alessi’s ark – and so she thinks

It's All Happening festival – the video is here!

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:37:40 +0000

Here it is. Evidence that not only did the It’s All Happening festival did, er, happen, but that it was a damn good day to boot. Check out performances from Alessi’s Ark, Soulmates Never Die, The Ruby Kid, Silent Devices, and Fallingham Fair, and many others, marvel at the ambient surroundings of The Gallery Cafe, appreciate the delightful adornments and decoration, courtesy of Bronwyn Opland and the girls.
Again we would like to thank all the artists, be you of the music, art, spoken word, poetry or craft type, for your time, talent, and entertainment, The Gallery Cafe and St Margaret’s Settlement – good space and great staff, Rob Taylor & Aidan for making sound happen, Bronwyn & the girls for beautifying things, Lara for preserving the memories, The To Do List and everyone who helped spread the word, and all those who came down to enjoy the day.
Of course, the beauty of the visual art form is that you don’t have to read lengthy written musings – you can let the images do the talking. Here you are then:
[vimeo 45900953 w=500 h=281]

Festival helpers!

admin — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 22:00:09 +0000

Festival season wreaks havoc on the body. Great for the mind and nectar for the soul, there comes a point in late September (nay, even the Saturday morning of most festivals) when the body is screaming out for some rest and recuperation. Turns out that getting vitamins from cider and protein from burgers does not a balanced diet make, and so sometimes a little help is needed to get through the fun.
Which is why my rucksack will contain some of these little energy boosters that both get the juices flowing in the morning, and help to head of that hangover.
There’s Nature’s Plus Potent C, which contains B vitamins, electrolytes and vitamin C, to help combat the damage caused by alcohol and cigarettes (sorry Mum), as well as ginseng and bee pollen for an energy boost, or the Red Lightening version, which has extracts from over 30 superfoods – essentially the elixir of health. Both of these are in handy sachet form (fits in a pocket!) and can make the water from the campsite taste a hell of a lot better, as well as reviving you.

If mixing yourself is too hard, there is also Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy Lite, an organic energy drink that is light on sugar. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Tasting a million times better than Red Bull (although I didn’t try it with vodka) and being infinitely better for you, this is a no brainer for a refreshing drink to reinvigorate you.
Ever wondered why Marmite on toast always sorts you out after a night on the razz? It’s B12. Toasters are hard to come by in the field, so Nature’s Plus Shot-O-B12 contains a hefty dose of the wonder vitamin.
Having organised, held, and massively enjoyed the first It’s All Happening festival this year (see this lovely video from Alessi’s Ark) and pretty much relied on these to get me through the office comedown, I can vouch they work. My ‘never again’ has already become a ‘where’s my wellies?’

Bushstock!

admin — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 10:54:07 +0000

A festival in Shepherd’s Bush you say. Only 10 minutes down the road. Curated by the guys at Communion. I’m there. Except, thanks to a particularly riotous IAH Friday gig to see in the Queen’s Jubilee weekend at The King’s Head (thanks Mishal Moore, Abi Murray and ScenicLife) I found myself with an inability to sit upright for more than 2 mins and so very nearly wasn’t. Eventually, loaded on carbs, we braved the 207 and made our way down the long and winding Uxbridge Road to Bushstock 2012. I would imagine that most people reading this will be familiar with Communion, but in case not (or if my Dad has decided to read this) the Communion label is home to Lucy Rose, Daughter, Mumford & Sons, Marcus Foster and Rachel Sermanni – in other words perfect music to sooth a storming head.

One of those wrist band affairs, Bushstock spans four venues, of which the Sunday Best (yes, it took place on a Saturday) at the Defector’s Weld hosted the strongest line up, but an unfortunate layout and poor sound made for a frustrating experience. When Rae Morris took to the stage early in the afternoon the room was already packed it, her strong voice astounding many, its power even more startling in contrast to her huskily quiet stage banter and the commonplace surroundings of a local pub. Whilst it is the lungs of Rae Morris that captured the room, Alessi’s Ark thrives on understated simplicity, the clipped diction and careful fretwork beautifully accentuated her wistful and smooth folk songs, and the cries of ‘I love Alessi’ and whispers of ‘wow’ suggest the crowd were just as enamoured by her short but sweet set.

