Hannah J Davies: Crystal Tipps' World of Wonder

Kill the musical mockingbird?

September 30, 2009 · 1 Comment

Yoooo. Shit that is even more 2004 when written than in my vacuous little head.

I’m toying with the idea of giving my entries lyrically-inspired names again. Yes, I used to do that a lot…then I got bored and decided to stick with these random titles. Like when they tried to give Neighbours episodes names for a while back in about 2003. Needless to say, it didnt work…after all, if something isn’t broken, why fix it with poor wordplay.

Not much continuity there, really. I’m rambling incoherently like a Clay Aiken song now. God, he used to scare me… like Elton John if he had been raised on a diet of maize and corn in Africa, malnutritioned suitably and then dumped in the Deep Sawwwth to push corn and meatloaf around his plate and experiment with MAC on the weekends. Praise Jesus! I DIGRESS, this month has been one massive load of change for me, probably because I’m in a different school and because my best friend has moved away from London. So here I am – alone – wondering whether a drag queen has ever innocently emptied some of MAC’s Crystal Avalanche eyeshadow into a small bag and been arrested for possession of crack.

I’ve also been thinking about music…surprising eh? My current hang-up is how much people are TOTAALLY in lurrrve with the oh-so-folsky, uninspired class of today rather than enjoying the masters of yesteryear. Ok, so its plain stupid to say that everyone around nowadays is ripping off what was popular 10 or 20 or even 30 years ago. But to prove a point…

CASE IN POINT NUMERO UN im too lazy to write a proper caption: DEVENDRA BANHART

Let’s start with the random, relaxing imagery. ZEN BABES. GOOD FUNG SHUI…

ⓒ Life Magazine

ⓒ Life Magazine

I’m not gonna lie, I have literally wasted yearss listening to Little Yellow Spider by this guy since it was on an Orange advert about three years ago. I have recurring dreams about daisies, salads with pickles, banjos…and this ditty whirring out of an anologue radio like the Mad Men picnic scene from last season. The cutesy if slightly retarded intonation (“shpider”, “munn-key”) and the fucking repetitive guitar strumming of three strings challenged me to think of greater things like ABCDEFG. And to check under the bed for little yellow spiders, such was my OCD. Anyhow, so Devendra is a MAN, just fyi, and if you know your stuff about the uberhip, underweight Californian classes then the idea of giving your child a Hindu name and a Star Wars inspired middle moniker is nothing new. As Gwyneth ‘Goop’ Paltrow said, its like yoga, Blackberry, colon cleanser, Pinkberry, yoga, (little yellow) spider diagram of potential names.  Devendra is a talented performer, and reeks of nonchalant South American charm like a child called Pepe running without shoes across a field shaking a maraca…dispell any images of them running away from a militant attack on their delightful, colourful village and you have Brand Banhart. It’s haut culture for a generation who know that the West Coast means programmes from The CW and red string Kaballah bracelets blocking up the gutter.

Just for good measure, watch this smugfest gastroporn. Deboning chickens is soo much less exciting than she’d wish us to think. Champagne vinegar and maple syrup weren’t made to mix.

My major hang-up is THE OLD MEDITERRANEAN MAN DRAWL. It might not be too obvious what I mean, but check out ‘Will Is My Friend’ by Banhart, and ‘Candy’ by Paolo Nutini for examples of this truly annoying tendency to sound like Herbert from Family Guy / Manuel from Faulty Towers. Paolo especially. God, I have tried so hard to enjoy his music, but something about his known skirt-chasing behaviour versus his elderly voice at only 22 years makes me want to chuck my head down the toilet and spell out Crimewatch Update with my puke.

Devendra’s main problem is that he has focused so hard on being the cool, vaguely foreign bearded guy who also shops at MAC - the sort whose lift you politely decline, clutching at rape alarm as you back away from the hemp-scented car with the Magic Tree and Eric Clapton slowly drifting in the breeze – that he has almost forgotten that he is an artiste. On first listen, ‘Bad Girl’ seemed the antidote to his love of playing some kind of Richard Gere/Anansie figure. Letting his voice melt down somewhat into an almost modern, Julian Casablancas-style with minimal animal sounds and not a ‘cultured’ Spanish word in sight, it seemed that ‘Bad Girl’ was a slightly more mainstream Devendra – moving his style along slightly to accomodate our need to feel included rather than left behind in a stream of confusion. ‘You know I taste Great’ on ‘At The Hop’ from an earlier album only ever evokes Tony The Tiger’ unfortunately, rather than moody soulfulness or even sexiness.  ANYHOW, ‘Bad Girl’ is a pretty song, but a quick Youtube confirmed my suspicions that he had been not only lifting the mood but the content. The M&S song – Albertross by Fleetwood Mac – may not have just been a point of reference here.

Dev: Count Dracula fanboii?

Dev: tender Count Dracula fanboii, moi?

And so, my slightly renewed faith in the artists of today lulled again. Plus, he starts miaowing halfway through the song which is enough to bring visions of a stool and rope into close view. I have been told before that I am a true 80s child, and often feel upset that I was born too late to be a true fan of the bands I really adore, like Tears For Fears. BUT, maybe there is something advantageous about being born in this join-the-dots age I guess. Sure, Florence isn’t Kate Bush, Winehouse is not going to go down as one of the greats and Pixie Lott is consistently cheesy, flat and smug, but at least this seeming lull is allowing me to explore what I might’ve missed in the time BC (Before Cynicism) whilst pretending to care about the crap floating out of Capital Punishment FM.

PS: I’m just bitter because my dream of becoming LA Reid’s bitch never happened. I wasn’t talent spotted (errr…why?!) and I don’t own a car, a house or even a wig like Miley Cyrus’.

