So that night of inevitable disappointment is upon us: New Year's Eve. But never fear Vice is here to change all that. As some of you may know, Vice will be holding their own NYE party at the Vice pub, The Old Blue Last, and to get you in the mood Pariah have made Vice a party mix exclusively for all the VBN Bloggers, but here's a treat for you guys not on it.
Here's the track listing: Tim Hecker - Shipyards of La Ceiba [Alien8]
Warren Fischer is the musical mastermind behind Fischerspooner, the duo that transformed the musical and artistic landscape of NYC (and subsequently, the world) in the early 2000s with their intellectualized dance pop debauchery and their mesmerizing live performances that merged equal parts music, art, theatre, and fashion.
VBS's new 3-part documentary is a must-see which chronicles Fischer's many and diverse creative projects:
Over the past four years, musicians Animal Collective collaborated with abstract video artist Danny Perez to form a new audio/visual language, resulting in the visual album: ODDSAC. VBS followed Perez, and Animal Collective's Avey Tare and Deakin to Copenhagen for the CPH:DOX festival, where they created a new installation based on ODDSAC, to learn more about their unique working relationship. VBS talk to them about their creative process and their film inspirations (from Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the Whitney Brothers).
The final episode of The Producers series is now live and features Miike Snow frontman Andrew Wyatt reworking Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" with a little help from his friend Mark Ronson.
If you've missed any of the other episodes head over to vbs.tv to catch up. Past episodes feature Toddla T, Diplo, Jamie Reynolds, Marina Gasolina and Daniel Hunt.
Episode 6 of The Producers focuses on Andrew Wyatt – multi-talented multi-instrumentalist, lead singer of Miike Snow and part of Mark Ronson’s new project,. Here he takes to the studio with longtime collaborator Mr Ronson to work on various projects including a remix of Depeche Mode.
Episode 5 - Daniel Hunt w/ Marina Gasolina (Trailer)
Daniel Hunt is not only the creator of much-loved electropop band Ladytron but was also handpicked by superfan Christina Aguilera to produce some tracks on her last album. Today he takes to the studio with ex-Bonde de Role firebrand Marina Gasolina to work on her debut solo project.
Coming to VBS Wednesday 8th November. Watch the trailer:
The Producers: Episode 4 just went live on VBS.TV featuring Jamie Reynolds (of Klaxons fame) lover of spiritual and psychedelic and keen spotter of new talent, tries his hand at being a record producer, working with South coast lo-fi band The Cabin Fever.
Paul Gorman originally started out as a music journalist having interviewed such artists as David Bowie, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop and Elvis Costello and having contributed to such publications as Music Week, Mojo and The Guardian. He also was the first to acknowledge music’s exterior being fashion, and the influence it had (and still has) on music itself. This brought him onto investing 10 years of hard labour and sleepless nights into his book: ‘The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion’ which has been named in the top ten fashion books by The Independent Newspaper. I was given the opportunity to converse with the fabulous Paul Gorman; discussing Lady Gaga, his collaboration with Topman in 2008, designers and boutiques around London.
One of the many concepts of fashion is, essentially, to make a statement. Although we may not have the Boy George, or the Madonna figure really present in the current music scene, there was an artist that made it easier to make comparisons with: Lady Gaga. At the MTV Awards earlier this year, she sported a controversial dress woven out of raw meat. When asking Paul’s opinion of this he simply replied: ‘I think it’s really good that there are people like her. She’s part of a long line of people who push visual expression in various different ways.’ Perhaps this may not agree with views of vegetarians per se, but he’s got a point and shows how music encourages people to manifest their visual identity. He goes on to talk a friend of his who ‘made a film about dépêche mode last year. There were people in Russia pre glasnost, whose connections to the west was via the music of dépêche mode. It gave them an identity, and a connection to something outside of what can be quite a suppressive society.’
Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Let It Rock, 430 King's Road, Chelsea, 1971. Credit: David Parkinson
Throughout his book lies the acknowledgement that this generation of people from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s were disappearing without their work ever really being recognised. He was lucky to have placed interviews for his book before it was too late with people such as Douglas Millings, the creator behind The Beatle’s suits, and John Stevens who launched some of the first ‘trendy’ boutiques and was commonly known as ‘the king of Carnaby street’.
