http://www.flickr.com/photos/kriebel/

After the huge success of last year’s Art of Hope competition, artrepublic has launched its second nationwide competition, Street Art. The graffiti art campaign, in association with the homeless charity StreetSmart, intends to raise the profile of not only the organisation, but street artists across the UK.

The competition coincides with this year’s campaign by StreetSmart and their restaurant partners to raise money for the homeless during the festive season. The charity, which is supported by celebrities such as Stephen Fry, and with the help of artrepublic, hopes to create widespread awareness of the homeless endemic on our streets. The competition is open to everyone and artists will need to follow a simple, but inspiring brief: to create an original ‘Street Art’ image that makes a positive contribution to the urban environment.

“Street art is experienced by everyone and therefore creates a bond between those who live on the streets and those who have a roof over their heads,” says Lawrence Alkin, CEO of artrepublic. This is a unique opportunity for an aspiring or established artist to express themselves, with the winner’s message being exposed to the world”.

The winning image will also be sold worldwide as a limited edition print through the artrepublic website, with all proceeds going to StreetSmart. The winner will also receive a meal for two at PINTCHOtapas in London and a night’s stay at Myhotel Bloomsbury. This is a one in a lifetime opportunity for aspiring or established street artists to express their style and trademark, which will be amplified on a three storey building in the heart of Brighton, where previous installations have gained global recognition.

All you need to do is email your image to artwork@artrepublic.com and include ‘Street Art Competition’ in the subject line.

The competition closes on Friday 8th January 2010

Panda 2006. Photo from MySpace

On the eve of the fabric 48 launch back in August, I spoke with Radio Slave aka Matt Edwards, about life in Berlin after Brighton, love, music and what’s driving his new creative projects, which include the fabric 48 mix CD, new releases on his Rekids label and a top-secret art project.

Although from South London and infinitely lauded for his many projects under his various guises (Quiet Village, Sea Devils, Matthew E, Rekid), there was little talk about his past achievement, focusing on the present – and the future.  Soft-spoken and modest, Matt talked as easily about his recent trip back to Brighton as he did about his mixes.

The fabric 48 mix, which came out in the UK on 14th September 2009, includes the Steve Lawler remix of “Koma Koma”, tracks from Baeka, Nina Kraviz, Spencer Parker, DJ Boola, Brothers’ Vibe, Michel Cleis, Dance Disorder, 2000 & 1 and Nate William’s Club Patrol – and of course Radio Slave. Five of the 13 tracks are exclusive unreleased material.

Radio Slave’s selection of house floor fillers are truly representative of the sort of quality sets he plays; if you’ve ever been to a night where he’s playing, you’ll know that he delivers the goods and at length. The mix is quite chilled out in places, but builds up nicely with some stand out moments with “DDB” and latin-doused “La Mazcla”.

Enjoy the interview and check out fabric 48 on the Fabric site.

Radio Slave aka Matt Edwards

Interview with Radio Slave, by Amythefilmmaker (Amy Riley)

Amythefilmaker (A): Hi, this is Amy, phoning from you from Brighton.

Radio Slave (RS): I was actually visiting Brighton yesterday.

A: What were you doing?

RS: I was visiting, well, I guess my ex wife, and having a look round town.

A: Oh cool.. did you pop into any of the shops?

RS: I did actually. I bought two paintings from Art Republic and then we went to the cinema, to Duke of Yorks and saw the Coco Chanel movie.

A: How was that?

RS: It was amazing. Yeah it’s really good. Really slow, it’s very moving, but very slow.

A: I love how you can take booze in the cinema. I’m just trying to remember what the weather was like yesterday.

RS: It was pretty good. I used to live there so I haven’t been back for quite a while. It was good to wander round, see some friends.

A: How long ago did you live here?

RS : I lived there for eight years, for pretty much from 1998 to 2006.

A: That’s pretty cool. Did you play out at clubs down here?

RS: Yeah, I used to be resident at Stompaphunk. It was with my friend Anthony at Funky Buddha Lounge – I used to hang out with those guys for years. It’s a good place to live, but it ended up being too much like a small town for me. There’s too many people in each other’s business and it’s incestuous and it caused a few problems in my life.

