On sitting down in a café in Spitalfields, it’s immediately hard not to be charmed by Kiri and Kostas Poulos. Brothers, twins and rock solid friends, the duo also go by the name of Double Trouble Productions and are the team behind the international Rhythmatic nights too. With over ten years experience, the boys have worked with everyone from Armand Van Helden to Carl Cox and are rapidly approaching the third anniversary of their Rhythmatic pseudonym, where non-other than Italy’s finest tech export Marco Carola tips the bill.
Tonight, in the heart of the east end, and despite it being a dark drizzly Monday evening, the boys are bursting with energy (where do they get it from?) so naturally, Tinker Tailor & One More Sailor were keen to find out exactly what it is that makes them tick. Here, the twins give insight into running one of London’s most forward-thinking production agencies and parties, plus share the secret to their endless energy…
Tell me a little about the history of Double Trouble and Rhythmatic. How did it all start?
Kiri: The whole thing started about three years ago but our first business was Magpi Events in Newcastle about 10 years ago. I was living in Newcastle and I seemed to be quite popular with people there. As a result of the dance scene there, one day I decided that Magpi Events wasn’t working for me so I decided to pack everything in and stop. The business ran for about four to five years in Newcastle and included some things in Greece, but things didn’t work out as we hoped so we took a break. Kostas: I had been living in Greece and Cyprus because of my medicine, but I wasn’t very happy with what I was doing so I said to my brother “Listen, I want to come to Newcastle, and maybe move to London one day.” So that’s what we did. We didn’t move to London to do events, we moved to try something different.
Kiri: In the second year of living in London, we decided to go to Miami during the winter Music conference, but purely to party, not on the premise that we would go back to business. Having said that, while we were there we met some wicked people, plus with our contacts from the past, we met up with a lot of DJs too. When we got back to the UK, we had new connections and we were so excited that we thought we should do something about it. A good friend of mine, Tommy, introduced me to one of his close friends Silky who eventually became one of our residents. We all went out and at one point he said “what about if you and your brother manage us?’ At the time we were thirty years old and we said, “It’s either now, or never.” We also had a night out with one of our best friends, DJ Satoshi Tomiie, who invited us to his night at The Cross. He then introduced us to his friend Stathis Lazarides. Kostas: With all these things happening we thought, “you know what, we’ve got Stathis and Silky – we should do something about it”, so we met up with an energy drink company and arranged a party.
Why did you choose the names ‘Double Trouble Productions’, and the less obvious, ‘Rhythmatic’?
Kiri: About three of four years ago, we used to go out a lot so all the clubs used to know my brother and I. People used to always say “Oh, the twins, the twins, the twins, the doubles, who are you, who are you?” Kiri: No-one knew us by our names but they knew us as ‘The Twins’ so Double Trouble Productions made sense. Wherever we used to go, people loved our presence and we created a really good buzz so it was only natural to call the company something similar to ourselves.
After we established our name as a production company [Double Trouble], we sat down with Stathis and Silky to talk about all sorts of silly things, playing with words. We wanted to give a name to our brand that would give it a specific identity. We didn’t want something lame like ‘Dirty, Dirty, Dirty’; we wanted something that’d cover house across the board. I was thinking ‘rhythm, rhythm, rhythm’ and Rhythmatic just came naturally.
You’ll soon be into year three of Rhythmatic. Looking back, is where you are now and what you’re doing different to what you expected?
Kostas: Three years has passed very quickly, I can’t believe I’m sitting here discussing that in a couple of weeks we [Double Trouble] are already three years old. It’s an inspiration, yet we haven’t tried very hard to get here.
Kiri: Things just happen for us, we never push our brand more than our capability as we don’t want to do that. For example, people said to us when we started doing events in London “You’ve got to get out of EGG and The White House”, and EGG, as much as people don’t like it, was where everything started for us. Now, after only three years, we’re working with Marco Carola – it’s a dream come true. We always book DJs who are good for our brand, but to have him on our third birthday is quite spectacular. In an environment like London where it’s so competitive – big DJs, big promoters – it’s about being known. A lot of people who are established here have roots, Kostas and I don’t. When we did events way back, we used to work with people like Felix da Housecat, Arman Van Helden and Sister Bliss (Faithless). It was different, but consider the names we booked back then – they were huge and everyone was saying “How the hell did you book them?” With Marco Carola, with the new wave of DJs, they’re a natural fit for us, still Marco and Carl Cox [who DT secured in the summer of 2010] are big bookings for us.
Kiri: We know the business; my day job is very similar. It’s only a matter of time to grow even bigger as Rhythmatic and obviously, you want to do things naturally – you don’t want to become too big too quickly.
Kostas: We keep it like family. Teenager, adult, then more mature.
Kiri: Even when we were grew up as teenagers, we never went “Oh my god, let’s go clubbing, do drugs, alcohol”. No, we did things organically – as we grew up, as we were ready. We never rush things and for us, we think that’s the key to success. We do things when they need to be done.
