This is the new video for Pigsty from Bayside's latest album Cult. And yes, they play some dodgeball. There's not much more I need to say, just watch and enjoy!
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Monday, 11 August 2014
Time: Tattoo Art Today at Somerset House
I made the most of Saturday morning's beautiful weather by getting up early and heading to Somerset House to see Time: Tattoo Art Today – yet another fantastic exhibition with free admission. It comprises work by 70 of the world's most influential tattoo artists, each commissioned to create a unique piece of work on the theme of 'Time', using any medium they liked apart from their usual canvas – skin.
Tattoo art has a fascinating history, reportedly dating back to Neolithic times. In western society it has evolved from something that was typically associated with the lower and even criminal classes, to an integral part of contemporary culture, so it's great to see some of the tattoo world's finest being recognised in this way.
 |
| © Kurt Wiscombe |
I was immediately struck by just how incredibly talented these artists are. It’s easy to forget that first and foremost they are just that, artists. Tattooing is their chosen profession but, while they might spend the majority of their time creating art on the human body, they can also produce oil paintings to rival those in the National Gallery and interpret a brief like 'Time' with unrivalled creativity.
Naturally the theme lends itself to ideas
of life and death, and many iconic symbols prevalent in the tattoo world are utilised, from
skulls and clocks, to flower blossoms and the female form. The materials used are diverse and include various types of painting, bronze sculpture and mixed media pieces.
Many well-known names have contributed to the exhibition, including Don Ed Hardy, Mr Cartoon and my personal favourites Ami James and Chris
Garver (Miami Ink anyone?), and while it would be hard to pick out favourites, here
are a few I particularly wanted to mention.
 |
© Rose Hardy
|
Rouge by Rose Hardy
This is such a beautiful interpretation of
the theme, with the constant life-cycle of flowers represented in acrylic and watercolour, from buds and blossoms to the wilted petals. I love how the vibrant
colours in the roses contrast with the monochrome shades of the classic pin-up girl’s eye
makeup. The composition and execution are equally impressive.
 |
© Chris Garver
|
Indigo Dragons by Chris Garver
The body is a natural canvas for a tattoo
artist and I love that Chris Garver chose to illustrate a mannequin in this
way. The use of blue on white for Chinese dragons is very reminiscent of the country's traditional blue and white porcelain, dating back to the 9th century.
 |
© Shawn Barber
|
Kim Saigh at work, with Jamie Kompon by
Shawn Barber
Kim Saigh chose to illustrate girlfriend (and fellow
tattoo artist) Kim Saigh at work on former professional hockey player Jamie
Kompon. Barber spent years documenting contemporary tattoo culture before
picking up the tattoo machine himself, and he taught drawing and painting at art schools for over a decade. The multiple representations of Kim and Jamie illustrate the passing of time in what, as anyone with a tattoo will know, can often be a very lengthy process!
 |
© Alex Binnie
|
Self Portrait by Alex Binnie
Tattoo artist and printmaker, Alex Binnie,
has been tattooing since the 80s and established one of the first
custom tattoo shops in London. I love this graphic self portrait showing both
the inside and outside of himself in two distinct halves. Such a simple but effective piece.
Time: Tattoo Art Today is a fantastic exhibition and well worth
a visit. I would have liked a bit of information about the thought
process behind each piece, because it's something that always interests me, however, as I have come to expect from Somerset House, it is an incredibly well thought out exhibition. Tattoos tend to divide opinion (possibly because like all art forms, their creators range considerably in terms of talent), so an
exhibition like this is a fantastic reminder of the abilities of the cream of
the crop – creative, innovative and bound to leave an impression.
Time: Tattoo Art Today is at the Embankment
Galleries, South Wing at Somerset House until 5 October 2014. For more information visit
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Tigercub at The Social, Soho
One of the best things about living in London, or any major city for that matter, is that you never have to travel far to get to a good gig. If a band is touring the UK they are inevitably going to wind up in London and, equally, there are plenty of lesser-known bands playing venues all over the city.
