TFE is a London-based culture blog and covering the best in fashion music and art. We love creativity.

Lavinia Darling

Base

Dan

Just Me

March baby

LAVINIA DARLING

BASE

JUST ME

MARCH BABY

I was first introduced to the Cocknbullkid via her Myspace and noticed a few of my favourite artists were influences of hers. The 22-year-old Dalston-dweller is often described as a cross between M.I.A. and Kelis, in fact my friend describes her style as 'Kelis making grime on a broken laptop' :-)
At the moment she's busy with a few upcoming projects with Metronomy, The Bleeps, Missoddkid and Goldielocks. There’s also a cover of Talking Heads' Psycho Killer on her MySpace and you catch her at Madam Jojo's tonight at a party thrown by the guys at Dazed Digital .

On My Own - Cocknbullkid


There's a Mother In Our Bed - Cocknbullkid

Labels: Check it, Is it Parray?

Pearline Willimason was just minding her own business in Edmonton, North London when her purse was snatched by a woman in her early 20s.
The grandmother of hopeful British Olympic sprinter Simeon Williamson chased down the young woman and got her purse back.
...did I mention that she’s 78?

'She must have thought I was an easy touch because I'm elderly. When she took my purse I had to do something so I ran after her and grabbed her as hard as I could. She said she hadn’t taken it at first, so I shook the life out of her until she finally gave it back.'

So not only did the mugger stoop low enough to steal from an elderly woman, but she got run down and shaken like a Polaroid picture. Loves it!

Labels: Loves it, Wake Up, Winner

The legendary Roots crew released their eighth studio album 'Rising Down' in April, which they will be supporting in December with a series of UK tour dates.


December Tour Dates:

2nd - Manchester Academy
3rd - Bristol Academy
5th & 6th - Forum, London


Click here for tickets




The BBC are introducing a new animated '08 Olympic campaign with the characters Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy from 'the awesomely bad' 1970s live-action TV series 'Magic Monkey'. If this is from your era you might be shocked to discover this unknown narrative as a newly animated series by GORILLAZ members JAMIE HEWLETT and DAMON ALBARN.
Animated by legendary British inkslinger Hewlett with the score composed by Albarn, the Beeb’s new “Monkey” series of campaign animations and multi platform media spots (think mobile, web, and other interactive) is a big first for such a mainstream media company, especially in regard to the old institution that is the BBC.
Based on the story “Journey to the West,” a legendary Chinese novel published in the late 1500s and widely renowned as one of the country’s four most important works of fiction, the story follows a monk and his band of disciples as they battle a never-ending array of bad guys on a journey to reclaim a trove of sacred Buddhist scriptures for China. On this quest, the main character of Monkey dazzles in a series of battle scenes which he fights with his magic growing staff from the back of a flying cloud (sounds cool right?).





'...the idea is that you tell the entire story of Journey to the West in a two-minute opening sequence, which is basically them on their way to the Olympic stadium
… this is going to be the summer of Monkey'.

- Jamie Hewlett

And the beginning of pop culture intergrating with athletics...interesting.

Labels: For you artsy folk, Me likey, U heard it here first

I recently recieved this song by an artist called Kulez. He's well known on the battle scene, having been the UK entrant for the 2006 Scribble Jam. He's also a previous Jump Off champion too.




It's Produced by Nutty P and is available from iTunes on August 25th...So is it Fly or Die??

You can also get his mixtape 'On Da Stand Vol 1' here, hosted by DJ Ames.

Labels: Check it, Fly or Die

"When a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, millions of dollars are up for grabs, and all of London's criminal underworld wants in on the action."
- Press Release



Look who's back to their 'Lock Stock' and 'Snatch' ways...I'm actually looking forward to it. From the story concept of multiple parties after the same object (money of course) and the double-crossing, to the eventual fast-cutting, swish-panning hard-driving rock n' roll, for better or worse this is vintage Guy Ritchie.



RocknRolla stars: Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Jeremy Piven, Tom Wilkinson and sexy personified Mr Idris Elba ;-)
It's set to premiere in London at Leicester Square on the 1st of September.