You once said in an interview, in reference to what other aspects have helped your success, that “travelling and meeting people over the last few years led us to meet some really wonderful friends…who gave us their all”. Who were you referring to and how did they help?
Stathis, Emily Stephens who helped with networking, and Silky who unfortunately is not with us anymore, [he's managed under another agency]. In addition, Betoko who’s another very good friend of mine, people like Low & Murphy and of course, Rico Novo with his great support since day one – for believing in us. Our PR lady Lauren Fenner has always been three for us too, with her solid personality and writing skills. Kostas: We didn’t know anything about London; a few of them took us out and showed us what it was all about.
Kiri: They helped to establish us, helped us to find our feet.
What goes into organising something like your upcoming third anniversary party?
Kostas: Well, uh… Kiri: Nightmare. However, the key to success with something like this is how precise and accurate you are with everything. Thank god my brother’s a doctor – for him, precision is everything. I’m an Events Organiser, so we know that organising something to this scale takes many, many, many hours. There’s a great English phrase; ‘military precision’… Kostas: It’s a serious commitment. Kostas: It’s not just about booking a DJ like Marco Carola, Carl Cox… Kiri: [finishes Kostas sentence]…and dumping pile a stack of speakers into one room on the night… Kostas: No. It’s the hospitality, it’s the venue, and it’s the production. Kiri: With our events you will see the best thing that London has seen in terms of production, facilities and everything else that comes in-between.
So how do you manage it all alongside a full-time job?
Kostas: It’s a hard game, but we are very good at managing our time. It’s 24 hours in the game, eh? Kiri: The warehouse for example is a six-month project from the day we put down the plan to the final thing. Plus, it’s not just getting everything together and get other people to do it, we go there, we set up the club, we take it all down, we clean. We do everything – we give everything to everything.
You must be completely knackered?
Kostas: No. We love it! Kiri: If Kostas and I don’t work, we’re miserable inside. Kostas: Stress gives me drive. Good stress, yeah? Kiri: I work every day for about sixteen hours non-stop. I cannot do without work.
A workaholic? 
Love-a-holic.
How did booking Marco Carola come about?
Kiri: We had a long talk about our birthday with our team and Marco Carola’s name came up. At the time we thought it would have been tricky but we said why not? After sending the details from our last party with Matthias [Tanzmann] and Davide [Squillace] he really wanted to do it, even against Cocoon.
How are you feeling about going head-to-head with Sven Väth and Cocoon at Fabric on the 27th November?
Kostas: I think there’s work for everyone in London. When you go against something you have to be very careful, it’s competition, but if you’re good…[pauses] people will appreciate that we have Marco Carola and System of Survival playing for us. Kiri: The fact is that as a promoter, regardless of when you do an event, you will always have a good couple of nights against you. However, for us, going against Sven Väth, we see it as healthy competition and what I mean by healthy is that it gives us even more reason to keep pushing our brand. We did it a couple of years ago, going head-to-head with Richie Hawtin at his last night at The End which was even bigger than the one that Sven Väth is doing now – we still managed to pack out the EGG. Obviously yes, it’d be nice to go against a smaller night, but I’m not concerned, I know my strengths - I’ve got Marco Carola and I’ve got a great team. I think people will appreciate us and respect us even more when we go against the big boys. We’re taking the risk and I can assure you that on 27th, it will be a good night.
You’ve met and worked with some big stars over your career so far, particularly Carl Cox and Sister Bliss of Faithless. Who have your personal favourites been, and whom would you like to secure?
Kiri: We don’t have personal favourites. As Rhythmatic, we do not operate on the basis of ‘book this guy, book that guy’. I know it’s a diplomatic answer, but what’s important for Rhythmatic is not the DJ, but what they play. Before I choose DJs, I don’t know them. For example, with Wesley Razzy, I checked him out as someone told me to check his mix. I was so impressed that we booked him. Kostas: We don’t like to have barriers – we are open to every single person.
What are you most looking forward to in 2011?
Kiri: Six big warehouse parties in London! Starting from February, all the way to November, which will be our fourth big anniversary at a 2,500 capacity warehouse in London. Plus, we’re planning some things abroad that have still to be confirmed – Ibiza, Amsterdam, South Africa, Greece. We can assure you our six warehouse parties are going to be pretty special. Come December/January we’ll be doing a press release so things will be revealed then.
Having grown up in Greece and lived in Newcastle and now London, you’re no strangers to travelling. Where in the world is your favourite place to party?
Kiri: I think everywhere and anywhere so long as you’ve got a good vibe, good friends and good music. It can even be in your house – anywhere and everywhere. If you have the right people around you, and good music – fantastic.
That’s kind of what Rhythmatic is all about, right?
Kiri: Actually, Rhythmatic is like this. When we put our night on in a specific club, in a small place, a big place, in no-where, in everywhere, the vibe is exactly how we feel and exactly what we want to do.
Other than dance music, what ticks your boxes?
Kiri: Recently I’ve been listening to Stathis Lazarides mix [laughs] and Ekkohaus from Moon Harbour.
