Bat For Lashes announces new album and UK tour

We love Natasha Khan. Mostly cos she's a Brightonian, like all the best people. Oh yeah, and because, she's, like, totally awesome at songs and stuff. Anyhoo, the exciting news is that her hotly anticipated third album, The Haunted Man, is coming out on 12 October 2012 via Parlophone/EMI Music.

A full UK tour has just been announced, including The Forum in London on 29 October, summer festivals like Latitude and Bestival and a final date back in good ol' Sussex by the sea,

Since releasing the universally acclaimed album Two Suns in 2009, which has now sold over 250,000 copies, Natasha toured South America with Coldplay in 2010, collaborated with Beck to write a song for the Twilight film, Eclipse, headlined two sold out shows at the Sydney Opera House in June 2011 and covered Depeche Mode’s Strangelove for Gucci’s Guilty campaign, released on limited release on 7” vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day in the UK.

Full details of all her tour dates can be found at www.batforlashes.com

Brighton Fashion Week 2012 - The Brighton Frocks show

Alice Parsons took in the first show at the 2012 Brighton Fashion Week:

The 2012 Brighton Fashion Week ‘Catwalk show’ at All Saints Church, Hove, had all the pre-show excitement, anticipation and awesome looking guests of previous years. Also the same lengthy queue for the bar (allowing more time for outfit perving). And the promise of an entire week’s worth of fashion to follow.

I had the great fortune of being seated on the front row, close enough to the catwalk to see every sequin and goose pimple. Also possibly close enough to be blinded by the whirlwind of an opener that was Celia Arias designs. A display of outlandish characters took to the catwalk. An evil puppet mistress steered a sumptuous Japanese puppet into view. They were followed by a cautious gollum sporting a skull and plastic aeroplane helmet, who checked his surroundings before beckoning a shy green monster onto the stage in Little Sister, Big Daddy style.

Latex was next, Lucky Dame showcased a collection of naughty, nude and pastel colored dresses led on by stunning BFW model Tess Georgia Dimos (pictured below). Despite latex’s saucy vibe, the outfits still had something cute about them, although along with Arias' creations perhaps fall into the not so wearable on a daytime/public spaces basis.

Frantic About Frances followed. The range of vintage style boudoir underwear is glamorous enough to get the sailors wolf-whistling whilst still looking pretty damn comfy. At this point my neighbour turned to me and asked ‘Are the gussets big enough?’ to which I replied ‘Yes, I think they are’, a special moment and a rarity in modern underwear, I’m sure some will agree.  It was also brilliant fun getting into the vintage spirit with a burlesque striptease and union jack waving.

Aneta Mackonyte’s ‘Rainbow Warriors’ are influenced by Tibetan, Mayan and Incan mythology. ‘I am trying to unite my own knowledge and emotions by mixing fantasy and the everyday in a child-like way.’ Mackonyte explains. Happy models, wearing relaxed chunky layers echoed her message. Clashes of tribal prints, bright woven fabrics, bear hats and knotted prayer flags would be great for snugly winter outfits.

Other highlights included feisty punks at Charles of London and Flash Gordon futurism at Shara Haze. The hairy zombie men clawing at us from the catwalk were also a big hit. Student and BFW fan Astrid Harbour commented, ‘What Jylle Navarro created with a pair of knitting needles was absolutely extraordinary’. My only complaint of the evening being the large number of lollipops carried throughout the show and the slightly abrupt ending after the final designer.

This year the models were stronger than ever. Local beauties (stand outs including Ellis Anthony, Desiree Laidler and Liv), many modelling for the first time and doing a spectacular job, were supported by the talented backstage crew as returning BFW model Dimos explains. "A team of hardworking individuals backstage power through the hours to perfect the look on the already very beautiful models. Make-up artists, hair stylists, dressers and designers were all working round the clock to get the models out and ready on time. Backstage madness is always worth it in the end; the models graced the catwalk in their stunning garments. Brighton Fashion Week has done it once again and put on a show to remember."

I quite agree.

BFW takes place every year in May. For more information visit: http://www.brightonfashionweek.com/
Follow Tess Georgia Dimos on Facebook. Follow BFW on Facebook.

Review by Alice Parsons. Photos courtesy of Theresa Power and Brighton Fashion Week.

The Great Escape Festival 2012

Bobbysix.com had a couple of roving reporters at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton last weekend. Here's their review: 

The Great Escape this year was fortunate to be gifted with some unexpectedly decent weather and this surely made everyone’s weekend a great deal more enjoyable, especially as, from the look of it, many people spent a lot of their time queuing. For any of the hyped bands at the festival this year, like Mystery Jets, Django Django, The Black Belles and Grimes, there was almost no chance of getting near the venue without being there enormously early and most people were stuck outside with a “one in, one out” door policy.