A: I used to live in New York and I’ve been waiting for Brighton to lose it’s thing – it’s charm – maybe but it’s thing – maybe I’ll move to Berlin.

RS: Well if you lived in New York, you’ll like Berlin – there’s a great comparison between the two cities.  Some parts remind me of Brooklyn, with the overhead subway train line.

A: I’ve been going over the past two years, to visit friends, go to the clubs and take in the music. Do you go over there a lot?

RS: Berlin? I live there!

A: Oh sorry.

RS: I’ve lived there for two years.

A: How’s that?

RS: It’s amazing. I’m not there very often, but when I’m there, It’s a very free city, it’s so bohemian, in Kreuzberg where I live, they’ve got everything you need from a city, but it feels like a village. It’s a beautiful city.

Fabric 48: Radio Slave

A: So do you want to tell me about the Fabric mix?

RS: It’s long overdue. The mix is a reflection of the sets that I play at the Fabric club. There’s only 13 tracks on the CD, which isn’t much compared to the other CDs but it was really to play the whole songs and carry the story of the artists and musicians who made the music rather than just make this one continuous blend, which a lot of people seem to be doing these days with modern technology such as Traktor. I guess we’re moving away slightly from the era where people are making more songs or tracks with a start and an end. There are so many great tracks out there and I wanted to make a mix that reflects what I play. It’s quite dubby and spaced out, which is more of a reflection of the sets I play at Fabric. The soundsytem is so amazing that you can really play the songs. You get this sense – well I do anyways – that you can really let the music do the talking, rather than tweaking or adjusting and EQing all the time.

A: What sort of system do they have there?

RS: I couldn’t tell you really. I always use the Allen & Heath mixer, which is a valve mixer. It’s probably one of the only clubs in the world that has that mixer in the booth, and I think every channel has a valve. It’s very sensitive, but incredibly rich and warm. It sounds nothing like a…I guess a comparison would be in most clubs the Pioneer DJ 800 and this is like a million miles away.

A: You’re a bit of a legend – where are you getting your influences these days? What’s sparking you off?

RS: I still get influenced by my peers. People like Carl Craig – I’m intrigued by his career and what he’s been doing. He’s been doing stuff with the Innerzone orchestra and I think his next performance in England will be with 16 performers on stage. People like that. I like visionaries, people who stick to the same path, who make their own way, through music. I think this can be a real problem, not just for journalists, but for record buyers and media. It’s great when people do completely different things. Like Carl, he does techno but he also does jazz and at the moment he’s making a classical album with an Italian pianist. Things like that inspire me. People like Villalobos, through his DJing. I always get surprised by new artists coming through, which is great.

A: Can you name any artists?

RS: Like this guy Michel Cleis who’s come through over the past couple of years. I don’t think he’s particularly young, but his music is amazing and he had a bit of a hit with the xx single. I think he’s coming through as a remixer and a producer and he’s got a unique style.

A: Where’s he from?

RS: He’s from Switzerland. Also some of the artists we work with on Rekids. Spencer  Parker and this Canadian guy called James Pase – he’s a real interesting character. He sings, he’s a multi instrumentalist – and I find these people inspirational – they make straight up club tracks. I get inspired by all kinds of music.

Michel Cleis

A: What have you been doing in the past few months? Have you been producing?

RS: Yeah, I’ve been trying to do some remixes while I’ve been touring. Over the past 12 months to 2 years, I’ve been heavily concentrating on DJing, but recently I’ve been doing some remixes for DJ Hell, Josh Wink, which should be coming out soon. I’ve also been working on a new album project, which will be released on Rekids, now in the new year. We’re also doing a Radio Slave works compilation, which is a best of remix compilation, which will cover the last three years of my remixes. I think it’s going to be two double CDs.

A: Where have you been DJing over the past few months?

RS: Over the past few months I’ve been everywhere, from touring in Japan, then in May I was in India, doing some sessions with kids at the Record Academy, then DJing in Goa and Mombia, which was increidbly intresting. Then I’ve been to Ibiza three times – I was there last week to do Cocoon. So yeah, I’m constantly flying around places. Later this year I’ll be doing Colombia and Mexico – all of these places I’ve dreamed of going to. I’m incredibly lucky I guess.