One of the successes that evolved from his book was the collaboration with Max Karey for Topshop in 2008: ‘I got to know some people very well like Nigel Wayne who formed Granny Takes A Trip and a couple called John and Molly Dove who made clothes worn by Mark Bowlen, Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Anthony Price who made clothes for Brian Ferrey, Duran Duran and David Bowie. I wanted to do something with these guys because it was part of this mission that their stuff is still great, but it was nowhere to be seen. Topman has this thing where a lot of fashion is sold allied to music. To put it in a cold hearted way – big business knows its appeal.’ However, Paul disbelieves the notion of buying new clothes and claims that there’s far too much clothes out there which is unworn – fantastic pieces. He encourages buying from charity and vintage shops with it being ‘a healthy and much more environmentally aware way of approaching things.’
This passion for small boutiques is continued throughout ‘The Look’ with several references to ones such as Demob, Alkasura, Granny Takes a Trip and Bazaar. The present culture we live in has no boundaries in regards to fashion, meaning anything can be worn since there’s ‘no prevailing trend’. Paul talks with regret of fashion designers, sympathising the process of having to design and showcase a new collection every season. Marc McLaren, who was a designer himself and a great friend of Paul’s said ‘well what happens if you don’t have any ideas. What happens if your great idea 3 years ago is still great now? I don’t like that.’ People are beginning to see this, one example being Peter Brooks. Having owned a shop in Soho for the past 15 years selling brands such as Marquille and Eley Kishimoto moved to sell in a junk shop in East London with her boyfriend: ‘he does all reclamation stuff – stuffed birds and design items. Now he remakes clothes out of 40s and 50s shirts and makes them into dress. I believe that’s the way forward.’
Peggy Noland, Berlin pop up shop, 2009.
This only provides one with a small insight into the many things ‘The Look’ has to offer with contributions from Malcolm Mclaren, The Sex Pistols, Boy George, Dougie Millins, Bernard Lanksy, Wayne Hemingway, Johnny Moke and John Stephen. It thoroughly investigates the links between fashion and music over the last half-century and examines the influence of designers on individual artists and trends. One not to be missed, featured several photos and illustrations which are rare and never before published. Essentially ‘The Look allows the invocation of a more innocent time, when ambition, creativity and serendipity combined to make clothes which McLaren has describes as ‘like jumping into the musical end of a painting’’.
Profiling the people who make the music that we love happen. Not the front men, but the real cogs of the music industry - producers, sound engineers, video directors etc. The idea was to shoot them in the 519s product and talk to them about what they do, how it relates to music and fashion.
1. JOE AND WILL ASK (Club promoters/fashion designers)
Joe And Will Ask, 24 and 25 respectively, have just been signed to a monthly Saturday night residency at 90s relic, Ministry of Sound. They think this is the greatest thing ever. Sure, Will went to the world’s most famous fashion school and has his own label, and Joe works on Gareth Pugh’s show music with art-guy Matthew Stone, but snobbery isn’t really their thing. All they want to do is play music for wasted teenagers and people letting loose after working their asses off all week. The other venue they really like playing is London’s Hoist, the sort of gay bar no one admits they go to, where there’s a leather and rubber only dress code, and the furnishings include cages and slings.
READ MORE AT: http://vicestyle.com/en/news/today/post/backstage-heroes-joe-and-will-ask
2. JACK SHANKLY (Transparent Records/Altered Zones/NME)
Londoner Jack Shankly does a lot of stuff. At just 21, he runs Transparent Records, works as an A&R for Domino, co-edits Altered Zones (Pitchfork’s more out-there sister site), writes freelance for NME, and is the author of the Transparent music blog, which is known for championing some of the most original and exciting new artists around. We love him for giving physical form to some of the earliest records from bands like Washed Out, Yuck and The Smith Westerns. The only logical explanation is that he’s a robot who survives on zero sleep.
READ MORE AT: http://vicestyle.com/en/news/today/post/backstage-heroes-jack-shankly
3. FLESH & BONE STUDIOS (Recording studio)
Flesh and Bone is a studio in east London, set up two years ago by six guys fresh out of college and funded by their part-time jobs. Between the partners they’ve worked with people like Crystal Fighters, Massive Attack, The Wombats and We Are Scientists. Only four of the guys could be at our shoot, all of them 25; Jamie Dodd, Daniel Ericsson, Shaun Savage and Owen Pratt, our interviewee.