This was probably not the main experience for everyone as there was so much on offer and the best part of the festival was the opportunity to meander around Brighton’s bustling and sunny (this weekend) streets, browsing the many venues and stumbling across new acts. My favourite example was wandering into a half-empty Green Door Store on a whim to find IO Echo starting their set. I had never heard of them before yet I’m really excited by their music now. They have a new-wave influence with an electronic twist and the two guitarists have a loud, almost metal style beefing up the sound. The enigmatic singer (below) reminded me a lot of Siouxsie Sioux crossed with Florence Welch (in a good way) and her graceful movement was complemented by some cool Geisha projections behind them (briefly blocked by my head).

The Great Escape is an uplifting experience, especially for slightly jaded people like me who are concerned with the future (and present) of music. Simon Cowell’s slow assassination of the medium and the fear of illegal downloads seemed to be absent in Brighton this weekend, with hundreds of young and promising bands playing - and loving - music. You could see thirty bands and still feel like you had barely scratched the surface of what was on offer. It’s even more difficult to find your way to gigs you have planned to go to as you are more than likely to get distracted by something happening on the way, like Saturday night when we were sidetracked on the way to Michachu and The Shapes by a Rockabilly gathering at the Dorset.

We just managed to make to Micachu and The Shapes, who had packed The Haunt out, but luckily there was no queue outside and we saw one of the best sets of the weekend. There is always something so impressive about their almost DIY approach, with obscure percussion instruments, glitchy beats and rhythms and odd melodies that somehow all come together to make something far more approachable and enjoyable than my description would have you believe. It has also been a long time since I last saw them live and they have definitely matured as a band. They sounded amazing, playing newer material with more ambient and discordant moments suggesting the new album, expected at the end of July, is something to look forward to.

The Great Escape was far more civilised than spending four days in a field and offers more chance of escaping the rain, not to mention that bands always sound better indoors than at a festival where a lot of the sound escapes in the air. So be sure to check out next year's event and find some new bands and inspiration.

Review by Dom Erskine and Tanja Stocklin.

Hatcham Social at The Great Escape, Brighton

Dom Erskine was at Brighton's Great Escape Festival for Bobbysix.com. Hatcham Social at the Green Door Store was one of his highlights:

It is an unusual feeling to see a band like this at three in the afternoon, especially on a day so unusually bright and warm, but that is what sums up the experience of The Great Escape. The sun shone in through the window into the normally dark and dungeon-like venue and the set started with a few songs from their 2009 debut, You Dig The Tunnel, I’ll Hide The Soil. They played through them with typical energy and attitude, possibly helped by the early start on a typical Brighton dirty weekend.

The set picked up with renditions of their new material. Taken from the recently released album About Girls, these new songs have a poppy, brighter feeling to them without losing any of the character for which the band are so well liked. Not to take anything away from the older material, but the new tracks sounded a better fit live, probably benefitting from my own sense of excitement at hearing them live for the first time. There was a more classic Rock n Roll sound to some the set. I Look Like a God When You Dance With Me (video above) was reminiscent of Roy Orbison (and a touch of the Pixies). This is a band whose hooks and choruses burrow into your sub-conscious, sticking with you long after your ears stop ringing.

The place was full and the atmosphere was friendly, with smiles on the faces of band and audience, even at the end of the set when, during NY Girl, a fusebox-related mishap left the band momentarily without vocals and bass. Tim Burgess said they have “the coolest drummer in the world.” This is true but the word "drummer" in that sentence could easily be replaced with any other band member.

With the music industry so saturated with "indie” groups and palatable dub step starlets, it is hard for any band to make it - or just make a living - so Hatcham Social deserve admiration for even approaching music as they do. Their newest album being released through a pledge campaign shows a perseverance to make their own music, and do it their way.

I would urge you to check out their new record and go see them live. I did, and it was brilliant.

Review by Dom Erskine. Keep it Bobbysix as they'll be more reaction from The Great Escape in the next few days.

Analogue photo exhibition, Brighton

We were lucky enough to be present at the preview of Analogue Brighton's photo exhibition the other day, where we were beguiled by work from a talented group of like-minded enthusiasts of analogue photography, all of whom are still using vintage and lomography cameras. 

Analogue (organised by Collate Presents - who are a curatorial team based in Brighton) features the talents of Tom Welland  Lomokev  Adam Bronkhorst  25ThC  (of Bobbysix fame!) and Captainbonobo and brings together many images - largely of Brighton - in a variety of ingenious and interesting ways. Cross processing slide film, multiple exposures and film swaps are some of the techniques which present iconic shots of the grand old city through different eyes. What is especially refreshing about the exhibition, in an age when everyone thinks they are a photographer and can take a shot 100 times in order to get it right, is the sheer inventiveness of the photographers and the laborious lengths to which they go to create an out-of-the-ordinary image. And, of course, without the immediacy of digital technology, sometimes they have to wait weeks just to see if their efforts have been fruitful.