So is it always house music?
Kiri: No, noooo. Actually, my favourite piece of music which I do love is Boléro, [Ravel's Boléro] it’s classical, [start humming the tune]. It was one of the first pieces of music I listened to thought you know what, music is good. Back in the day, we used to basically destroy our sister’s music as we never loved it. Until I was 16/17, I wasn’t into music and then I got into it.
The last few remaining tickets to Rhythmatic’s 3rd birthday party on 27th November are available on Resident Advisor - buy them here before they’re gone.
How to manifest happiness
September 24, 2010
Shared from mother to daughter, and now, from daughter to you…
The A – Z of living happy
Accept yourself – Accept others – Appreciate each other – and have Adventures. Breathe deeply – Believe in love – Be still, now and again, and again.
Choose calm and compassion – count your blessings – Cuddle – Care for all creatures – Celebrate life. Dance wildly – Dream passionately – Dare to be different – Delight in little things.
Eat with awareness – Encourage a child – Enjoy being in your body. Forgive yourself – Forgive others – Have faith – Flow with change – Follow your bliss.
Great a stranger – Grow plants – Go within – Giggle. Hug an old person – Hold hands – Help where you can – Let love heal – Honour all people.
Invite folks into your home – and into your heart. Imagine peace – Know that we are all interdependent.
Think juicy – Live juicy – Judge no-one. Kiss a friend – Practise kindness. Laugh like a child – Listen with your heart – Let go of old stuff – Love who you are with – Let your light shine.
Make soup – Make friends – Make a difference – Expect miracles. Nourish one another – Have naps – Enjoy and respect nature. Open your mind – Open your heart – Watch for opportunities – Try optimism.
Pray for peace – Play for fun – Live on purpose. Question your intention – Enjoy your life’s quest.
Rest like a tree – Read less negativity – Rejoice in loving friendships – Reach out and touch. Sing from your heart – Smell the roses – Speak your truth with love – Simplify your life – Smile – Surprise yourself.
Turn off the TV – Take time to see with new eyes – Touch sorrow with compassion – Try tenderness – Trust. Understand that we are all one family – Unite with others in candlelit silence.
Visualise a happy, loving, peaceful life – Visit places of beauty. Wake with gratitude – Walk in wonder – Work with love.
X marks the spot – it’s right here, right now. Stay young at heart and say yes to life – Yes, yes, yes. Sleep with gratitude and love.
An evening with men on the moon
September 17, 2010
Last weekend, I spent a day in blistering sunshine dancing to techno at Green and Blue festival in Frankfurt. In stark contrast, this Wednesday saw me taking my seat at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall to watch a performance of something quite unbeknown to me – Brian Eno’s Apollo. A far cry from bass fuelled house music.
For those of you equally unacquainted with the man and his work, Mr Eno is an English music composer who is best known for his ambient sounds, for being a member of the glam rock band Roxy Music, and for his collaborations with rock and super stars such as U2 and David Bowie.
Back in the 80s, Eno was commissioned to craft the soundtrack for two years worth of footage filmed during man’s first trip to the moon. In the film (which has been edited and its speed increased thankfully), you follow the astronauts on their journey from blast off to life on the moon, plus witness the infamous moment when Neil Armstrong proudly erects the USA’s flag. Unsurprisingly, not one single word is uttered along the way. Instead, this silent movie is accompanied by an extraordinary tale told through the sound of oboes, pan-pipes, electric violins, guitars, flutes and drums all played by the 13 strong ensemble Icebreaker, and guest starring the legendary 70s musician BJ Cole on his pedal steel guitar.
The performance is an eerie experience, a poignant trip that at some moments lead you to believe you may have accidentally encroached on a lover’s holiday to an alternative Hawaii (thanks to a couple in space suits frolicking together to the sound of Cole’s hula hula synth notes).
The reality is that together, the footage and live orchestra make this an undeniably magnificent journey. It’s an experience that ironically, brings you and your feet back down to earth and awakens the vulnerability of human kind within you. Deep? Maybe. Unmissiable? Absolutely.
Let your heart and imagination wander…
July 4, 2010
Words that capture the spirit of my heart. Thanks Lula.
This Is Me: Jonny McGuinness
February 28, 2010
He’s been around the world on a super-tight budget, is partial to running around half naked, holds He-Man as an unlikely style icon and now, he’s about to embark on one of the biggest challenges of his working life. In the second of our This Is Me interviews, we grilled Coventry’s finest export, actor/comedian Jonny McGuinness, on what makes him exactly who he is…
Why are you doing this interview?
Because I want to help out my friends with their little, er, big project and I think it’s interesting to be involved in as I know for me clothing and style isn’t that important. It will be cool to compare me to other people on the blog. I’m quite influenced by my traveling at the moment so it’d be interesting to re-visit me in a year’s time and see what’s different.
Where did you go traveling?
I went to South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia) Australia, New Zealand and South America (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil).
What are you working on?
