INTERVIEW / THE GALLERY: The Hungry Ghosts

The Hungry Ghosts - supporting Alabama 3 @ The Oobleck 04.12.15 / By Rob Hadley (Indie Images)

Pics from Rob Hadley (Indie Images) & Harry Mills / Video by Ed Taylor (Digital Flow)

For the full Flickr of pics, click here

 

 

 

**The Hungry Ghosts play at The Sunflower Lounge on Wednesday 23rd December – with Amber Riot, Lizards + Cinema. Doors open at 7:30pm with tickets at £3 (advance), for direct gig info click here**

_________

Alabama 3 (Larry Love) @ The Oobleck 04.12.15 / By Rob Hadley (Indie Images)“They’re a Rock band, a real f*cking Rock band,” – Larry Love (Alabama 3)

The Hungry Ghosts have been on the Birmingham Review Radar (notebook with lists in it) since we caught them supporting Follakzoid at The Sunflower Lounge back in June. Raw, energetic and like being severed by polished steel; after a few short, sharp songs, we were in. And in the months that followed…

The Hungry Ghosts look like a Rock band, act like a Rock band, and sound like the bastard child of Swervedriver and a White/Morrison/Reed/Cohen hybrid mutant baby. When you watch The Hungry Ghosts (Joe Joseph) - supporting Alabama 3 @ The Oobleck 04.12.15 / By Harry Millsthem live you feel like smashing things with a smile on your face; Birmingham’s musical ovaries should be proud, and perhaps a little louder about this band.

And having only formed in the salad days of 2013, The Hungry Ghosts been dutifully grafting away on the (very respectable) support circuit for a while now – picking up praises such as these and a more few feet in the room at every appearance.

But now is time to record and release. With their debut single, ‘Love Songs’, already out in the world, The Hungry Ghosts are busily working on their fledgling EP – the appropriately titled, Blood Red Songs. This should be squeezed out early in the New Year, with a UK tour to promote it.

Birmingham Review caught up with Joe Joseph, Billy Ollis and Jodie Lawrence from The Hungry Ghosts – grabbing them for a quick interview just before their recent support slot with Alabama 3 at The Oobleck.

(N.B. the quote above comes from A3’s frontman/founder, Larry Love, who kept screaming it off stage throughout their set)

_______

The Hungry Ghosts talk to Birmingham Review @ The Oobleck

(Recorded & produced by Ed Taylor – Digital Flow)

And if A Talkie isn’t enough for you, Rob Hadley and Harry Mills covered The Hungry Ghosts gig for THE GALLERY – check out the links below to see each snapper at work:

THE GALLERY: The Hungry Ghosts – supporting Alabama 3 @ The Oobleck 04.12.15

The Hungry Ghosts - supporting Alabama 3 @ The Oobleck 04.12.15 / By Rob Hadley (Indie Images)

Rob Hadley (Indie Images) has been covering The Hungry Ghosts for a while, with a close connection to the band and stalwart declarations of support. Indeed, Team Hadley are the reason we know about them at Birmingham Review in the first place. And come rain, shine, sporadic venues across the midlands or a day’s squelch round a field, Rob Hadley will be wedged against a speaker stack taking pics of the four piece.

Check out Rob Hadley’s shots from their Alabama 3 support gig – click here or on the image to your left

 

The Hungry Ghosts - supporting Alabama 3 @ The Oobleck 04.12.15 / By Harry MillsTearing down the M6 at speeds usually reserved for a guilty Hamilton (…give it a while) Harry Mills popped his Birmingham Review cherry shooting The Hungry Ghosts for us – grabbing some extra gig shots from this big day out at The Oobleck. A Sunday baptism of blood red fire. But we’re probably stapling Harry to one of The Hungry Ghosts across 2016, so there should be less last minute travelling when we cover them in the New Year. We’re all heart and service station coffee.