Another great thing is that there is something to do on any night of the week. (When you have previously lived somewhere that resembles a ghost town from Sunday to Thursday this is very much appreciated.) So to spend your Wednesday evening in the company of Tigercub and not even have to pay a penny for the privilege is pretty darn great!
As you might remember, I stumbled across Tigercub just over a year ago when they were supporting Dinosaur Pile-Up at The Hope in Brighton. It was one of those rare occasions that we arrived in time to catch the support act and were very impressed. I've tried to see them a few times since and for one reason or another it just hasn't happened, but last Wednesday they were at The Social in Soho.
The Brighton three-piece have a heavily grunge-inspired sound fused with just the tiniest hint of pop. Growing up in the nineties they list a catalogue of great bands as influential to their work – Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Weezer – as well as a wider range including John Lennon and The Monks. Being a nineties kid too I'm a sucker for grunge and in my opinion they capture the best parts without sounding dated or overly nostalgic; it's different and new but still comfortingly familiar.
Musical talent aside, there is something immediately likeable about Tigercub. They have stage presence without having to try too hard, they seem like the kind of guys you could happily drink beer and talk music with and, most importantly, they seem genuine – you can always tell when the music comes first for a band and not the image.
The Social is a pretty small venue but the sound is good and Tigercub put on a solid show. Despite being a week night, the crowd that turned out clearly enjoyed the set and, best of all, the band played with the same commitment that many reserve for a much larger audience. My personal highlight was Centerfold, a song that perfectly captures exactly why I love Tigercub.
With so many bands emerging from Brighton it's pretty hard to stand out from the crowd, but I hope Tigercub's hard work and perseverance pays off. Although I enjoyed seeing them in such an intimate venue yet again, I feel slightly maternal towards these guys and nothing would make me more proud than seeing them play to the size of crowd they deserve.
This is their debut single Blue Blood, produced by Tom Dalgety and Dinosaur Pile-Up's Matt Bigland. You can also check out Centerfold here.
www.tigercubtigercub.co.uk
@_TiGERCUB
Another great thing is that there is something to do on any night of the week. (When you have previously lived somewhere that resembles a ghost town from Sunday to Thursday this is very much appreciated.) So to spend your Wednesday evening in the company of Tigercub and not even have to pay a penny for the privilege is pretty darn great!
As you might remember, I stumbled across Tigercub just over a year ago when they were supporting Dinosaur Pile-Up at The Hope in Brighton. It was one of those rare occasions that we arrived in time to catch the support act and were very impressed. I've tried to see them a few times since and for one reason or another it just hasn't happened, but last Wednesday they were at The Social in Soho.
The Brighton three-piece have a heavily grunge-inspired sound fused with just the tiniest hint of pop. Growing up in the nineties they list a catalogue of great bands as influential to their work – Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Weezer – as well as a wider range including John Lennon and The Monks. Being a nineties kid too I'm a sucker for grunge and in my opinion they capture the best parts without sounding dated or overly nostalgic; it's different and new but still comfortingly familiar.
Musical talent aside, there is something immediately likeable about Tigercub. They have stage presence without having to try too hard, they seem like the kind of guys you could happily drink beer and talk music with and, most importantly, they seem genuine – you can always tell when the music comes first for a band and not the image.
The Social is a pretty small venue but the sound is good and Tigercub put on a solid show. Despite being a week night, the crowd that turned out clearly enjoyed the set and, best of all, the band played with the same commitment that many reserve for a much larger audience. My personal highlight was Centerfold, a song that perfectly captures exactly why I love Tigercub.
With so many bands emerging from Brighton it's pretty hard to stand out from the crowd, but I hope Tigercub's hard work and perseverance pays off. Although I enjoyed seeing them in such an intimate venue yet again, I feel slightly maternal towards these guys and nothing would make me more proud than seeing them play to the size of crowd they deserve.