I’m hopefully starting with a job working with children with special needs in Islington soon. I know it’s going to be hard and a challenging experience working with the kids – I don’t have that much experience. I want to challenge myself. I want to do stuff I don’t know if I can do and prove I can…see what I learn about myself.
I’m meant to be doing some comedy writing too with a friend. There’s scope in the job to do some drama, I like the idea of the kids doing that so I might do some comedy stuff there.
So does that mean you’ll finally have your hair cut?
I’ve had it trimmed. I wanted it cut but I don’t want to have to maintain it and don’t want it styled. I think the surfer look will help with the kids I’m going to be teaching, they’ll think I’m a cool dude.
It’s kind of like He-Man…
I quite like the He-Man look.
What are you wearing?
It’s all from abroad. My shorts were one of the first things I bought from the Koh San Road in Bangkok when I went on my adventures. You can have them long, short and they dry really quickly. They’ve been around the world with me.
The old sandals, they’re Havianna’s I bought in Argentina. I was wearing really bad flip flops for ages and these are really comfortable – I don’t want to wear trainers again. What I quite like about my top, it’s a favourite at the moment, is that I didn’t buy it in a shop. I was in a club in Arakeepa in Peru and saw someone wearing it and thought, “I really want that”. I went up to guy wearing it on the dance floor and said “mate, that is a really good top”. He said “do you want to swap it?” I was wearing a bright green Levis T-shirt with a bikini-girl riding a bronco. After swapping it, people kept telling me there was this stuff all over the back of my T-shirt like chewing gum and I wasn’t listening and just replied “Yeah, it’s brilliant this top isn’t it”. It was my mum that got it out.
The next day out the corner of my eye in a market in Puno, I saw my old T-shirt and it turned out to be the same guy who’d traveled to a festival in the town.
It all ties up with memories and little adventures of traveling.
Describe your style up in one word.
Relaxed.
Where do you shop?
Before I went traveling, I’d shop in places like H & M, Primark for basics and Shoreditch boutiques for T-shirts.
What makes you shop?
Neccessity really. I find it a bit of a chore, I’m not into retail therapy. I’ll only do it if I need something. I almost need someone to say “yeah, that looks really good on you’’ and even if I’m not sure about it, I’ll get it, especially if it’s someone who’s opinion I value.
With clothes, I’ll get a T-shirt out of my wardrobe to wear and I’ll realise I bought it in my third year at university in 1997. That shows how often I re-hash my wardrobe.
What was the last thing you bought?
It was some trousers in Argentina. There’s a really cool area called San Tel Mo in Buenos Aires and I was looking for something to wear to a Radiohead gig. Although I mentioned I prefer not to stand out, I do like bright colours and I think people are a bit scared of wearing them. I’m a fan of orange and yellow and it looks great as I’ve still got a bit of a tan. Sometimes I like to wear something that’s a bit garish.
What’s the next item you’re going to buy?
I might go get a pizza. I had a few beers last night.
And a pair of jeans. I need a new pair of jeans.
What’s the cheapest item of clothing you own and the most expensive?
The trousers I bought from Argentina were roughly £35. I bought a suit, so that’s probably my biggest investment. The T-shirt I swapped in Arakeepa was a gift, so that’s probably the cheapest. Don’t worry, I told the person that gave it to me about it and I think she’s quite happy there’s a story to it.
What do you dislike most about fashion?
Sometimes I see people wearing things that I don’t think looks that comfortable – like really tight jeans. I just look at everyone wearing them and think they look stupid. I think you’ve got to have proper decent legs to get away with it.
I was reading something about people wanting to be different and that whilst some may not be wearing exactly the same thing, they still fall into a group. I know people try to be individual but intentionally or not, they are all conforming.
Where do you get your style inspiration from? Do you have an icon?
At the moment it’s just my traveling really, or He-Man! I like the style of being casual, not that bothered and just laid back. When I was at uni, I’d do a lot of my shopping in charity shops and I was probably inspired by the indie, brit-pop feel and looked out for blue pinstripe trousers and old shirts.
If you had to give up everything but one item, what would it be?
If I’m being honest and vain, it’d have to be my contact lenses. I’ve got so used to wearing them. When I look in the mirror, it’s me without glasses that I see as me. I prefer the image I give out when I’m not wearing glasses. In terms of clothes, well, it depends what time of year it is. Shorts or trousers really, I’d run around naked apart from them.
What did you have for breakfast?
Porridge. Yeah! With sultanas.
And for lunch?
Bread. It wasn’t even that fresh. I’m quite happy to just have bread. The crust of a fresh loaf. Although saying that, I did really like the food in South East Asia which might inspire me to cook a bit more, maybe take up some lessons.
When did you last have dinner out?
Tuesday when we had calzone on the green together.
What magazines do you read?
Nothing regularly but I really like Time Out and I used to get it before I went away. I’ve been looking at the website more than reading it but I like have the magazine.
What’s your plan B in life?
To be really, really successful in my career.
What’s your plan A?
To have good friends, be happy and spend time with family. To be with the people I care about.
If you had a genie, what would your three wishes be?
