Festival Clothes

Happy Friday everyone! Now with festival lineups and tickets being released, I think its about time to do another Festival Friday. Of course there are lots of things I could write about, but there is one very important part of festivals that I haven't really spoken about. OUTFITS!

Most festivals have a anything goes rule when it comes to clothes, the more your outfit clashes the better in most cases or just very little clothing at all works too. Although with the second suggestion may I remind you it can get pretty cold. However there are some festivals that are a bit like a fashion show (Coachella), now I'm not the most stylish person in the world, but I like to think I have my own sense of style. But I have done a bit of research and asked some experts and come up with some websites that seem to cater for the more fashion aware festival goer.

So anyone who knows me well will know I'm big into all things colourful, sparkly and shiny. Obviously not every festival calls for the same level of effort to go into what to wear. But that's where I intend to help you give you an idea of what kind of thing to wear to each festival to fit in or (even better in my opinion) stand out! 

Festivals like Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Wilderness, Shambala and Latitude as well as many more, usually have a fancy dress theme, or at least a day where you have to dress up over the weekend. Most festivals have released their themes for the weekends now, so get researching to make sure you are dressed to impress!

Have a little look at each of the websites to find a great range of awesome clothes and accessories. I have sorted the websites by who they say they cater for, however I would still recommend having a look at everything, because everyone looks incredible in glittery body suits. Enjoy!

BOTH

http://festivalfanatics.com/

The home of festival gear and accessories. All the coolest, funkiest and most unique festival and rave gear out there.

http://www.fairylove.com/
Bespoke wings and unique, magical dress up clothing and accessories for everyone.

http://shop.stateofdisarray.co.uk/
Dedicated to dressing party people and performers in the most awesome attire. See the universe reflected in your spandex.

http://www.foragedesign.com/
Design and produce clothing, pocket belts and bags, jewellery, and funky, fair trade, finger knitted hats.

http://www.secretemporium.com/en/

A creative platform for independent design talent.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SexGypsies?ref=hdr_shop_menu
Beautiful, quality charmed outwear fit for any festival and perfect to unleash your inner gypsy.

http://omgaiatree.com/
Stylish, comfortable clothing to live life in.

http://funkandflash.com/
Clothing that exemplifies the very best in the world wide festival culture.

http://phoenixrisingartists.com/
Warriors, regal... rugged.

http://www.beyondretro.com/en/
One-of-a-kind clothing and accessories, bring new life to clothing that promotes uniqueness.

http://rosita-bonita.myshopify.com/

Closed at the mo - open soon, Inspiration comes from glamorous fantasies of past times & faraway lands, & encompasses icons of folklore, myth & legend. With these influences, and a pervading sense of dreamy fun, Rosita Bonita creates tactile printed leather statement jewellery, which is at once nostalgic & novel.

http://jeeperspeepers.co.uk/
Sunnies with a blend high quality fabrication with new and vintage inspired design.

WOMENS

http://kucoondesigns.com/
Anti-trend, caters towards the stylish, adventurous, playful, yet practical woman.

http://www.ohmyhoney.co.uk/
Glamorous, feminine and chic, the nipped in waists and full skirts make any women look fantastic.

http://www.dazzleandjolt.com/
Makes colourful, playful apparel for those not afraid to stand out! Designs feature all over prints with a graphic twist and a kaleidoscope of exotic animals, tropical fruits, geometrics and cosmic wonders.

http://www.rosabloom.com/
Eye-catching and wearable, crossing the borderline between costume and ready-to-wear. Now most well-known for her sequinned pieces, such as leggings and leotards adorned with her trademark over-sized scale-like sequins.

http://www.katiejonesknit.co.uk/
Unique and fabulous knitwear.

http://www.janebowler.co.uk/
Unique tactile surfaces and constructed textiles which naturally evolve into what Bowler refers to as ‘wearable art’.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LOMstore?ref=condensed_trust_header_title_items
Colourful Luxury Festival and Party Fashion.

MENS

https://www.opposuits.co.uk/
If you want to look all business at a festival, these suits are the right way to go about getting into the swarve festival spirit.

Album Review! Birdy - Beautiful Lies

So after a 3 year wait, Birdy has released her 3rd album! I must say, since a friend showed me her cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love, I have been a massive fan. Her first album consisted of almost all covers, however the song that stood out for me was Without A Word, which Birdy wrote herself. I was excited to hear more of her own songs in her second album Fire Within. She did not disappoint! I found Fire Within was quite an emotional album, which Birdy herself carries off so well.

