The Truth behind the Fiction?

I’m working on some more stripped back tunes away from the big, bold pop themes of Get Frank right now.

When I lived in Birmingham I spent a lot of time gigging with just me and my guitar. It was terrifying, I lacked confidence in my ability to play and I was desperate for a band.

Awake, Not Drifting by Get Frank

Since working with Get Frank in Newcastle I’ve decided that sometimes I’d like to be a bit more selfish and play music totally as I envisioned it – or at least certain aspects of it. Sometimes listening to a band can be overwhelming, and you forget that the music you’re listening to is rooted in themes and feelings. Get Frank songs used to be all about the emotions that I felt when writing them – and to some extent still are – but some of them are from a different, past writer and I feel the need to breakaway and do something different.

It can be quite scary to take lyrics to a band and practice them. Playing solo I get to skip this step, and move onto the even scarier stage of playing them straight to an audience. At first I didn’t think I was ready, but if I get some practice in with my guitar, who knows?

Escapology by Truth Fiction

The song above is my first rough demo from my ‘solo venture’ as Truth Fiction. There’s a loose (and musically common) concept to the name of the ‘project’ (if you like that term), as some songs will be true to my life and some inspired by fiction. Others will be a mixture. I learnt a lot about song writing from my very valuable time providing supplementary vocals and instrumentation for The Union Choir, from the image-packed lyricism of the songs, to the emotive construction of the music itself. They are one of the best bands I’ve ever known so I’m lucky to have been a part of it, if only for a little while.

For now I’ll continue to record with just me and a guitar performing live in my room. It’s tempting to build up recordings by doing everything closed microphone style, layering with various bits of precussion, but whilst I’m still playing these songs on my own I’ll keep things raw.

Please listen/download Escapology, and let me know if you’d like to hear more.

Get Frank’s Feather… literally!

In my last post I mentioned that the lovely Melissa and Claire from luxury hair accessories company Stone Bridge had sent me another fabulous box of goodies from their online emporium of hair combs, alice bands and hair clips.

I featured the Rose Alice Band they sent me in my last post, and I thought it was time to show of the shine-tastic Crystal Feather Slide I was also sent.

I usually wear small hair flowers to assist in keeping my curls out of my eyes, but this feather makes a pretty change, and adds a touch of glamour at the same time! The clip is also cleverly designed in that it features various shades of pink crystals to add depth and extra sparkle. Such a feature might make one fear that the hair will be weighed down, but the clip is still light enough to be worn without irritation – it sits comfortably and happily on my head (when worn as in the picture above).

I also had a go at using the clip to hold all of my hair in a textured bun (yes, there’s no hair elastic utilised in the above photo). I’m not great at putting my hair in a bun with a headband but I might have a go at some of Stone Bridge founder Melissa’s tutorial videos as I think she could teach me a thing or two about using accessories for more than mere decoration!

(Obviously the clip can be used for the more obvious ‘half-up, half-down’ style! I just couldn’t get the camera angle right!) The clip isn’t a spring clasp but a simple wire fastening which means that you can get inventive and use the clip for other purposes! I imagine it would look good with the bar threaded through knitwear (such as a scarf, beanie/beret or jumper) or even through a jacket buttonhole.

CIMG0577 — Crystal feather hair slide by Stone Bridge

And guess what? If you fancy one of these clips for yourself I’ve been given access to ‘Get Frank’ exclusive offer by the Stone Bridge team… All you need to do is follow this link and you can get this twinkly treat of a hair clip for a £14 which is a bit of a bargain when you consider it was originally £32! It’s the first offer I’ve ever posted on this blog so needless to say I’m excited!

Hope you enjoy your hair slides!

Hair-y goodness!

I arrived at a flu-stricken Amazing Radio office yesterday to discover a surprise parcel on my desk.

The contents didn’t remain a mystery for long, however, as the box had a tell-tale Stone Bridge sticker adorning it.

The signature Stone Bridge sticker

From the perfect brown paper packaging, to the generous layers of crease free tissue paper inside, Stone Bridge clearly doesn’t believe that online shopping should mean a lack of customer service. There’s even a little red ribbon that keeps the parcel in one neat place.