To be financially secure. I don’t know how much money that means though.
Secondly, that I will have a family. And the third? For everyone in the world to be kind to strangers, a simple thing, like being friendly, hospitable. Some of the countries I’ve been to, the people were so very friendly yet I was a stranger. Someone once said to me ‘it’s easier to love your close friends and family but it’s harder to be nice to a stranger’. I think it’s from a film. Everyone was nice to me around the world and If that’s how everyone was, the world would be a much better place. Everyone be nice to strangers!
This Is Me: Rob Sampson
February 17, 2010
Rob Sampson; London-based Art Director, future Rock Star and Master of the Shoeniverse. In the first of our This Is Me series, we caught up with the man behind lineageofinfluence to find out exactly what makes him tick…
So, tell me about what you’re wearing…
I have a staple uniform that I’ve had since I was 15 of trainers, T-shirts and jeans although it’s got incrementally more expensive as I’ve got older. Once you start liking nice stuff, it’s like crack, you can’t get off it.
My T-shirt is by Dior and has paneling and back darts. I just like fashion but I like stuff that is good and that fits.
These are my Common Projects.
What are Common Projects?
They’re a little brand from New York, everything’s made in Italy and some things are hand-finished. It was started by Peter Poopat, he used to be the art editor of Visionaire and then he and friend Flavio Girolami went on to design a line of trainers they’d want to wear that were quite high end but also a mix of smart and casual.
I do smart casual, that’s the way I dress. Quite considered but I still don’t want to go away from jeans and trainers as I’ve got a strong footwear fetish that runs through how I style myself. What trainers I’m going to wear is my prime consideration in the morning.
And when did you first start wearing cardigans?
Four or five years ago. I’m from up north where it’s always freezing and therefore necessitates the wear of jumpers. I like good knitwear. You can’t go wrong with a cardigan, they are the most versatile of all knitted garments. They’re awesome. A cardigan’s a gift that just keeps on giving.
What’s the rough cost of your outfit?
Clothes £900, watch £900, it’s a Bell and Ross Quartz and quite cheap for a watch. I bought it about four years ago when they were impossible to find. Jess James in Soho was the only place to buy them and it shut down last year.
Tell me about your jeans.
My jeans are from Albam, a small boutique store in London and haven’t been washed in 13 months. I’m part of a small hardcore group of denim nerds that are all about raw denim. It’s usually spun on a smaller loom, you don’t wash it, and you buy it in its original state. Most regular jeans have been treated or washed and with raw, its charm is that it just wears in a completely natural way. My jeans always wear around the pocket where I keep my wallet. Plus, people wear their jeans in really unique ways so every pair is essentially like someone’s finger-print.
How did you get into raw denim? You seem to know a lot about it.
I got into it through the whole Levi thing, the original 501’s that you buy two inches longer in the leg and the waist and you literally sit in the bath to shrink them. I’ve done that. It works.
I’ve read a lot about denim at Super Future, it’s a forum for fashion nerds that you can look at to learn more about jeans amongst everything else. I love denim as it’s something that’s steeped in tradition. Jeans personify Americana at its finest.
How did you find out about freezing your jeans?
I read it on an internet forum and it really works. I’m not alone in doing it.
Two words; Crooked Tongues.
Aha! The boys, the geeky little bastards. My footwear fetish, well, I’m not sure what came first really, Crooked Tongues or my love of trainers? CT has definitely had a lot to do with my active purchasing of shoes. It’s a website where lots of people love trainers and if you’re a massive shoe-nerd like me, you can get involved in the forum. I’ve been a member for over six years so have known a lot of the guys for a few years and were now mates. We go out and get drunk together and talk about trainers. Sometimes we talk about jeans. Mostly the guys on there are over 30, most have wives and children, some are ex-football casuals, some are youngsters into crazy colour Nikes. A lot of the guys have done the whole going to Europe for shoes.
It’s quite a social thing then?
Definitely. It’s a worldwide thing, CT have done lots of collaborations with Adidas, stuff with Nike and Puma too. Two years ago they did a barbeque in Thailand. It’s a big global online community.
Moving back into fashion, clothes say a lot about a person. Like it or not, it’s a big part of how others see you. What does fashion mean to you?
It doesn’t really mean anything to me.
I’m not about being on trend. I’m aware what’s going on as I’ve been around the fashion industry for as long as I’ve been a designer. I just like looking nice but I like things that are well made, I just like cool shit.
I prefer really beautiful things, which you get in designer fashion and I’m more about buying something that I’ll wear to death than buying a ‘look’. I’ll probably still be wearing these jeans in five years time. They’ll be knackered but they’ll be beautiful, same thing with the trainers. However, I’m not into labels. I like wearing things that are obscure, that you wouldn’t know unless you were familiar with the signature stitching or something. I guess I’m sort of elitist in a way and don’t want to wear things that everyone else does. People who know the brands will get it. I could go out and buy a £150 T-shirt that says Gucci on the front of it but that would just be stupid.