But what I do have is the hope that one day we might actually get some people who play instruments, don’t mime when ‘live’ or demand shit like Blue Smarties and ten lines of coke just to do substandard sets and let people down.  Devendra, if you were British, I might salute you – not for your talent but for your strength of character. Pixie’s fellow Italia Conti alumni Newton Faulkner take note. Playing your only hit on an advert for your NEW ALBUM is even worse than your ginger dreadlocks.

After all, there’s copying other people, and then there’s copying yourself.

May CLAY watch over you and possibly infect your dreams into a nightmare of Disney and Deep Truth Highly Pigmented Eyeshadow Powder by MAC. He is a true American Idol. I haven’t been paid to sponsor any products but I am open to whoring out my writing space for blatant adverts.

LOVE THE JOBS YOU HATE,

YOURS,

hannahsig1

x      x     x    x


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Reading 09: Hannah J Davies is waste…

August 31, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Hannah J Davies was too busy living it up at Reading festival to prepare a blog this month. In actual fact, she almost came to a terrible end during Bloc Party, who obviously don’t understand the meaning of party. Their demeanours are most like Bloc Funeral.

D

I

n g    2009 MMIX.

Radiohead were amazing of course…in that offbeat, half-caring, underdone, overdone, thoughtful way that only they and a few other bands can lay claim to. It was an amazing experience, nonetheless: Hannah J Davies’ first Reading festival…breathing in dusty air and smoke, breathing out awe and idolatry as she watched her dream headline act. Thom Yorke’s Kermit-style croak of “wassup” did little to question his place as the awkward but ultimately genius Master of The Universe.

Anyways, enough about her, she is waste and didn’t prepare a blog for her readership. Let’s turn our attention to 3OH!3 instead, whose straggly swagger was current. “I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby” separated the men from the boys, although ironically there was some plenty of couple action during the tune.

Master Shortie infected our minds with his subliminal Demon Headmaster promotion of – in no particular order – his tour, album and trainer line. Phew! His cover of Prince Charming by Adam and the Ants is standout, and rather memorable if not ironic.

Amateur H had an amazing day, even though she was almost crushed and owes her life to three gentlemen who aided her in crowdsurfing out of aforementioned Bloc Mortuary. She sustained a twisted ankle and a few bruises, and lost a friend who she has consequently not seen since but who got out of the lion’s den alive.

Reading was eyeopening – a small, self-sufficient world just beyond a motorway and a McDonalds where anyone – from former teachers to friends of friends of friends could be found. Communities were formed, but alas Amateur H was not part of any particular one, going only for one day, and – primarily – to see T Yorke and co. deliver classics such as Karma Police alongside …wait for it… two new songs, one of which had never been heard before! So much so that I now don’t remember what it was called, but boy was it good to be involved in that tenuous make-or-break moment.

It was a success, and lame claims to fame include seeing Edith Bowman’s hair and shoulder pads sans neck, floating through a glass window, and standing 10ft from Vampire Weekend’s drummer at Radiohead. That is lame, based on a VP set which was a happily mediocre crashcourse in mediocrity. Although Ezra has to be in the top 10 musical Jewish hotties…way above Simon & Garfunkel at any rate.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are given a resounding Yeah Yeah Yes by this writer after an amazing set…and Karen O’s pointlessly yet highly important costumery. A true, crazy legend.

So home we went, with the search for our missing friend over and a train which featured artbitches snorting cocaine (literally) and a bunch of perving wideboys. I’m sure the french people would’ve been of no help whatsoever had the rapey atmosphere exceeded its 12/10 mark.

So, alls well that ends well…and I’ve had enough music to last me a good few weeks.


hannahsig1

x x x x




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…Artrocker coverage for Underage Fest!!

August 3, 2009 · 1 Comment

Just a quick one to tell you about my second appearance on Artrocker.tv!

Click here to read my highlights of the Underage fest, along with some from fellow writer Jasmine Sherman!

There will be a whole lot more to read when the FULL REVIEW is published in issue 94 of Artrocker Magazine, out on September 5th and available in WH Smiths, Borders and more!

Til then…

Me & Kai Fish (Mystery Jets) by Cathryn Innocent

Kai Fish (Mystery Jets) and I by Cathryn Innocent

hannahsig1

x  x x x

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I Spy July

August 1, 2009 · 2 Comments

Evening readers, and welcome to my monthly cocktail of filth and stories about the inside of d-lister’s noses.  I’m sure there’s no incriminating white fluff up there, girl who won Pop Idol in 2005 etc etc.

Anyways, it struck me as odd that I’ve literally never seen a celebrity doing normal stuff like shopping and drinking meal replacement shakes, even though I hang out all over London like a lost urchin with a curly mullet. So, I decided to ask some other people to email me with what they’ve seen celebrities doing, and I think I have done better than NOW magazine (seriously, the best they had last week was two BB6 people or something shopping for sausage rolls at Greggs. Guffaw.)

From: Chiponmyshoulder@noparentalsupervisonorguidance.uk.net

Dear Hannah,

John Frieda was giving bowl cuts to kids on my ruff lundun estate and insuring them that they look just like Ziggy/Zammo, just sans the frizz…All the working class kitchen sink grit of his Polish ancestry shines through…NO. I tried to just say no but free haircuts only happen twice: once from publicity-hungry celebrities and the other in the Army. I’m too young to die, so I chose the ‘accept offer from Sheer Blonde creator’ option. I am going to be called soft forever, but thats ok because I work at B&Q and my sister’s bastard son was box 16 on Deal or No Deal once…so I must be straight.

(I actually think he was very brave to email us with this picture…after all, there is a place where people with teeth like his often end up…it starts with Beachy and ends with Head)

From: Taylormomsen@chacecrawfordtaylormomsenleightonmeester.com

Good day Hannah,

Richard Bacon was eating errrm a bacon sandwich outside a synagogue in North London. Incensed our group of friendly Jewish lawyers…I would’ve confronted him there and then but we must be home before sundown on a Friday (ready for Jonathan Ross presumably).