We may have delusions that folk music all orginates from frolicking in fields musing on life, but today ‘where is my life going and what does it mean’ thoughts are for more likely to take place at 3am with a thumping head slumped in the club toilets, and so the converted public conveniences of Ginglik were not as odd a venue as you may think, particular highlights being Oh Burgundy and Gabriel and The Hounds.
As venues go, St Stephen’s Chutch ticks many a box. Ornate windows, tall white columns and acoustics to rival heaven, this was the perfect setting for the moody melodies of Daughter and frenetic fiddling of Bear’s Den, as well as a place of sanctuary when the summer skies opened upon us. It was Lanterns On The Lake who were the highlight – lush strings, powerful drumming, vibrant vocals and passionate delivery, combining to create something akin to an experience. Given that each of their soundscapes stretches in at least half a dozen minutes, the set was not big on quantity, but did not leave wanting on that other q. Their recent hit (in my small circles where Amazing Radio is the equivalent of the Top 40) A Kingdom was spellbinding but it was Not Going Back To The Harbour that left me with a tear in my eye, and allowed me to momentarily forget the hellish hangover. Epically beautiful and hauntingly intense, this is a song that quietens the voice and rouses the heart even on record, taken to its emotional peak in such a setting.
Other bands of note include Let’s Buy Happiness, whose were a shot of adrenalin to an until now sedately soundtracked day, and the husky vocals of Sarah Hall ensured that the boyfriend and I both left with a crush. In recent months Leicester based Silent Devices have muddied up their once slightly well trodden sound into a fast and frentic dense collection of melodies, intensely ambient atmosphere punctuated with driving rhythms. See them, and Alessi’s Ark, at a festival near you too. headlining the day were the consistently brilliant Mystery Jets, showcasing songs from latest EP Radlands as well as inducing whoops and wails for the hits.

Depending on your frame of reference, at £30 a ticket Bushstock is either expensive (the 3 day Great Escape festival in Brighton for £35) or stupidly cheap (£198 for a Reading Festival ticket anyone?), but for bringing 35 bands to a West London and carving out a space of its own in the musical landscape, and for curating a more compelling line up for the bank holiday weekend that the longstanding Field Day can’t be knocked. Chuck in the laidback feeling, impeccable timing and easy stumbling distance, and I’ll definitely be back next year.

A countdown to the It's All Happening Festival on June 23rd..

admin — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 08:26:48 +0000

Everyday in the run up to the It’s All Happening Festival at the Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green we will be posting a link to one of the amazing acts we have performing for us..

Tickets now available for
It’s All Happening! festival – music, art, film, spoken word and good times
from www.WeGotTickets.com

2 days to go!
Alessi’s Ark – Maybe I Know
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO1Fsvz_HOY&w=560&h=315]
3 days to go..
Anja McCloskey – A Kiss
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3olCfeQzbw&w=560&h=315]
4 days to go!
Soulmates Never Die – Ask (Cover of The Smiths)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdUfuF55fkU&w=560&h=315]
5 days to go..
Ross And The Wrongens – That Magic Feeling
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hneqC9TmTgA]
6 days left!
Fallingham Fair – Cover of Fleet Foxes ‘White Winter Hymnal’
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iogpkbP2tC4]
Just one week to go:
Mishal Moore – Wolf
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-ve3cSYwc]
8 days to go!
Thom Byles – Taking It Back
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WnymLbahyc]
9 days to go..
The Ruby Kid – The Imagined Village
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7js716JXdr0]
10 days to go!!
Jack Helm – Rose
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1VFypRmG54]
11 days to go:
Larissa – You Make Me Feel So Alive
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYxG_Qx3Xc0]
12 days to go:
Alessi’s Ark – Wire
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXdKgSF8kbQ]
13 days to go:
The Cooling Pearls – Cold Fire Together
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwNp5O7_R8A]
14 days (2 weeks!!) to go:
Soulmates Never Die – Pretty Missiles (Don’t Punch Me)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv7PTYD7Q0Q]
15 days to go:
Silent Devices – Warm Blood
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCsknwtjLtA]
16 days to go:
Anja McCloskey – Italian Song
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9rAQz_JSUE]
17 days to go:
Sugardrum – Hiding in the Garden
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPL4c4KKQwE]

It's All Happening! festival – Alessi's Ark!

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:19:11 +0000

The very first It’s All Happening festival! A day of folk music, acoustic indie, original art, craft, spoken word, performance poetry and film – in short our favourite things. Taking place at the Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green, on June 23rd, from 1pm til late, tickets are available now!
We’re thrilled that the lovely Alessi’s Ark will be headlining – the first of a run of festival performances for the charming folk singer.
Alongside the mix of solo artists strumming in the garden, bands captivating the cafe throughout the day and evening, and entertaining and enrapturing spoken word in the chapel, will be a craft market, delicious array of food and drink, a photography and art exhibition, and tunes to get you in the mood to dance til dawn. (Although not with It’s All Happening necessarily – cafe curfew!).
Anja McCloskey, Soulmates Never Die, Fallingham Fair and The Cooling Pearls will all be playing, alongside The Ruby Kid and Joshua Seigal, and acoustic artists Thom Byles and Larissa.
For any more information, please get in touch.