JOB DETAILS

We’re looking for an experienced and talented all-round graphics whizz to work on a magazine layout project with up to 15 young people over the summer of 2013.

You’ll be working with a team of facilitators on an intensive project to produce the official brochure of the ‘Discovery Season’ for the opening of Birmingham’s new Library based around the designed Discovery Season logo.

During a 2 week summer school (based in Birmingham city centre) an editorial team will produce text, images and artwork. We’re looking for an individual to work closely with the group (during the second week) to help turn their vision of the brochure in to reality with a highly professional finished product.

Download the Job Description and details on how to apply here: GD_JobDescription.

Documenting skinheads at Oi! gigs and events such as Birmingham’s Scorcher is quite different to your usual trending work at industry spectaculars such as London Fashion Week, what’s the appeal?

I find skinhead events such as Brum’s bi-annual Scorcher and Digbeth’s Pressure Drop nite, run by DJ Simon Tipper, really refreshing: raw, real. True skin style is minimal, stripped to basics. It’s more than about being British, being authentic. So much of the style is about links, links to working class youth tribes such as the Peaky Blinders of Digbeth/Cheapside, back in the 1870s, and the Scuttlers of Oldham, again as far back as the late nineteenth century. We’re talking Social History, Fashion History. Today’s ‘chavs’ don’t realise the evolution of their style. When people hear the term ‘skinhead’ they probably just think along the lines of boots, braces, boneheads, a Union Jack T-shirt. Nah, it’s so much more than that in terms of styling. From the donkey jacket, union shirt, clip-on braces and white-steeled toecaps on NBC boots of the 1968-9 first wave, through the years of bouncing soles, sheepskins, tonic suits, shawl collars, Brutus shirts, sta-prest trousers, Harringtons, short straight fly-fronted macs in iridescent colours such as blues, greys, off-whites… there’s such a wealth of style that’s beyond what most people think of the prejudices against this street style.

What made you decide to go back to your clubland roots and start pushing with the skinhead project?

Working to a commission is one thing, following your heart is another. I was a skin boy at eleven, back in 1969. Living in West London, that was quite radical. Getting a crop, a tonic suit, Ben Shermans… quite a shock to my family, school and mates at Ealing Swimming Club. I was so into the music, The Pioneers, Maytals, Sound Dimension and Lee Perry. Top Of The Pops was full of novelty pop, and I was more into Bluebeat, Trojan, and bands like Upsetters, The Ethiopeans, U Roy. I recently met up with photographer Gavin Watson, who was kind enough to allow me to buy thirteen amazing hand prints. Gavin is a photographer who has documented so much of British street-style, and this deserves a wider audience. His recent campaigns for Dr. Martens has a real vibe of skin culture, British youth.

Was it nerve-racking going from the comfort of Somerset House to a sweaty Streetpunk Drunks gig in Wakefield?

It almost felt punk, getting away from so much contrivance, to stripped-down heritage. True skin style is very proud, very direct. What worries me about this cult is that the finer elements might get lost. Whilst DJs such as Jon Farmer, Brian Kelson and Bully have heads like the most amazing archives, my worry is that unless the fine details are grouped, preserved, the true spirit will become diffused by fashion stylists who don’t know their stuff.

Are there any major differences in the way that you work in such diverse events?

For me, subjects always deserve respect, have rights. I’m not an invasive photographer. There are so many people at events such as Wayne Hemingway’s Vintage Festival who don’t want their style tribe over-documented, as it can attract the wrong attention from copycat zombies in need of a fix. A certain skin style outlet in Camden actually avoids letting the likes of NME know about their Oi! gigs, to avoid having the gigs become too mixed up. That takes courage.

Has anybody or anything caught your eye? Anything irresistible, new and exciting?

As a photographer, I tend to have a muse, whether it’s at a Daniel Lismore Shabba night or an Oi! gig. I love Skinfull, a great band from Coventry. Love the fact that I’m on stage with them at gigs, snapping away. Love that intense close proximity to both the band and audience. Yeah, I do tend to have my favourites, and it’s always the people who are a bit of a mystery who get my interest.

You have always been the leader of the pack when it comes to street and club photography, what do you think is happening at the moment? What should we be excited about?