(Another brave, brave soul who – rather than confront Bacon on his crime for fear of sinning – actually decided to call a lawyer and try to settle away from court for a great deal of his assets (flat, car, signed poster of Rachel Stevens). Good on you Mr’s Chace, Crawford , Taylor , Momsen, Leighton and Meester).

From: lindsaylohan@

icantgetlaid.nu

Hiii Hannah <3

Saw your best UK export since like, the Queen, that sexy Cat Deeley snogging a butch woman in LA…no one noticed because said butch woman was probably C.D’s effeminate identikit lover JACK HUSTON. I’m definitely not jealous that she is going out with someone who is 89% Johnny Depp and 11% Morticia Addams, because I am a bonafide lesbian. No 89% men allowed! A woman needs a man like a fish needs a tricycle! xXx ps: that said, any directors I can hang with y’know, get me some film roles maybe? Ten year hiatus sucks when your Coke Fund runs dry, eh?

(Good choice, Linz <3, don’t think you’ve really been the same since you did Freaky Friday. Maybe it was that time you spent as Jamie Lee-Curtis…)

From:

oh_my_god_twilight_sucks_even_though_i_stalk_rpattz

@ironichaircutz.tv

Hey Harriet J Davids i super love your website…I’m a 13 year old girl who is definitely not a 50 year old man LOL. Anywho, KStew and TLautz buying garlic and rabbits paws and copies of the Mormon biblein this totally hip and uber ironic shop called like yeah I dont remember because I picked heroin and Oreos for breakfast. Bad choice. But like, you should keep yourself safe before an interview with a vampire and such, bbz…sorry, I hear my goddamn blackberry… must dash, it could be one of the girls from The Hills, i put my PIN on a facebook group and have been so popular ever since LOLZ – *gunshot*

(It’s funny how much she looks like a stock image…maybe she is a model…or more likely she works in a video store like one of the sad kids in Scream, desperately downloading Neve Campbell screensavers for special time. I like inappapropriate italics.)

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ANYWAYS, moving swiftly on – THANKS AGAIN – Cathryn Innocent & I have started an exciting, brand new, never seen before website in the past month!

BELLEJAM.com is a place where us two crazy gimps hope to engage and entertain our readership with photojournalism, reviews, etc…its a HANNAHJDAVIES offshoot so I know that if you like this, you will LOVE Bellejam.com!!

Log on if only for my review of the J Depp/C Bale film Public Enemies!


(Image: C. Innocent)
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Bands I’ve seen – Jul 09 – o2 wireless festival, london; featured great performances from Kanye West (electriying even solo) and the Noisettes among many others. Fun day out, got plenty of freebies and had Domino’s from a van…

(Fan photography by myself – Shingai from the Noisettes shortly before a massive wardrobe malfunction rendered her indecent for a period. My friend and I were pretty close up as you can see…singing along and invariably gaining cigarette burns and beer in our respective hair [especially during Calvin Harris].  All good fun though…)

Ken Kobayashi band (see here for my interview with the man himself) in Brixton, along with The Thirst and others…really buzzing gig which also featured some cheeky chappy burlesque).

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+++ MORE MORE MORE: coming soon when the Bellejam.com girlies (Cathryn and myself) go to the Underage Festival with  !!! I can’t wait to chat artistes with Santo/igold and enjoy some Dubstep from Rusko & Caspa!I’ll keep posting after the festival!

Til next time, bonne nuit (yes, I teach French on the side)

hannahsig1

x x x x

PS: massive massive huge congratuwelldone to this woman:

…if you’re not sure who she is and you are under the age of 30,  then you maybe you should consider a career in caving…i mean that in the nicest way possible for such a facety remark. K to the Rissi!!

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2 days late!

July 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Hellooo!

I absolutely hate delivering a late blog entry…it makes me angry! Still – I had quite a good excuse not to have been slogging over the Bberry or laptop, eyes glazed over and fingers bent…I also managed to go ginger somewhere in there as well:


I had my prom, when I should have been thinking about this very blog (Tuesday night). I had always imagined feeling like Cinderella on my prom night – rising up from the aesthetic mediocrity of not straightening my hair for weeks on end, not wearing any make-up and sitting around watching ‘The Hills’ in a tracksuit which looks like a Juicy second. Then – suddenly – the exams were over, and it was time to start thinking about looking nice – an alien concept after weeks of nighttime revision with Lucozade and Brickbreaker as my only friends…

An LBD was the order of the day, as were NBHs and an SGB. Make of that what you will – in other words, I dressed up, and then danced so much that my feet will surely never forgive me…

Anyhow, this blog isn’t all about me; in fact, this month it is about someone much more interesting: Michael Jackson. I was watching BBC 3 last Thursday night when the 60 Second News announced that he had been taken ill with a heart attack. Then, I went to check Facebook a few minutes later, and the story had exploded like a popular culture atom bomb all over the usually mundane midweek updates of “I need a fag” or “tonight was so much fun” etc etc. The word on everyone’s status was Jackson, soon followed by “dead”.

But was he dead? Was he actually dead or were these just vicious rumours. For someone whose life had been shrouded in mystery the clear cut accuracy of “Michael Jackson is dead” scrolling across the screen of Sky News did not quite fit. Neither did the Twitter tributes pouring in from @aplusk (Ashton Kutcher) and @mileycyrus (errrm, Miley Cyrus). He was a little boy had never quite grown up, and who was the epitomy of a child star gone wrong. Whilst I was a great fan of his music – tunes such as ‘Beat It’, ‘Thriller’ and S’mooth Criminal’ are truly timeless – his life was some kind of candycane sugar-topped Disneyland JM Barrie adventure with a distinctly bitter aftertaste.

Here he was, in the early days of change…

But, before long, Michael Jackson was truly unrecognisable as the baby-faced boy who had charmed with the Jackson 5 (see below).