A: How long are you going to be out there for (in Colombia and Mexico)?

RS: What I try to do now is to stay somewhere for five days so I can really take it in, rather than fly in and fly out. That’s what I tend to do in Europe and it kinda makes sense – at the end of the weekend, I can’t think of a better place to be than at home. I always try to get an early flight on a Sunday, even if it means having no sleep. I’d rather sleep at home than stay at a hotel.

A: In terms of your new productions, are there any new frontiers for you?

RS: Yeah, totally, like I said I’ve been working on this new project which should hopefully be coming out next year. It’s more of a cerebral – I guess head music – it’s less club oriented. It’s more a home listening experience. The tracks are incredibly long and there’s lots of detail, it’s more soundscape, more cinematic – still with a techno/house slant. They’re particularly slow.

A: Do you mean a longer development period?

RS: I’m really into taking dance music into different areas and pushing it as much as you can. I’m really into these soundscape inspired tracks that still have elements of the dance track in them so DJs can still play them and yeah, they’re still playable. Which is kind of important to me. I always like to be able to play my tracks, even if they do get kinda weird, I can still find a place, maybe like Fabric where the soundsystem is so amazing that you can still play these things.

A: That reminds me of music from the 90s.

RS: In the early 90s I was really into the ambient and chill out stuff like Peter Hamlet, Mixmaster Morris, a lot of the shoegazing stuff, like Slow Dive and Seafield. I guess what’s missing at the moment is that in clubs you don’t really have a chill out room. You have house or techno in one room and house or techno in the other, and there’s no real difference. With this project, I’m trying to make something more cerebral, more horizontal, but still dancefloor (laughs).

A: Do you find when you’re making stuff like that that it’s more in an artistic vein? I mean, is it something you could connect more with visual or film?

RS: For this project, I’ve already commissioned a friend of mine to make a film. One of the tracks is 16 minutes so he’s making a film for this track, with the idea of maybe doing an installation to put in a gallery to show the artwork, which is done by a friend called Misha from Pam, which is an Australian clothing company. Misha from Perks and Mini. They don’t have a website but they’re a really influential brand from Melbourne. Misha’s already been trying out some ideas, weird tribal stuff, some sculptures – it’s going to be interesting anyways.

A: It sounds like you’re wanting to go more into the creative vein rather than commerical stuff.

RS: I’ve always been fascinated with art, collecting art, and it’s a way of bringing everything I’ve always been into into one thing: music and visual stuff, which I haven’t done yet. Hopefully this is something we can release as a DVD.

The world of Perks and Mini

A: It sounds very multi-media.

RS: I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into this project. We’re nearly there. I’ve written three or four tracks of the album already.

A: Do you have a vision for this project?

RS: I dont want to give it away. (laughs)

A: That’s okay.

RS: I mean we’re not even telling people the name of it or anything.

A: Oh, it’s nameless?

RS: It does have a name and a whole theory behind it, but we don’t want to pre-empt or give anything away before we put it all together. I have this phobia that the more I tell people, the less it will actually happen.

A: That’s true. So I’m interested to hear more about Berlin – why did you choose to move there?

RS: After Brighton, I really needed to get away. I had a lot of friends living in Berlin and it’s just a great cheap city to live in. If I’d moved to London, I would have been spending a fortune. I wanted to get away from England. I’d had enough and Berlin seemed like the right place. It’s not just the music and the clubs – it’s a huge place and you can get lost in it. I have a huge apartment and there’d be no way I could get close to it in London or in Brighton. So it’s given me a lot of freedom to make music and to find out what I want to do, to find myself.

A: Are there certain aspects of German culture that you’ve gotten into?

RS: Uh, um, not really (laughs). Where I live is predominantly Turkish so everyone speaks in Turkish and where we live in Kruezberg, we have one of the best Turkish restaurants in Germany at the bottom of our road. So not really. That’s the thing. A lot of people ask ‘why haven’t you learned German?’ but all of my German friends, all the guys who work at Hardwax, people I know, they all want to speak English. They all want to practice, so it’s pretty difficult. My girlfriend’s Spanish as well….