The exhibition is definitely worth your time and runs from now until the 27th April 12pm-5pm. You can find Analogue at Artist Residence Gallery, 33 Regency Square, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2GG

Here's a couple of snaps from the launch, attended by Bobbysix's Alice, Bobby and, of course, 25ThC (below):

Review and photos by Bobby Townsend

The Drawing Circus - Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Bobbysix's Alice Parsons got her sketchpad out at The Drawing Circus recently. Read all about it:

Rapunzel let down your hair, Briar Rose awaken, Rumplestiltskin dust off your breeches, sharpen your pencils and let the drawing begin. Composed of a company of artists, models and musicians, The Drawing Circus create and organize themed life-drawing events and I was lucky enough to attend the latest - this time inspired by the fairy tales of Grimm - at Brighton’s Sallis Benney theatre. So it was that armed with ample paper and ink I had set out on a journey to the enchanted forests of lore with the hope of creating a few decent drawings and the promise of making plenty of bum ones.

Soft smoke crawled across the theatre stage, a band of merry players improvised eerie flute led music. In the centre of the dark room Grimm’s forest waited, occupied by lithe nymphs, a gentleman wolf and a slightly saucier Red Riding Hood than children’s books would have you remember. Jake Spicer, a talented artist and ambassador of drawing took to the stage (dressed as a hobbit) to explain the day’s events. There would be five acts, each based upon a fairytale by Grimm. Life models in fantastical costume would undertake a series of long and short poses, moving about the space while we the audience would attempt to capture their likeness.

The battle for the best position was a tough one. Easels had been pre-booked and knowledgeable, organized types nabbed the front seats. However this was not a problem, many took to the floor and everybody got stuck in.

We were spoilt for choice. I would begin tracing the outline of a handsome prince, only to be seduced by a passing Nyad. My only frustration being that occasionally a spectacular pose would only last for five minutes, thwarting what might have been a good drawing. This I’m sure, is all part of Spicer’s plan.

“The Drawing Circus has grown over the last two years from collaborations between all of the models, artists and musicians that attend or work at the life drawing sessions that I set up in 2009; the aim of the Drawing Circus is to add an extra edge of inspiration to regular life classes, creating a narrative of poses strung together by music written for the occasion," says Spicer. "It’s been so exciting to watch it grow to the point where we can now bring in hundreds of people to draw and in the not so distant future we aim to take our circus on the road and create a travelling drawing troupe; right now it’s just nice to think that we're probably the only life drawing class with its own resident costumier and composer!”

Interspersed with much needed 15 minute breaks, the drawing circus really puts you through your paces, from tentative line making to messy charcoal masterpieces. It is challenging but ultimately rewarding. At the end of the day, exhausted and covered in oil pastel smears, I looked back through my work (badly rendered hands and wonky faces included) and felt a warm glow of achievement and pride.

The next Drawing Circus event is Grimm's Fairy Tales at the Keystone in Guildford on 22nd April. Details here.

Review by Alice Parsons. Photos: Anna Gibson

The Temper Trap return to Brighton's Great Escape festival this year

We don't like to blow our own trumpets at Bobbysix.com (we actually really do), but we've been raving about The Temper Trap for years now. In fact, for longer than they have even been called The Temper Trap. Our love for the Melbourne band is almost as big as our love for the beautiful city of Brighton, so imagine how excited we were to hear that the two are coming together for The Great Escape Festival this year. The boys too, are really up for it, saying, “We can't wait to play The Great Escape again - being part of the event in 2009 was incredible and 2012 is going to be even better. We'll be playing songs from our new album, its set to be a very special show”.

The Great Escape 2012 is well on the way to bursting point as a whopping 141 artists were today added to the line-up taking this year’s edition to an unparalleled level of showmanship. The news comes at the same time as a decision from Arts Council England to support the festival with a £38,000 grant. The award is intended to help the festival to deliver local collaborations, education and development and to promote international diversity and collaboration between artists.

Other excellent artists set to make the trip down to Europe’s leading festival for new music include Jack White signings The Black Belles on their first UK trip, while Supergrass alumnus Gaz Coombes will be performing his brilliant new work. We Are Augustines, St Lucia, Body Language, Devin, The Front Bottoms, Cloud Nothings and more will also play, while, fresh out of SXSW, Haim, Pond and Wild Belles will be doing their thing. A few more established acts like S.C.U.M, We Are Scientists, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Kids in Glass Houses will be there too.

You can check out the full programme by day and venue, as well as getting yorself some tickets, at www.escapegreat.com today. The festival will hit Brighton this May and you can still just about get the early bird price before the deadline. So don't delay.

Analogue photo exhibition hits Brighton!