This is their debut single Blue Blood, produced by Tom Dalgety and Dinosaur Pile-Up's Matt Bigland. You can also check out Centerfold here.
www.tigercubtigercub.co.uk
@_TiGERCUB
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Summer 2014 Fashion Picks
It's been a little while since I did some virtual shopping for Rock & Runway, so I decided to put together a few pieces for my wish-list that are perfect for all my favourite summer activities, from picnics in the park to pub crawls. No explanation needed here really, I'm sure you all know my taste by now – leopard print Converse, Karl Lagerfeld t-shirt, Marc Jacobs sunnies, YSL bag... say no more.
All items can be found at www.net-a-porter.com:
• Denim shorts £160 by Rag & Bone
• T-shirt £85 by Karl Lagerfeld
• Acetate sunglasses £220 by Marc Jacobs
• Leather shoulder bag £970 by Saint Laurent
• High-tops £75 by Converse
• Earring £325 by Givenchy
All items can be found at www.net-a-porter.com:
• Denim shorts £160 by Rag & Bone
• T-shirt £85 by Karl Lagerfeld
• Acetate sunglasses £220 by Marc Jacobs
• Leather shoulder bag £970 by Saint Laurent
• High-tops £75 by Converse
• Earring £325 by Givenchy
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Today's Soundtrack: Royal Blood – Figure It Out
Today's soundtrack is Figure It Out by Royal Blood. I sadly missed a chance to see them supported by Tigercub a while back, when I made a rookie error and left it too late to get tickets. I was pretty disappointed. The Brighton boys have a fantastic sound, especially when you consider that there is only two of them, and Figure It Out is the new single due out on August 18th.
This will be their fourth single since November last year, despite the fact their debut self-titled album isn't available until 25 August, (although you can get your hands on a four-track EP) and each one has been consistently solid, making their album a highly-anticipated release.
www.royalbloodband.com
@royalblooduk
www.royalbloodband.com
@royalblooduk
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Something for the Runway readers...
As many of you will probably know by now, I've been working on a little project with my beautiful best friend Kay. We've been talking about setting up a beauty blog to share our many product recommendations with like minded ladies for a long time, and the result is Your Beauty Best Friend. We're both beauty product junkies and a bit addicted to beauty blogs, but many of them are written by women who are one or two (or ten!) years younger than us. We wanted to create something that would be as useful to women in their thirties as it is to those a little younger than us.
We'll be sharing product reviews of makeup, skincare, hair care and lots more, because let's face it, with so much choice out there it's kind of nice to read a recommendation or two before parting with your hard earned cash. And as we're not affiliated with any brands you can be sure that all of our reviews are one hundred percent honest!
The project is still evolving and we really want to make our blog as useful as possible to a wide audience, so if you are a fellow beauty junkie, check it out at www.yourbeautybestfriend.co.uk and drop us a line at info@yourbeautybestfriend.co.uk with any comments or requests for products you would like reviewed.
You can also follow us on Twitter @YourBeautyBF and on Instagram @YOUR_BEAUTY_BEST_FRIEND (search for Kay and Jen) and sign up to receive our blog posts via email from the homepage.
On the subject of email updates, don't forget you can receive Rock & Runway posts in the same way, by popping your email address in the box at the the top of the right hand column.
Jen x
The project is still evolving and we really want to make our blog as useful as possible to a wide audience, so if you are a fellow beauty junkie, check it out at www.yourbeautybestfriend.co.uk and drop us a line at info@yourbeautybestfriend.co.uk with any comments or requests for products you would like reviewed.
You can also follow us on Twitter @YourBeautyBF and on Instagram @YOUR_BEAUTY_BEST_FRIEND (search for Kay and Jen) and sign up to receive our blog posts via email from the homepage.
On the subject of email updates, don't forget you can receive Rock & Runway posts in the same way, by popping your email address in the box at the the top of the right hand column.
