Tim Burgess - Oh No I Love You

Im a big fan of The Charlatans. Seen them more than any other band live. So when Tim Burgess revealed he was going to be releasing his second solo album, I was excited and a little nervous as to whether it would be any good.

Well, I shouldn't have worried. Oh No I Love you is a masterpiece of subtlety and wonderment. See for yourself below. White is the first single taken from the album.


It seems Tim has found a musical soulmate in Kurt Wagner (Lambchop), and together they write the most beautiful of songs.

Make sure you check out this glorious album for yourself here.

Noel Gallagher was Amazing in Cardiff

This weekend we had a lovely time in the capital of Wales, where we visited old friends and saw Noel Gallagher play live. Along with his High Flying Birds, Noel was joined on stage by a brass section and wonderful choir, which added an amazing level of depth to the sound. Having seen Noel live with Oasis MANY, MANY times, David is in a brilliant position to judge the quality and assures me that Noel was on top form in Cardiff.

As it was my first time seeing Noel, I have no personal comparison but gig-wise, it's up there with the best. He played his solo stuff and threw a smattering of Oasis classics - Supersonic, Don't Look Back in Anger, as well as some old b-sides as a treat for the massive fans in the audience. Yes, I mean David. Such a great evening.

Leeds Castle in........Kent IS FABULOUS

This bank holiday weekend, we found ourselves at THE LOVELIEST CASTLE IN THE WORLD. Sentiments I fully agree with, although these are not my words - but are a direct quote from the castle's website, which I love.

Leeds Castle - in Kent, where it is named for the small village of Leeds, rather than the place up north, was privately owned up until 1974 by the fabulous Lady Olive Baillie, who bought it in 1926 as her HOLIDAY HOME. In the 1930's Lady Baillie held fabulous soirees in the castle, guests included politicians, royalty, the wonderful Mr Harry Gordon Selfridge and Hollywood movie stars, it was all very Great Gatsby.

The castle is in such wonderful condition, you can see all the love and care that has been put into restoring it over the years, not just the castle and moat but the amazing acres of grounds with flowers, trees and rivers.

In its long history, it was known as the 'Ladies Castle' due to the tradition of Kings gifting it to their wives - one of the most famous being Henry VIII who gave it to Catherine of Aragon, it moved from the hands of royalty, to private owners, culminating with Lady Baillie.

In her will, Lady Baillie left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust that preserves the castle and grounds for the public. It was opened to said public in 1976 and I for one, think this was such an amazing thing for her to do, as now we can all enjoy her wonderful home, even if it is only for a few hours. It is such a calming, beautiful place to visit that is rich with history, I cannot recommend it enough.

Lady Baillie was an avid fan of exotic birds and had many aviaries, she was the first to bring black swans into the country and they became the symbol of the castle. We saw a lovely selection of birds including peacocks, swans and a falconry display!

Inside the castle, 12th century structure and stonework was mixed with Lady Baillie's decor, which drew on influences from the 17th century, right up to modern-at-the-time 1940's style. Also thrown in were some of her beautiful gowns and shoes from the 1920's and 30's.

Wowzers - Look at Nicole Kidman on V Magazine!

Yep, bum out and everything, she is looking good! Nicole has never been one to elicite that much excitement from me but I love it when an actress you have no expectation from, suddenly breaks from her comfort zone and looks hot on a magazine cover. The new issue of V Magazine to be precise.

Yes, she has gone down the obvious route of taking her clothes off to gain attention but shot by the wonderful Mario Testino, it just works for Nicole.

In the accompanying editorial, she is just as racy, as you can see below. Nicole hasn't just decided to bare all for no good reason, she is of course promoting a new film, it is called The Paperboy and in this film, she plays a particularly um, slutty character, hence the theme of this shoot. Nice work, Nicole.

Crazy Golf on Selfridges Roof

Today we had much fun on the roof of Selfridges. Back in the day, founder Harry Gordon Selfridge used to hold lavish events and parties on the roof of his iconic department store and this year, Selfridges, along with Bompas and Parr are honoring that tradition with a tea party (read: restaurant) and 9-hole crazy golf course on the very top of the building.

From the second you step out of the lift - handily express as the way up to the 5th floor, you are transported into an Alice in Wonderland-esque landscape of grass instead of carpet, walls covered in strawberries, golf balls and tea cups, bunting everywhere, retro drawings of golfing ladies and gents and pink cake scented score cards.

