Amazing Movie Making

I’ve been attempting to create some video content for Amazing Radio‘s You Tube channel recently.

We’ve recently become You Tube partners which I’m really excited about (my old channel isn’t, but it was always an aim). I announced upon my arrival at Amazing Towers in June that You Tube partnership was always a plan and in the end they approached us, which was nice!

Now we just need to start getting content, and finding an audience for it! I’ve started by making a simply Q & A video with Kyle Wilkinson, who I produce every week day on The Afternoon Show.

We might do more videos like this so if you have any questions for me (as the presenter of Amazing Folk Roots), for Kyle or for any of our presenters then feel free to ask away!

The Velvet Choir

Next Friday (10th December) I’m playing a festive gig with The Union Choir at Newcastle’s Cluny.

It’s for NARC magazine‘s annual ‘Stars in their Eyes Xmas Party‘ event where a selection of North East acts perform three cover versions of songs by a band of their choice.

Anticipation for the event is high, with acoustic folkers Rainfalldown performing (sadly June Carter-less) as Johnny Cash (and band), post punk revivalists Cult Image as The Ramones, Holy Mammoth as Blink 182 and us, The Union Choir, as The Velvet Underground and Nico. Amazing Radio‘s Tom Cotton will also be DJ-ing… as himself.

Velvet dress by George @ Asda, £14

[Post bath I decided not to leave the house hence the absence of makeup/decent hair. I did try to make myself ‘decent’ by removing the red eye in this photo, but it’s left me looking even odder!]

With every gig comes the occasionally frantic question of what to wear. I’ve decided to take our incarnation as The Velvet Underground (and yes, technically I’m ‘Nico’) quite literally by wearing this velvet number by George @ Asda. I found it online and headed into the Heaton Asda Living store on a whim after snow rendered me unable to travel to Birmingham. I’d decided to get some bubble bath and have a sulky soak as i’d taken the day off work for my journey to the midlands, but then this dress was too tempting to resist trying… It was reduced from £24 to £14 and is a beautiful shape, texture and colour. It’s not too risque lengthwise (but has a slit at the front so could be if I’m not careful!) You can find it online here.

I haven’t accessorised fully in the photo but I’m wearing pearly mary jane style shoes (with a ribbon tie) and a charm bracelet pendant necklace that my dad got me as a graduation present. I’m also wearing a fake pearl headband by Accessorize but I think I’ll ‘toughen things up’ with my leather jacket, smokey eyes and loose hair for the gig itself.

Hope you can make it down!

The worst customer service ever?

Over a week ago I got ridiculously excited about the arrival of American fashion store Forever 21 launching an online UK store.

The brand has opened their first store in the UK in Birmingham (which I was hoping to visit tomorrow if I ever manage to make it to Birmingham). Although I wouldn’t travel that far simply for a shop, I was prepared to take the risk and buy online from the shop.

This risk I speak of is not necessarily delivery related, but more in terms of size. It seems that their sizes in Forever 21 land are quite strange – a ‘small’ is a size UK 4 – 6 according to their site (rather than an ‘extra small’ as you’d expect) whilst some skirts in a size ‘small’ have a 27″ waist, which doesn’t quite correlate for me.

To ‘play it safe’ I decided to order some Christmas presents from the site. I’m on a budget and Forever 21 are known stateside for their fashionable bargains (like a more upmarket Primark, you might say). I found a few things I thought my friends would love (and I quite fancied myself too!) and headed to the virtual checkout. I popped in my billing address, set my delivery address to my work (in case the postman couldn’t deliver to an empty house during the day) and paid via Paypal.

What happened next was the most confusing part. I received an instant notification from Paypal about my payment, but did not receive the expected email from the online store. After a few hours I was concerned and tried to find a contact for customer services.

The customer services section of the site was confusing and unhelpful. I looked at the ‘order’ section of the contact area and it had a contact form. This form required a customer order ID, but as I hadn’t been send one, I couldn’t actually use it! I tried to use a form that did not require an ID but it refused to actually send.

I couldn’t find an email but eventually managed to find a number for the site… however when I rang this there was no recorded messages or an answer – just rings that rang empty and answered.