Labels: Check it, Its showtime

This track will feature on the updated version of 'Love Behind The Melody'...which has recieved some serious play on my ipod!

Labels: Me likey

Estelle's 'Shine' recieves a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize...congrats to her!
Other Nominees include:

* Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, The Bairns

* Elbow, Seldom Seen Kid

* Laura Marling, Alas I Cannot Swim

* Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Raising Sand

* Adele, 19

* Last Shadow Puppets, Age Of The Understatement

* Portico Quartet, Knee-deep in the North Sea

* Burial, Untrue

* Neon Neon, Stainless Style

* British Sea Power, Do You Like Rock Music?

* Radiohead, In Rainbows

Labels: Fly girl news

London-based Sheppard Robson architecture firm is bringing a new 'green' office building to the shore of the River Thames at One Westminster Place in Southbank. With sustainability driving the design, the structure’s eye catching glass facade will reflect sunlight in a rainbow of colors creating a crystal like effect. The layers of glazing will also give occupants great views of the surrounding city, including Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge, and boost the building’s energy performance to an excellent BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) rating, the British environmental standard for buildings.


The building will be 345,000 square feet, 18 stories high and feature a central atrium that will open up the interior spaces to natural light. The glass features of the facade, as well as a 10,000 sq.ft. roof terrace, will optimize views of the historic setting. The building will be highly visible from Parliament and Westminster Place, so the design distinguishes itself with the eye-catching play of light and colors not unlike a prism. As the sun moves throughout the day, the reflections change with dramatic effects.



The layered glass facade helps control temperature by creating a buffer between the building’s exterior and the outside environment. The ’sandwiched’ air between glass layers is collected for energy. The building will connect to the existing setting through extensive landscaping that will connect to Westminster Park Plaza and other nearby pedestrian areas.



Story and Images via World Architecture News

Labels: For you artsy folk, Me likey, Oh really?

Elie Saab will make the transition from red carpet to London boutique when he opens his debut store in Knightsbridge department store Harrods this week.

The self-trained style guru is favoured by stars including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek and Beyonce. He became the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner when Halle Berry wore his burgundy creation to collect her 2002Academy Award for best actress.



The boutique will contain a ready-to-wear collection as well as embellished cocktail frocks and accessories.

"I am delighted to be opening my first boutique in London at Harrods. I believe that Harrods is the right partner for us because of its status in luxury retail in the UK and its broad base of customers,"
- Saab

Labels: Fashionista, Oh really?

I first saw this on the ATCN site and thought it worthy of a repost...lool
'Shorty I'm a fan of your stew and pounded yam...'

Labels: Check it, Funny

.
Directed by the Mighty MO...This man is always working!
Heres a few stills from the set aswell, courtesy of MO :-)

Labels: Check it, Fly boy news, Its showtime

Inspired by the Japanese festival known as Tanabata, the Adidas Hi carries the two different comics of Mikeran and Tanabata on the right and left tongue. Its available at Schuh.

Labels: Check it, Fly girl news, Me likey

Alwayz Recording artist Chipmunk follows on from his breakthrough mixtape 'League of my Own' with this FREE release; entitled 'Guess Who'.

Click the image to download.

Labels: Check it, Free Stuff

Labels: Me likey

Artists and hype surrounding the Rise Festival has certainly come a long way. Boris (the mayor of London) has decided to drop the festivals previous theme of combating racism removing its previous subtitle of 'Londoners United Against Racism' instead replacing it with the new theme of cultural diversity. Why? I hear you ask... maybe its time for us Londoners to stop focusing on racism and instead just celebrate our diversity... it all becomes a little clearer or interesting depending on your outlook, when you take into consideration that last year the Rise festival was associated with a message directed at London mayor candidates (Boris to be accurate); highlighting that they need to address more pressing issues such as racism rather than bendy buses. Whatever the reason the Rise festival has certainly come along way from it previous hay days of popularity.

Labels: Check it, Ur 'avin a bubble right?