Outside, just past the restaurant, the crazy golf course has purple grass and holes that consist of famous London landmarks (tower bridge, Big Ben) jellies and cakes, which you have to navigate your ball through. There is even the token water feature, complete with stepping stones, which I loved.

Overall, its location makes it feel special and let's face it, mini-golf is just fun! Tickets go quick but this is a must-do this Summer.

 

 

Alabama Shakes

Heard this on the radio the other day. So inspired by it, I bought the album. Brittany Howard's voice is truely amazing. Check out their web page here

If You Go Down to the Woods Today......

....you'll find the whimsical and enchanting new campaign from Mulberry. For Autumn/Winter 2012, they enlisted the services of fashion photographer Tim Walker to highlight the theme of fairytales that ran through the collection. Using his trademark fantastical approach, Walker mixed the wonderfully styled Lindsay Wixon with a Gruffalo inspired creature, resulting in these beauties:

Crown of...Hedges

Not quite as dramatic as thorns but this wonderful and huge Royal crown can be seen in St James's Park, as part of the Jubilee celebrations. Made from a range of naturally grown plants, it's size and composition make it quite stunning.

Uncontained: Tea & Crayons at 55DSL Boxpark

For 30 days, 55DSL in Shoreditch Boxpark is playing host to Uncontained, a concept in conjunction with Shellsuit Zombie that sees the 55DSL unit transformed each day by 30 different creatives from the worlds of art, illustration, photography and music, giving a great creative platform for work and ideas to be showcased.

Today was the turn of illustration collective Tea & Crayons, who brought some whimsical charm to the proceedings with a Jubilee tea party, it being the Queen's day of celebration. We popped down to take part in live drawing, cake eating and good times! 

Yayoi Kusama for Louis Vuitton

Infinitely Kusama is the new capsule collection from Louis Vuitton. Released on July 10th, the fashion house have collaborated with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, dots are her signature and they make a fantastic appearance here on dresses, coats, bags and shoes. Simple yet striking.

Love Is The Answer

Kate Moss Stars in Vogue's Olympic Tribute

You may have heard that there is some sort of sporting event happening in London this Summer......and really, I don't have much interest in the Olympics at all, not being sports-inclined in any way at all. However, what I do like, is seeing the fashion worlds take on the whole shebang.

Case in point, the new June issue of British Vogue has Kate Moss coiled around a rope while clad in a gladiator style Versace dress, referencing the heritage of the games in a super-stylised way. Shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Kate looks stunning.

Watermelon Vans

Love these, they just make you think of sipping a juicy cocktail in the sun. Vans have reissued their Watermelon shoes, which were out for the first time in 2009. They also come in slip-on and high top versions, but this classic style is the one I'll be putting with some denim cut offs and a black T-shirt for a winning Summer look.

Dark Shadows by Tim Burton

I've always been a big fan of Tim Burton, his fantastical, dark and funny take on topics always makes for a brilliant film. I also love how his attitude now is, 'Yes, I will cast Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter in every film I do and there's nothing you can do about it.' Not that I have a problem with this, I love them as actors and under Tim's direction, they do things like this:



Dark Shadows was originally a 1960's creepy soap opera, which followed the adventures of the Collins family. Burton's film, released on May 11th, is a remake of this and see's Johnny Depp playing lead character, vampire Barnabas Collins.

The film also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Moretz and a cameo from Jonathan Frid, who played Barnabas in the original series.

Foo Fighters - Walk

It's just brilliant, isn't it.

The Strypes

The amazing thing about The Strypes is that they sound like they do, but they’re all around 15 years old.

An Irish four-piece beat band who obviously take inspiration from the original era of that sound, they have a new EP out now, which is led by their take on the Bo Diddley tune ‘You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover’.

You can catch the band out and about, including at the Timebox London Weekender. If you want to know more,like them on facebook or follow them on twitter.

Exercise Art

Lunar, one of the world's leading industrial design firms have turned their hand to an exercise bike of all things. What they have created wouldn't look out of place at the Tate Modern.

Lunar’s president, John Edson, and new managing director, Mark Dziersk, have been in  New York recently to introduce new concepts like the Vela exercise bike.

Matthis Hamann, one of Lunar Europe’s two managing partners, explains the Vela concept.

"(it is) a highly functional fitness equipment which, besides its sporting uses, will adorn any living room in the same way as an aesthetic sculpture. The objects thus combine ‘life’ and ‘style’ in the best possible sense"


Personally I would love this. Not to exercise on, but just to look at!

The promotional video for the Vela exercise bike is below.