Bobbysix's own 25ThC is taking part in a photography exhibition in Brighton over the next few weeks. Get along check out the awesomeness:

Over the past six months or so a group called Analogue Brighton on Flickr has brought together a talented group of like-minded analogue enthusiasts. All of whom are still using vintage and lomography cameras. These cameras combined with cross processing slide film, using multiple exposures and film swaps are producing stunning and original images.

There have been a number of recent meet-ups which have included night-time photo walks and light painting. It has now all culminated in the first combined exhibition – Analogue - presented by Collate Presents  who are a curatorial team based in the glory land that is Brighton.

After the success of CP’s previous exhibitions MULLITOVER and #offbeige which brought in a whopping 1000 visitors, press and special guests, they are back with a new and exciting show at Artist Residence in Brighton. Analogue will feature five of Brighton’s most talented lens-based artists who work with vintage and Lomography cameras.

This is no ordinary photography exhibition. This is your chance to witness the genius of technical and creative uses of the camera. The artists involved are: Tom Welland  Lomokev  Adam Bronkhorst  25ThC and Captainbonobo .

On Wednesday 21st March the doors will open to the press, as well as a guest list of Brighton-based galleries, creators, art dealers, academics and writers. The evening will offer the chance to get up close and personal to a selection of rare vintage cameras, as ever there will be a well-stocked bar and with a big thanks to LOMOGRAPHY there will be a raffle for your chance to win a Lomo Sardinia camera. The general public will be offered the chance to see this inspiring collection of works during the Open Exhibition on the 22nd March - 27th April 12pm-5pm. Come along with an open mind and expect to be inspired.

You can find Analogue at Artist Residence Gallery, 33 Regency Square, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2GG

Daniel Johnston to play St. Bartholomew’s Church in Brighton

It doesn't take much rummaging through our archives to discover how much we love Daniel Johnston at Bobbysix.com. So we are happy to advise our readers in the South of England that he will be playing a very special show in Brighton on April 16th.

The manic-depressive artist, songwriter and performer from West Virginia has become a cult figure, admired and covered by the likes of Tom Waits, Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain. At this momentous event in good old Sussex by the sea, Daniel will be performing his music in the sublime and breathtaking setting of St. Bartholomew's Church (the tallest purpose built church in the UK) and will be backed by a full band of distinguished guests.

The show is all-ages and you can book your tickets here. This man is an absolute genius and his music is heartbreaking and touching. Don't miss what is sure to be something truly special.

Tess Georgia Dimos interviews Bobby Six!

Bobby Townsend, the, ahem, brains behind Bobbysix.com, is used to being the man asking the questions. Sometimes though, like here, he becomes the interviewee, where he stutters and stumbles his way through the simplest of questions. This week, he was interviewed by the delightful Tess Georgia Dimos (above, who he interviewed earlier in the year) about his experiences talking to models. Here's a snippet:

Hey Bobby ! So, you have interviewed quite a few models over the past year or so, is it a pleasant experience speaking to a model? 

I first started interviewing models as I was very keen to feature a more eclectic bunch of people on my blog, rather than just bands. So I spoke to some writers, artists, film-makers, models, etc. The model interviews always got the most views, so I was obviously keen to feature more. As I started doing more interviews with them, I found that the quality of answer was invariably very good. At first, I couldn’t really work out why these interviews always went so well, but then I realised that, often, models don’t really get the chance to air their voice. They are just treated as glorified clothes horses, bossed around and not always shown much respect. So, when someone actually makes the effort to say, “Tell me about yourself, I’m really interested in what you have to say,” they are happy to take the opportunity to show that they are more than two-dimensional characters. The thing that often comes across is how much more to their lives there is than modelling. The generally accepted idea that models are vacuous is completely unrepresentative, in my opinion. The vast majority of models are intelligent, friendly and endearing.

You can read the full interview here. 

Super cheap Great Escape early bird delegate tickets now available

Last year's Great Escape Festival in Brighton was wicked. If you fancy heading along again next year, but feel like getting an even more rounded experience (as well as being able to avoid those pesky queues), then you might be interested in the fact that they have just released delegate passes for TGE 2012, which will take place in and around many different venues around Brighton city centre from 10-12 May.

As well as giving priority access to all the venues, a delegate pass also gets you into The Great Escape convention, which will bring together music business professionals from across the world to discuss, evaluate and share the new approaches that are emerging for developing, launching and monetising artist and music rights. The festival will once again introduce the best line up of up and coming bands to the 15,000 international delegates and new music fans that attend. Super Early Bird passes are now available to buy for a frankly embarrassingly cheap price of £80. There are a limited number of passes available to buy at this discounted rate so ensure that you buy fast to avoid disappointment. Passes can now be purchased by CLICKING HERE.