In life he was surrounded by scandal and allegation, not least those that he was a dangerous paedophile who had built his Neverland ranch to abuse young children. However, it was his physical appearance which fans such as myself had often wondered about? Did Jackson’s bitter memories of his family, and his early years spent as part of the band in a ‘travelling circus’ style, force him to shed his ‘black’ appearance for a new ‘white’ one, or was his obvious transformation one which happened because of a skin disease or even skin cancer as had been rumoured? We may never know now, but we are left which the legacy of his music and an exciting possibility to hear previously unreleased tracks which he recorded prior to his death, in order to provide a future for his children posthumously. A tragedy has occured in the world of music, but I for one think Michael Jackson has bowed out with some dignity intact and that, left any later, his death may have occured in worse circumstances.

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Golden Oldies Glistening at Glastonbury

I wasn’t down in Somerset, but I know quite a few people who were rocking out at NERD, Lily Allen and errrm Bruce Springsteen. Now, neither they nor I were born in the USA, nor were we born to run, nor were even born, when Bruce was in his prime. But – for them watching him there in Somerset, and me watching here at home on the BBC – was an eyeopening experience.  Here was a star from another generation – a generation of rock n’roll, peace and love and Gardener’s Question Time – showing ‘young’uns’ how to have a good time. He even went over his set, still full of energy and vigour, crowd-surfing and slapping hands as he went like a mahoghany cowboy. Think what you might about the oldie crowd dominating modern music festivals, but stars like Springsteen sure know how to get things going (his foray into overtime ended with a fine which was – rather ironically – paid off by the festival’s organizer, Michael Eavis, who had enjoyed the set).

Also performing were Crosby, Stills and Nash (the beardy guys with the funky pagan logos methinks) and Neil ‘not-so-Young-but-very-talented’ Young.

Old Jersey: Bruces heyday involved posing in front of the flag shop

Old Jersey: Bruce's heyday involved posing in front of the flag shop

Liking:

- Beautifully hot weather

- Beautiful sunshine

- Creepy criminality courtesy of the Crime & Investigation Network

Not liking:

- Stupid spammy @ replies clogging up Twitter thanks to Tweet Bots. Who thought up these literal, disasterous things?

- The NHS. Swine Flu is clogging up our clinics like the Ho Chi Minh trail.

That’s enough I think, I wouldn’t like to squeeze anymore Springsteen puns into this post…

hannahsig1

x x x x

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Short & Sweet

May 31, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I’m doing exams. Yaaaay! Not.  Except, maybe it should be yaaaaay, because in 13 short days I get my freedom and a summer packed full of fun (hopefully) and change (definitely).

So here we go: short and sweet.


I’ve done a bit of redecoration with the site this month…the poll on the right is where you can tell me if I’ve made the right choice or not by going all scarlet woman on your asses! Ok, I just chose the same colour as my nail polish if I’m being honest here.

I’m ever the recycler, sooooo lets hear what I thought of The Wire back on May 15th when I sent this email to an unnamed music publication:

“The Wire is a massive in-joke.

I actually think said Wire is an allegory alluding to the metal garden implements which non Wire fans will all eventually use to end the lives of those who persists in labelling said ‘gritty and unmissable’ drama as errrm ‘truly unmissable’ and ‘totally gritty’, as though they were born with a copy of the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine in their mouth.

And…breathe.”

I guess I just have a fear of time moving on without me…new crazes and hit TV programmes and nail polish colours which I have yet to try and will therefore brand hideous and so last season in order to appear the belle du jour. Take Gossip Girl. Tried the book – didn’t like it much so didn’t finish it. Whilst I’m wondering whether to dare to wear a denim jacket to a festival with new booties a la Kate Moss or Daisy Lowe or someone, other girls are watching GG.

“]Hot Gossip: Im always five steps behind [Ed]

Hot Gossip: I'm always five steps behind [Ed

I’m not. So I brand GG “a poor girl’s [name of programme I am watching], and move on. Bad move, because next week people are swooning over Ed Westwick. I swoon as well, and start to wonder if GG is not a bad programme after all. I watch a little . It’s a bit of fun. Leighton Meester’s parents were drug smugglers according to Wiki. She is the ‘new’ underdog TV beauty…and I am about two years late.


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Villain of the month: Why Barrymore is not my kind of person:

You might think this is a harsh way to start anything.Too subjective, too personal, too much of a bad pun. Why not pick on some of the other villainous creatures clogging up rehab centres in Copacabana? Have I ever met the man? No. Fortunately. But Susan Boyle has, and she is an incredibly talented individual. Britain’s Got Talent is usually a show which I stay well away from. I hate tacky programming BUT in a time of recession, male MPs claiming for tampons and such, SuBo and co. have provided some great entertainment. No, she didn’t win, but she will still have an amazing career in musical theatre, that I am certain of. As a great lover of BGT and musicals and therefore, SuBo, I was incensed to see the clip below. Yes, it was a long time ago. But Michael Barrymore is still a first class idiot for the way he acted when he ‘discovered’ Susan, who could’ve long been a star if it wasn’t for the arrogance of jumped-up tv ‘personalities’ like himself.

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Hero of the month: How I was saved from agony by a pair of…

My friend’s Plimsolls. They’re having a renaissance among women, as I’ve noticed lately. However, I’m a fool, and chose to ignore this trend and wear heels to a party that ended up circumventing around a park. Luckily said friend is a boy, and they know everything. Said plimsolls were worn from that point onwards, and blisters were less inflamed than usual.

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Eye-candy of the month: Channing Tatum

I think the chavtastic gif says it all. Channing Tatum has been claimed by them since we first saw him play the chauvanist but loveable hunk with a feminine side in Step Up. Went to see this guy in “Fighting” last (Orange) Wednesday. Bad film to say the least…token Hispanic girl played by a woman who I have seen play plenty of token Hispanic girls didn’t even brighten up the film on which I later Tweeted:

Icon_lock Fighting is a rip off of the classic violent underdog tale. Wooden and stunted plotless melee.