A: So there’s not a lot of point? I was talking to my friend’s sons and I asked them ‘do you think I should move to Berlin?’ and one of them said, ‘yeah, but don’t learn German – it’s too hard’.

RS: It seems like an incredibly difficult language to learn. My girlfriend tried and it seems really difficult. I can get by but that’s good enough for me.

At this year’s highly anticipated Goodwood Revival it wasn’t just be the motor cars that received an admiring glance. As well as the circuit staff sporting an authentic look, thousands of spectators made the effort this year, so it wasn’t a surprise to see an abundance of women wearing 1950s cocktail dresses and 1960s pleat dresses. The effervescent crowd made it feel more like a movie set, as opposed to a racing track.

The West Sussex-based motor circuit opened its gates on September 1948 and provided the setting for Britain’s first post-war motor race venue. Exactly 50 years later to the day, the 9th Duke’s grandson, the current Earl of March, re-enacted the opening of the track with Goodwood Revival, and has since seen the biggest names and cars feature on the famous circuit.

To ensure that the masses achieved the perfect, original vintage, Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing prescribed advice, tips and styles that helped vintage revellers take Goodwood 2009 by storm. Natasha Bailie has been at the forefront of vintage for many years, and has been an ardent Goodwood fan just as long, so when it came to ‘getting the look’, Natasha was certainly on the right track!

1) The “Vontrapp” Prom Dress incorporates the classic vintage look and is handmade by Brighton designer Amy Phipps. An original 1950s floral fabric has been used to create this beautiful summer dazzler. “This is the perfect dress for idyllic summer strolls and will nestle approvingly into any wedding party,” says Natasha. A dress that speaks a thousand words, and all of them good!

2) This 1950s Prom Dress exudes sophistication and charm, and would be the ideal dress to meet that gorgeous man, dine with friends, or even meet the mother-in-law! “This is the perfect Betty dress. Although it’s rather prim and proper, it will still make you feel sexy and elegant,” says Natasha. This dress will most certainly turn heads on the day.

3) This original 1950s Betty Barclay Prom Dress screams quality and authenticity. The brocade fabric is a clear indication that this dress was once worn by someone with status, and the adorable chiffon layered collar is equal in sophistication. “This is one of my favourite dresses from this period. Quite simply if you wear this dress you will light up any party!” Natasha says. Let’s hope they have sufficient fire exits then.

4) This original 1950s Cocktail Dress with its rare black and gold brocade finish is the true definition of glamour. If you happen to be attending a red carpet event in the near future then this is the dress for you. “This is the perfect prom dress for any Betty, and I for one would happily wear it! Natasha says. N.B: This dress would also look fantastic even if your name’s not Betty!

Goodwood Revival 2009 has always possessed the history to justify the hype surrounding it, but this year the organisers wanted everyone to make even more of a vintage effort – and with Natasha’s passionate vintage styling advice, it’s been achieved.

Enjoying vintage fashion is all about fun and frolics and doesn’t have to be an expensive pastime. It’s also about immersing yourself into an era of your choice; appreciating the style, music and attitude that’s engrained in history, which can so easily be relived by you. So, what are you waiting for? Get some vintage in your life!

If you want further expert vintage fashion advice and ideas, visit www.natashabailie.com

Busking Cancer Brighton, a mini music festival running from Saturday 5 September to Saturday 12 September, is the latest push to raise much-needed funds for cancer charities, organised by Chris Taylor and friends Andy, Paul Budd, Matt Bassant and Holly.

“We’re hoping to the biggest donator,” said 27-year-old Taylor, who explained across the country, some people are literally busking on street corners, with cap on ground.

Instead Taylor and friends, have gone all out, organising a showcase that brings 42 different acts, including DJs and bands, across four different popular music venues,  including Audio, Gemini’s, Oxygen Red and Druids Arms.

“It was easy,” Taylor commented on pulling together so many people and places for the week-long event, which included another 24 DJs in one night. “Everybody is passionate about music.”

The group have been supported through the generosity of local businesses: they got their fliers printed for half price and had venues donated for free.

Over the past year, running under the name Together, the group have run six gigs, raising  5,ooo pounds and are hoping the festival, which is partnered with a national campaign www.buskingcancer.co.uk, will raise another 3-5ooo pounds.

