Jazzy Lemon saves the day!

I’d meant to take a picture of my outfit for The Prison Library single launch at the Cluny 2 last night but headed out the door without thinking.

I don’t take a picture of every outfit I’ve worn, but I wanted a picture because it featured a few items I picked up from the Metro Centre on Wednesday. (I’m also having a wardrobe clear out and am in the midst of deciding what looks good and what would be best placed else where!)

Luckily Newcastle’s staple music photographer Jazzy Lemon was out in force and happened to take a few snaps of me at the gig (which you can see below). You can check out the full album (amongst literally hundreds of thousands of rock and roll moments) here. There’s plenty of great shots of all the acts; this Sunday’s Amazing Folk Roots Show guest The Lake Poets, Let’s Buy Happiness in disc jockey action at the decks, soulful Indie four-piece Grandfather Birds and headliners The Prison Library, who managed to put fears about the departure of brilliant Frankie & the Heartstrings guitarist Mick Ross totally at bay.

Blazer £29.99 by H&M, cropped t-shirt £9.99 by Zara, skirt £11 by Primark, headband by Stone Bridge

I saw this t-shirt on Zara’s website and experienced one of those “HAVE TO HAVE THIS” moments where I wanted to leave my desk and flee to this shop for immediate purchase. I didn’t notice I’d picked up a larger size until I got home but I think it will still work tucked into skirts or with faux leather skinnies. The blazer is one of the comfiest I own and was a complete impulse buy when a band practice was cancelled last-minute.

Shoes by Office, socks by Primark

I decided to brighten up the muted colours, ‘chic-up the geek’ and raise myself off the floor by a good five inches with my Office platform heels. I got these in 2008 when I was paid for my performance in Days of Hope by Howard Goodall at Birmingham’s MAC theatre. Although most of the money went on student rent and a new electric piano, I just couldn’t resist these. They made me at least as tall as most of the audience which meant that I could comfortably see the bands for once!

Satchel by New Look (all photos by Jazzy Lemon)

I’m starting to get rather impatient for Spring to arrive now. I’m resisting hiding in big coats and layering cardigans and my unlined parka in an attempt to be ready lest we be treated to a sunburst or two. Tomorrow I’m heading off to Tynemouth (a bit of the coast to any Southerners reading this) so I’m hoping to find a treat or two. I’ve never been before, but I’m gagging for some good ole seaside chips!

Thanks again to Jazzy Lemon for letting me use her photos!

Must-hear viewing

“Must-hear you say? But these are videos I see below…”

Yes that is indeed correct, but they’re music videos so I hope you watch them to hear them… if that makes sense? Basically they’re videos that if you haven’t seen, you should, and if you have I heartily salute you with my well-bitten fingernails.

Firstly I present to you the wonderful Leeds-based solo artist James Owen Fender. I truly love this artist: Awesome voice, sensational tunes. Also check out his video for former single The Cloud.

Next, here’s lovely songwriter Martin Longstaff, performing live for Amazing Radio as The Lake Poets. This was recorded exclusively for the station at Newcastle’s Blank Studios. I wrote an article recently predicting big things for The Lake Poets in 2011, and Martin will be a guest on my Amazing Folk Roots Show this Sunday from 7pm.

Now I’ve been meaning to post this next video for far too long. It’s Newcastle four piece Grandfather Birds recording in The Amazing Sessions for Amazing Radio. This video was created by the lovely Paul Alton, who often attends local gigs armed with a video camera. (The song’s pretty sensational too).

I wasn’t too big a fan of previous effort Ungrateful, but I have a huge soft spot for this number, Hunger, by Wichita label act Frankie & the Heartstrings. It’s a fantastic video starring Robert Popper of BBC comedy Look Around You and features a particularly fine performance from keyboardist/guitarist/all-round-legend Mick Ross.