Jen x
Friday, 11 July 2014
The Used at Scala
There are many things that you should be doing 48 hours before you move house (packing, panicking...), and going to a gig probably isn't one of them. But this wasn't any old gig, it was The Used at Scala, and the tickets had been purchased months before we knew that the sale of our house would drag on for so darn long....
Before I get to the show, I'm going to admit that my last few write-ups have been a tad soppy and full of unadulterated praise (see Taking Back Sunday and Bayside for proof). I'd like to say that this particular trend is over (writing about bad shows is actually easier than good ones) but, along with the aforementioned, The Used make up my holy trinity – the final piece in the puzzle of a long time love affair that I really can't play down.
So there I was, a million miles away from the stress of preparing to move house (or so it felt), happy to have escaped the nightmare of knowing that 80 percent of my life was packed up into boxes, or worse, that the remaining 20 percent was yet to be dealt with. Beers had been drunk, dinner had been eaten, and we had grabbed that elusive spot on Scala's balcony that nobody else seems to know about – perfect view, queue-less bar just behind, what's not to love?!
Formed in 2001, The Used hail from Utah and, drummer aside, they have retained the same lineup ever since. They are a fantastic live band and front man Bert McCracken is... well, he's Bert. Unique, charismatic and unpredictable, with a voice to match. I've seen him at previous shows in various moods ranging from completely crazy to kind of grumpy – but tonight he was at his finest; funny, engaging and extolling the virtues of sobriety.
The Used released their self-titled debut album 12 years ago and subsequently followed it with five more, the most recent being Imaginary Enemy, released in April. With each album their sound has evolved; from the post-hardcore, rawness of their first record and the follow-up In Love and Death, to the slickly produced Lies For The Liars, via a range of influences on Artwork and Vulnerable, culminating in the politically charged anthems on their latest offering.
As their sound has developed, I've witnessed one or two fans fall by the wayside, having decided that the experiments with dub step were quite literally a step too far (listen to Hands and Faces and make up your own mind – I'm definitely in the 'love it' camp). These particular fans wanted The Used to stay the same as in the early days, but that isn't realistic. It's like asking you to wear exactly the same outfit for ten years and not get bored.
Personally I love them as much as I ever did. They have retained what makes them The Used and perhaps I have simply evolved alongside them, but all I know is that I still listen to each of their albums with an (almost) equal passion. I could never put my finger on exactly why the changes have worked, until Bert did it for me, saying "We've always tried to do what isn't cool." Simple but so true. They don't follow the crowd – hell they don't even try to please the crowd – they just keep doing their own thing, and that's an attractive quality in all walks of life.
Kicking off their set with Cry from Imaginary Enemy – yet another example of a song I fell for instantly – they immediately went back in time to Take It Away from In Love and Death, proving effortlessly just how relevant their older material still is. I was transported back to my university days and the memory of the nightclub that played Take It Away every week without fail whilst serving ridiculously cheap drinks. This was followed by The Bird and The Worm off what I lovingly refer to as the 'over produced' Lies For The Liars, then Listening, I Caught Fire, The Taste Of Ink, All That I've Got and Buried Myself Alive.
It was an incredible trip down memory lane. The sound was great, the atmosphere was electric, and once again I was reminded just how passionate and dedicated The Used fans are. We were then brought back to the present by Revolution, the powerful opening track off their latest release. By the time they reached the encore and the always-moving On My Own I felt a bit sad, it was the kind of night that you just don't want to end. However, some uninvited guest vocals from a baritone voice in the crowd hilariously killed the mood, making even Bert laugh.
Finally the band played A Box Full Of Sharp Objects, finishing very appropriately with one of their oldest and most beloved songs. It was perfect. After 12 years and a lot of ups and downs, I'm so glad that I still love The Used. And the girl I was ten years ago, dancing to Take It Away and drinking Jack to forget her troubles, would be pretty damn pleased about that fact too.
