PHOX Interview

PHOX is from Baraboo, WI, which is a place where kids often drink poisoned groundwater and become endowed mutants. The seven best friends who make up the ensemble happen to be blessed with madness, illusions of grandeur, and the inability to do the same thing twice. They also play music. Great music at that! We headed down to their sold out London show to catch up with the band before they went on.

How would you describe your sound and what the band is all about for the UK audience who is just getting to know you?

 

Our sound kinda varies because all of us have such drastically different influences. It’s sometimes difficult for us to agree. It’s a bit of a mish mash, we kinda pull different directions. But I think that definitely creates some interesting stuff and makes our songs flow.

 

You’ve just sold out your first London show. How are you feeling about the reaction to your first UK gigs?

 

It’s wild. I think you can trust British people more than you can trust American people. They don’t bullshit you. I mean, I’m a fantastic bullshitter but no-one buys it here. Nobody cares, people are just like, “shut up, be real.” I appreciate that.I wanna be that way.

We played the SXSW. There was one particular show we did which was Minnesotta and Wisconsin. We’re from Wisconsin. So it was showcasing all our regional bands. A bunch of UK labels and people from the UK were at it and it just kind of kicked off from there!

We booked a gig in Norway and that was what got us to come over here.Getting on that bill made this whole trip possible.So we got cheap tickets and we’re here for 2 weeks.

How did you the band come about?

 

Small town. We’re all from the same small town. We all knew each other growing up adn it was just the rest place at the right time.

 

What can we expect from the show tonight?

 

Tom foolery. Harmonies. Tom foolery. We’re most interested in being with the audience than playing at the audience.

So what have you’s been doing since you’ve been in London and what are your plans for the rest of your trip?

 

Well we’re going to head to Carnival (Notting Hill). Also we’ve been told to go to the Columbia Flower Market. We’ve mostly been trying to not be homeless. Hoping to check out some UK bands when we’re here. We’re doing a couple of festivals so hopefully get to see some there.

Joy of Nothing

 

Foy Vance’s music has been described as songs that, “will haunt you with light. They’ll haunt you with pangs of love. They’ll haunt you with the tears of others. They’ll make you realize that you’ve never felt anything even as remotely deep as he has.”

On August 26th Foy will (finally) be releasing his new album, ‘Joy of Nothing’ and kicking off a UK and Ireland tour. On 29th August though we’ll be down at his Rough Trade East Instore chatting with the man himself before he heads on stage. If you want to come and see him there more information on how you can is on the Rough Trade website.  So make sure to stay tuned for that.

 

 

PHOX

I think I’m in love guys. Like for real for real this time. The first time I heard this girls voice it was like one of those moments where everything just stops and you’re all like… “wow”. Not to mention how talented the rest of the musicians in the band are.

PHOX are a 7 piece band from Wisconsin who refer to their music as “post-chilled, dub, bro-rock.” I’d like to call it the musical equivalent of all things great…like bacon…and chorizo. They list their influences as Sufjan Stevens, Feist, Patrick Watson, Motown, OFWGKTA, Gustav Mahler, RX Bandits, Sergei Prokofiev, Son Lux, Periphery, James Blake, Phillip Glass, Everything Everything, Efterklang, Bon Iver… some of my favourite bands and artists so I guess we were a match made in heaven.

On their Facebook page PHOX tell us a little bit more about themselves and where they’re from… “PHOX is from Baraboo, WI which is a place where kids often drink poisoned groundwater and become endowed mutants.The seven best friends who make up the ensemble happen to be blessed with madness, illusions of grandeur, and the inability to do the same thing twice. They also play music.”

The band will be playing London at the end of August, one date is already sold out so if you’re a fan make sure and get tickets for the other date pronto. I’m lucky enough that I’ll be heading down to interview the band before they perform – so stay tuned to the blog for that!

*When I shared this video with a friend he said, “more music these days should have the clarinet in them”. Sir, I completely agree with you.

Fashion156 Daily Blog TakeOver

 

So a while back I entered into a competition to take over Fashion156’s blog for the week. I’m a very unlucky person so I thought the chances of me getting considered were probably 1 in a billion, but ever the hapless dreamer I thought, “awk sure, what nat!”

Well, turns out I made the final 7. Crazy, eh. So I guess this is my plea to you to help me actually win the thing. Much like most social media competitions at the moment the winner is decided by a glorified popularity contest. I’m not that popular a person….so I need all the help I can get.

You can see the other finalists and my concept (I’m number 4. *cough* Vote 4 *cough*) on the Fashion156 website and on the Fashion156 Facebook page.

 The concept which receives the most likes and comments BOTH on Fashion156 and on our Facebook will secure the opportunity to take over the blog.

So please do get liking, commenting, sharing etc if you’d like to see my concept win the competition. Thanks guys!

