - We Show Up On RadaR @ Spanky Van Dykes. This looks set to be a great show and only the 3rd time they've played with their full live band in Nottingham. Look for the event on facebook for full details.
16th Dec - Jumpers For Goalposts @ Tether - For the first time we're leaving our Alley Cafe home and venturing out into the big wide world for a special Christmas edition of Jumpers to help Tether celebrate their final night of the studios. This is going to be FUN.
I reckon there's probably loads of other good stuff coming up too, but I can't remember everything!
Bex
x
Over the weekend we also ate lovely food, caught up with Lewis and Emma, did a bit of shopping at a vintage market and went to see a great exhibition at Somerset House.
The exhibition was of work created for Dior by the illustrator Rene Gruau. His work is so beautiful and luxurious I just wanted to live in that world. You can imagine it feels like silk and smells amazing! He created pieces such as these:
.jpg)
His illustrations are incredibly stylish, yet minimal, confident and sophisticated. I could've looked at them all day. There were some 80's influenced ones which didn't really work for me so much (airbrushed style faces and angular cheekbones etc), but the 50s-70s ones were so good that didn't matter. Even his signature is beautiful. Look:
Anyway, enough wallowing in the glory of bygone days.
Stuff coming up:
2nd Dec - Studio sale at I Dress Myself to say goodbye to Han & Pete. I still can't believe they're leaving Nottingham, and so soon! They'll be missed.
10th Dec - We Show Up On RadaR @ Spanky Van Dykes. This looks set to be a great show and only the 3rd time they've played with their full live band in Nottingham. Look for the event on facebook for full details.
16th Dec - Jumpers For Goalposts @ Tether - For the first time we're leaving our Alley Cafe home and venturing out into the big wide world for a special Christmas edition of Jumpers to help Tether celebrate their final night of the studios. This is going to be FUN.
I reckon there's probably loads of other good stuff coming up too, but I can't remember everything!
Bex
x
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Hot Chip & LCD Soundsystem (and other fun things too!)
At the weekend we went to see Hot Chip & LCD Soundsystem play a massive gig at the Magna centre in Sheffield. It was awesome! We saw Hot Chip here in Notts at Rock City recently and that was an incredible experience. On an ordinary Monday evening it felt like we had been to the carnival and church at the same time. Hot Chip came onstage to squeals like Beatlemania and every person there was dancing and singing.
This time things were different. By the time Hot Chip came on the area near the stage was a swamp of people crowding and pushing, so we retreated towards the back of this huge cavernous room. Inevitably the distance affected our involvement with the gig, so we didn't enjoy them quite as much this time. To be honest, we would've been hard pushed to equal last time anyway, so that was fine. Plus there were still some amazing tracks and their live sound is great. My favourite part is when the Chip that talks (beard & gingerish? Not a singer?) has to run between all his different instruments - guitar, drums, kettle drum - in one song. He really covered some ground.
The real revelation for me was LCD Soundsystem. Anders loves them, and has done for aaaages, which is why we got the tickets for this gig. I've never really listened to them if I'm honest. I've heard Daft Punk, Drunk Girls and a couple of others and they've never really grabbed me. The only LCD song I've really connected with is I Can Change, so I was standing just really waiting for that one song. We were right down the front, near the stage. Shit Robot was DJing and people were really getting in the party mood. Then, the lights went down and we stood in near total darkness and a familiar song started up. It felt both foolish and electric to be standing in the dark listening to I'm Not In Love by 10CC, with strangers all around singing along. After that, lights came up and LCD came out onto the stage and started up with Dance Yrself Clean from the new album:
(This video is really long, but I think it gives a feel of what the atmosphere created is like if you watch just the first few seconds)
It was like a lesson in how to open a gig. I didn't know the song at all, but everyone around us did and were singing along and really dancing. The song is perfectly constructed for this scenario - starting relatively small with James Murphy's vocals and minimal backing, adding in a few more instruments and members of the band as it builds and then halfway through just exploding into a huge sound. It was perfect to build tension and excitement at the band coming on and then gave the perfect release for everyone to sing and dance and (in the case of a man stood behind me who used me as a steadying post...) headbang. It was perfect.
(We had somehow ended up slap bang in the middle of fan boy central with people who knew every word and some people who had clearly taken their drugs too early and were even bouncing to 10CC. )
After both bands had finished they came on together and did a special collaborative cover of a song called "Seabird" by the Alessi Brothers (no, me either). It was really magical. It was like a moment from The Last Waltz for me, almost romantic... It was like a celebration of a tour romance between the two bands and was just lovely.