He gets the pity vote for eye-candy of the month, purely because he used to model for A&F and has obviously been taking acting classes at the same place as his cynical Senorita.

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Adios…next time i’ll make it truly short and sweet when I blog about more music, more lifestyle and more awful films.

hannahsig1

x x x x

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My big April adventure

April 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment

…And here you were thinking I was overaxaggerating. I might not have been raised by animals to sing Disney songs this

month, BUT I did have a great month regardless. My new nickname is Mowgli – given by a dear friend but disliked nonetheless. Why can’t a girl be a bit free with her massive curly hair and poor make-up regime, without being compared to a fictional eunuch, eh?

Anyhow, I digress: this month I appeared on the popular BBC programme Question Time, which was a laugh-and-a-half

…okay, it was a serious show featuring political prowess BUT it was as close to TV fame as I’m gonna get now that Jungle Run is a distant memory. I always wanted a bike/scooter/Gameboy colour.

Question Time was a great experience, and one that I won’t forget in a hurry despite not getting my massive gob on TV. And I met David Dimbleby (legend) who listened to my views on the control of policing despite being on his way off to the pub :)

Click here to watch the episode…and watch out for my masses of hair…

X women at the X crawl/bad attempt at timely Marvel pun?

artrocker

Anyways, this month I also went down to the Camden X Crawl for the lovely Artrocker.tv. You can read all about my exploits with my great friend Cathryn Innocent of Cathryn photography here. The X Crawl was a great event, hence my piece, and great photos like this poser with My Passion bassist and general sweetheart Simon Rowlands ↓

meandsimon

© Cathryn Innocent

I have now decided, however, that based on that experience I am never leaving home sans pen, paper and BlackBerry ever again, having made a crazeee dash to Sainsbury’s for interviewing supplies. Once and never again…I had difficulty self-scanning my items, as always…

Just to reiterate, click above for the article and read ALL ABOUT IT. :)

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Here’s a humorous picture of me to lighten the mood of this thoroughly disjointed entry:

Shall I go blonde? Hmmm…either way, dressing as Alice In Wonderland for my friend Emily’s birthday party (British themed) was a true eye-opener to the great hair debate. Suddenly I was crazily energetic and cahannahcathrynalicerefree…no longer a sensible, coy brunette…

Actually, I think I look a bit like Dolly Parton myself…

I feel slightly lazy today due to flu (not of the swine variety, hopefully), so here’s something I cooked up earlier, a review of Mad Men, a show which I love so dearly. It’s in a classy font, and not-so-subtly followed by pictures of this month’s ‘Old Man Crush’, Jon Hamm. It’s a fantastic show – BBC4, 10pm, Tuesdays are the place to be for the vintage stuff (which unfortunately has to end next week as the magnificent 2nd season draws to a close)…

Truly MADly Deeply

Mutually Assured Delight has swept over my TV screen, as I’ve prepared to stage some wholly pretentious conversations about advertising, glamour and aestheticism. Yes, I’ve been watching Mad Men for all of twelve weeks, and I’m gripped.

Dapper men (such as the gorgeous protagonist Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm), Brycreemed to the max and trying it on with their secretaries, their clients’ wives or whoever happens to be nearest to the Xerox: check. The underappreciated wives; neglected whilst their husbands devise great copy for Clearasil, or ‘spend a little time’ with the aforementioned floozies: check. The deficient 2.4 children, putting the nuclear into nuclear family, making cocktails for mummy and daddy, and being berated in a terrific style for asking such uncouth classics as “are we rich?” Check.

Mad Men has stolen my Tuesday nights and transported them into a bourgeoisie world, which smells of smoke and sex and classy instrumentals. It honestly looks like a real 1980s made-for-tv-movie set in the 50s; such is the realism, the costumery and the expert camerawork. Mad Men is the truth behind both the tension and allure of the office, and I would give anything to be part of a fantasy which includes Elnett in a starring role.


Old Man Crush status = in progress.

Stuff I like this month:

1 – Lush beauty stuff – nuff said. It’s LUSHious. and most of the products look like fudge…

2 – Festivals – counting down the days to Reading ‘09!

3 – Afghani food – for the world food lover

4- My new banner, which is slightly stretched but very beautiful:

hannahsbanner-copy.jpg

AND,

STUFF I DONT!

1 – Exams. I know that’s a stupid thing to say because we all NEED qualifications, but its the stress and hypochrondria that gets me!

2 – Swine flu. Just ‘cos.

3 – Weird coldcallers. You know who you are! I’ll ave ya for dinner!

hannahsig1

x x x x

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Ken Kobayashi: Play that funky, grime-y, dubby…

March 31, 2009 · 1 Comment

Dear friends, frenemies, and casual readers: this month’s issue (Mar/Apr) is focused on music, not least because I have managed to nab rising indie-pop singer/songwriter and general rainbow of joy Ken Kobayashi for a bit of an interview… there’s also a smattering of stuff arriving in the F.U.N Directory page in the next day or so, so keep your eyes on hannahjdavies.com!

hannahsig1

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Ken Kobayashi is not only a friend of mine but also the artist behind the album My Big Foot Over The Sky, currently available through his MySpace page for purchase as an EP, and via iTunes for download!! Or, try before you buy and listen to the whole album here on Ken’s official website!


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Hannah J Davies: You seem to have created something which is such a great listen that I’m having trouble putting into one category or another. It’s a bit like you’ve taken the idea of Air’s song ‘Alone In Kyoto’, spanned it in a washing machine with a keyboard, added a few scoops of so-called ‘indie guitar’ and hung it out to dry on a summer’s afternoon. Is this a fair analysis or can you do better?