Music & skating a combination hard to get wrong. Nokia SkateAlmighty is giving you the chance to skate to your favorite Djs for free! There will be DJ sets from Norman Jay MBE, Zero 7, Guilty Pleasures, my personal fav; Bodyrox plus more. Now roller disco is fun but to your favorite Dj in an open air space with a little summer sun (fingers crossed) cannot to be missed




Vula Malinga is going solo with her first single 'If You Want It', you might remember her from previous work with Basement Jaxx. I've been a fan since I saw her perform with TY, the woman is simply amazing live. She's performing at Favela Chic on the 23rd July, check her myspace for more details.





I really don't know how I feel about the new direction Mr Manuva seems to be taking on his forthcoming album 'Slime and Reason'. I appreciate that this single is meant to be fun and light-hearted but its such a change from his 'Colossal Insight' or 'Witness the Fitness' days...*sighs*
However, I do hope this provides the highly underated artist some mainstream attention.

Labels: Check it, Oh really?, U heard it here first

In attempts to end the bootlegging and the resale of his illegally placed street pieces, BANKSY, has created an official certification board to authenticate his artworks prior to resale...No, I'm not joking.
Named 'Pest Control', the Banksy-appointed committee has declared that all major resellers of his work must consult them first before any secondary market work can be considered truly authentic.
A member of Banksy’s camp stated,
'The works are made for specific sites, and taking them is tantamount to theft. That is why Banksy has approved this authentication system. He certainly doesn’t want the people who’ve removed them making money out of it'.

This decision comes after three inauthentic works attributed to Banksy went on sale at Bloomsbury Auctions in London without prior certification.

Labels: For you artsy folk, umm don't know about this one

The Neptunes, Santogold & Julian Casablancas of The Strokes collaborate to feature in the Converse campaign, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Chuck Taylor.

Labels: Check it

Producer/MC Ill Poetic releases a mash-up project featuring Joe Budden's 'Mood Musik 3' VS Bristol's own Portishead with 'Third'.

The LP chops and layers the two very different albums to create 'the kind of dark, atmospheric LP that your cousin drinks bourbon in the bathtub to, with the lights dimmed'

....sounds like loads of fun then :-)

Mood Musiks Third





And because i'm a J*Davey Stan or a J*DaVeYBaby...I prefer the latter, I thought I would post the track 'Might As Well' off their latest album 'The Beauty In Distortion'. Go cop it!!

Labels: Me likey, Oh really?

London seems to be going through a massive creative renaissance at the moment and im loving it! The Deptford Project is a creative program situated in the old railway yard of Deptford Station, (which I found out is the city's oldest passenger only station). To be redeveloped into a new public square by Alison Brooks Architects in 2010, the old railyard and a listed Victorian carriage ramp will serve as a home for a series of art, design, music and film programs.



The first phase of the Deptford Project was seen earlier last month in the form of a repurposed train carriage. Executed by designer Morag Myerscough, the 1960s carriage has been transformed into a cafe serving up sustainably harvested coffee and locally sourced foodstuffs. The exterior, which also serves as a billboard for the project, has been graffitied with graphics reflecting the neighborhood's unique history. A light-filled interior, complete with custom furniture and vibrant light fixtures, will make for the perfect refuge when the rainy season returns.

Labels: Check it, Me likey, U heard it here first

Our favourite 'Chale Boy' is back again with a 'Saturday Night Hustle' featuring Lemar, which reworks Alexander O'neal's classic 'Saturday Love'.
It's off his next album 'Signature' which will be released via DCypha Productions and Konvict Records (Akon's label).

Labels: U heard it here first

I was first introduced to Basquiat when I was 11, my neighbour was a huge fan of Warhol and neo-expressive art and he would always show me their joint pieces. I was so impressed because I had never seen a sucessful Black artist before :-(
Anyway it's well known that the best pieces by the deceased street art/Pop master JEAN–MICHEL BASQUIAT are all in the hands of knowing private collectors who have no intention of selling them off. So I was surprised to read that the early ’80s masterpiece painting “Untitled (Pecho/Oreja), 1983” was being auctioned off and that it was coming from the private collection of U2!