READ MORE AT: http://vicestyle.com/en/news/today/post/backstage-heroes-flesh-bone-studios
Fuck the government. Fuck the rich kids. Fuck the police. FUCK THE CUTS.
That was totally the kinda atmosphere the day encompassed where these crowds of stumbling students crashed through windows, through cars, graffitied everywhere, climbed roofs and beat up the police (to some extent successfully)... Check it all out.
This girl has to be in some sort of cult or something - she's fucked. The moment she exhiliratingly slides her glasses off, in eagerness to reach the 'right' note results in deranged screams as she fails...multiple times.
Check out the latest video from the Love Blogging series on Vice Style...
ALICE, LETTY & LOUISE
Alice, Letty and Louise are a trio of independent bloggers whose love for fashion and blogging has recently brought them together in an interesting initiate, reversing the more common media model by using their existing blogs as a launchpad to start their fanzine, entitled 'HOT & COOL'.
NEXT
Look out for Vice's interview with anonymous fashion blogger and industry insider, Disney Roller Girl. Will she reveal her identity?
"A African male who knows that he has a huge penis that can hit all night and keep a female comin back fo more."
Heads up - you may not want to watch this when your parents are around. But you sure do want to watch this when your mates are around, as this will blow your mind.
VBS travels to Tampa, Florida – home of America’s fastest growing fetish: interracial swinging. It’s a scene run by a mysterious gangbang crew known as The Florida Mandingos.
Our guide is Art Hammer, the founder of the Florida Mandingos, a group of “discreet, professional, educated, intelligent, physically fit, drug and disease free, well-hung black gentlemen, age 24-45, that specialise in hot, intense, nasty gangbangs for couples/females who love big black dicks and black dick fantasies!”
Trailers:
(Watch out for the first part - coming next week on VBS.tv). and come along to the EVENT: Crazysexy VICE "Jamaican Me Crazy" Mandingo SCREENING/Swingers Party that is happening November 8th at The Alibi, Dalston, to celebrate its release. Q&A with the makers of the show, Andy Capper, Alex Miller and William Fairman.
On the 10th November After Hours Athletes takes over The Old Blue Last from 8pm-12pm for a night of games, music and booze, hosted by the very hilarious House of Hot Breath. See below for a taster of WHAT IS IN STORE...
Video DartsAthletes throw darts at a video projection of a selected music video: when the dart hits the board the DVD is paused and contestants gain points depending on who they have speared.
Table Tennis Beer Pong
Does this need an introduction? The yanks out there will know...
Cardioke
The concept is simple: sing karaoke on the crosstrainer. There’s a calorie counter attached and whoever burns the most calories is the winner. Can you beat the record: 54.7 calories to Iron Maiden's Run To The Hills. If you can your prize will involve 5,000 calories.
The Handbag Heavyweights
Two ladies stand together back to back, each holding out a handbag filled with something heavy, at arms length. This is a test of strength and stamina: whoever drops their arm first is the loser.
The Pizzaface Challenge
This is a re-work of the classic cereal box game, using a stack of six pizzas. Each athlete has to bend down and pick up a piece of pizza without using their hands. After each round a pizza box is taken off the stack and it gets lower. People have been known to take their clothes off during this event
THE BANDS
Is Tropical
Little is known about the enigmatic London three-piece Is Tropical, other than that they are one of this year’s most hotly tipped bands. For over a year now they have been wowing crowds with their mysterious live shows, their faces covered by masks and cloaked by self-made video projections. Formed in 2009 the band consists of Gary Barber, Simon Milner and Dominic Apa, plying their trade in lo-fi dance anthems and raw pop, effortlessly changing their soundscapes mid song.
They wouldn’t reveal much about their censored After Hours Athletics, but revealed that the most athletic thing they have ever done after a gig is climb a mountain in Scotland…
O Children
Rising from the ashes of now defunct band Bono Must Die, O.Children have been invoking the raw darkness of acts such as Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy and Joy Division for over a year. Named after a Bad Seeds track, the band fronted by Tobi O’Kandi and joined by Andi Sleath (Drums), Harry James (Bass) and Gautier Ajarrista (Guitar) have been described by the Guardian as ‘Early Bunnymen distilled through Billy Idol schlock’ and are at the forefront of today’s Goth rock scene. Their debut album was released in July and over the summer they played their first festival season, playing to the gargantuan crowds of Glastonbury, Lovebox and Latitude, further cementing their legendary live reputation. They claim that their greatest after hours victory was destroying everyone at pool in Efes, Dalston, where the shoot took place, and the most athletic thing they have ever done after a night out was drag racing in a 1978 Plymouth Sundance at a house party once. Does that count?