Oh, and if you are a band that fancies playing at Brighton's own version of SXSW, then click here for deets. We will, of course, be in attendance, so maybe we'll see you there.

Stuart Newman - Pandora

Every day, we get sent a shitload of music and press releases from the big record companies. We also get delivered lots of nice electronic letters from independent artists that don't have the clout of a label behind them. There aren't enough hours in the day for us to be able to bring everything to your attention. So, ignoring, for today, the devastating arrival in our inbox of a new Hard-Fi single (why? For the love of God, why?), we instead choose to bring you something from Brighton's Stuart Newman. A largely self-taught musician, working with the piano and guitar, Newman began experimenting with his songwriting and home recording production techniques before and during his University years and has since chucked a heap of free downloads into cyberspace.

In order to offer something more tangible alongside free songs, in 2010, he designed some T-Shirts which he offered to fans around the world for free (while stocks lasted). They were sent to destinations such as Finland, Russia, Sweden, Romania, Mexico, Taiwan and USA.

Newman continues to experiment with audio and video and is currently concentrating on writing new material towards his second album. Find out more about him here.

Getting To Know... Owlstation

The beautiful and lovely Alice Parsons (above) is a fantastic artist and illustrator who works under the name of Owlstation. She tells us about herself and her work:

Illustration is very impressionable! There are books from my childhood whose illustrations can take me right back to how I felt the first time I read them. Stormy skies, crumbling towers and beautiful princesses from fantasy books, to the cheeky Tiger in The Tiger Who Came To Tea. And the forbidden book - Hansel and Gretel, that had to be hidden on grounds of the illustrations being too scary.

I would describe my style as developing. I love mixing up media and am happiest collaging together interesting scraps of paper I’ve collected, then working back into them with pens and oil pastels. But I like to try out new styles as much as possible, incorporating photography, painting, sculpture and injecting a bit of humour. I use a computer to prep my images for the web but like to do things by hand wherever I can, I think there is something that can be lost when hand crafted images are manipulated too much in Photoshop. I don’t think I’ve found my style yet.

Recently I have taken inspiration from owls, archaeology, punks, chaps, fashion, native American Indians, vintage bits and bobs, typography, lizards, monsters, other artists and new bands. I also like a nice museum/gallery trip when the chance arises.

Brighton is my home and I could never live away from the sea. However I would love to do a big load of travelling and take my sketchbook along with me when I do. I would particularly like to stay on a ranch and play at being a cowgirl. I think a stint of horses, fireside singalongs and baked beans would suit me very well. I may have seen too many Howard Keel films.

I've been working on a new header for Bobbysix (you can see it at the top of the page). I am also looking at expanding my illustrations to T-shirts and making the crossover into animation.

It might surprise people to learn that I have next to no patience when it comes to painting. I greatly admire anyone that can produce a painting larger than A5 and still feel like doing another one afterwards. Two years ago I started painting a surfing frieze for my brother. It’s still not finished and it niggles away at me like a loose tooth. But I have been much more disciplined of late and examining and emulating the painting styles of artists such as the Disney concept artist Mary Blair.

In the future I would love to have my own studio and see my illustrations everywhere – on album covers, T- shirts, fashion prints, story books, articles. Aim high, I say. I love collaborating and am always open to new ideas.

Check out more of Alice's delicious work or send her a message via her website and her blog. Also, follow her on facebook to keep right up to date with her amazingness.


Interview by Bobby Townsend.

Getting To Know... Fanny Quest

Fanny Quest is the first person to star in one of Bobbysix.com's promotional videos. You can see the result of our video shoot below. First though, read our interview with the Brighton-based German model:

I started modelling after somebody came up to me at a party in Germany and asked me if I was interested in it. I went for a test shoot the next day and it went well, so that's how it began. After I finished school, I didn't really know what I wanted to study. I decided that, before I ended up studying something that I didn't really like, I should come to England to get life experience. When I moved to Brighton, I went to the casting for Brighton Fashion Week. It was a really great opportunity and one of the best experiences of my life.

I see modelling like art. It's not just a picture on paper but should really represent a person. I think I'm a very happy and friendly person and I try to bring that across.

I would really like to travel all over the world. I want to stay in England at first and, if modelling works out, I'd love to go to New York for a while because I've heard it's an amazing place. I think being in Paris must be nice. There's so much stuff you need to see in your life, to get to know what you really like.

Aside from modelling, I'd like to do something with media and communication. I would like to be a presenter because I love to talk - I am very talkative and open to people. But if this doesn't work, I would love to have my own bakery. My passion is baking, cooking and presenting food.

I'm currently listening to lots of jazz. I love jazz. And old music like The Beatles. Happy music. I don't like commercial stuff like Lady Gaga.