Ken Kobayashi: Hahaha. That’s good way of putting it…I’ve always liked artists who mix different genres and who develop new music. I am glad to hear that I’ve done that too, and yes, Indie music and Air are certainly key influences in the album. I’m not sure about putting a keyboard into a washing machine, but I like the pictures your mind comes up with.

HJD: Thanks, actually for anyone reading this, don’t put your Casio in the machine! Anyhow, has the fact that both of your parents have been involved in the music industry had an impact on you? [Ken's parents have been successful  recording artists in their own right]. Essentially, do you feel under pressure to produce deep, avant-garde music rather than disposable pop because of your parents’ influence? Can you see yourself performing at more commercial events, doing sponsorship deals etc. if you hit the big time?

KK: No I don’t feel under pressure. My parents weren’t that famous as musicians, [in the UK] so I’m definitely able to take things easier than, let’s say Sean Lennon. Also I am happy that my parents’ music is quite different from what I do. It’s more interesting that way, and I hope my music is not “disposable pop”, regardless of who my parents are.
On your last point: look at Johnny Rotten. When I recently saw him in an advert for  (Country Life) butter, it was hard to believe that he was among the pioneers of punk. Let’s face it, musicians are people like everyone else, and they will take the money – depending how good the offer is, of course – no matter how deep or undeep their music is.
Johnny’s not-so-rotten commercialism:


HJD: Indeed…I understand that you grew up in London, Tokyo and Berlin, which must have been quite an experience. Where did you draw your musical influences from in these (incredible) cities?
KK: It was a challenging experience. I was born in London and I’ve spent most of my life here. So lots of my influences come from what I’ve heard in London. But it was not like I was literally listening to Japanese music when I was in Japan and German music when I was in Germany.I think it’s more complex than that.
But of course it made me happy when I found good artists from Germany or Japan, because relating to these countries is also a part of my heritage. It’s hard to determine exactly which people, artists, literary figures and other things have specifically influenced me….but hopefully people get the multicultural feeling when they listen to my music. I would enjoy that.

HJD: Where does the title for your debut album, ‘My Big Foot Over The Sky’ come from? It sounds almost religious?
Hahaha. It doesn’t mean anything! I was talking to a friend about the album title and I said “something surreal would be cool….like “my big foot over the sky””, and he said, “that’s actually a good album title”. So it became the title.
HJD: Nice story, I think you’re friend should get some royalties…
On the topic of people, who – musically or otherwise – has been your biggest inspiration to become a musician?

KK: I guess all the artists I liked when I grew up….artists like The Beta Band, Number Girl, Chemical Brothers Oasis, Beck, Air, Asian Dub Foundation. They made me want to become a musician. I really liked their music – they made my childhood so much better. Music always has been important to me. So I started to hope I could provide the same positive feeling to other people by making music.
Mr Ben – Ken Kobayashi

HJD: Positivity seems to be the undertone to your song Mr Ben (which chronicles the life of a city worker in need of a break from his mundane life of ‘going to the Underground’). It even seems a fitting anthem to the current economic recession? Has coupling your musical career with your university studies been stressful for you as well at times?
KK: That’s a funny remark! Hmm….well Mr. Ben is certainly stressed out, but for me the main point in the song is his feeling of being “lost” or “confused” in his daily life, which happens to many people at certain stages of their life. I enjoy what I am doing at the moment, and I know what I want to do in the near future. So in that sense I feel quite different from Mr. Ben…at least for now.
HJD: Who would be your ideal artists to collaborate with, and what would you say if they are reading this?
KK: I know quite a few very talented musicians in London who are also nice people, like The Thirst, The Duloks, Perfect People, Tin Can Telephone, Hanjiro and so on. It would be great to do something with any of them.
HJD: Well the version of ‘Karaoke’ you performed at your album launch with Mira from The Duloks was very good, so a side-project would be great!
Obviously it matters what your fans and critics think, but how would you sum up your debut album in 10 words or less…?

KK: Punky, grime-y, dubby, New-waveish, broken drum and bassy electronica.

HJD: You write all of your own songs. Do you find the writing process difficult sometimes? Where do you get your ideas from mostly?


KK: It wasn’t difficult nor was it easy. I played some chords on the guitar and whenever a catchy melody came into my head (and my mouth), I recorded it and later produced it. I think I need to learn music theory to write more stuff though.


HJD: Now for my ‘wildcard’, as I’ve actually been been dying to know…what exactly is a ‘Magic Jar’? Is it a metaphor or would it be possible for you to draw it for me?


KK: Hahaha. I wrote the song originally in Japanese and used the word “mahoubin” in the song, which refers to a thermos bottle for drinking hot tea or hot chocolate outdoors. “Mahoubin” literally translates as“Magic Jar”, and I thought magic jar sounded better than “Thermos Bottle” or “Vacuum Flask”.

Its magic, you know...

It's magic, you know...


HJD: It certainly does! You’ve played a lot of gigs over the past year, where has been your most memorable gig and why?
KK: Last year was a very good year for my band and me. After we formed as a group, we played many shows. I’d never played that many gigs in one year. I think that the best gig was the launch party for the album, which was in February. There were three fantastic bands playing for me. Lots of people came and the atmosphere was great. I’m very happy I was able to organize the event, and I was probably one of the happiest people on Earth that evening.
HJD: It really was a great night, with support from the aforementioned Thirst, Hanjiro and Telegrams. You play live as ‘Ken Kobayashi and Friends’ with a band despite being a soloist. Are your bandmates also looking to form solo/band musical careers themselves, or are they happy to be part of team Kobayashi for now?
KK: I recorded most of the album on my own. But when it came to playing shows, obviously it would have been boring to do it alone on stage. So I asked some of my friends to join me. I’m really thankful to my band members, because they’ve spent a lot of time on this project and we have really had a good time. All of my band members have cool solo stuff, so you can find them on my top friends list on MySpace. But yes, we’ll continue to play as “Ken Kobayashi and Friends” for a while because now the album is out.
Living it on my own: Ken Kobayashi in a rare solo image...the band were somewhere, though! Image credit: Jules Nandra.