KASMS
KASMs are a Dalston based post-punk quartet. The group formed in late 2007 and have cited several origin stories for the band, the two most popular involving an argument between all four members by a Dalston cashpoint, and a chance meeting after being thrown off a dancefloor for aggressive dancing.
The band are famed for their rowdy shows: abusing the audience, numerous scissor kicks, occasional backwards rolls and even more unhinged after parties. One particular incident in France included fireworks, scantily clad 17 year olds and some heinous acts committed in a portaloo.
Primary1
Primary 1 is the one-man electro pop brainchild of Joe Flory. Originally from the UK Joe spent his childhood moving around soaking up influences from Norway to Singapore whilst still taking in what little British music he could. Influenced by acts such as Basement Jaxx, Cassius and De La Soul Joe decided to come back to his spiritual home in the UK to study Film at University. Having impressed cult DJ Erol Alkan, Primary 1’s first single ‘Hold Me Down’ was released on Alkan’s Phantasy Sounds record label.
He’s just spent the summer touring all over the UK, including a gig at Glastonbury, and keeps a meticulous comic strip diary detailing his rather bizarre tour experiences with added illustrations. Highlights include watching a man complete a giant 6x6 rubrix cube in under a minute and smashing a window in his studio and convincing all his friends that a ghost did it.
This little kid loves Justin Beiber. We all know that there's far more people to hate him but he's planning to put it all to a stop in the belief that 'he doesn't deserve to die because of his musical tastes'...Well if its Justin Beiber you do. They've already had two people arrested in the US for threatening to kill JB Fans. Get a life you dicky assholes.
Phillip Hill organises and invents guerilla raves which are taking over east london at the moment. "This is FLASH: it's naughty. It's nice. It's 'Glamour' in the style of Kerry Katona... It's DIY with claws on...IT"S UR RAVE AND U MAKE THE RULES. PARTY!"
So here's a treat for you Warpaint fans out there (somewhere...) - listen to the whole album for free one week before it hits the stores. I haven't yet met anyone who's a massive fan of them, but I sure am. Perhaps if you listen, you will be too..
Signed to EMI, are the indie-four piece from Australia whose myspace states : 'We're not hungry or hungarian - we are a band, we're Australian and quite full from dinner, thank you. ' I go to meet keyboard player and vocalist, Kane Mazlin, to erm.. find out more.
To celebrate 50 years of Dr. Martens we are putting on a pretty special party on Friday 29th October in a secret East London venue. The booze will be cheap, very cheap, and the tickets are FREE. Visit the Dr. Martens 50 Facebook page and stick your name down to register for a pair of tickets. Easy enough. Here's the link to the event:
http://viceland.com/drmartens50th/
Lurking somewhere amidst the dirty streets of London, are the mysterious duo: ‘Big Deal’ who obviously would claim to be a big deal. That’s a pretty big statement considering their 114 friends on their MySpace page. Maybe that’s the beauty of it, one might think, as you listen and discover how mesmerising and deeply personal it is. The gentle caressing of the strings combined with fragile female vocals allows you to experience an intense moment of calm. You find you are hypnotised under the song’s folksy spell, a beautiful place, where all your troubles and worries are forgotten. Perhaps their ‘fuck it’ attitude has a reason behind it because you know what…they are going to be a big deal. Just you watch.
Dr Martens Spitalfields & Bangers & Mash Present...
We Are One FREE Mini Festival & Afterparty
Darwin Deez Live - Daisy Dares You Live - CocknBullKid Dj
'We are One' at Spitalfields is a FREE mini festival that celebrates the first anniversary of Dr. Martens pop up shop in the market. A collaboration with London's number one mashup night Bangers & Mash, Dr. Martens are giving people the chance to see Darwin Deez Live, Daisy Dares You Live, The Milk Live, plus DJ sets from CocknBullKid totally FREE on Friday 8th October at Old Spitalfields Market from 6pm-8pm.