Now when the single was released from Birdy's 3rd album, Beautiful Lies, I was hooked. The first single was Keeping Your Head Up, which was a lot more upbeat than her usual music. I loved it! It was a great track that had so much potential, it also makes an incredible remix. Much like Wild Horses, one of my favourites on the album and the second single, which has already been turned into a remix, you can listen to both in the playlist at the bottom. 

The album opens with Growing Pains which channels a mixture of Kate Bush and Bjork. It has an element of typical Chinese rhythms and melodies, which create a great hook. Birdy has an incredible range and has lots of angelic harmonies in many of her songs, Shadow and Save Yourself are where you can find the good examples of this. 

Birdy plays the piano, so many of her tracks focus on just her and the piano. These are usually the more emotional numbers like Unbroken, Deep End, Silhouette, and Lost it All, which made me cry the first time I heard it. I also think Lost it All sounds similar to Without a Word and I can relate to it a lot, which is maybe why it's another one of my favourites on the album. 

Beautiful Lies is unlike her previous albums, this time Birdy seems to have focused more on the beat and sound that she wants to create. This has created some really some great tracks on the album, like Lifted, Take My Heart and Hear You Calling. In Hear You Calling again we can hear features of chinese melodies.

The last track on the album is the album title track Beautiful Lies, again Birdy uses piano and simple harmonies to create a soft track to finish the album on, bringing the sound back to where she started almost. 

Release almost a month ago now, Beautiful Lies has been added to my own personal playlist of my favourite albums and been given lots of positive praise which it certainly deserves. Now go have a listen!

Album review! The 1975 - I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

The 1975 have entered into the 2016 charts with the longest album name to go number one…probably. The UK’s funk-pop-rockers have also asserted dominance in the charts over in the US debuting at number one as well. I read an article the other day and found out they are only the 16^th UK artists to simultaneously hold number one positions in the UK and US; joining artists like The Beatles, Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones. 

You start the album off by listening to ‘the 1975’ by the 1975, which I guess is what it feels like to spend 1 minute and 20 seconds in Matt Healy’s mind – a synth-pop dreamland of, well, confusion.  

Then, suddenly, things kick up a gear as the band launches into funk-guitar driven ‘Love Me’. This is the first single to be released from the new 1975 record and it’s a quirky, pisstake on selfie culture. The fabulous video depicts a topless Healy stumbling between life-size cardboard cutouts of commercial superstars like Taylor Swift and Rita Ora. In the song Healy admits he isn’t afraid to see what people write about him on social media, which I think is admirable because I couldn’t do it. 

The 1975 maintain the pace into the next song ‘UGH!’ which, quite simply, is about cocaine. More specifically, Matt Healy’s past dabbling with it. "This conversation's not about reciprocation no more/But I'm gonna wait until you've finished so I can talk some more/About me and my things, my car, my living/And how I'm giving it up, giving it up again". It’s a genius piece of writing and so accurately illustrated, probably my favourite from the album so give it a listen. 

Another great song from this record is ‘The Sound” which is like going round on a carousel – the most joyous, uplifting carousel ever.  The song is an anthemic chorus line of bouncing synth filled in with curious, questioning shade and jibes. The song is also home to a great guitar solo, the best on the album. 

The album is brutally honest, fun and expressive. Admittedly some songs are a bit wishy-washy and daydreamy but truthfully I think the album needs those kind of ballad driven tunes because they shine a light on important cultural messages for young people. But the songs I talked about like ‘UGH!’, ‘Love Me’ and ‘The Sound’ are at least worth a listen. 

Overall, I think the album is sound. The follow up to the first hit, self-titled record is actually better but I think the 1975 are capable of something special here…so it’s okay to be demanding! I like the way the 1975 carry themselves in the media and their music speaks for themselves, which is all written and produced by Healy and Daniels. I also love the pop sound with a rock voice. 

History of the ‘Frontman’: What Makes them so Great?

Today, What’s The Set List takes a look back over a timeline of sepia-toned rock and roll imagery. The timeline will look at the greatest lead singers of the greatest bands of all time so we have strictly left out great soloists like Elvis, Bowie, Dylan, Chuck Berry and many more. Another rule to abide by is front women don’t count, something for another time? Who knows? On this journey through the ages we will discover the ingredients to making the perfect frontman, and what makes them so compelling. 