 

 

Paris Couture Week A/W

The fashion pack are descending upon Paris this week for the Paris Couture A/W shows.
Some of the heavy hitters that have presented so far include Versace, Chanel, Dior and Giambattista Valli.

Here are some of our favourite looks from the shows.

Chanel
Classic tweed mixed with new textures and a strong focus on layering. Not sure of the cowboy hats that gracing the models perfect heads. I hope that trend dies a quick death.

Versace

Let’s face it, Versace do sex, and they do it well. This collection was no different – more sexy leathers, sequins, shines. Nothing new, just sticking to what they know best.

Giambattista Valli

My absolute favourite of the week so far has to be Giambattista Valli. This collection is just perfection!

Dior
I found Dior’s collection rather disappointing. I was expecting a lot more from them and although there was some beautiful pieces it was definitely a low point of the week so far for me.

Iris Van Herpen

I had to include Iris Van Herpen. Her collection just embodies the true meaning of couture. I love how experimental and different her pieces are – truly pieces of art. Just check out those shoes!

Some of the famous faces and looks spotted at Paris Couture Week

Fashion? Art? Or something more sinister?

It seems the advert from Lebanese luxury bags, belts, and accessories designer Johnny Farah that went viral last week has sparked a debate amongst the fashion crowd.

The image which depicts a man strangling a woman with a belt in the name of ‘fashion’ ( I use the word fashion loosely here as I have no idea why someone would run a fashion campaign with the models wearing such terrible clothes, that could arguably be the most offensive thing about the whole ad to be fair) has been seen to the majority as disturbing and offensive. It has reignited the debate into the violent exploitation of women in fashion campaigns and advertising.

Many of the photographers and fashion houses behind these images have argued that the images are “art” and therefore they have an artistic licence, a right to freedom of expression; they want to push boundaries, get people talking and be ‘out there’. Now I’m all for art. Having studied it and at one stage planning to set out on a career as an artist I completely understand the right to artistic freedom, to not be bound by rules and having an artistic licence. But some of these images did get me thinking…

Art? Fashion? Or something more sinister?

$686

It seems Marc Jacobs is once again having the last laugh…all the way to the bank.

A couple of days ago the fashion designers Paris store was once again targeted in a graffiti attack by artist, Kidult. In 2011, Kidult targeted Jacob’s SoHo store in New York spray painting ‘ART’on the exterior. The designer responded by taking a picture of the graffiti and printing it on t-shirts – which he sold for $686 (which Kidult is obviously referencing in his latest attack).

Once again, Marc Jacobs, ever the capitalist, turned it into a money making situation. Instead of calling the police, the brand tweeted; “‘Come by Paris Collection for the opening night installation of the new @therealkidult. We proudly support the arts.” And once again the price tag on the latest t-shirt was, you guessed it, $686.

But Kidult surely knows what he’s doing and knows that this will make his name widely known. Kidult has also targeted the fashion stores belonging to Céline, Agnès B, Christian Louboutin, Hermès and Yves Saint Laurent. He claims his work is anti-consumerism. But it seems Jacobs (who is also a enthusiastic art collector) is turning him into a fashion darling…Jacobs definitely is having the last laugh then.

Shine Bright Like A Diamond

One of the biggest trends for S/S 13 is the trend for metallic’s. From metallic finishes to iridescent fabrics, it’s all about opulence! Look to the catwalks of Burberry, Jonathan Saunders and Christian Dior who went all out for this trend.

And it seems the A-listers are all over this trend. Last night marked the annual return of the CFDA Fashion Awards in New York which many refer to as the ‘Oscars’ of the Fashion World.
Here were some of our metallic inspired stand outs from the night:

I am completely in LOVE with this Marc Jacobs dress worn by Nicole Richie. Major swoon!

We also had to include Alexa Chung from yesterday’s L’Oreal Colour Awards in this gold Bella Freud number – so cute!

So shine bright girls and rock that metallic trend!

You will be my resolution

The Great Escape

Brighton hosted The Great Escape Festival once again this weekend.

The Great Escape, in case you didn’t know, is a new music festival that showcases emerging artists from all over the world. Over 350 up and coming bands play in 30 venues. It’s the first and best place to discover your new favourite band and see them in an intimate setting before they make it big.

This years festival had the likes of Tom Odell, Bastille, Billy Bragg, Iggy Azzelia and Dan Croll performing.

Along with discovering music, it’s a great place to discover new styles and fashion inspiration. Here are some of our fashion highlights from bands and festival goers!

First up, the artists:

photo by ToriClarkson.com

photo by toriclarkson.com

photo by toriclarkson.com

Festival goers style:

Street Style Images: Victor Frankowski Courtesy of Louise Thompson TGE
Band Images: Courtesy of Louise Thompson TGE