(as a post-script, I've just listened to the original and it's lovely, but the brothers appear to maybe have a little lisp... distracting and yet very sweet!)
Anyhow, I loved it and I'm really glad we got to see LCD, particularly as it keeps being suggested that this is their last album. And they played I Can Change. Yeah!
Other fun stuff we've been up to (quickly):
- Saw "A Town Called Panic" at Broadway just before it finished. Animated film, you might recognise it from the Cravendale milk ads. it's all created in stop-motion using little vintage toys (cowboy, indian etc) as the main characters. It's really fast and fun and inventive and I'd recommend seeing it on DVD if you can.
- Saw Micah P Hinson at the Rescue Rooms - This was the day after Hello Gore II (pics here from that by the way) and I was in no fit state to be going to a gig. I can't do things two days in a row. It didn't help that he had a harp lady playing before he came on and the rolling sounds were affecting my queasiness. I have nothing useful to add about the gig.
- My dad turned 60 and we celebrated with him. One of the things we did was go for a meal to a restaurant in Sheffield called Kitchen. We had the most down to earth, Sheffield born & bred, waiter you can imagine. Turned out he was a partner in the restaurant, which made sense, I'm not sure he'd have made it as a waiter. We asked what a dish described as Paris Brest with lots of french words was. His response? "Well, it's a choux bun. The chef came up with the name. I think he's probably made all that other stuff up." in a broad Yorkshire accent. Lovely! I ate a dish called 3 Little Pigs which was pork in 3 ways, including the revelation that belly pork is actually delicious.
- Went to Lustre at Lakeside Arts - this is one of my favourite events of the year - a big craft market with beautifully hand made objects from all over the country. Every year I suggest we go to look at Christmas presents. Every year we go and come back with "us" presents instead. This year I got a brooch with a zebra on. I love it.
SO, just to finish off I can confirm that it is Jumpers for Goalposts this week at the Alley Cafe on Thursday. We've got Burly Nagasaki playing, which will be a real treat. Plus we've got a great creative competition. Come down! It's free!
Love Bex
x
This time things were different. By the time Hot Chip came on the area near the stage was a swamp of people crowding and pushing, so we retreated towards the back of this huge cavernous room. Inevitably the distance affected our involvement with the gig, so we didn't enjoy them quite as much this time. To be honest, we would've been hard pushed to equal last time anyway, so that was fine. Plus there were still some amazing tracks and their live sound is great. My favourite part is when the Chip that talks (beard & gingerish? Not a singer?) has to run between all his different instruments - guitar, drums, kettle drum - in one song. He really covered some ground.
The real revelation for me was LCD Soundsystem. Anders loves them, and has done for aaaages, which is why we got the tickets for this gig. I've never really listened to them if I'm honest. I've heard Daft Punk, Drunk Girls and a couple of others and they've never really grabbed me. The only LCD song I've really connected with is I Can Change, so I was standing just really waiting for that one song. We were right down the front, near the stage. Shit Robot was DJing and people were really getting in the party mood. Then, the lights went down and we stood in near total darkness and a familiar song started up. It felt both foolish and electric to be standing in the dark listening to I'm Not In Love by 10CC, with strangers all around singing along. After that, lights came up and LCD came out onto the stage and started up with Dance Yrself Clean from the new album:
(This video is really long, but I think it gives a feel of what the atmosphere created is like if you watch just the first few seconds)
It was like a lesson in how to open a gig. I didn't know the song at all, but everyone around us did and were singing along and really dancing. The song is perfectly constructed for this scenario - starting relatively small with James Murphy's vocals and minimal backing, adding in a few more instruments and members of the band as it builds and then halfway through just exploding into a huge sound. It was perfect to build tension and excitement at the band coming on and then gave the perfect release for everyone to sing and dance and (in the case of a man stood behind me who used me as a steadying post...) headbang. It was perfect.
(We had somehow ended up slap bang in the middle of fan boy central with people who knew every word and some people who had clearly taken their drugs too early and were even bouncing to 10CC. )
After both bands had finished they came on together and did a special collaborative cover of a song called "Seabird" by the Alessi Brothers (no, me either). It was really magical. It was like a moment from The Last Waltz for me, almost romantic... It was like a celebration of a tour romance between the two bands and was just lovely.
(as a post-script, I've just listened to the original and it's lovely, but the brothers appear to maybe have a little lisp... distracting and yet very sweet!)
Anyhow, I loved it and I'm really glad we got to see LCD, particularly as it keeps being suggested that this is their last album. And they played I Can Change. Yeah!