I absolutely love Brighton. Everybody is how they want to be. They are enjoying their lives and a lot of people are trying to live their dreams. Everyone is respectful. People don't have preconceptions and they get to know you before they make decisions about you. It's really nice and it isn't like, just because you are young and blond, you are stupid or something. People give you the opportunity to show them how you really are.

I had fun making the video for Bobbysix.com. It is always interesting to get to know what you can do. You just need to be a bit confident. Before you try it, you don't know if you can do it well or not, so it was good, because now I know. It's always important to learn new things and to be open.

You've read the interview and seen the pictures, now check out the video Fanny starred in, exclusively for Bobbysix.com:

Interview and video by Bobby Townsend.

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EatonNott launches design boutique and studio

 
On Saturday evening, Bobbysix.com was fortunate enough to attend the launch of EatonNott, an interior design boutique and studio in Brighton that caters for those who seek the unusual, desirable and bizarre.

The studio is a collaborative project between two artists, Jess Eaton and Jon Nott, who source and create a range of treats such as an intricately carved horse skull center-piece, skulls and skeletons, industrial furnishings, unusual antiques and general oddities. Of course, one of the highlights is Eaton's highly acclaimed 'Roadkill Couture' collection that we raved about during Brighton Fashion Week.

The launch featured models (such as the delightful Jocasta Aliix, above) wearing some of the Roadkill items and DJs spinning tunes, while guests nibbled typically unusual treats (such as locusts) and sipped the specially brewed - and very tasty - Gothic Ale while perusing the amazing range of weird and wonderful goodies on display.
 

We strongly advise you to see the place with your own eyes. EatonNott is based at 26 Preston Road in Brighton, so head down there to check out the beguiling juxtaposition of the beautifully ornate with the devilishly macabre. If you aren't local to the South of England, then have a look at the brand new online site here.

You can remind yourself of Jess Eaton's Roadkill Couture collection by revisiting our review of the Brighton Fashion Week Couture show. Also, you can stay up to date with everything EatonNott has got going on by liking their facebook page. Keep an eye on Bobbysix.com for load of photos from the launch and after-party. For now though, here are a couple of shots courtesy of Sarah Costello (the first of which features Nott and Eaton, with models Yasmin S Motovalli and Jocasta.

 

Playgroup Festival returns!

Wanna go to a festival that is small, friendly and filled with magical moments you'll remember forever? Wanna avoid pissed-up, tent-buring morons and hour-long toilet queues? Wanna watch over 150 bands and DJ’s on 5 stages? Wanna be turned into a movie star and perform in your favorite film? Wanna watch your own brainwaves create music before your eyes? Wanna be part of a thousand-strong army of woodland animals? Wanna learn about the nature of the universe? Wanna get fit with Kate Bush aerobics? Wanna play poker with rabid foxes?

If the answer is yes (and why wouldn't it be?), then you're gonna love the Playgroup Festival. Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Playgroup is back. Once again it is ready to take the best of arts and entertainment from the South East of England, select a few special guests from further afield, and give it a beautiful temporary home near Tunbridge Wells (between Brighton and London), for one magical long summer weekend.

This year, on the first weekend of August, you'll find artists like High Rankin, Meow Meows, AK DK, Prjct Myhm and many more. As well as wholesome food & drink, magic, entertainment, art and games. The theme is ‘Woodland Animals’ and whatever animal you're allocated (when you buy a ticket) will have a direct effect on your Playgroup Festival experience. Whether it's the epic battle for supremacy at the Woodland sports day, or happy hour at the bar for your creature, you’ll find activities, site wide games and giant group photos for your new gang of friends.

Whatever type of person you are, whatever type of music you like, or think you like, whatever mood you may be in, Playgroup is sure to provide you with enough of a varied picnic of delights that there’ll be something there for you to fall in love with. Whether you’re with your mates, bringing your family, or flying solo, you'll invariably make life-long friends, find your own inner artist, dose up heavily on rest and relaxation, do something silly and unexpected, and - of course - dance your legs off. Find out all about it here

Getting To Know... Tess Georgia Dimos

As well as being a finalist for the upcoming Sussex Model of the Year Award 2011, Tess Georgia Dimos is an all-round lovely human-being. So we thought you'd want to learn a little about her. Here goes:

Modelling is not what I expected it to be. When I first started getting into modelling seriously with catwalk shows and photoshoots, I expected all the models to be competitive and bitchy, just like they are portrayed to be... Designers to shout at size four girls telling them they are too fat and photographers to come-on to any female model that walks in front of their lens. I'm pleased to say that nine times out of ten this isn't the case. Modelling is what I'd call the perfect job; not for all the clichéd reasons of getting made-up to look pretty and perfect. I have gotten to meet the most talented, artistic and humble people. Modelling has opened so many doors for me and my mind; I couldn't be more grateful. I have made lifelong friends, been lucky enough to have seen some beautiful places and, of course, had the most fun ever these past two years.