Finally I’m not sure if this is an official video. but we’re loving Kyla La Grange at Amazing Towers right now. Her voice might be too sugary for some, but this song, Walk Through Walls, is epic.

So what do you think? Any new acts I should check out?

An open letter to BBC Introducing

Please note that the following is strictly of my own opinion, and not that of my employer, the Amazing Media Group (AMG).

Dear BBC,

I produce and present for Amazing Radio, a DAB digital radio station that only plays new and emerging music. Should this make us rivals? No, of course not. We want the same things… possibly.

I’ve become doubtful recently as BBC Introducing focuses on flashy ‘Masterclass’ and ‘In New Music We Trust’ events. These are valuable for artists supported by the Introducing brand, but it seems that sometimes this focus to publicly celebrate ‘the next big thing’ can forget the smaller artists recently being discovered by local BBC Introducing programmes.

Local BBC Introducing shows have to be commissioned by the Managing Editor of the regional centre and I understand this. There are different budgets, schedules to fit the shows into – which explains why some shows are just an hour, some three and others expand outside of the show with regional tours. What I don’t understand is why the BBC cannot invest a mere smidgeon of time in publishing the playlists from each show. It’s incredible that you cannot find programme information for the regional shows.

This might seem like a petty quibble, but I promise you it’s not. What do new, emerging and unsigned artists need most of all? Gigs! You can’t build a fan base (and test their dedication) without building up a loyal following that will support you and your music if you begin releasing. A label will be unlikely to sign a band without a considerable following. Public faith should not be underestimated. Promoters will be looking to BBC Introducing to provide new acts for local gigs – or at least they could be, if the BBC decided to do the simple thing of archiving a list of played acts (with links) from each show.

The BBC Birmingham Introducing website is a good example of what regional BBC Introducing sites should be starting with. The site used to house a comprehensive A-Z of local acts, but I can no longer locate it. There are, however, local artist news articles which is welcome relief from my fears that BBC Online is completely failing to provide us with the information that we pay our licence fees for.

At Amazing Radio our music programming policy is that we only play artists who have uploaded their tracks to amazingtunes.com. This means that our listeners can easily find what they hear on the radio, either by searching for the artists that they’ve heard us talk about on the radio, or by clicking on the hyper linked playlists that we provide on our show pages. We’re also on hand to answer any questions that site users or listeners may have. I occasionally receive emails that ask me about a song or artist, and I’m always happy to answer them,
(complete with a link to the artist’s profile page). Artists can write what they like on their profile pages too, so if they want to direct users to a Band Camp or Facebook fan page, we don’t mind at all!

So BBC, what would I like you do do? Well I’d like to see more effort put into the regional BBC Introducing sites – some shows don’t even have them – and I’d like to see published playlists for each show. Surely it can’t be that hard can it?

All the best,

Frankie Ward

Skins… an end to controversy?

Recently a post I published on 02/01/2009 has been getting an incredible number of hits.

Presumably because it was tagged ‘Skins’, ‘Frankie’ and ‘controversy’, fans of the E4 teen drama are curiously searching for hints and clues for the new series, which kicked off a week ago.

It seems ironic that I wrote a post querying the chaotic series 3 trailer, then wrote and a more positive blog the following year about the penultimate episode of series 4. This change probably came as I worked over the summer on the Skins website. I even got to visit the set in Bristol, and took part in the filming of Series 4, Episode 1. I also enjoyed the new cast in the ‘second phase’ more than I expected to, and was pleasantly surprised when they were all wonderful people too.

So what of the new series then? A common comment on the last series is that it was considered ‘too dark’. Last Thursday’s opener did away with the wild raves and portrayed a more truthful portrayal of what it means to be 16 and an outsider. Even glamourous ‘Mean Girl’ Mini had a party in a bar that featured nicely dressed teenagers, as one would expect from a ‘sweet sixteen party’ – rather than an ecstasy-fuelled romp. Franky, almost underplayed by former child film star Dakota Blue Fanning made for intriguing viewing, with her unsteady social standing creating a mystery around how our ‘gang of eight’ will finally come together as friends in time for series 6. Thankfully we’ve also been spared a love triangle too!