Taylor explained that his involvement with cancer research stemmed from a flatmate’s mum, who had cancer, but fortunately recovered, and he decided to make it his new year’s resolution to help raise funds.

“I’m doing a half marathon next week, which might kill me,” Taylor said with nervous laughter. “You kinda get carried away with it, meeting people  - it’s fun. I’m permanently knackered though, but I enjoy it.”

Need further incentive to pop down?

“Rather than pay a tenner to go to Concorde 2, pay half and it all goes to charity,” urges Taylor.

BUSKING FOR CANCER – BRIGHTON (venues, acts & times)

Saturday 5th September – Afternoon. Gemini’s (from 1pm)
Two Spot Gobi, Rubylux, The Impellers, Koala Friday

Saturday 5th September – Evening. Oxygen Red (9pm-2am)
Together. 24 DJs playing b2b

Sunday 6th September – Evening. Audio(from 7pm)
Mean Poppa Lean, Kovak, Fake Bush

Monday 7th September – Evening. Audio (from 7pm)
Mozez, Charlie Rivers, Luke Toms

Friday 11th September – Evening. Druids Arms (from 8pm)
Pete York, Trashbat, Hand to Mouth

Saturday 12th September – Afternoon. Geminis (from 1pm)
FitsRoy, Carly Bryant, The Lanes, Mila Falls, The Die Vibes

Beachdown Festival - A victim of "Climate"

If it wasn’t bad enough that they ruined our bank holiday plans at 48 hours notice, it is now a week on and still the news on refunds is best described as wholly inadequate.

To add insult to injury, every time something remotely helpful is added to the beachdown Facebook “fan” page, it is deleted , and the discussion board on the group page has been deleted all together.

Brighton Fusion’s Alison Waller has setup a seperate group to share whatever information becomes available and allow for uncensored discussion between beachdown ticketholders re. refunds.

Click here to join the group

So you bought your ticket…festival cancelled…its now a week later and information relating to refunds is all but none existent. What can be done?

It seems if you paid by credit card, the way forward is relatively hassle free… check this link from which? on section 75 of the consumer credit act:

http://www.which.co.uk/advice/understanding-the-consumer-credit-act/your-rights/index.jsp

If you got your ticket through one of the big ticket agencies (see tickets, ticketline etc) you should be able to claim a refund directly from them, in accordance with their terms and conditions.

However, if you paid in cash at one of the many local ticket outlets, including Rounder or Resident, you are, like me, unlikely to see anything at all without a fight.

Advice from Consumer Direct today (the national consumer advice line who deal with calls from the public on behalf of Trading Standards) says in normal circumstances, it WOULD be the vendor of the tickets who you would pursue for a refund. However, in this case, it is clear local outlets have been acting purely as agents for beachdown, so this would not be appropriate.

1. First and foremost, it is important that anyone affected by beachdown’s cancellation calls Consumer Direct themselves. The number is 08454 040506. Consumer Direct have already referred this case to Trading Standards who have the power to wind up the company, fine the directors and ensure they never run a company again. The more people lodge complaints, the more weight is added to this case. Please call Consumer Direct, it will take maybe ten minutes out your day.
2. Following on from this, the only recourse left to cash-paying ticket holders is the Small Claims Court. The first step in this process is to send a letter to the company directors informing them of your intentions. As we all know the beachdown office has been cleared, but unfortunately for these clowns, it’s all too easy to track down addresses online these days.

Festival Futures Limited is the company behind beachdown. Its registered address is:

4A Gildredge Road
Eastbourne
BN21 4RL

This is an accountant, a very nice man called Graham Ralph, who is also out of pocket thanks to beachdown. He informs me that whilst he is unable to give out the director’s contact information, he will be sure to pass on any correspondence that arrives for them.

Unfortunately for beachdown, it is all too easy to track down addresses on the internet these days. Consumer Direct inform me that, in the absence of the provision of a contact address, any information sent to the private addresses of the directors as listed at Companies House will be considered delivered by the court for the purposes of Small Claims.