All I can say is that in terms of exploring subcultures, my Nikon steers me towards Swedish skins, Italian skins, French skins. I love the attention to detail. Japanese skins… it’s the new breed of skins who have the energy and want to get the classic details right. It’s all about a respect for the aspect of heritage.

Photographs: Paul Hartnett
Words Laura Fraser

Buy this issue  

The book; Golf Wang documents one of the hottest music collectives in the World.

The crew is made up of 10 kids, most of whom met in secondary school or hanging out at LA’s Supreme store. Tyler The Creator is the oldest, the ringleader and the producer. The other main members are Domo Genesis, Hodgy Beats and a female DJ/producer named Brick Stowell and the curiously absent, Earl Sweatshirt.

The book created entirely by Odd Future members, features their photography, design and writings. The photos are raw, immediate and fun – a glimpse into the crossover world of skating and hip hop.

Golf Wang is out now.

It starts Saturday 7th with a launch event between 2-4pm and the show will run for 6 weeks.

Go check it out!

Listen to your favourite radio show over and over again with the new RecordЯ from ROBERTS.  The DAB/FM RDS digital radio recorder boasts a one touch record function enabling techy enthusiasts and avid radio listeners to manually record live FM and DAB radio direct to SD card for the very first time!

Sound complicated?  It really couldn’t be easier.  All you need to do is insert an SD or SDHC card in to the side of the radio, press and hold the PausePlus button and the station you are listening to can record up 24 hours or pause 60 minutes of live airtime so you can listen back at your own leisure.

Combining a sturdy design with ease of use the RecordЯ also offers PausePlus, the revolutionary way to enjoy uninterrupted radio listening.  The Sky Plus of radio, with a single press of the PausePlus button you can put your favourite station on hold for up to 60 minutes while you answer the phone, doorbell or attend to any other pressing task.  When ready, simply press the PausePlus button again to resume listening to the programme where you left off, so you won’t miss a single word or tune!  And as an added benefit, you can also rewind live radio for up to 60 minutes should you miss your favourite song or simply want to listen to it again.  For something just missed, a short press goes back seconds, a long press will wind back more rapidly through the stored programme.

The RecordЯ is a great gadget when it comes to planning ahead too as you can set the radio in advance to record up to four different programmes – especially handy if you’re off on holiday and about to miss the final installment of a play or a favourite show.

Available in a stylish white gloss finish the compact radio offers excellent sound quality whether you choose to listen to DAB or FM stations as well as a host of other features including an alarm with four separate settings so you can choose to wake to DAB, FM, SD card or buzzer alarm.  Each alarm can also be set to sound once, daily, on a specific date, weekdays, weekends or weekends.

If you have a penchant for listening to the radio as you’re nodding off, the Sleep function is guaranteed to appeal.  The setting can be adjusted between five and 120 minutes, in five minute increments.  The Nap timer is another useful feature, which allows you to set the radio to wake you up after a pre-determined interval (up to 2 hours) without needing to set the alarm.

The album began with two friends hanging out in someone’s house and just throwing ideas around. Slowly, these thoughts merged into melody and an album was born. Although it was never Burrows or Smith’s intention for it to be a Christmas album, ‘Funny looking Angels’ developed a melancholic reflection which was both sad and warming, themes which they felt contributed to a wintery and therefore, Christmassy album. Once they realised the album would be a festive one, tinsel was strung, bells were rung, drums were banged and the Christmas theme was complete. It was surprising for two artists who had not worked together on an album before, “to knock out a Christmas album in the summer months in someone’s attic in Hammersmith”; but it was this odd journey which gave the album its name. ‘Funny looking Angels’, a song by Birmingham band ‘Delta’ was chosen, not only for the love of the song and a tribute to Smith’s Brummie roots, but because the title became an apt description of the album’s journey.