In the meantime, have a look at Harry operating under his own free will – click here or on the image to your left

**The Hungry Ghosts play at The Sunflower Lounge on Wednesday 23rd December – with Amber Riot, Lizards + Cinema. Doors open at 7:30pm with tickets at £3 (advance), for direct gig info visit http://thesunflowerlounge.com/event/cinema-the-hungry-ghosts-lizards-amber-riot/**

For more from The Hungry Ghosts, visit http://thehungryghosts.co.uk/

For more for The Sunflower Lounge, visit http://thesunflowerlounge.com/

Follow-Birmingham-Review-on-300x26Facebook - f square, rounded - with colour - 5cm highTwitter - t, square, rounded, with colour, 5cm high

BREVIEW: The Clothes Show Live ’15 @ NEC 04-8.12.15

The Clothes Show Live '15 @ NEC 04-8.12.15 / By Ed Taylor - Birmingham ReviewFor the full Flickr of pics, click hereWords by Sasha Holt / Michelle Martin (Visual Voice Media) & Pics by Ed Taylor (Digital Flow)

Hello fashionistas, it’s finally happened, I’m back through the wardrobe from the fashion land full of surprises, better known as The Clothes Show Live 2015.The Clothes Show Live '15 @ NEC 04-8.12.15 / By Ed Taylor - Birmingham Review

Having visited this event a number of times before, whilst at The Clothes Show Live ’15 I was interested to see how much of the show was dedicated to sustainable fashion – whether vintage or pre owned charity pieces. In previous years the event had definitely paid homage to what I would call ‘fast fashion’, so this time around I wanted to talk to designers who try to create clothing with elements of sustainability.

Exhibitors such as All about Aud saw that core customers at The Clothes Show Live ’15 were the quality savvy fashion crowd. Audrey Taylor from All about Aud pointed out that “high street retailers are selling vintage style pieces at a fraction of the cost I could sustain”. She also highlighted the issue of fast fashion saying “throwaway fashion was a problem for the fashion industry as a whole and younger people needed re-educating as to quality of vintage garments.”

As I mentioned in a previous report, millions of tons of clothes are thrown away each year – but of the clothing that’s given away to charities, it would be interesting to discover how much that is thrown away is sold on through less than reputable sources.

One of the most interesting insights into the pre owned clothing world was from Jacqueline Seaby of Sue Ryder; this charity minimizes its rag waste (unsalable clothing) by diversifying its avenues of sale. Jacqueline told me that “in our Bristol store and a selection of others where we saw there is a market we have vintage sections managed The Clothes Show Live '15 @ NEC 04-8.12.15 / By Michelle Martin - Birmingham Reviewseparately from the main stock”. She also pointed out that from their distribution centre in Swindon “we can select key pieces to be sold at events and guide the merchandising of each store into what will sell. We hope to change the perception of Charity shop fashion”.

From what I saw at The Clothes Show Live this year, Sue Ryder had made great waves in doing that on their stand – with an eclectic fashion smorgasbord that wouldn’t have been out of place in a high end boutique.

Visitors to The Clothes Show Live ’15 were also supporting the vintage look. Josh Gilzeane caught my eye in a red leather 1980s jacket. He said “I adore it and it always gets comments because it looks so different.” It was also interesting to see independent designers, both burgeoning and high end using sustainable methods where possible as part of their fashion remit.

One such brand is JAM Industries. Set up three years ago, and born out of surf culture, JAM is founded and run by brothers Mark and Andy Jordan – offering “stylish good quality après surf wear” that can be “worn from Carlisle to Croydon and you don’t even need to own a wetsuit”.

At their Clothes Show Live ’15 stand, JAM Industries told me “our ethos has been simplicity and design but most of all affordable quality and comfort”. And if their products weren’t already appealing enough to me, JAM also embrace the responsibility “to be as carbon neutral as possible. And using British sourced skilled workers and materials is important”.

Even the high end designers, such as London Fashion Week darling Emilio De La Morena, have visions of creating exquisite pieces that make the wearer feel sexy and special with a nod towards sustainability and ethical fashion too.

Introduced to The Clothes Show Live ’15 audience at the Olympus Style Studio, by sustainable and eco fashion champion Hilary Alexander OBE, Emilio De La Morena talked about his “sculptural intricate pieces that envelope a woman’s every curve in lace, velvet and sequins” making his pieces “sumptuously sensual”. The Clothes Show Live '15 @ NEC 04-8.12.15 / By Michelle Martin - Birmingham ReviewEmilio further stated that where possible I source my materials from Europe, usually France and Spain, to cut down on our carbon footprint. I sometimes redevelop fabrics from previous seasons to design a completely new garment to reduce our dependence on new fabrics.”

Emilio De La Morena was also keen to highlight the kind of woman that wears his clothes, “she takes time out at the mountains or coast to enjoy the beauty around her and that inspires my collections with colours and marvels of nature.”

So from vintage retailers to designers and customers at The Clothes Show Live ’15, trying to be part of fashion in an ethical way (no matter how small) is agruably growing in momentum; maybe one day the tide will turn away from disposable fashion.