I’d never say I was fashionable, I have some style and lots of other things fit into that.
When I was younger, I’d just buy stuff that was bright and crazy but as you get older, I think you get more and more somber. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my wardrobe is mainly black, navy blue and grey. There isn’t a lot of colour.
That’s interesting, you being a graphic designer…
I love colour, but I don’t really wear it.
You’ve recently joined the band Small Crew. How’s that going?
Yeah! It’s going really well. That came about from Rich, it’s his band. He knew TJ (my girlfriend) and he was in a band in the 90s called Jack and released three albums. All of my friends were Jack fans, they were quite a well-known Indie band. When they split up, Rich went on to form The Boyfriends and toured with Morrissey. Rich has sort of hoodwinked me into the band on what started as “do you just want to come and have a bit of a practice?” It’s great, I love it.
What would life be like without music?
It just wouldn’t would it? It’d be awful. It’d be miserable.
It’s like that stupid question, would you rather be blind or would you rather be deaf? I’d rather be dead than either of them because I couldn’t do what I love in terms of work and without music, what an absolutely, thoroughly miserable existence. If I couldn’t listen to my guitar when I play it or couldn’t listen to music, it wouldn’t be a particularly happy world. I don’t think I could function. It means so much to me.
When was the last time you bought a guitar?
I haven’t bought one for two years. I’ve got fourteen, six here and I play them every day. Every guitar is in tune. It takes a full Sunday afternoon to make sure they’re all clean and sound perfect. They’re investments, well, even if they weren’t I’d have bought them anyway just for the sheer enjoyment and they’re beautiful, beautiful instruments. It is just really nice to sit and play for hours and hours and hours.
So if you could do anything, that’s what you’d do?
Play guitar. Yeah! It’s just a massive escape. You can sit and play then look at the clock and realise it’s been four or five hours. I get so absorbed into it. It’s my escapism. Thankfully it doesn’t sound like I’ve strangled a cat though…I do like to play it pretty loud.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Black Box Recorder but that’s just because the guy from Black Box came to our gig on Tuesday.
Who are they? I’m thinking ‘right on time’…
They’re an English Indie Rock group that disbanded some time in 2000. John Moore fronted them, he was in The Jesus and Marychain beforehand. Sarah Nixey was also in the crew and Luke Haines who was in The Auters, who I really quite like. I’m also listening to La Roux’s new album. I’ve sort of stayed away from it so far as it’s too popular but it’s fucking ace. The usual random stuff – Metric, Mogwai, Black Keys, The Rolling Stones are all on my stereo too. I go through periods where I consistently listen to The Stones and then don’t for ages.
Have you ever stolen anything?
You can’t put that on the blog!
Ok, have you ever stolen anything else?
No. I once stole a toy car. I was about seven years old and went into the Toymaster in Morcambe at the sea front. A white diecast car in its cardboard packaging. I remember opening it up at home and feeling elated as I’d got it, just because I thought “oh wicked, I’ve got a new toy”. Then I remember feeling mortified that I’d stolen something. I remember looking at it thinking “that’s not mine…I’ve nicked it!”
I’ve never stolen anything since. Now I just thieve hearts…
Nice. So if that doesn’t work out, what’s your plan B in life?
I don’t even have a plan A.
Well without that and as you’re already Master of the Shoenivese, what’s next?
Master of the Shoeniverse? Cool. Well I don’t really have an agenda. I’d like to be really sensible and say director of a design agency in the next ten years, but…
Do you want that?
No, I want to be a rock star don’t I? You know, tour the world and make shit loads of money.
Actually, yeah, that sums it up. I want to find a way of getting paid a good yearly wage whilst doing not a lot.
Isn’t that what you’ve been doing for the last six years?
Yeah. International Man of Mystery would be good though. General playboy or yeah, lets leave it there.
….so we did.
Thanks Rob.
Love At First Sight Exists & It’s Rad
August 17, 2009
Yesterday whilst checking out some new affiliates at work, I stumbled upon possibly the most exciting brand I’ve seen for a long time. Rad, the new diffusion line from self taught American designer Rad Hourani launches this November – and it’s pretty special.
If nothing else, (and from a purely selfish angle), he has encapsulated my style perfectly in each design. The range consists of sharply tailored, drape front blazers paired with grunge grey tees and thigh skimming school boy shorts. Think All Saints crossed with Jil Sander, Kain (the go-to label for the ultimate T-shirt) blended with Reiss; Rad hosts a fusion of high fashion and high street in a monochrome palette. Each piece is introspectively inspired by Hourani, loaded with rough, rock ‘n ready attitude and designed to be unisex (showcased by androgynous, heel wearing models). What’s sure to become a capsule collection of ever-versatile basics will be available at www.radbyradhourani.com in three months time and will be priced from $100-$400.
However, if like me, you simply can’t wait until November; get a head start by layering current looks in your wardrobe with goodies borrowed from the boys. Just add black boots and ankle socks before taking your new look and nonchalant attitude to the streets…
My good friend (and rather talented photographer) Laura Perkins and I have been working on our second project under the pseudonym Tinker Tailor And One More Sailor.