Other fun stuff we've been up to (quickly):
- Saw "A Town Called Panic" at Broadway just before it finished. Animated film, you might recognise it from the Cravendale milk ads. it's all created in stop-motion using little vintage toys (cowboy, indian etc) as the main characters. It's really fast and fun and inventive and I'd recommend seeing it on DVD if you can.
- Saw Micah P Hinson at the Rescue Rooms - This was the day after Hello Gore II (pics here from that by the way) and I was in no fit state to be going to a gig. I can't do things two days in a row. It didn't help that he had a harp lady playing before he came on and the rolling sounds were affecting my queasiness. I have nothing useful to add about the gig.
- My dad turned 60 and we celebrated with him. One of the things we did was go for a meal to a restaurant in Sheffield called Kitchen. We had the most down to earth, Sheffield born & bred, waiter you can imagine. Turned out he was a partner in the restaurant, which made sense, I'm not sure he'd have made it as a waiter. We asked what a dish described as Paris Brest with lots of french words was. His response? "Well, it's a choux bun. The chef came up with the name. I think he's probably made all that other stuff up." in a broad Yorkshire accent. Lovely! I ate a dish called 3 Little Pigs which was pork in 3 ways, including the revelation that belly pork is actually delicious.
- Went to Lustre at Lakeside Arts - this is one of my favourite events of the year - a big craft market with beautifully hand made objects from all over the country. Every year I suggest we go to look at Christmas presents. Every year we go and come back with "us" presents instead. This year I got a brooch with a zebra on. I love it.
SO, just to finish off I can confirm that it is Jumpers for Goalposts this week at the Alley Cafe on Thursday. We've got Burly Nagasaki playing, which will be a real treat. Plus we've got a great creative competition. Come down! It's free!
Love Bex
x
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Cultural Expose
Hello,
I'm delighted to say that my work has been chosen to be featured on the fantastic Cultural Expose blog as part of their travel photography feature InterNational!
You can see my pics & read their blog here.
My pictures from Cuba are being featured, along with some tips and thoughts from me on my travel experience. And a goofy picture of me drinking tea.
Thanks very much to the Cultural Expose team for featuring me. Hope you like my work!
Bex
x
I'm delighted to say that my work has been chosen to be featured on the fantastic Cultural Expose blog as part of their travel photography feature InterNational!
You can see my pics & read their blog here.
My pictures from Cuba are being featured, along with some tips and thoughts from me on my travel experience. And a goofy picture of me drinking tea.
Thanks very much to the Cultural Expose team for featuring me. Hope you like my work!
Bex
x
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Hello Gore II @ Nottingham Contemporary
AMAZING trailer for HG:II this weekend:
HG2 Teaser from Dan Toporowski on Vimeo.
What a great line up! Without a doubt this is going to be the Halloween party of 2010.
Have you got your costume sorted yet? The theme is B-movies, but given that I haven't seen any we will be interpreting that very loosely. This is one of those occasions on which I wish i'd been better organised. Three days to go. Haven't decided on an idea. Oh dear. We're in trouble!
Full line-up for Gore II:
FISTS
HOT HORIZONS
YUNIOSHI
BLACK POWDER
HHYMN
RED SHOE DIARIES
BONSAI PROJECTS
JOEY CHICKENSKIN
& Hello Thor DJs
Plus! Nottingham Contemporary will be decorated up by the Left Luggage theatre people AND you can have your picture taken in the Garments of Gore photobooth!
All bands will be performing a spooky cover and a track of their own. It's going to be amazing!
Here's the poster by Rob Garner: (I love this poster, it's so cool)
See you on Saturday!
Bex
x
HG2 Teaser from Dan Toporowski on Vimeo.
What a great line up! Without a doubt this is going to be the Halloween party of 2010.
Have you got your costume sorted yet? The theme is B-movies, but given that I haven't seen any we will be interpreting that very loosely. This is one of those occasions on which I wish i'd been better organised. Three days to go. Haven't decided on an idea. Oh dear. We're in trouble!
Full line-up for Gore II:
FISTS
HOT HORIZONS
YUNIOSHI
BLACK POWDER
HHYMN
RED SHOE DIARIES
BONSAI PROJECTS
JOEY CHICKENSKIN
& Hello Thor DJs
Plus! Nottingham Contemporary will be decorated up by the Left Luggage theatre people AND you can have your picture taken in the Garments of Gore photobooth!
All bands will be performing a spooky cover and a track of their own. It's going to be amazing!
Here's the poster by Rob Garner: (I love this poster, it's so cool)
See you on Saturday!
Bex
x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)