I look forward to seeing if The Clothes Show joins this clothing revolution and champions sustainable fashion at future events.

For more on The Clothes Show, visit http://www.clothesshow.com/

For more from the NEC Group, including links to listings at all venues, visit https://www.necgroup.co.uk/

For more from the Ticket Factory, visit https://www.theticketfactory.com/

Follow-Birmingham-Review-on-300x26Facebook - f square, rounded - with colour - 5cm highTwitter - t, square, rounded, with colour, 5cm high

 

 

 

 

BPREVIEW: 8 Bit Lounge Sixth Birthday @ Hare & Hounds 15.12.15

8Bit-Lounge---6th-birthday-cover-photo

Words by Ed King

Thanks for helping us get to 6 years old. Here’s to endless insert coins in the future.’Birm_Prev-logo-MAIN - lr

On Tuesday 15th December, 8Bit Lounge celebrates its sixth birthday at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath).

Alongside the standard retro gaming and ‘experimental, action packed, geeky, lofi, bleepy, thumb ruining, 1up ing, barrel rolling, fun,’ there will be chiptunes from .mpegasus, B-TYPE + Auracle.

Doors open at 8pm with free entry all night. For more direct event info, click here.

Set up by Leon Trimble and Tony Grainger, two Birmingham based Audio/Visual artists/engineers, 8Bit Lounge has been the bastion of retro gaming in the second city for over half a decade. Nestling into the Hare & Hounds on a regular basis, the free to attend event has brought back most consoles and computers you can imagine over the past few years – with everything from Atari to Dreamcast showcasing games from Elite to Doom… and everything blink, blink, gulp in between.

8Bit-Lounge---logoTapping into the growing digital nostalgia, as CGI and gameplay become both more graphic and elaborate, 8Bit Lounge is an arguable respite from the more ferocious modern marketplace. A throwback to the halcyon days when the most contentious thing a gamer could get caught doing was trading interstellar furs or narcotics.

But no anniversary or walk down memory lane would be complete without some relevant tunage, coming to the 8Bit Lounge sixth birthday bash in the form of chiptune protagonists .mpegasus, B-TYPE + Auracle. And if you’re not familiar with the genre… ever wondered what the bastard child of Nick Warren and Manic Minor would be like?

Or have a look at .mpegasus in action, performing a live set at the SuperByte Festival 2015:

8 Bit Lounge celebrates its 6th birthday at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) on Tues 15th December – entry is free, with the event starting from 8pm. For direct info, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1650866971796932/

For more on 8 Bit Lounge, visit http://8bitlounge.co.uk/

For more from the Hare & Hounds, including further event listings, visit http://hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/

Follow-Birmingham-Review-on-300x26Facebook - f square, rounded - with colour - 5cm highTwitter - t, square, rounded, with colour, 5cm high

BPREVIEW: Alabama 3 + The Hungry Ghosts @ The Oobleck 06.12.15

Alabama3-Banner

Words by Ed King

“Given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!”

On Sunday 6th December, Alabama 3 perform at The Oobleck (Alfie Birds/The Custard Factory, Digbeth) with local support from The Hungry Ghosts.Birm_Prev-logo-MAIN - lr

Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at £20 + booking fee. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

Like many of this country’s better ideas, Alabama 3 was born out of a chance meeting at an Acid House party; founding members, Jake Black and Rob Spragg, postulating about a Country/Rave hybrid. Because for the love of God… Rednex (think ‘Cotton Eye Joe’) wasn’t enough for the world.

Lost & Found Tour / Alabama 3

Two decades and nine studio albums later, and Alabama 3 has carved out a more credible niche than any Scandinavian counter parts – underpinning their frenetic bastard child with political challenges and a ferocious live show. Alabama 3 also boast some of the best quoted endorsement from any UK band on tour today, including the NME declaring the group ‘a monumental waste of time’. Throw in a thumbs-down from Zane Lowe and I’d vote them into office.

Outside releasing a couple of W.O.M.B.L.E. mix tapes in 2013/4, one from the men and one from the wimmin, it’s been a nudge over four years since anything has come out of the Alabama 3 studio – the band’s previous LP being the beautifully titled Shoplifting for Jesus in Nov 2011 .

Now with the first single, ‘Lost and Found’, already roaming round the UK’s ear canals via Hostage Records – Alabama 3 close out their tour of the same name at The Oobleck on Sunday 6th December; the album is set for ‘release in 2016’.