For your FREE e-ticket, please RSVP to Emily@emilyrawson.co.uk
This will be followed by an afterparty at All Star Lanes on Brick Lane, with DJ sets from Darwin Deez, CocknBullKid, James Theaker & Emily Rawson. Email Emily@emilyrawson.co.uk for guestlist requests to the afterparty, or info and press enquires on either event.
One-off Events:
Halloween at All Star Lanes Brick Lane Saturday 30th October
Bangers & Mash Vrs Crazed Cabaret NYE at All Star Lanes Brick Lane 31st December
Saturdays:
93 Feet East 1st & 3rd of month
Fridays:
Barfly 1st of month
Jazz Café 'Wild Style' 2nd of month
333 3rd of month
Queen Of Hoxton Friday 22nd Oct
PlayStation believe the best games are played as a group. That's why they've set up Game Runners - an experimental project where PlayStation, members of the public and young people from diverse backgrounds come together to create social games.
The project has been developed by PlayStation and Hide & Seek with a team of 8 initial Game Runners who PlayStation have picked to train as game designers and work to make the games relevant
For those of you down in London this Friday (8th) here are 4 reasons why you should come down to the final Game Runners event:
1. Play a monster sized version of Blocks (game rules below) 2. Between 5.30-6pm you can win a PS3 and PlayStation Move start up kit 3. Watch End of the Line graffiti artists. 4. The whole event is presented by urban street dance queen Kimberlee Jay
We'll be at: Friday 8th October 12 noon - 8.30pm. Elys Yard, The Old Truman Brewery,Hanbury Street London E1.
RSVP at the facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153048521372149&ref=ts
Beth Ditto at Paris Fashion week with JPGwhose collection focuses on heavy makeup, fishnet tights and leather.
Chez Balmin plays around with safety pins, metal studs and skintight jeans in his collection
Balenciaga's collection has to be my favourite of all with its assortion of cropped trousers, varnished leather, men's shirts, oversized houndstooth patterns and tailored blazers.
Ghesquière's collection experiments with trends arising from the ones mentioned above. In particular it pinpoints the dark prints and 'different' footwear.
oOoOO aka Christopher Dexter Greenspan has once again revived the Goth in all of us through his staggeringly prodigous new track, ‘Burnout Eyess’. The song lures you in with its resounding bass line, mimicking a heartbeat – your heartbeat that is as you begin falling for these phenomenal mix of sounds. Whispery rattles are followed with drawn-out, murky vocals at which point the flood of notes send shivers down your spine. If that doesn’t leave you in a warped enough daze, tears blistering your eyes as you feel emotionally at one with the mysterious sounds, then the closing cries of ‘I want to stay just like this’ will do just that. oOoOO is unquestionably someone to keep a watchful eye on, and it won’t be long before you’ll start spreading their name…as well as running the risk of sounding like you’re in the midst of sexual intercourse.
Vice has always been about sex, drugs and rock & roll, particularly rock & roll of the punk and metal variety, the heavier and smellier the better. Where are you going to find sex, drugs and smelly music in a greater concentration than at a festival? That’s right: nowhere. So, VBS strapped on it’s novelty beer bong hat and decided it was time to document the best that European punk and metal festival circuit has to offer: Groezrock.
Vice UK’s James Knight was sent to the legendary Belgian punkstravaganza to meet both the bands and the festival goers who make Groezrock the only festival in Europe that Bad Religion call home.
If you want to know why Agnostic Front’s Vinnie Stigma likes wearing wooden clogs around his New York apartment, what Pamela Anderson has to do with why Sum 41’s Derrick Whibly is bummed at the guys from Lit and the inside scoop on Pennywise’s new line up then you’re only going to find out about it right here.
On top of finding out what makes the average Belgian punk festival go-er tick, blagging their way on to tour busses to plunder bands riders and interviewing everyone from Rise & Fall to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones we also got a bunch of exclusive live footage of Bad Religion, Pennywise, The Bronx, Agnostic Front, Glassjaw and a cast of thousands.
Following his naughty show at London Fashion Week (see previous posts), I did a bit of research on his other designs. I must say, they're pretty darn good.