The album serves as a reminder to all to appreciate the true value of Christmas. Smith believes that Christmas should be a time of tradition instead of a desire to “spend, spend, spend”. Smith’s love of the traditional at Christmas quickly became apparent during conversation. To Smith, Christmas is the one time of year when everyone has the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with the people one loves. He can “spend time in the pub with friends” who he has not seen for a while or “sit around the table with family”. For him, the festive season is relatively “small scale” but with all the trimmings of Christmas Cheese. A real Christmas trees is a must. Socks are acceptable presents; although everyone hates receiving them, there is a sort of fondness for the gift because what would Christmas be without receiving unwanted socks? And then there is the Christmas music. “I love the Pogues [‘Fairytale in New York’] but I hate that Wham song” although, he admitted somewhere deep down, (really deep, deep down) he secretly likes it just because… well… “It is Christmas”. You have to accept the cheese in its every form. Even Wham.

The album itself is one of nostalgia and reflects on the cracks in the year gone by but is filled with a naive hope for the year ahead. Smith believes that great Christmas songs do just that; bring people together and causes them to reflect on the past and one’s future. Although some songs in the album are sad, there are uplifting melodies and each song is presented festively using traditional Christmas instruments. “The album is a bit rough around the edges… a bit shambolic” he explained, but this is part of its appeal. This album has been stripped back to basics like Burrows and Smith believe Christmas should be; “You can even hear the sounds from outside,” he said, explaining at times you can hear birds singing or the rain against the attic roof. But both the sad and uplifting songs, with their Christmas bells and drums evoke a certain, melancholic and hopeful feeling which is what Christmas does to everyone.  ‘When the Thames Froze’, written by Smith when the students were protesting is a reflection on last year, while ‘Rosslyn’ and ‘The Christmas Song’ (with Agnes Obel) conform to what one would see as more ‘traditional’ songs. Smith’s particular favourite however is ‘This Aint New Jersey’, a song which both Burrows and Smith wrote together equally. Smith explained that both he and Burrows are “two different types of writers but this song is one where our styles overlap, and the result is “exciting”.

The collaboration of these two fantastic artists has succeeded in creating a moving album with an important message. And for all you fans, this will not be the end of the partnership; there are plans to do another album in the future. In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful ‘Funny looking Angels’. This album is not aimed at a particular audience, but at those who enjoy a traditional Christmas and the music of Burrows and Smith. While the album does not have answers or a scientific analysis as to why the world is the way it is now, it does celebrate the most important things at Christmas. Family, friends and hope.

Danann Swanton

Today, CONVERSE Inc. announced the launch of their newest footwear collaboration with world-famous Gorillaz. Launching in February 2012, the styles from the collection combine the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star silhouette with the band’s legendary graphic images. Award-winning designer and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett has designed exclusive prints incorporating elements from their ground breaking artwork.

“To converse: the exchange of thoughts, feelings or ideas. That’s what Gorillaz are all about, working and collaborating and exchanging ideas with other artists and global communicators. We’ve been trading in ideas and conversing with one another for ten whole years. So I couldn’t think of a better bunch of people to help celebrate our decade in the business than the good people over at the Converse shoe company. Plus I’ve been wearing my Chuck Taylor’s since forever.” – Russel Hobbs, drummer of Gorillaz

The Gorillaz collection gives the classic Chuck Taylor All Star silhouette an edge with four different looks inspired by the band. The military inspired camouflage print, taken from the cover of their self-titled debut, is the signature design for the collection and is featured here as a sneak peek. All shoes from the collection contain a Gorillaz heel tab and hangtag with additional details on the product. The full Gorillaz Chuck Taylor All Star collection will be revealed in February 2012 and available nationwide and globally at select retail stores and online at converse.

With the majority acts coming from Canada and the US (around 16 countries are represented overall) it’s a great chance to check out some bands you’ve never heard of. The NXNE directory goes a long way to help whittle down who to see out of the 600+ bands offering tips on who their influences and offering a ‘If you like…’ suggestion.

While the bigger acts were staged outdoors at Dundas Square – which incidentally was open to everyone not just badge/wristband holders – other acts were based throughout downtown at the city’s music venues and bars. There were some notable sell-out shows (Twin Shadow, Cults, Dum Dum Girls, The Dodos, Handsome Furs, Deerhoof, Chad VanGaalen, Hot Water Music, OFF!, Crocodiles, Wild Nothing, Braids, Ty Segall, Suuns, Grimes, METZ, Dirty Beaches, Swervedriver, Prince Rama, and Shad) but unlike it’s big brother SXSW it was much easier to get to see the bands you wanted without a 3 hour queue to deal with.