Living it on my own: Ken Kobayashi in a rare solo image...the band were somewhere, though! Image: Jules Nandra.

HJD: Finally, if I told you tomorrow that you couldn’t be a musician anymore, what career would you plump for instead?
KK: Hmm….I have no idea. Well the good thing about music is that you can always do it, professionally or not. And with things like MySpace and Youtube you can distribute your music easily today. So I will be doing this all of my life…even if you tell me not to!

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The Lady Is a Tramp

February 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment

…sang Lily Allen back in December when she appeared with other ‘celebs’ to see the new year in with Jools Holland. Was she singing about a certain ‘Lady’, or simply reciting a song chosen by her mangagement, is the baffling question which I would now love to disect, whether or not you actually care :)

A TALE OF TWO CITIES (AND THEIR DAHLINGS):


In the blue corner, LDN’s Tesco-Alfresco Finest, Lily Allen

The obligatory fairytale: Once upon a time, an unconvincing indie ‘grimesterrrrr’ turned into an unconvincing LA dahling. First propelled to fame by daddy dearest after enjoying a supposedly awful unbringing, said ‘grimesterrrrr’ turned being a brat into her career.

Likes to… : Cringeworthily cry about how fat, ugly and talentless she is via MySpace like a 13 year old emo, cuss down other female celebrities, play dress up at boutiques, complain about ‘old men’ stalking her with ‘long-lens cameras’. Firstly, zoom is usually not a good thing (see Now’s ‘Circle of Shame’ etc…you know…VPLs, sweat patches, cellulite, etc). Secondly, not all paparazzi are old. In fact, some are young and date celebrities (admittedly only sleazy ones like Britney’s ex Adnan Ghalib…)

Most likely to say: I’m just a normal lundun gal, honest…ooh but Chanel shoes are amazing!!


In the red corner, LA-LA land fruit-loop Lady GaGa (1)…see also GaGa – (2) – noun, a liar or an impersonator, i.e.: Lily Allen pulled a GaGa last week…

The obligatory fairytale: There was once a singer who seemed to be the poster girl for post op success. In fact, she was a woman, but besides that she was totally fake, so much so that everything from her long ‘platinum’ hair (read: ‘peroxide and hair extension partayy’) to her KKK-at-Christmas costume (see right) may have made people assume she was once Little Mr Riding hood… Or in a No Doubt tribute band…

Likes to… : Party, presumably? She went to school with Paris Hilton, which seems to say a lot about this Lady’s attitude. ‘Just Dance’ definitely doesn’t ask to be followed with the words ‘but it’s 3am and I’m too tired!!’ I imagine that she practices her moves whilst doing ordinary stuff like say…walking over men wearing stilletos and busting into random houses (this didn’t take much of the video to said song to asscertain..)

Most likely to say: “Just Dance”, “Just Drink…Probably No Rohypnol In There”, “Just Get In The Kiddies’ Paddling Pool And Ride Shamu With Me”, “Just Rent Some Friends For The Night”…

HERE WE GO…

Hannahjdavies.com takes an indepth look at the two high-living ‘heirheads’…:

It’s always been okay to have multiple occupations. Unless your name really is Martine McCutcheon, then you can be a singer moonlighting as an actress and vice versa; a reality TV star turned perfumer turned writer; you can even be famous just for the size of your assets, whether they’re paper, bricks or simply silicone. However, projecting an image of classiness and professional standard is always advised, first and foremost. How can one talk about money in the press let alone brag about a bank balance which makes Miley Cyrus’ paycheque look like child abuse?

1. Ange's pouty lips and hot hair scream smouldering screen siren, rather than just screaming like a siren

The trick is not to go in for all out P-O-S-H, whether you were born so or have recently acquired your squillions (the idea being that one obviously didn’t go to finishing school in Switzerland if one feels the need to prefix her name with a word with makes the real aristocracy cringe, (right Vickaaaay Beckham?) and if one did, then one obviously didn’t take much away from their education other than a Blackberry crammed full of viscounts and heiresses Pins…)

2. Paris shows that showing off isnt always necessary, in a £30 dress from Brit store Dorothy Perkins...

2. Paris shows that showing off isn't always necessary, in a £30 dress from Brit store Dorothy Perkins...

Anyhow, I digress. The idea is to hint to a life well lived rather then advertise it, neon sign and all. The Cuban cigars in the ashtray and the red soles of your Louboutins will tell your illustrious story without the ‘umms’, ‘likes’ and references to that ‘thing’ you had with Russell Brand.


(Not unless that actually IS the story…take note 2008’s Georgina Bailie (aka Andrew Sach’s granddaughter)).

Basically, it’s all about “keeping it real”…or giving the illusion that you’ve kept it real. Nouveau riche is a brassy and un-classy look, and, having heaped a title onto herself, I expected so much more from one such madame.

US export Lady GaGa – real name Joanne Stefani Germanotta – not only went to school with and dresses like Donatella Versace but also sings, quite repetitively, of her obsession with money (see “Money Honey”), fame (not just on title track “The Fame”), the paparazzi (eponymous ditty “Paparazzi” says it all), men (“Boys, Boys, Boys”), champagne (name checked a fair few times) and Hollywood (I just couldn’t listen to anymore of this pretentious twaddle by then, sorry).

Hearing her repeat “we’re beautiful and dirty rich” over and over again without a hint of sarcasm or irony or modesty or gratitude is quite depressing, honestly. In times of economic struggle, GaGa’s material obsession seems to amount to little substance. In fact, I think if you left this Stefani in a petri dish overnight, then maybe she would dissolve into a perfectly formed mountain of glitter.

