Tuesday 5 August 2014

Urban Perk #4: Ryoji Ikeda's "Spectra"

Afternoon Everyone,

First of all I would just like to say that the
winner of the Pixies' Doolittle poster is:
ALEX CABRE
Thank you to everyone else who entered, there are some
more competitions on the way!

Secondly I would like to talk about something I found
yesterday...
So my Dad and I were leaving the cinema
after seeing Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (which
I highly recommend!) when we saw a beam of light
shining up from the ground and onto the low clouds.
We decided to find out what it was and so we spent
the next 20 minutes or so tracking it down in our
clunky old VW. 

At first we thought it was coming from the Imperial
War Museum because as many of you know, yesterday was the
centenary of the First World War.
But driving towards the light we worked out that it was
in the wrong part of London. When we got closer we saw that
this was not one small light, but about 50 of them
beaming towards the heavens.


Upon entering (for free) the Victoria Tower 
Gardens you see these beautiful lights shining bright
and with purpose. On closer inspection people are walking in
and out the columns of light or lying on the floor and 
gazing up at the spectacular sightA stunning atmosphere 
is created through an ambient soundtrack that swirls from the speakers and into your mind.














Inspired by the declaration "the lamps are going out all over Europe, 
we shall not see them lit again in our life-time",
said by Sir Edward Grey*, spectra is a stunning piece 
of art that unites the people across London and reminds
them of the hardships and sacrifices of the 
First World War.

spectra can be seen from 12 miles away (on a clear day).
The exhibition is on from dusk till dawn 
and will permanently fade out in the early hours of
 Monday 11th August.

Lest we forget,
Poppy x

*Sir Edward Grey was the Foreign Secretary during the 
outbreak of WWI


Friday 1 August 2014

Interview with King Eider!

Hello People,

So the other day I was listening to a band doing a 
session for BBC London, I was captivated by their
combination of folk and rock as well as their
brilliant use of the violin and horn.

King eider are a five piece 'Edinburgh-based folk-blues band'
who use three part harmonies to create haunting and 
atmospheric music. They have been compared to the soulful
acoustics of Ben Howard and the foot stomping wildness of Arcade Fire. This is one of their latest songs 'Drink Me Dry'



And so I did what I do with bands that I listen to and love;
I got an interview with them!
Without further ado here is my interview with...
King Eider

1. Could you introduce yourselves and your instruments?
Reuben Tighe - Vocals,Guitar, Harmonica
Sam Chapman - Vocals, Drums,
Lucy Frankel - Vocals, Violin
Josh Casali-Bell Linemann - Vocals, Keys, Horn
Sam Palmer - Bass Guitar

2.Who are you influenced by and how did you discover 
your "sound"?
Our influences span a spectrum of genres and decades. 
Lucy listens to a lot of traditional country and bluegrass. 
Reuben takes influences from his mothers CD collection of 60's blues and rock and roll. Sam brings in more modern influences 
such as Arcade Fire and The Wild Beasts. We share our music
taste so that all of them influence our music 
to some degree.

3.When did you form as King Eider - what made you choose 
the name?!
We formed Early 2012, and were originally named "Zopa and the Shakes" (after Reuben's middle name). After deciding a name change was in order, we decided on King Eider. We were in an ale pub drinking a beer named "YellowHammer", (also the name for a bird native to the UK) and decided we liked the name. Since this was already a popular band name, we decided to research all other UK bird names. It transpires that the King Eider duck is a bird which migrates to the lake district every year, which is home to Reuben, Sam Chapman, and Josh, so the name seemed a good fit!

4. Describe your music in five words.
Hmmm....

5. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to
you before/after a gig?
Some one from the front row recently took his top off and 
attempted to lactate onto Lucy's shoes. That was pretty weird,
and somewhat aggressive...

6. State a fact that people don't know about you.
Two of us have Science PHD's

7. What are the top 4 songs on your playlist right now?
Wild Beasts - this is our lot
The Whitest Boy Alive - Islands
Supertramp - Bloody Well Right
Grizzly Bear - Ready,Able

8. What is the first album you remember buying?
 The first album which really had a musical impact on me was Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, self titled album. Peter Green still remains a big influence on me, the man is a genius.

9. Modern or Vintage Clothing? 
 No clothing is best.

10. What are you plans for the future?
After making the most of our album release, we intend to 
record a 4 track EP. We have been working on some new material
which we are excited to record, and intend to release it
some point early next year. Stay Tuned!



If you like the sound of King Eider then you can head to their
website here and check them out.

So long for now,
Poppy xx