It sold at Sotheby’s for £5,000,000 ($9,962,699 USD). Originally purchased by the Irish band at a posthumous Basquiat show at Robert Miller Gallery in New York in 1989 for a small fraction of its current value, the huge painting hung as a backdrop in their Dublin studio and was present at the recording of their albums beginning with 'Achtung Baby' until the band decided to part ways with it this month. Believed to be a self-portrait created by the then-22-year-old art star in his basement studio beneath Anina Nosei’s gallery. Of course, it was picked up by an unnamed private European collector...lucky for some eh?



And am I the only one who did'nt know the existence of Basquiat Special Edition Reeboks??

Labels: For you artsy folk, Oh really?

Pringle of Scotland has been given a new lease of life in the shape of a new advertising campaign shot by Claire Waight Keller.

The heritage fashion label has been given a modern edge for its autumn/winter 2008 collection thanks to the series of dramatic black and white images.

Fashion photographer Steven Meisel, model Sasha Pivovarova and famed Parisian magazine creative director and brand consultant Fabien Baron are also on board with the new campaign.

Waight Keller said: "I wanted to reference the work of great British photographers and pay homage to Terence Donovan and David Bailey using the serene portraiture format Meisel is known for."
The collection, which seems to have shed its preppy image, will appear in stores later this summer.

Earlier this week it was reported that Pringle was planning to end its manufacturing in Hawick in the Scottish Borders.

Check the video with Creative Director Claire Waight Keller talking about the inspiration behind the Spring/Summer 08 Menswear collection.

Labels: Fashionista

Chasing Dreams is this summer's hottest urban musical. The show weaves together live performances, acting, dance and multi-media visuals to tell the tale of a friendship tested by the code of the streets.

Headlining the night will be Boy Better Know's Frisco, Alwayz Recording rising star Double S, and lyrically fierce female emcee Tor. They will share the stage with HAV:UK, N.E.B?, Problem and select members of the Eastside Stories team for a one-off event that is not to be missed.

EVENT: CHASING DREAMS
TIME AND DATE: 7-10pm, 4th July
VENUE: Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, London, E15 1BX
TUBE: Stratford Circus

TICKETS: £5 in advance / £8 on the night.
HOTLINE: 020 8279 1015

Check the website and the official myspace page www.myspace.com/eastsidestories

Labels: Its showtime, Me likey

Labels: Funny, Is it Parray?

NOI wear is the brainchild of British art sensation Stuart Semple. Following in the footsteps of Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club and Rocawear from Jay-Z, Semple has called on the talents of Danny Sangra and leading East London design maverick, Myk Goldtooth to create a new offering of high end graphic based streetwear, set to take East London’s new fashion aesthetic worldwide.

With NOI already in the wardrobes of heavy A-listers including Lenny Kravitz, Agness Deyn, Dizzee Rascal and Jay-Z alongside Luke Worrell, the face of Top Man and Marc by Marc Jacobs modeling the line, we are sure to see NOI’s inaugural collection hitting boutiques in a big way this season.

Using only local talent and produced with 100% cotton, sweatshop free T-shirts. NOI are proud to be using environmentally friendly inks, free from PVC and Phthalate resins, aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile solvents and ozone depleting chemicals. Every rare garment is hand printed by Al Dickey and Peter Mackay; famous for creating T’s for early hip hop legends such as Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys and Public Enemy.

Stuart Semple, renowned British artist and creative director of the NOI label, has personally selected exclusive designs by artists he respects to feature on each garment. These garments don’t just turn heads they are a direct connection to this incredibly inspired, dangerous and ingenious time in London’s fashion history. Issued in limited edition so wearers won’t pass another six before they pass the bus stop.

For stockist information, visit Noiwear.com.

Labels: Check it

It's only been two months since the debut of BANKSY’s infamous 'Cans Festival', (a Eurostar terminal-turned impromptu stencil art museum) and it seems like local taggers felt the need to show how they feel about Banksy's work in the form of ubiqutous tagging throughout the tunnel.
Hmm...the child in me wants to scream 'fight! fight!'...but I won't :-)

Labels: Folywang, For you artsy folk

Attorney Street

Being a girl

BNTL

Dnae Genes

Mad News

Mister Cee

NBFG

Raw Dawg

DJ Josey Rebelle

Kashiro Collective

Too Much Posse

The Whorington

Mike Schreiber

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Coding/Design: Yours-Tragically