I am half-Greek. I lived in Ilioupoli, Athens until I was nine years old. I love the culture, speak the language fluently and adore my Greek family and friends, as they are all very open and close. Everyone is aware of each others feelings. If there was any bad feeling it would be resolved quickly and I love that - unlike my English family who would keep their problems to themselves and deal with it. I think that's very unhealthy.

Aside from my modelling work, I dream. A lot. I dream about the future and make up little scenarios in my mind. This is going to sound very 'Miss Universe' but helping and saving animals is something I've always been passionate about and I wish I could do it fully. Since a very young age I helped raise money for various different animal charities, including helping the working donkeys in Egypt. I used to raise money through organizing cake sales at school and sending money off to various animal charities monthly. I dream that one day I'll have my own charity and help make a difference, as an animal is defenseless when it comes face-to-face with a human. Something I'd also love to do when I'm older is open my own nightclub, or a nice beach bar, in Greece.

I am currently listening to The Black Keys, 22-20's, Broken Bells, Muse (old stuff), Bob Marley, Radiohead and Pyx Lax (Greek Rock band).

I'm really inspired by art and music. My mother is an artist and growing up beside her work has played a huge part in what I've become today. I see beauty in a different way. My mother captured moments and just painted them. Even if the object she was painting wouldn't cross your mind as 'beautiful' if you saw it in front of you, in a picture or a painting it can look stunning and change the way you viewed that object originally. Music, also, is something I simply couldn't live without, I love listening to sad songs - music that has meaning and moves you from the inside.

It might surprise people to learn that I used to be a huge stamp collector and that I still flick through my collection occasionally! Maybe that's something I shouldn't admit.

In the future I want to be successful, still smile at the little things in life and always be grateful for the life I've had. I always go by this Leonardo da Vinci quote: "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death."

Tess is represented by www.motmodel.com and www.freshagents.co.uk. Why not check her out as the face for the Ophelia Fancy Out Of Control collection, and have a squizz of some of her other work with uber-talented photographer, Kevin Mason. Also, you can keep up to date with all the good stuff she has got going on by following her on Twitter.

Interview by Robert Townsend.
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Gregory Alan Isakov at The Prince Albert, Brighton

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV
The Prince Albert, Brighton, 10th June 2011

There's always something magical about a small gig in small room; the kind of intimate show where getting up for a sneaky beer or a bathroom break would be completely crass. When the musician is Gregory Alan Isakov (right in the above picture) and the room is the Prince Albert in Brighton, you can pretty much guarantee that this will be one such captivating occasion.

Isakov may still be relatively unknown in these parts, but the South African-born, Philadelphia-raised resident of Colorado took to the stage with four studio albums under his belt, the latest of which is the recently-released This Empty Northern Hemisphere. In contrast to light-hearted and humorous support act, Dusty Stray, the headliner opened his set deep and heavy - with no introduction - and managed to bring the room to complete silence within a few chords. Blessed with a smokey voice, charming smile and little more than a guitar, a harmonica and a back-up vocalist, it became immediately apparent that the beauty of Isakov's music lies in its simplicity.

Two songs in, Gregory uttered his first words: a shy apology, 'Sorry...I'm not a big talker.' The irony of an award-winning songwriter, whose lyrics are so deeply personal, being unable to express himself without hiding behind a song added even more resonance. His shy tenderness transpired into the delicacy of his whisky-infused lyrics, which, although deeply personal and bearing his innermost thoughts, managed to be highly evocative. Isakov performed with his eyes closed throughout, as though he was reliving the seminal moment of each song's creation. It was a privilege to witness.

Standout track from This Empty Northern Hemisphere - the beautifully arranged and deeply emotive Evelyn - brought the moment that especially moved everyone in the room. The kind of song that stays with you long after finishing, it was definitely the high-point of a spine-tingling performance.

Isakov ended his longer than usual performance by offering his sincere thanks to the audience for taking the chance on him, before hanging around to chat with fans. As admirers new and old gradually filtered into the Brighton night, they did so in the knowledge that they had shared something special with everyone else in the room. In a few years, they will surely have the satisfaction of smugly being able to inform their friends that they saw Gregory Alan Isakov before he was big.

This may have been the songwriter's first English tour, but we're betting, based on this unforgettable evening and his growing number of fans, that it won't be his last.

Words and pictures by Celeste Macdonald.

Brighton Fashion Week - Introducing Tanja Stöcklin

 
As part of our Brighton Fashion Week coverage, Bobbysix.com chats to one of this year's rising stars:


“It was never my plan to do this.” 