The next day I logged back onto the site to find that my cart had been refilled with the products from the day before. I checked my Paypal account and noticed that the money had been authorized to leave and I couldn’t cancel the transaction. Wondering if I’d ever get the items, I tried to complete the order (as the items were still in my ‘basket’). As I tried to change my delivery address to my work address the browser refused to respond to my request. After a few attempts I noticed that I’d just received an email from the store. It was an order confirmation dated for that morning claiming that I’d paid by card and requested my delivery to my billing address.

This new email was confusing. I hadn’t entered card details and I had not confirmed this second attempt at an order so why was it delivering items to an address I had not wanted in my previous attempt at ordering and why was it saying I’d paid by card? It felt like a totally different transaction that had no even been ordered.

Again I tried the phone but received no response. I managed to find an email after rooting through the site and send an email detailing my problems and requesting a phone call with an explanation of where exactly my goods would be heading.

I got the following response:

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for emailing us with your concern.
According to our records we received your order today, Nov 23rd and it has been shipped out today.
The following items have been ordered:
ITEMS 1-4

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you experienced while using our website.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at ukonline@forever21.com.

Thank you for choosing Forever 21.

I received this email on November 24th, something they acknowledged in a second email:

Dear Valued Customer,
Correction to the previous e-mail: Your order was received yesterday, Nov 23rd and shipped out yesterday, Nov 23rd.

Contrary to this email, I do not feel like a ‘Valued Customer’ – I feel ignored and very, very pissed off. My items have still not arrived, despite paying nearly £4 for postage. It was been over a week and although there has been snow, there has also been post so I do not see the weather as a reasonable excuse.

I have sent another email to Forever 21 informing them that the items have no arrived but still have received no response. I desire a personal service, not someone imitating a robot. How can an apology be sincere when no effort is made to address the customer and their concerns directly?

Has anyone else had any issues with Forever 21 or another online store?

An Amazing article!

An exciting thing happened this morning!

The Guardian wrote about Amazing Radio!

Getting to know the boys from emerging act Mike Fantastic
Getting to know the boys from emerging act Mike Fantastic

It’s quite a big thing for us as we’re rather ‘underground’ in our music policy (and also because we don’t advertise.) We’re a commercial station that doesn’t play ads (save for the Christmas DAB trails) and we only play new and emerging artists (who have popped their stuff over at amazingtunes.com.)

I’ve written about my job in many a post on this blog, but if you’d like to go straight to the source you can check out our website, follow us on Twitter or even join our Facebook Group and join the ‘New Music Revolution.

And just when I thought I’d been waiting so long I’d become extinct…

… the first of the new recordings from Newcastle based four piece Holy Mammoth arrived!

And suddenly my day became very good indeed!

The occasionally lovely* boys from Holy Mammoth sent me over their new track Years complete with embedded artwork of the boys (it’s a individual portraits of all of them, which is a rather unexpected coup).

It’s not just because I’m lazy and hankering for my duvet, but also because I want you to make up your own mind about the track that I won’t say much about it, other than YOU NEED IT. Luckily YOU CAN GET IT by emailing h.mammoth@gmail.com (useful that).

I think I’m particularly enamoured with the track because I listening to it virtually on repeat whilst kneading the dough that was to become the loaf of olive bread pictured below. (I couldn’t actually change the song because I had sticky, doughy hands but I think it’s testament to the track that I fisted, slapped and banged my prospective bun in time to Mark Atwill’s drums without tiring of the bright, well worked guitars and enigmatic vocals).

Holy Mammoth... a good band to make bread to

If you ask the band nicely enough, I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to send you over singer/guitarist Andrew Davey’s lyrics too. There’s a couple of songs in the Mammoth songbook that seemingly deliberate origins and indentity (such as personal favourite Suggester) and this is one of them. It makes a refreshing change to hear a song that can say what it wants to say with little words and a lot of musicality. I like it very much.

It seems that Holy Mammoth have also found themselves a ‘tribute act’ in the form of surreal kidnap victims Hurly Mammith. I’m not sure if this band is incredibly ugly or simply not human, but the above video suggests that wicked scientists have thrown Holy Mammoth, Fang Island and an Asda carrier bag into a blender and come out with something miraculous sounding (rather like I ‘threw together’ the following berlotti bean chilli at the weekend).