Some of you may be familiar with our first venture shooting Street Style and What’s On Your iPod for Kalimocho Girl, but This Is Me widens One More Sailor’s scope as an original and personal collaboration.
Without giving too much away, look out for this on-going feature coming very shortly with regular editions and some very interesting, very different subjects all intimately interviewed and portrayed beautifully.
Warhol at Waterloo – A Rare Retrospective
December 18, 2008
Think you know him? Think again. That’s the strapline to the new Andy Warhol Other Voices, Other Rooms exhibition, just opened at London’s Hayward gallery.
This major exhibition not only offers the chance to see some of Warhol’s most famous works, such as the Campbell’s soup series; but also showcases some of his rarely seen films, paintings, photography and impressive Time Capsules.
Step into the first room and you’re greeted by cartoon-like Chairman Mao screen printed wallpaper and three enormous screens suspended from the ceiling, each with both familiar and unfamiliar faces staring directly at you. Better know as Warhol’s ‘Screen Tests’ and filmed between 1963-66, each screen runs forty, four minute films of people linked to Warhol’s infamous work and living space; The Factory. Choosing to perch on the floor in-between all three screens, I was able to watch footage of everyone from Salvador Dali, Dennis Hopper and the iconic Edie Sedgwick to unknown faces stare blankly at the camera simultaneously. Some of the subjects choose to ignore Warhol’s instructions not to move and play up for the camera by talking, smoking and dancing but what resounds with each one is their awareness of the stationary camera rolling so intimately close.
As part of what’s defined as the ‘Cosmos’, the initial room of the exhibition contains a rare glimpse into the other media and techniques Warhol chose to express and exploit his public persona. On one side of the wall sits the famous Monroe and Jagger screen prints next to lesser-known life drawings in gold leaf and finished with cartoon style ink. To the other side of the wall, you’ll find rare moments of Warhol’s life captured in Time Capsules – complete with a hand-written letter from radical feminist Valerie Solanas, the woman responsible for shooting Warhol and leaving him fighting for his life in 1968. In the same room, take the opportunity to get up close and personal with what I’d describe as Warhol’s fool-around photo booth. Exactly as they sound, a collection of black and white photo booth shots feature The Factory group fooling around as usual and are displayed next to polaroid shots of Sylvester Stallone, OJ Simpson, Sean Lennon and Warhol in requisite drag. Well out of reach, you’ll spot one of the last remaining iconic Brillo boxes sitting nonchalantly alongside scarcely seen record sleeves and drawings from Warhol’s commercial design days. I was inquisitively drawn to some comical snake drawings, which were in fact original graphite illustrations, designed and commissioned by leather company Fleming-Joffe for an animated film ‘Noa the Boa’ that was sadly never released.
As the exhibition continues, you are inundated with a wall of quotes and images of Warhol and his idol Truman Capote (whose book the exhibition is named after). Here Warhol explains simplicity to his work: ‘if you want to know all about Andy Warhol just look at the surface of my paintings, and films, and me, and there I am. There’s nothing behind it’. This wall alone would suggest the very opposite, that infact Warhol was the owner of a very clever business and marketing mind.
Next, prepare for a sensory overload with a series of video and audio booths entitled ‘TV-Scape’. At the centre of the exhibition lies a room trimmed with red and white fringing that allows you to be as voyeuristic as Warhol himself – always the observer, never the participator. Through the fringing, you can watch visitors plugged into headphones and almost consumed by the multiple TV screens. From the outside, there is something particularly intriguing about the people inside being completely unaware that they themselves are being watched. Step inside the room and you’ll learn that what they are watching is the complete series of forty-two episodes of Warhol TV. Made for Cable TV, the half hour episodes were followed up with nine further episodes in a more magazine format, commissioned by former Rolling Stones manager Peter Rudge and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Slip on the headphones and before long you too will become both the observed and the observer.
TV-Scape also includes a very rare opportunity to see six almost unheard of films including one featuring Paul Johnson, better known as Paul America. Playing with a switchblade throughout the film, Johnson spends most of the film talking about drugs and admits to having taken some before filming commenced. At one point, he states ‘you can talk about drugs forever as long as you keep taking them. You can do a lot of things forever if you keep drugs around’. And, that would include talking about a whole lot of nothing whilst playing with a switchblade on camera.
‘Filmscape’ continues the exhibition into its third and final phase. Here, if you’re a fan, you could easily lose many an afternoon in the wonders of Warhol. Countless hours of film made in the early sixties reside in one vast room and include the acclaimed ‘Outer and Inner Space’. Starring Edie Sedgwick, the film shows two reels projected parallel to each other – the result; a rather unnerved Sedgwick appearing as if she’s quite literally talking to herself. ‘Sleep’, another film shot over a period of weeks in 1963, portrays Warhol’s partner at the time John Giorno…sleeping. Continuing to document Warhol’s voyeuristic nature, I can’t help but question if ‘Sleep’ may well have been the inspiration for Sam Taylor Wood’s dozing David Beckham in 2004. With nineteen films in one space, Filmscape is the largest, most comprehensive selection of Warhol films ever shown and offers the opportunity for you, the voyeur to delve deeper into the depths of Warhol’s mind.