On a blazing hot June afternoon, Brighton’s Corn Exchange is buzzing and bustling as the biggest and best Brighton Fashion Week to date approaches its finish line. In the courtyard outside stands Tanja Stöcklin. She has been at the venue since 6am, is sore of throat and clearly a little weary, yet there is still a sparkle in her eyes as she lets go an infectious smile. There have been many people for whom the week has been a triumph - designers, organisers, stylists, models - but if you are looking for the star of this year's BFW, then, in Bobbysix’s opinion, you need look no further than the 21-year-old from Switzerland.

When I suggest this to her, she accepts my praise with humility, and tells me that her modelling came about entirely by accident. “I was actually supposed to be an assistant stylist,” she recalls. “I just wrote an email to the head stylist and asked if I could help. She said I could. I went to a photoshoot to assist and a model was missing. They asked me if I wanted to be the model, so I did it, and then they asked me if I wanted to walk as well.”

And so began the would-be assistant stylist’s prominent role in the 2011 Brighton Fashion Week. “One of the my highlights was the Couture Show, especially the dress I was wearing for Alexei Izmaylov. It was a beautiful, really big dress and it felt really good to walk in. It was very playful. Also, I walked on a theatrical show for Former Glory. I was a zombie, which was fun.” However, her involvement in proceedings weren’t to start and end with modelling. “I also became the assistant producer for the War Child charity gig at the Concorde 2, so in the end, I did a bit of everything.”

Just as it has been for everyone involved with BFW, it’s been a long, busy week for Tanja. With all models giving up their time voluntarily and trying to juggle between fashion events and their day-to-day lives, late nights have invariably blurred into early mornings. But with such long working hours and hard work come feelings of satisfaction and achievement as reputations are carved and lifelong friendships are founded. Judging by the number of people that give Tanja a hug and a hello during the time I am in her company, it is clear that her dedication and generous spirit have resulted in her being held in high regard by peers and colleagues. And deservedly so. Indeed, the next evening, at the official wrap party, Director Lizzy Bishop would make a point of including Tanja in her list of thanks. 

Such love is reciprocated. “I think it’s brilliant,” she says when talk turns to Brighton Fashion Week’s role in the grand scheme of things. “It’s a good place to start, even as a model because I met quite a few people who did Brighton Fashion Week last year and they got scouted and did London Fashion Week afterwards. They say Brighton is a little London and I agree with that but the difference with this Fashion Show is you can see that Brighton is very alternative; for instance, the Jess Eaton collection. Also, the models don’t have to be, like, super skinny and a size six. There are more interesting, curvy women, which I think is good.” She pauses briefly, before adding. “They say beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, which I think is quite nice.”

During our conversation in the Brighton sunshine, Stöcklin remains constantly engaging. Her words are considered, intelligent and delivered with a soft Swiss accent while accompanied by gesticulation and a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. We talk of her move to England a couple of years ago (“I just came over on a gap year. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.”) and of how, when she was younger, she seemed more destined to be a footballer than a model. Having played to a high standard in her home country, she still has the skills to pay the bills. “I was at a party recently and it was a bit boring, so I found a football and was just on my own, doing keep-ups.” While this anecdote makes me lament the fact that I have never chanced upon a pretty lady with awesome dress-sense and a sick haircut entertaining herself by effortlessly juggling a ball between her left and right foot at a party, it also illustrates that Tanja Stöcklin is not your archetypal twenty-something. And anyone who would rather kick a ball around on their own than throw booze indiscriminately down their throat is okay by us.

After we make tentative plans for a kick-about in the near future, it is time for Tanja to head backstage to prepare for the penultimate catwalk show. In contrast to the looming horizon for the 2011 Brighton Fashion Week, there is no doubt that things are just getting started for Stöcklin. “I got scouted,” she tells me as we talk of what was to come next for her. While clearly flattered by the offer to sign with a modelling agency, it is not a decision that she was ever going to take lightly. “I’m a merchandiser for Zara and I am doing an Art and Design Foundation course, so I’m just really busy in general,” she says, while later explaining to us that, in the future, she has aspirations to run her own vintage clothing store.

“I think studying is probably more important than modelling,” she suggests. But she delivers this clearly genuine sentiment with a cheeky look in her eye that that suggests an assault on the modelling world actually rather appeals to this hard-studying, hard-working former tomboy. “I mean, I never thought that modelling would be something for me but after this week I realised that it is actually something I really enjoy. I still think my education should have priority, but I'm sure there will be some time for modelling next to school.”

There is a brightness of character about Tanja Stöcklin that suggests, whichever direction she chooses to head, she will make a huge success of it. Considering the positive impact she had on Brighton Fashion Week, it seems that modelling might indeed be a road worth venturing down. “I might accept the contract,” she says, once again giving off that winning smile. "Why not? It could be fun.”

Interview by Rob Townsend.  

Enjoyed what you read? Why not Vote for Tanja as the Face of Brighton 2012 at the Brighton Fashion Week website. 

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