Fused Festival Highlights

M for Montreal & Brooklyn Vegan Bruise Cruise
Checking out Lake Ontario is one nice trip indeed but doing it on board a 600 capacity luxury yacht with cocktails and bands is just perfect.

The generous people of festival M for Montreal and NYC-centric music blog Brooklyn Vegan invited 575 NXNE revelers to board the Captain Matthew Flinders and set sail on the calm waters while taking in the not-so calming noise of Jesuslesfilles, Uncle Bad Touch, Young Governor and Ty Segall.

Despite the baking heat outside and the temptation to bask in the beautiful sunshine the bands received an audience who were in fine party spirit.

Dundas Square & The Pharcyde
For a festival to generously put their big pulling acts on to a public stage for anyone and everyone to come and see goes a long way to explain the super-cool ethos of the NXNE crew. For 4 days the Square played host to big names offering a true party atmosphere to 110,000 people. Crowds arrived early to keep their front-row space but even late-comers were rewarded with big screens and lighting shows you could see way at the back meaning non of the action could be missed. Sunday night we said goodbye to the festival with a fun performance by The Pharcyde.

Some of our band highlights included…

Crocodiles - Hints of The Jesus Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Ravonettes blend to make this sharp dressed post-punk San Diego based duo.

Action Makes (Toronto) Psychedelic Flower Garage Blues Punk from local Rock and Roll soon to be heroes

Shad (London, Ontario) witty self-deprecating Canadian conscious hip hop

Super Geek League (Seattle) Motown and Metal collide in a goofy shock-rock fun fest

Black Light White Light (Copenhagen, Denmark) dark and hazy neo-psychedelic aceness from Denmark

The White Eyes (Taipei City, Taiwan) “We don’t want your heart, just come and let us lick your eyes.”

Ty Segall (San Francisco) Spirited DIY garage psych punk with more hooks than a fishermans hat

Ambisonic (Toronto) Theremins, Stylophones, banjos and electronics collide to make one great groove laden noise

Cabbagetown

Looking for a Victorian adventure in the heart of Toronto? A great family spot, pick-nick location or bike ride destination. I could spend hours looking each and every home in Cabbagetown which is unique in its own way. Plus the getting to pet a goat is always awesome!

Little Italy

Little Italy, sometimes referred to as College Street West, is a district in Toronto, known for its numerous Italian Canadian restaurants and businesses. There’s also a significant Latin American and Portuguese community in the area.

The district is centered around a restaurant/bar/shopping strip along College Street, the heart of which is the intersection of College and Grace Streets and the adjacent residential area, but spreading out between Bathurst Street and Dufferin Street.

BMO Field Toronto FC Stadium

Not a soccer club (or football as it’s called in most of the world) known for being one of the best in the world – you could say the fans are! “All for One” is the fan’s slogan and the team spit there is amazing. Most of us don’t go to see the team win, just to enjoy each others company, some good weather and huge pints of beer. You’ll have a blast, trust me.

Best Place to meet other Lomographers

Best Place to meet other Lomographyers is right here at the Lomography Gallery Store Toronto!

We are always throwing parties with live music, holding works shops, and every Thursday the space turns into a hang out with a different activity every time! Our next party / live show is a Canada Day After Party with Buck 65!

Where to get great shots

The Toronto Islands are a chain of small islands in the city of Toronto, Canada. They are located in Lake Ontario just offshore from the city centre. After a quick 15 minute fairy ride from Queens Quay and Bay we had already landed on Wards Island which is one of several comprising the largest urban car-free community in North America, though some service vehicles are permitted. Recreational bicyclists are accommodated on the ferries, and bicycles, quadracycles, and canoes can be rented on the islands as well.

WHAT TO SEE

The Lomo team recommend checking out these next big events in the City:
Gay Pride (June 14th – July 3rd)
International Indian Film Festival (1st time in North America June 23-25)
Caribana Toronto 2011 (July 14- Aug12)
Toronto Film Festival (Sep 8th – 18th)

With thanks to Jane Collison of Lomography Canada for compiling this information.

Check out their very lovely store and don’t forget to hang out at their Thursday night events!

Lomography Gallery Store Toronto
536 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 2B5