Here are those addresses:

Mr John Murphy
22 Egginton Road
Brighton
BN2 4PL

Mr Darren Murphy
Flat 2 St Nicholas Court
51 Centurion Road
Brighton
BN1 3LN

Mr Johnathon Mark Pidgeon
20 Ditchling Rise
Brighton
BN1 4QL

The first step in the small claims procedure is to send a letter detailing your request for a refund, the steps you have taken to secure this so far, and your intention to pursue the matter through the small claims court should it become necessary. Send this REGISTERED POST to any or all of the addresses above ASAP. Once I have written a template letter, I will post it here.

If anyone has any expertise or advice to add please contribute below or on the group.

Letter template

Send this letter registered post to each of the company directors at their home address and also to their registered address today. This is a precursor to a final warning letter, after which you can proceed to a County Court claim, should this still be necessary.

Dear Mr Pidgeon/Mr D. Murphy/Mr J. Murphy,

Following the clearance of your office in North Road, and your continued avoidance of telephone calls I have no choice but to contact you at your home address with regard to the matter of a refund for the tickets I purchased for the recently cancelled beachdown festival.

The statement on your website refers me to the seller of those tickets – as you must surely know, given that you have been avoiding those ticket sellers since the announcement was made, they have no information to offer me.

This letter formalises my request for concrete information on how Future Festivals intends to refund the value of the beachdown tickets I purchased at the total cost of £[XXXX]. I would take this opportunity to remind you that the tickets are printed with a statement reassuring purchasers of their eligibility for a full refund in the event of cancellation on the back. Given that it has already been [XX] days since your official announcement of the festival’s cancellation, during which the information provided has been insultingly paltry, I am expecting to hear Future Festival’s firm plans for the return of ticket holders money by no later than [XXXX]

Should this information not be forthcoming, I will not hesitate to pursue this matter through the courts.

Sincerely,

[XXXXXX]

Fun on the run: a shot from Playgroup

Okay, I’ll admit it: when I first got an inkling about Beachdown going kapput on Tuesday night I wasn’t at all gutted. Call me a scrooge, but I didn’t fancy forking out to go rough it on the Downs just so I could spend two or three days watching my friends get munted in the same way they do every weekend.

Bands? What bands? Yeah, you get my drift.

Living in Brighton, with the dirty pebbled beach right on our backdoor, life feels like a permanent camping blowout anyways .

So with no great plans to crush like human-sized jenga construction made of shreddies, this weekend’s musical lineup is like manna from heaven. Oh what, all of the bands that can’t play at Beachdown are now playing in town? Perfect.

Just in case you’re stuck for a plan, here are the biggest and bravest of the choice for your musical pleasure.

FRIDAY:

Playgroup take over Hector’s House for their own mini-festival Funk Beachdown, sharing their festival-tinged love to masses, who will no doubt be streaked with face paint and come bearing straw strategically placed in hair.  It’s free fun.

They’re throwing the doors open at 4pm, just in case you don’t work, and it kicks out at 2am.

They say:  ”It’s not windy, the drinks are cheaper and there’s no sign of Grace Jones – although we did have a call asking if she could play. We said no…”

Line up includes: ASTRO PHYSICS; WIDE EYED ORDER; LAYTH; BAD SANDWICH; BABA SLIPS; THE RESONATORS + DJs Shamblin’ Sexton, Dad Disko, Baca.

Free entry. Oh yeah, I said that already.

Meanwhile, over at Audio, Beardyman & JFB’s ever popular Battlejam presents an interesting night of live drum n bass with Jungle Drummer and DJ Fu, along with Mr Jean Marc himself and breaks DJ James D’ley. Apparently Jungle Drummer can drum at 180bpm for two solid hours. Seen to be believed I think.

2 quid before midnight, a million after.

SATURDAY:

SCHTUMM! are manning the reign’s of Audio’s free night, Summer Of Love, with a guest so special, they’re keeping the identity of said famous person a secret. Hm. I wonder who it could be?

Better than a secret, they’ve pulled in Jon of the FC Kahunu brother fame, which should be pretty nifty as he hasn’t played in Brighton for a while.  Five hours of house, electro and I reckon some sneaky techno for those of you who like it that way. 11pm – 4am, free.