Berlotti bean chilli (it took it three point five billion years...)

So anyway, enough about my culinary achievements… you should really send that email now. (Then you should tell the world/tweet/facebook/blog about it, because it’s free and all that.)

*Will be lovely on a full time basis once they make me soup. Or cheesecake. I’m not particularly fussed either way.


Check off my Christmas list?

I haven’t thought too much about Christmas too much, although there are a few ‘dream’ items I’m er… day dreaming about.

My birthday is December 27th so I often get ‘joint presents’ – or simply none at all. I mean, it’s not all about the gifts of course, but this is a ‘lifestyle’ blog type thing so I gathered I might as well pop some pics online!

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania & Melissa booties

Now, these boots may seem excessive at £80 – £90 a pop but they’re exactly what I need to get me through the next four months up in the snowy, snowy North East! I’ve been walking in the snow for the past few days and it seems that my flowery George @ Asda wellies just aren’t going to cut it anymore. I hate having to carry spare shoes around with me too – but with rubber booties this glam and special I simply wouldn’t need to!

Anglomania and Melissa Cream Bow Bootie
Aglomania & Melissa Button Detail Glitter Ankle Boots

I’m not sure which design I prefer most! I originally wanted the gold version but having just found the cream booties I’m beginning to sway in my preferences!

River Island hooded fur coat

I found this ‘fantasy fur’ coat in River Island on an emergency winter coat shopping trip the other day, but alas! They did not have my size – in the picture below I’m wearing a coat three sizes up!

 

River Island hooded fur coat

I love this coat because of how amazing and large the hood is. The coat is gorgeous and amazing to touch. I’ve not seen too many fake fur coats that I’ve felt I could wear because of the sheer bulk of them, but this version is sleek, smooth and lovely. I’m a tad depressed that I can’t find it online either – as usual, I’ve hyperlinked all photos to the ‘home’ of the products but I had to link this picture to a cream version.

Hohner soprano melodica (in C)

I sing, play glockenspiel and melodica for The Union Choir

Hohner soprano melodica

This melodica has ‘button keys’ which keep the melodica nicely neat and compact in size. I could easily keep it in my handbag for gigs too! (Plus loads of my favourite bands, such as Tuung, use this particular model for gigs and recordings.)

So yes, these are my top three!

The first photos…

We have photos!

They were taken by the lovely Faye Green (guitarist Todd’s sister.) She’s currently studying art at the University of Newcastle. I don’t know if she has a blog but if you’d like to get in touch with her, leave a comment and we’ll pass it her way!

Yours truly: Frankie Ward
David Mabbott (bass)
Mark Edwards (drums)
Neil Andrew Smith (keys)
Todd Green (guitar)
Get Frank

If you’re interested in seeing us live please check out our Facebook page. You can get in touch about gigs by emailing me at frankiepromotes@gmail.com.

Awake, Not Drifting

Here’s our first EP, Awake, Not Drifting!

Awake, Not Drifting by GetFrank

I’m still wondering how we should release it so it’s currently set to stream online. If you have 79p spare and would like to help reimburse recording costs then you can grab Vacant from our amazingtunes.com profile page.

My friend and very talented illustrator/graphic designer/musician/legend Brendan Kearney has kindly offered to help us out with the artwork for the EP. You can see his artwork for his band Broken Boat over on their myspace. It’s all rather lovely! Hopefully I’ll pop some stuff on here soon – the stuff he’s done so far looks amazing. The illustration below is quite similar to what he’s working on.

http://www.brendankearney.blogspot.com

If you think you’d like a CD copy then please let me know – I think it would be quite nice to create some hard copies. Maybe we’ll do one of those ‘official EP launch’ things… Our first gig is Thursday 25th November so please do come check us out in the flesh. I’m hoping we’ll get offered some support slots – if you’d like to book us then just email me; frankiepromotes@gmail.com.

Hope you like it!

The perfect LBLD?

I’ve always dreamed of finding that ‘perfect Little Black Dress’

I thought I found it for a mere £9.99 in H&M today but when I got to the dressing room it just didn’t fit right.