The timeline begins in the early 60s… 

John Lennon is one of the first and most influential figures in popularised music. It just so happens that one of the first is also probably the biggest UK export to USA. John Lennon was known as the ‘Intelligent One’ in the early Beatles days, we also know that he had a ‘cheeky chappy’ aura about him – he famously reeled off a classic line at the Royal Variety Performance in 1963. He said “For our last number I’d like to ask your help. Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of ya just rattle ya jewellery.” Before leaping into Twist and Shout. In terms of music, he was the UK’s first real rock star, a working class vocal and genius music writer.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS0wuN_6wyw&index=39&list=LLspbW076jzOvVcqir84EWcw  

Mick Jagger came about just after Lennon in the form of the Rolling Stones. This development saw a change from a clean-cut, cheeky lad from Liverpool to a darker, more aloof rocker. Jagger is probably the first and original frontman in the sense that he dances around the stage and really gets the crowd going – surely the primary function of a frontman? And he also sustained the ultimate frontman status in a long career. I mean, credit where credit’s due – he’s in his 70s and still owning and lighting up stages all over the planet. 

Robert Plant is the lead singer of Led Zeppelin and can be best remembered for long blond hair and a powerful, bare-chested appearance. His charismatic rock and roll image helped develop the first phrases like “Rock God”. Plant’s lyrics can often be described as philosophical, thought provoking and mystical. Fans all over the world loved him for his deep-thinking powerful stage presence. 

Freddie Mercury is undoubtedly the greatest frontman of all time. If you haven’t seen it, then watch the link below this paragraph. I can’t think of another frontman where the whole audience hangs off of every movement, or someone who can captivate 50,000+ people. It’s tough to call, but it’s between Freddie and Plant for the best singer award.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRcVACHAwcE&index=51&list=LLspbW076jzOvVcqir84EWcw 

Sting is the bass player and frontman of the Police, which, in the 70s and 80s, was a pretty big deal. Although not a prancing showman like previous legends like Jagger, Plant and Mercury – he was considered a hugely desired frontman. Sting and The Police were thrust onto the world stage with a completely new wave sound which has not really been matched since – and Sting was a key driver behind this. His voice was different but had a real rockstar attitude; also women go crazy for him.

Axl Rose embodies that “Rock God” image, similarly to Robert Plant with the long blonde mane, leather trousers and consistently topless. He also still has to wrestle for frontman rights with lead guitarist Slash that makes his frontman symbol even harder to grab. Despite this, they still managed to conjure up one of the greatest songs of all time in “Sweet Child O Mine”. Rose also has the largest vocal range; apparently it’s larger than singer’s like Mariah Carey and Prince. Also, AXL ROSE has the coolest name. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1ZRBPA8SK0&index=110&list=LLspbW076jzOvVcqir84EWcw  

Kurt Cobain is a step away from the cheeky chap, “look at me” image from the previously mentioned. But it’s his symbol and what he meant for young people during his short but hugely important career. Cobain was an extremely clever guy, which really translated in his songwriting. He managed to be able to write about everything a young person could or would have been going through and these things really resonated with his listeners. 

Liam Gallagher in the days of Oasis was untouchable. With a vocal that represented every young working class lad in the UK and the great songwriting of his brother really shaped 90s Britpop. Although not exactly an accomplished songwriter, the music of Oasis was fronted by Liam and what people really respect about Liam is his willingness to take the whole world on attitude.

  

Alex Turner is like a UK version of Kurt Cobain in the sense that his music really speaks to young people and can really um up the life of a teenager. He is also very quiet and boyish but ultimately he is the frontman of one of the biggest bands of the now. As someone who has been able to grow up with Turner’s music it is sweet to see how he has grown from that scruffy, shy, teenager to an edgy greaser.  

Harry Styles is proof that the frontman is alive in pop music, despite the separation of One Direction it is exciting to see what’s next for Harry. Probably the most handsome on this list and has the world at his feet; there is no knowing what he could achieve next. Styles has had a string of high-profile women on his arm which is similar to people like Mick Jagger. What’s most important about him is that he could be a step towards a more clean-cut, calmer frontman – someone your parents don’t mind bringing home… 

It’s clear that what we admire most about these superstars is that they are a symbol of revolution. A real escape for the everyday, normal citizen of the world. Yes, pretty much all of our favourites were junkies, and that isn’t exactly the most admirable quality, but maybe that’s because what we like so much - these rockstars have no fear, they feel invincible. Mix that with some truly exceptional sounds and you find yourself a hero, a rock hero. And there’s so many more; Chris Martin, Johnny Rotten, Jimi Hendrix, Thom Yorke, Matt Healy from the 1975… they’re all no exception. A frontman is a leader of a generation, and let’s face it – we all wouldn’t mind being a part of these people’s gang.