I’m not sure how long this more realistic portrayal of teen angst and social awkwardness will last, but TV series are allowed to descend into fantasy, aren’t they?

 

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.

"Off the face"

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).

"Bun"

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!

"Half-up, half-down"

(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.

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.

Crystal feather hair slide, £14 by Stone Bridge

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.

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!

The alice band in action!

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!

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!”

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!)

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.

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!

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?)

Allow me to explain…

I was in conversation with a colleague the other day when the subject of this blog came up.

“It can sometimes make you look a bit arrogant.” They said, not meaning to offend me.

I didn’t take this personally, but went on to explain that I’ll often use the blog to try and promote local music by putting together outfits and ‘style’ ideas for specific events (such as linking to gigs and writing about the performing acts.)

“Why not just write about the music then?” They then asked, raising a fair point – It’s something that I’d like to try and address on a more public scale.

I am not a stylist, a respected ‘fashionista’ or particularly known for my style knowledge. If anything, I am far removed from this world. But it’s a world I’m increasingly growing to love.

With my lack of expertise I am hesitant to describe this site as a fashion only blog. I have written about music for many sites, and also as part of my job at Amazing Radio. I do love to write about new bands but again, It’s my job! This blog, however, is not. It’s a space I can choose to do what I want with. I can post what I want, admittedly leaving myself vulnerable to criticisms, speculation and appraisals.

When I took my first ‘style’ photos for this blog I didn’t have a camera or tripod. I literally had to balance my macbook on top of my wardrobe, angle the screen and use Photo Booth to take the outfit shots. Cue me lying on a beanbag trying to squeeze my boots and miniskirt into the same snaps! Eventually I got a camera and tripod, but there’s still not enough room in my bedroom to have a photo with an entirely white background so I have to set my camera onto a timer and run into the corner of my room! It’s such a ridiculous way of doing things that it makes me giggle.

Unfortunately I haven’t worked out a suitable ‘camera face’ yet! This in particular leaves me open to ridicule. I’m called a ‘pouter’ at work although it’s honestly not a conscious decision on my part! If I keep the photos up I’ll try and smile more.

Some of you may wonder why I should even put myself in the photos anyway – why not use a hanger or lay them on the floor for example? Well one of the reasons that I so admire many style blogs out there is because the people who write them tend to be the people in the photos. They are ‘real’ individuals who can honestly talk about their clothes and present us with visual evidence. Editorials in magazines are often out of my reach in terms of budget, occasion and body shape. These ‘normality’ gives me a sense of hope – why shouldn’t I join in?

Dress by Peacocks, shoes by Schuh, headband by Stone Bridge

Writing this blog has also given me the confidence to take ‘braver’ decisions in what I wear. For the photo above (taken by Faye Green as a promo shot for my band Get Frank) I went into ‘hyper girly’ mode with a floral dress, sheer pink polka dot tights, turquoise flower detailed shoes and an elaborate and beautifully handcrafted alice band (sent to me by the lovely people at luxury hair accessories store Stone Bridge who noticed my troublesome tresses and offered me possibly the most comfortable headband ever to rest behind my ears).

In the photo I’m also the proud owner of an imperfect arm! (Bingo wings ahoy!) Would you ever see that in a fashion magazine? I’ve posted this picture not because of my body, but because I love the clothes I’m wearing. Sometimes it’s not about what is flattering, but what makes you happy. And writing this blog makes me happy, no matter what jibes I get at work, or the preconceptions being fabricated behind my (occasionally) fabulously attired back.

I urge you to do what you love. If you still maintain your misgivings about this blog then those are your thoughts and opinions to keep. The fantastic thing about the World Wide Web is that you can always read something else.