Peer through the window at the end of the Filmscape room and yet again, you become a voyeur – but this time to live film in progress. Large, helium filled metallic pillows, aptly named ‘Silver Clouds’, float by allowing visitors to interact with them. Reminiscent of the silver foil Warhol’s assistant Billy Name covered his 47th street factory in, the metallic pillows (whether intentionally or not), create a sound evocative to the white noise that appears on so many Warhol films and audiotapes.
As one of the most significant artists of the 20th Century, Warhol has perfected a portal to convey life, death, sex, money, power, success and failure through film and other media. If like me, you are captivated by his inspirational mind, I recommend you invest in the special Warhol membership (a snip at £20). There’s hours of footage to watch and membership allows you to return to Other Voices, Other Rooms as much as you like for the duration of the exhibition. Personally, I couldn’t think of a better way to lose many an afternoon on the South Bank than in the company of one most provocative pop artists in modern day culture.
Other Voices, Other Rooms is at the Hayward Gallery from 7th October – 18th January 2009. Tickets available from South Bank Centre priced £4.50-£20. Free entry to Southbank Centre members and under 12s.
Zebras, cracked eggs & Simon…A day with the RAA
September 18, 2008
Michael Craig-Martin’s 2005 ‘eyetest’
After catching glimpses of reviews online and in the papers, I decided a trip to The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition should be on my to do list – much in the usual fashion of my skimming over something and then doing it without reading or knowing much about it. So, it could have obviously gone either way. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Running from 9th June to 17th August at Burlington house Piccadilly, I can strongly vouch for an afternoon spent at the RAA. On first glance of what appears to be an eclectic collection of paintings hung from ceiling to floor, it really is a spectacle not to be missed. Throughout twelve rooms, you’ll discover everything from a Tokyo sunset of neon mobile phones, light bulbs and gadgets to shocking images of a woman and the photographic tale of her withdrawal bleed. Heed the warnings at this over 18’s section of the exhibition; even I wasn’t quite expecting to see a woman being rather more intimately involved than she should be with nothing less than a Zebra.
For those not quite ready for an education that evokes the words ‘Is that really art?’, there are plenty of impressive paintings and studies of everything from still life to self-portraits. Particular favourites of mine; ‘Lust’ and ‘Death’ by the The RAA Charles Wollaston Award nominated artist, Michael Craig-Martin. Craig-Martin uses an acrylic, interconnecting tramline of life in his piece simply entitled ‘Death’. You might, like me, be drawn in to inspect exactly how he has applied neon pieces of what appears to be tape, layered over and cut back into aluminum. Just make sure you step back to decipher the hidden message. Clue’s in the title.
In the same vast room, a giant canvas engulfs your attention and pulls you under water. Unfortunately, the artist of this piece escapes me but it is so vibrant in it’s portrayal of an underwater clearing, you really feel right in there with the six foot fish. On such an enormous scale and painted with such attention to detail, this painting of oversized aquatic life deserves a special commendation – I can only wish I had a lounge big enough (and a wallet to match) to own it.
Next door, ‘Red road arteries’ hit a home note as artist Susan Stockwell pieces together Tooting Bec road and other parts of south London in the deceptive form of living arteries. A reminder to me that home really is where the heart is and mine being fixed in the south west (despite being a traitor on the west side).
Worth a mention simply for its entertainment of a good friend is ‘Happy Biscuits’ by Robin Lee-Hall. Anything that displays jammy dodgers and smiley face biscuits stacked on an ever so English gingham tablecloth gets my vote if it makes a friend, foe or enemy chuckle like a child.
Keep walking…you’ll discover Jeff Koons ‘Cracking egg’ – there’s no way you can miss it; it’s 4ft high and a subtle electric blue. Koons obsession with all things splitting continues with this stainless steel egg and its slick metallic inside (you can still see his split floor – now sealed – at the Tate Modern). Impressively installed, ‘Cracking egg’ reflects the decadent ceiling of Burlington house on its shiny coating and jagged edges to offer a squewed reflection in distorted proportions.
Last but not least, it would be unfair of me not to mention the plentitude of naked men in the exhibition. No, sadly not real, but artists impressions that were quickly nicknamed ‘Simon’. I can’t take the credit for this one; this is the work one ‘artist’ accompanying me on a cultural afternoon, paying more attention to how many orange dots a picture had…as opposed to the thought process and manual labour asserted by members of the RAA.
If you’re not aware of the RAA, even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as fond of anything creative, I would definitely recommend investing some quality time at Burlington House – possibly the best collection of contemporary art and a bit of nudity thrown in for free.
'Death' by Micheal Craig-Martin
‘South London Arteries’ by Susan Stockwell
Robin Lee-Hall’s ‘Happy Biscuits’