I had places to be so had to leave the strapless, shiny black pleated bargain behind with the shop assistants. Feeling down I moved to leave the shop but stopped in my tracks near the exit… By Jupiter! I had found it!

It was wrinkly, not in my size and made of fake leather! I had to buy a size up but it means it will be perfect for casual winter layering (for the Amazing Radio office) whilst not being a too tight and ‘fetish’ looking. Once off the hanger and on my body the wrinkles disappeared and gave an almost smooth look.

Faux leather dress, £14.99, white shirt both by H&M
Faux leather dress, £14.99, white shirt both by H&M

It’s the perfect day-to-night dress too. Here I toughen it up a little with my Peacocks grey hiking boots.

Boots £20 by Peacocks

I quite like it with my red heels too; there’s plenty a pair of shoes that would work with this dress which is why I adore it so.

I have a gig with The Union Choir in support of The Winter Hill Transmission’s single launch next Friday (19th November) and I’m not sure if I should wear this or the Primark dress below…

Dress £15, by Primark

The flash of my camera has made the underskirt of this dress look a lot shinier than it actually is. It reminds me of a Peacocks dress I saw in a magazine (but it’s a lot nicer in the lace detailing department and £8 cheaper.) I have to wear it with a belt because the empire line design into the full skirt is so unflattering I was tempted to take it back. The swift addition of the belt made me have a sudden change of heart.

I think that the leather look dress might be better for The Union Choir gig, and the crochet dress for my first Get Frank gig on the 25th November – but again, I’m not sure.

Help me out? Which one for which occasion?!

Anchors and flowers

I’m having a bad face and hair day today…

There are some reasons why this is extremely bad timing, but I won’t bore you with those.

I seem to be having a great run of bad luck recently – like the world has said to me “right, we’ll let you record with Get Frank after two and a half years of desperately trying to organise something, but we’re going to have to compromise on everything else.”

For example, last Saturday morning at approximately 2am (I went to bed before 11pm in the hope of being ‘refreshed’ for my Halloween gig with The Union Choir), I woke up with severe stomach ache which was followed by vomiting etc… I got food poisoning on the morning of the night of the gig I’d been looking forward to for six weeks! And I’d missed the previous gig with tonsillitis. Wonders never cease.

Top by Gap £7.99, Shoes by H&M £14.99, Capri pants £19.99 by Zara, Bag £16.99 by Interacionale

Yes, in this picture I look distinctly unhappy with the universe. I’ve decided to try and cheer myself up by wearing red heels in the daytime. I’m not standing very well here and something distinctly nappyish is going on with the trousers… I attempted to iron them. (It’s not my strong point, ironing.) The trousers are a bit big on my legs but they’re one of the best fits I can find. I really love the Gap t-shirt though. Gap t-shirts are the best quality I’ve found on the high street, with a nice comfy fit.

Hair flowers £1.99 a pair by H&M, 'Frankie necklace' bespoke by ladyluckrulesok.com

My mum gave me the cherry earring after one of her many fancy dress events (she’s a fancy dress genius, and I do not use those words lightly! She is incredible.) I only have one ear pierced so always get people being ‘helpful’ and telling me I’m missing one etc… The necklace is from Ladyluckrulesok.com. I followed the site for seven years before designer Leona Baker decided to move onto a new project. The shop was hugely successful so maybe she wanted to feel more independent again – who knows?

The light is deceptive in this picture too (thank you attic sky lighting!) My hair and face are both messy today. I appear to have developed acne at the late age of 21. The flowers are a desperate attempt to look like my hair is deliberately big and ‘fizzy’ (I hate that word but feel it’s appropriate here. Vogue may get away with it, I do not.) ‘Rah’ girls spend ages backcombing, hairspraying and boofing up their roots to get ‘just out of bed’ hair to match their uggs and jogging bottoms. Again, they and their Jack Wills jumpers are part of an exclusive club that I just don’t get.

Thank goodness I’m off to the cinema, at least!

Also, Get Frank recordings are just having final touches and changes made and will be online very soon. Our first gig in Newcastle is at the Northumberland Arms on the 25th November. Hope to see you there (details to follow.)