But in the interim we have the end of a sixteen date Alabama 3 tour to distract us… on a Sunday… after four gigs without a day off… Christ on a bike, what could possibly go wrong..?

‘Lost & Found’ – Alabama 3

Alabama 3 perform at The Oobleck (The Custard Factory, Digbeth) on Sunday 6th December – with support from The Hungry Ghosts. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1641214746118948/

For more on Alabama 3, visit http://www.alabama3.co.uk/

For more on The Hungry Ghosts, visit http://thehungryghosts.co.uk/

For more from The Oobleck, visit http://theoobleck.co.uk/ 

Follow-Birmingham-Review-on-300x26Facebook - f square, rounded - with colour - 5cm highTwitter - t, square, rounded, with colour, 5cm high

INTERVIEW: Jasper Garvida – Éthologie

Éthologie, by Jasper Garvida / www.ethologie.co.uk

Words by Sasha Holt / Pics courtesy of Éthologie

N.B. Jasper Garvida will be exhibiting his latest Éthologie collections at The Clothes Show Live ’15, alongside a live interview with Hilary Alexander OBE in the Olympus Style Studio on Sat 6th Dec.Birm_Prev-logo-MAIN - lr

Hello Fashionistas, it’s Sasha, your intrepid sartorial guide through the fashion labyrinth.

As we find ourselves just hours away from the start of The Clothes Show Live 2015, my spidey senses are telling me that this is going be one to remember for all the right reasons. Many of fashion’s hottest, most innovative designers are putting the finishing touches to their collections – all destined to wow you, The Clothes Show Live faithful.

Personally, I’m getting ready to be blown away by queen of sustainability and style Katie Jones – with her jaw dropping knitwear creations. Then there are the futuristic neoprene pieces of Manière De Voir, which will leave you inspired to explore a galaxy far far away, The-Clothes-Show-1 - medalongside the sensual and sculptural elegance of cocktail attire by Emilio de la Morena.

But high on my must-see-list is one of The Clothes Show Live ‘15 headliners – Éthologie, by Jasper Garvida. The Manila born, London schooled designer will be exhibiting his latest Éthologie collections across the four day event, with Garvida himself being interviewed in the Olympus Style Studio by Hilary Alexander OBE on Saturday 6th December.

Birmingham Review caught up with Jasper Garvida ahead of the NEC showcase, about the inspiration behind Éthologie and the designer’s hopes for The Clothes Show Live 2015.

___________

Éthologie, by Jasper Garvida / www.ethologie.co.ukBirmingham Review (BR): With such an international background what inspired you to come to London to study fashion? 

Jasper Garvida (JG): I remember opening a copy of Vogue and reading about this University where the great Alexander McQueen, John Galliano & Stella McCartney went to study fashion and so I decided to apply myself, and three weeks later I was in central St. Martins studying, and that forever changed my life. I believe, London is a big melting pot in the fashion industry and the creative industry. I’ve worked in fashion industry since graduating and have worked for couture houses like Savile Row and now I have Éthologie and I am forever in debt with this city for building my career and especially Ms Hilary Alexander for discovering me.

BR: You’ve worked with some of the most innovative designers such as McQueen and Westwood, have they influenced your own designs?

JG: I would say they have inspired me immensely in becoming a designer and finding my own label. Design-wise I have my own style but what I admire most about these people is their work ethics. I have understood that having a fashion label and creating designs is not an easy thing to do. Not only do you have to be a creative person but also have a business oriented mind at the same time. That is what really drove me, how they’ve established themselves in the design field and fashion industry.

BR: You’re gaining a name as the ‘go to’ designer for the fashion conscious celebrity. Who is on your wish list that you’d like to dress?

Éthologie, by Jasper Garvida / www.ethologie.co.ukJG: I really like and appreciate strong women, who have a definite style; I somehow relate to them. And to be honest, I secretly, I do want to dress the Queen of England because I believe that that would be very challenging for me. I always like a challenge, anything that’s beyond my repertoire is exciting for me to take upon.

BR: You say that individuality is a key part of Éthologie, how would you describe the individuals that wear your designs?

JG: Every collection we make and every design we create is special; meaning that a woman can take a piece and adapt it to her own style. This is the beauty of Éthologie, it’s all about experimentation! Éthologie is targeted to young women who have their own style and individuality, it is a laboratory for them to have fun and experiment with my clothes, it is a staple for every wardrobe. There are some key pieces that obviously make more of a statement which for me is an investment piece for young professionals.