I say this simply because she is glamourous, shiny and overtly sexual, yet totally and utterly boring. There’s less lyrical depth than the previously mentioned paddling pool on “The Fame”, and the title was annoyingly etched into her fly-eye glasses on the cover (because rich people do stupid things like that, surely?)

A true child of the mid-80s, she unfortunately still appears to erk back to a time when stress meant glamour, glamour meant money and money meant financial security and happiness in the bottom of an expensive bottle.

= modern day slavery...

= modern day slavery...

Oddly enough, the next single to hit (and consequently inflict GB onto) my ears after “Just Dance” (translation: Christina Aguliera rip-off writhes around and commands us to follow her in doing so for a tiring 4:10), was Lily’s latest, “The Fear”, from her new album “It’s Not Me, It’s You”. It is catchier than anything from the GaGa stable, yet annoyingly it is just another song about flashing the cash (and I mean this literally – in the video Lily parades around with dancing hotel staff à la Rick Astley). As for the astronomical amount of swearing which fag-ash Lil manages to pack into this 3:45 homage to money (and Gordon Ramsay?), I was totally appalled. That and her moronic, hopefully ironic, lyrics about learning that people die whilst mining diamonds. Did she bunk all of her Citizenship lessons, one has to wonder?

Being two girls who enjoyed privileged upbringings to say the least, both Lady GaGa and Lily Allen are doing a fantastically unconvincing job of sounding like the aforementioned grimy, dirty gold diggers, and are identical in every way, from their blunt eye-skimming fringes and hair extensions to their piss-poor lyrics.

I’d rather have real chavs turned princesses any day.

In fact, here’s the real winner:

hannahsig1

x x x x

Watching: Mad Men…I sense an upcoming feature about this amazing show…

Activity of the week month: Tweeting about various things, which is totally not egocentric whatsoever.

Listening to: the sound of my own voice. N*Sync (no lie).

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I’m Back In The World…

January 31, 2009 · 1 Comment

…of Hannahjdavies.com. Sigh in relief, breathe deeply, sigh again. Read :) How I’ve missed writing! I’ll be back on February 16th (yes, double dose this month), in a collaboration with the photographer from the feature below!!:


- INNOCENT IN AN INNER CITY SENSE

Hope you’re well…I certainly am! Yesterday was spent adding 98 – yes, 98 – obscure songs to my iPod from Nick Drake to *NSYNC, whilst today I became a model-cum-photography-assistant whilst helping the fabulous Cathryn Photography to comprise a set which I nicknamed ‘Playtime’ because we had regressed towards the swings, roundabouts and monkey bars of a park we often frequented in our time of extreme youth.


It was incredibly cold, despite the little glimmers of sunlight of which were bouncing off Cathryn’s lense. She’s a newbie on the scene, but you wouldn’t guess it – the way she squints whilst looking for the perfect shot and occasionally gives us our marching orders is throughly Vogue.  She has comprimised a mental list of some shots, utlising props such as a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and a satin cushion. Model one (but hardly Models One) is me, and I’m dressed in an attire which pages homage to punk rock and Ronald McDonald (yes, as it is an FAQ that is my real hair).

Rachel – model two – was styled more like an abandoned prom night date/Fred Perry employee, but still managed to look gorgeously waif-like. She has the kind of toussled curls which are the envy of GHD users everywhere, unfortunately for me. The wind keeps lashing my curls across my eyes (ouch!) and mouth (sticky, eww) but the shoot still turns out to be rather fun, and an eye-opener to the predicaments of a model.

Pout or smile?

Lipstick or gloss?

To the left….or to the right?

It’s enough to make me reach of a bottle of (Laura) Bailey’s…

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-DON’T CHA WISH YA GIRLFRIEND WAS A FREAK MACHINE LIKE ME? PROBS NOT.

On another note, here is the amazing ‘Freak Machine’ by The 9000…and if you look very closely at around 1:55 you’ll spot me on the right. This was my first – and possibly last – experience of being in a music video, and it is a pretty damn good one. Like Daft Punk, Justice, etc? Then check this out…and be sure to laugh at our super slow facial movements:

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- KEN KOBAYASHI’S AMAZING ALBUM!!

I received a jiffy bag this week, and inside was a pre-release copy of ‘My Big Foot Over The Sky’ by the wonderful Ken Kobayashi. Of course, I’ve played it half to death, put it onto my ancient iPod and choreographed a dance to it which would make the Beyonce team’s eyes water, and am aching to tell you all about it next month! Expect not even a soupcon of malice towards this record from me, basically…


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-FASHION UPDATE: Han’o'Meter

Tarts – Bare legs, long boots, a cami, shorts and a kaftan. In the middle of winter. Our thermostats have obviously been installed in America mode with Barack Obama now King of The World. Chavvy.

Tartan – still doing it for me, even after a cold winter. Just don’t team clashing tartans or put tartan with its younger brother, check…you might look like one of those twins from Skins…

Primark – ’slave labour’ from Manchester to Mumbai. Seams that come apart after a few days. Itchy cloth. Shoplifting year 7s. Uncool.

Primates – Konnie Huq’s voice as she introduces us to Zoo Days on Channel 5. Makes Beanie Babies look passé tbh…

Squeaky doors – lubrication for the nation…please??

Sliding Doors – just everything about chance meeting sets my heart a flutter and restores my faith in humanity. I’ve been saved from verbal abuse by a lionheart in Lyle and Scott, and even got a free lolly from a neighbour I’d never met. Oh, and I appeared in a music video cos I was in the right place at the right time…

Skins – dodgier than a week old kebab… stay away unless you want to catch the mental equivelent of salmonella.

Skin – it feels really nice with a light spritz of Body Shop’s coconut oil cream…except I keep wanting to lick my arms.

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GRANDES BISES, REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK ON FEBRUARY 16TH FOR MORE!

hannahsig1


x x x x

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