Huge thank you goes to Luke Osborne for the fantastic photos, shot on behalf of www.musicboxunwinds.co.uk. You can check out more of Luke's work at lukeosbornephotography.tumblr.com.
theused.net
@WeAreTheUsed
Before I get to the show, I'm going to admit that my last few write-ups have been a tad soppy and full of unadulterated praise (see Taking Back Sunday and Bayside for proof). I'd like to say that this particular trend is over (writing about bad shows is actually easier than good ones) but, along with the aforementioned, The Used make up my holy trinity – the final piece in the puzzle of a long time love affair that I really can't play down.
So there I was, a million miles away from the stress of preparing to move house (or so it felt), happy to have escaped the nightmare of knowing that 80 percent of my life was packed up into boxes, or worse, that the remaining 20 percent was yet to be dealt with. Beers had been drunk, dinner had been eaten, and we had grabbed that elusive spot on Scala's balcony that nobody else seems to know about – perfect view, queue-less bar just behind, what's not to love?!
Formed in 2001, The Used hail from Utah and, drummer aside, they have retained the same lineup ever since. They are a fantastic live band and front man Bert McCracken is... well, he's Bert. Unique, charismatic and unpredictable, with a voice to match. I've seen him at previous shows in various moods ranging from completely crazy to kind of grumpy – but tonight he was at his finest; funny, engaging and extolling the virtues of sobriety.
The Used released their self-titled debut album 12 years ago and subsequently followed it with five more, the most recent being Imaginary Enemy, released in April. With each album their sound has evolved; from the post-hardcore, rawness of their first record and the follow-up In Love and Death, to the slickly produced Lies For The Liars, via a range of influences on Artwork and Vulnerable, culminating in the politically charged anthems on their latest offering.
As their sound has developed, I've witnessed one or two fans fall by the wayside, having decided that the experiments with dub step were quite literally a step too far (listen to Hands and Faces and make up your own mind – I'm definitely in the 'love it' camp). These particular fans wanted The Used to stay the same as in the early days, but that isn't realistic. It's like asking you to wear exactly the same outfit for ten years and not get bored.
Personally I love them as much as I ever did. They have retained what makes them The Used and perhaps I have simply evolved alongside them, but all I know is that I still listen to each of their albums with an (almost) equal passion. I could never put my finger on exactly why the changes have worked, until Bert did it for me, saying "We've always tried to do what isn't cool." Simple but so true. They don't follow the crowd – hell they don't even try to please the crowd – they just keep doing their own thing, and that's an attractive quality in all walks of life.
Kicking off their set with Cry from Imaginary Enemy – yet another example of a song I fell for instantly – they immediately went back in time to Take It Away from In Love and Death, proving effortlessly just how relevant their older material still is. I was transported back to my university days and the memory of the nightclub that played Take It Away every week without fail whilst serving ridiculously cheap drinks. This was followed by The Bird and The Worm off what I lovingly refer to as the 'over produced' Lies For The Liars, then Listening, I Caught Fire, The Taste Of Ink, All That I've Got and Buried Myself Alive.
It was an incredible trip down memory lane. The sound was great, the atmosphere was electric, and once again I was reminded just how passionate and dedicated The Used fans are. We were then brought back to the present by Revolution, the powerful opening track off their latest release. By the time they reached the encore and the always-moving On My Own I felt a bit sad, it was the kind of night that you just don't want to end. However, some uninvited guest vocals from a baritone voice in the crowd hilariously killed the mood, making even Bert laugh.
Finally the band played A Box Full Of Sharp Objects, finishing very appropriately with one of their oldest and most beloved songs. It was perfect. After 12 years and a lot of ups and downs, I'm so glad that I still love The Used. And the girl I was ten years ago, dancing to Take It Away and drinking Jack to forget her troubles, would be pretty damn pleased about that fact too.
Huge thank you goes to Luke Osborne for the fantastic photos, shot on behalf of www.musicboxunwinds.co.uk. You can check out more of Luke's work at lukeosbornephotography.tumblr.com.
theused.net
@WeAreTheUsed
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