BR: Hilary Alexander OBE has championed you since she saw your graduate show. Do you feel the rest of the fashion world has embraced your unique style?

JG: Absolutely! I’ve learned a lot from working in the fashion industry not only for couture houses but also for the high street which means that i have good knowledge of what women in general like and what their tastes are developed of, so, I could see my clothes on pretty much everyone. Éthologie is stocked all over the world and it is spreading out there and I hope a lot of women discover it sooner or later because in my opinion, it’s quite elaborate than that.Éthologie, by Jasper Garvida / www.ethologie.co.uk

BR: At Birmingham Review we’re excited to see what you have in store for us at The Clothes Show Live this year. Can you give us an exclusive as to what to look out for in your catwalk show?

JG: I’ve lived in the UK for 15 years now and I’ve never been to Birmingham, I’ve done The Clothes Show before, but NEVER been to Birmingham, which is a bit disappointing, I know. SO, I’m really excited and looking forward to it. During this show, we’re going to present our last SS16 collection.

The Spring Summer 2016 collection captures the beauty of Morocco. The story of the collection follows an archetypal Éthologie woman; a highly cultured urban traveller with a strong sense of individuality. The collection’s focus is on her journey from her native France back to her original home of Morocco to discover the world of her ancestors. The collection is immersed in the rich Moroccan culture, which is reflected in the ornate patterning, delicate embroidery and textured embellishments of the fabric of the clothes.

The pieces are made with meticulous precision and care. Hand twisted chiffon and hand embroidered French lace feature alongside Garvida’s trademark embellishment. The decadent patterns are inspired by Moroccan architecture, encapsulating the silhouettes of archways and the profiles of windows frames, to produce a collection that embodies the symbiotic quality of infusing the established heritage of the East.

BR: Events like the Clothes Show Live can often be a great platform for new designers to raise their profile, but since you already have such acclaim in fashion circles, what do you hope to gain from being at this event?

Éthologie, by Jasper Garvida / www.ethologie.co.ukJG: I’m hoping to show my journey as a fashion designer, to show not only fashionistas but to people who study fashion, who show interest in fashion and even people who simply dream that dreams do come true and to never give up! I’m also really looking forward to my interview with Hilary Alexander; words cannot explain how excited I am!

BR: Many of your designs are very form fitting, and you may assume they would only suit a model figure. Do you cater for what fashion would class as ‘plus sized’ which make up a large portion of the population?

JG: Well, our clothes go from size 6 to size 16 and like I said I’ve worked in high street fashion before so I have dressed women up to size 32. If one tries Éthologie clothes, they would see that they compliment the woman because I always start with the woman and nothing else.

BR: Having been born in the Philippines, do you see yourself as a style ambassador for Filipinos internationally. And do you have any plans to support aspiring fashion designers in the Philippines?

JG: Yes, of course! Coming from the Philippines, I’ve always been proud of who I am and my heritage. I suppose I inspire people from the Philippines because of my story from my humble beginnings in Manila and not because of the success that I’ve achieved. Who knew that one day I will be on the same pages of magazines such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney of whom I only read when I was younger!Éthologie by Jasper Garvida - logo, typeface

BR: I’m sure you have lots of exciting opportunities ahead in the coming year, so what’s next for Jasper Garvida and Éthologie?

JG: We are working closely with boutiques in the Middle East and are creating designs and patterns that cater to them and their clothing choices. We’re looking forward to broaden our target market more with the coming years. And we’re very much geared to work on our Autumn Winter 2016 Collection at the moment.

Jasper Garvida will be exhibiting his latest Éthologie collections at The Clothes Show Live ’15, alongside a live interview with Hilary Alexander OBE in the Olympus Style Studio on Sat 6th Dec.

For more on Jasper Garvida, visit http://www.jaspergarvida.com/

For more on Éthologie, visit http://www.ethologie.co.uk/

ttf LOGO WEBCOLOURSThe Clothes Show Live ’15 comes to the NEC Birmingham from 4th – 8th December. For full programme details visit http://www.clothesshow.com/

Tickets for The Clothes Show Live ’15 are on sale now, available through Ticket Factory. For online tickets sales & info, visit https://www.theticketfactory.com/cslb/online/

For more from the Ticket Factory, visit https://www.theticketfactory.com/

Follow-Birmingham-Review-on-300x26Facebook - f square, rounded - with colour - 5cm highTwitter - t, square, rounded, with colour, 5cm high