Meanwhile, over at New Hero, there’s It is still 1985. How can I not push a night that ticks all of the right boxes for me:  ”hair metal, mega movie tracks, pop masterpeices, epic power ballads and more…”. And Karate Kid. 10pm-4am, 3 quid. All good.

Also, KLIKS are having the totally fabulous MIA and Alex Smoke at their making-up-for-the-loss-that-was-beachdown, at LIFE. It’s free if you’ve got a Beachdown ticket, 5 quid if not.

3am – 8am for those of you who also don’t sleep.

SUNDAY:

It’s all about the LIFE venue on Sunday, which I’ve still not been in yet  (next to Fortune). Have you? Maxxi Soundsystem throw down the first party, which is free before 10pm and goes on til 3am, when the after hours crew take over (see below).

The night features local legends including: GREG WILSON; SOFT ROCKS; MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM (Sam Watts & Neal Lewis); PABLO CONTRABAND (Contraband/InsideOUT); JOHNNY ROCKS (Videodrome / Rounder Records); SENOR MICK (ATT100); AFFY (Go Bang / Calabash); ALI BROADCAST (Go Bang)

AND STOP THE PRESS!!!

Tuesday, Peaches and Drums of Death are playing at Concorde 2. 3 quid tickets. Sick. And not only that, there’s an after party with a DJ set from Peaches, Drums of Death live and Milk Teeth DJs.  Somewhere in the Universe are hosting with the mostings on this occasion – nice one.

Photo from New Hero's Facebook

Somewhere in the Universe was one of those nights I noticed back in 2006 and every time I saw their flier, I thought “A for effort” – it definitely looked like a different sort of night, quite underground and unknown with their Ponana venue and clearly good music policy with a lot of the electro pop contingency brandishing their names.

Three years down the line, the promoter’s completely changed the vibe and clientèle of what used to be a never-ending series of bad salsa nightclubs (The Church, Club New York) and transformed into a big neon calling card.

I can also finally wipe the nervous sweat of my brow. I went to the night, several times, to catch La Roux, Golden Filter and before she went big Little Boots.

Every time, the place was packed with trendy uni kids, fay boys and big haired girls. Friendly crowd though, on the whole and obviously some majorly hot acts – like Datarock, DJ Mehdi, Friendly Fires, Hercules & Love Affair, Heartsrevolution, MSTRKRFT, Feadz, Busy P, Surkin and a million more.

Okay, the place is a bit like a Vice magazine police line up, but the youthful exuberance cheers me up.

So, the promoters have announced that they’ll be launching a ‘new breed’ of Friday night parties at New Hero club and they’ll be spreading their carnage across the city over at C2.

[facebook group]

Nab their special ‘yay for September’ mixtape on the site – it’s good!

Natasha Bailie, vintage women’s clothing expert and stylist, wanted to expand her vintage clothing company and make sure nobody would leave her website empty-handed.

“The biggest disappointment when buying vintage is sizing. The whole appeal is that there is only one edition of the dress, which means it can only be one size. Imagine you find the dress of your dreams, only to be crushed to find it is two sizes to small!”

Natasha says.

So, Natasha found a graduate designer to collaborate with on a collection of vintage reproductions, which will not only offer more sizes, but will also be seasonal and on trend. All dresses are handmade, and the pair also offers a bespoke tailoring service for all their customers. “If you like one of our dresses, but it does not hug you in the right place than we can create the dress that can,” says Natasha. “Alternatively if you like one of the dresses, but think the fabric is something that your granny wouldn’t even like than we are happy to make our dress in your fabric!”

www.natashabailie.com

The Phipps and Bailie first collection consists of two summer vintage-style prom dresses, tea dresses and full circle skirts. The range also boasts two exclusive styles which are limited edition; made from original and very rare vintage fabrics.

To launch the first vintage retro fashion collection the pair will be holding a party at the prestigious Hotel Pelirocco in Regency Square, Brighton on Wednesday 15th July 2009. The party promises to be a night of vintage fun and entertainment with retro party games, drinks and music. You will be able to view the entire vintage inspired range and place orders with Amy Phipps and Natasha Bailie for made to measure dresses on the night.