Some of you might remember the Rose Silk Alice Headband that I received late last year. The deceptively large box contained another beautiful headband, and a crystal feather hair slide.

I’ll be posting a bit more about the indulgently girly hair slide above later this week, and I’m hoping to ‘borrow’ my friend Anna’s hair too, in order to see what it looks like on shorter hair than my own.

CIMG0578 — Satin rose corsage headband by Stone Bridge

This satin rose corsage headband is a beautiful Cadbury shade of purple. It reminds me of a rose on a hat we once randomly had in the dressing up box of my younger years. Usefully, the rose can we adjusted around the headband so that it’s easy to sit on the right place on your head!

Evidently, I was so excited by this headband that once I had fitted it onto my head, I couldn’t resist taking it off. It certainly livened by my jeans and Created in Birmingham T-Shirt combo! Like all Stone Bridge products claim, the band is incredibly comfortable, meaning that my voluptuous head doesn’t get sore behind the ears. I’m definitely looking forward to wearing it with this Topshop dress (that looks like a recycled net curtain!)

I’ll post more pictures of the crystal feather hair clip shortly, but for now I’m going to swan around the house like the cat who got the er… headband!

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#MooreandMe: Four Days Outside the Tower. I’m Scared. I’m Tired. I’m Crying. And I Won’t Stop.

Faceless.

I just watched Cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model in two days.

This cycle was called ‘ANTM Elevated’ due to the incorporation of more top fashion houses (such as Versace and Roberto Cavalli) and a prize that included a spread in Italian Vogue.

Rather than ‘make like a model’ I thought I’d have a gleeful dig through my wardrobe and mix old and new bits and pieces together. I’ve been to the shops a few times since Christmas but haven’t found too much sales wise – I’ve still got Zara and Top Shop vouchers to splurge – but I’m biding my credit ’til I see something I “simply have to have, darlings!”

CIMG0552 — Trousers £14.99 by Zara, Shirt and shoes both by H&M

One joyous miracle happened recently on my 22nd birthday when I found a black version of my favourite camel trousers reduced in Zara to £14.99 from £19.99. Anyone who knows this blog at all will be aware that I’ve been trying to find ‘cigarette pants’ for an absolute age so to find them for such a bargain was rather pleasing! (Particularly as I used a Christmas voucher to buy them so it cost nada – thanks Tony!)

CIMG0558 — Jumper knitted by Deb, leggings 'freecycled', shoes by Dune

I borrowed this jumper from my Dad when I was cold at Christmas and his wife Deb gave it to me ‘because it suited me more’! I’ve wanted an oversized jumper for a while (thanks Deb!) but it doesn’t belt well so I have to wear with leggings to avoid looking too shapeless – I think it works though. The American Apparel style leggings were a free find at a Friends of the Earth Freecycle event I went to before I left Birmingham. Although I was primarily there to offload old clothes I couldn’t carry, I couldn’t resist these! The heels are also a thrift from my shoe hoarding mother. All in all a budget-free look.

CIMG0559 — Shirt from Oxfam, skirt from Cow Vintage, headband £1.25 (sale price) by Peacocks and boots by Melissa for Anglomania

I held out all holiday season for these boots by Anglomania (one of Vivienne Westwood’s diffusion lines). They arrived as a last present miracle from my fabulous sister Charlotte. Weirdly enough they smell pleasantly fruity so I lay around with my nose in the boots for an alarming amount of time! I shortened and hemmed the skirt so it was of more wearable length but accidentally burned a hole in it… oops! And I’ve not yet worn the shirt out of my room, so I should probably start getting more use out of it!

CIMG0566 — Dress from PDSA, heels by Office

I got this shift dress for about £3 in 2008 when I was doing work experience as a BBC Blast reporter. I had no money but a desire to spend it, so the PDSA charity shop was a good place for me to browse! The heels were my extravagant purchase from my short spell acting at Birmingham’s MAC theatre during a break from University. They are rather high so I don’t wear them out much, although I wore them for graduation. There were concerns that I’d fall over in front of everyone, but actually it was my oversized mortarboard hat that caused the issue.

Now… to the Top Shop sale! (Suggestions of what to buy, anyone?)