For further information contact natasha@natashabailie.com

15/07/2009

Most people get really excited when I tell them I’m doing a radio show, thinking I’m going to play some incredibly cool music, but sadly, it’s not that kinda thing. Although I do play music. And it’s usually pretty good music.

My show is called Writers’ Hub and it’s all about getting writing out of the ghetto – on it, I interview local novelists and playwrights, event organisers and writer wannabes, plus I feature real writing from real local people and extracts from books written by people who might live round the corner from you – Brighton’s that small, most places practically are.

For the first show, I interviewed Sue Eckstein, the author of The Cloths of Heaven, who’s first novel was published through Myriad Editions and focuses on the story of new High Commission recruit Daniel Maddison, who, in his first days stationed in West Africa, finds himself enchanted by a mysterious woman selling cloth in a warehouse – someone who reminds him of someone from the past.

Sue, who worked for the VSO in Africa for a number of years, cited Tracey Chapman and an African choir as inspirations for her novel, which she started and finished as a graduate writing student at the University of Sussex.

Tara Hanks, author of The Mmm Girl

I featured an extract from Sue’s novel (read by James McVeigh).

I also featured an extract from Brighton novelist Tara Hanks, The Mmm Girl (read by Shannon Magness).

The Mmm Girl tells the story of Marilyn Monroe from her point of view, charting her dusty origins as an adopted teen to the mega screen starlet she became.

The book got rave reviews from Marilyn experts and fans.

The show also features interviews with:

• Sarah Cross, MA student at Sussex University
• Max Crisfield from city-wide book reading project City Reads who were promoting this year’s big read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I’ve got original writing  based on the theme of festivals from Ed Siegle (”Too Old For this Shit”) and a poem from Tara Hanks (”Music Reminds Us”).

The show’s a bit rough n ready, but hey – it’s my first one. The next one’s marginally better, but expect great things on the horizon.

May 2009 Writers’ Hub (RadioReverb show) (right click to download)

The next show airs on Sunday 14 July from 1-2pm on 97.2FM or www.radioreverb.com. I will be posting the July show here. Check out the June show on Brighton Fusion, which features Sarah Lee, Tim Lee, Bridget Whelan and a little bit of MJ.

My main interview is with Brighton scriptwriter Sarah Naomi Lee, a BBC radio producer who’s first lucky break into Radio 4 broadcast was with her radio play “I Can See You”, which tells the story of a mixed race woman who has three voices inside her head: a Jamaican man, a white English woman – and the sadly recently deceased Michael Jackson, who passed away yesterday.

Sarah talks to me about the process of writing the script and how she got it on air, as well as some interesting facts about MJ.

She also discusses what music switches her on to writing – tracks played include Alabama3’s hit song “Woke up this morning” from “The Sopranos” soundtrack and The Smiths’ “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”.

With June being the real start of the festival season in the UK, with Glastonbury now well under way, I decided the theme for this month would be music.

I got a tremendous response from local writers and the show features original short stories and poetry about music from Neal Pearce, Yassin, Josie Darling, and Sally Latter.

Bridget Whelan

The show also features extracts from novels from Brighton writers, Bridget Whlelan and Tim Lay.

Bridget Whelan’s A Good Confession, which came out in hardback in November 2008,  tells the story of an Irish single mother, struggling to bring up her children in 1960s London, who meets and falls for a priest, to whom she accidentally confesses her troubled love to.

The book is coming out in paperback this summer so watch her website for more details.

Tim Lay’s The Sewerside Chronicles, which was published in August 2008 and has become a cult hit on the literary underground scene, charts the rise and fall of Che Capri’s underground fashion label, co-run with best friend Travis, in deepest darkest Devon.

Tim Lay, author of Sewerside Chronicles

After a stretch of runway success, the business plummets and to salvage their slipping fortunes, their friends pitch in their soundsystems, DJ, MCs and creative talent to put on raves.

The novel covers Glastonbury to May Day riots in London to the counter culture skateboard scene in 2000.

Both authors read extracts from the book.

Radio Reverb show Writers’ Hub – 14 June 2009 (right click to download)

The next Writers’ Hub airs on Sunday 12 July from 1-2pm on 97.2FM or www.radioreverb.com. The theme for July is seaside towns – send me your submission (700 words max) to amy@brightonfusion.co.uk.