Thank you for having me at Camden People’s Theatre to see your play.

Was it a play? It seems like many things – but multi-platform-genre-challenging-arts-project-open-to-personal-interpretation is both quite a mouthful and sounds a bit wanky. It was a mix of reading and performing; page and participation; set in the past, present and future; a dialogue between actors Lauren and Luca and us in the audience, as well as those from your workshops and website.

The setting at Camden People’s theatre is always small and sparse. You had just a school blackboard, letters, books and some parcels – but that’s fine, as it’s the words that matter here.

Letters are wonderful, to write and receive. It is communication; it’s a form of connection. Between the past and present, dreams and reality, inner and outer – with life. It was nice to hear the local letters, and the ones from your workshops. Each contained specific and personal tones and elements, but with a very common and human thread echoing through them all. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to think you were reading my words – and then discover that wasn’t the case. Someone else seemed to echo my thoughts.

There were many smiles from us in the audience but I would imagine some tears in the poignancy too. Nostalgia and remembrance, warnings and advice, hugs and hope – all seem to be covered. There’s funny quips ‘You don’t marry Keanu Reeves’ and some heartbreaking  ones – ‘Do not move to London…to a place where people do not love you and show it’ says one man.

I loved and hated Lauren and Luca – that hate being more the envy that they surely have it all – vitality, beauty, talent. They are bright and lively performers, but they also displayed vulnerability through their storytelling and revelations. The feeling is one of warmth, and so when you ask us to share, it feels comfortable to do so.

The board becomes filled with scrawls that don’t connect, there can be no algorithm as to the perfect letter for life. But I guess that’s the point. Adult life is messy. It needs accepting – all the shades of grey. We can guide and reassure, but never really get it right. Life just is.

You reminded me of this. Through connection and communication with others and ourselves, there’s always bright spots. It’s the little moments that make a life.

Thank you for the letter writing kit. Let’s keep this going. Enjoy your travels.

Perhaps I’ll hear from you soon?

Francesca x

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Letters To Myself is touring:

7.30pm, Tues 4 April – Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford Playhouse

8pm, Thu 6 April – Seven Arts, Leeds

8pm, Fri 7 April – Lincoln Drill Hall

Sun 14 May – Coundon & Leeholme Community Centre [Donation on the door]

7.45pm, Thur 18 May – Upstairs @ The Carriageworks

8pm, Tues 22 & Wed 23 May – Live Theatre, Studio Theatre

Own Designed Love is the new single from London based The ID, released on October 29^th. The video synthesised various off kilter images and loops in a slightly surrealist style, an avant garde montage inspired by the work of Buneul, Dali and Cocteau, among others, all linked together by the Dadist movement that influences so much of the band’s ethos and output.
In Own Designed Love The different elements of the band are more layered, building upon one another but each its own entity, flickering and flirting together, rather than compressed in intensity as in Age Anti Age, the debut single from earlier in the year. A swelling onslaught of emotion, the song’s simmering menace is somewhat intoxicating in aura, and the perpetual build of dark melody into a hooky chorus marks the band out as master song smiths, and definite ones to watch. Conveniently, they’re playing the No.6 Basement on Oct 27th, Waiting Room on Nov.14th, and Camden’s Barfly the first day of December, so you can go and watch them!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWhCc6ILLE]

A night of break-though indie acts brought to you by It’s All Happening, taking place at Proud Stables, Camden, all  to raise money for the wonderful work of Oxfam.
Check out the line up…

Orlando Seale and the Swell
http://www.facebook.com/orlandosealeandtheswell

What might your excuses be?
‘It’s a Sunday night’ – exactly, what else are you doing?
‘It’s £5 – that could get me a milky coffee and half a stale pastry on the way to work tomorrow’ – or it could get you a night of excellent music AND help save lives
‘Who are these bands?’ – have a listen to the links, and embrace the joy of discovering something new. It’s what makes us human. That and being unable to hang upside down from a tree.
See you there then!

HMV’s Next Big Thing

Reviewed by Katie Stanton

Red Kite is the resurrected outlet for former Cooper Temper Clause guitarist, Daniel Fisher. Their sound is the sort of classic rock to soundtrack long walks along the beach and pensive moments looking out at the ocean. Tonight, there are five people onstage , including a female bassist (Laura Hegarty) who spends the majority of the set looking sultry and/or bored. When lead singer Fisher allows, Laura steps up and contributes some refreshingly sweet vocals, but those moments are too far and few between. Fisher’s experience in CTC shows he knows how to write a good song, with subtle pop infusions and emotive riffs. However, it is Hegarty’s vocals that really make the stand-out tracks and the band need to expand on that.

Reviewed by Francesca Baker

Ah, the exuberance of indie pop. Can’t keep a lid on it. Soap, the second album from The Kabeedies is a record of fizzing fun which twitches and convulses with giddiness. From opener Hangs Up Of The West with its chanting call and response, the Latin sway of Santiago to the Little Comets esque The Boy With The Bad Mouth, this is an album full of flourishes.  Drowning Doll will become an instantly recognisable live classic, trumpets and undulating twiddles relentlessly finding their way into the ear, and the almost rock riff on Bones and disco beats of lead single Eyes show that there is more to The Kabeedies than twee. They claim that this is their grown up record, having progressed from 2009 debut Rumpus, and whilst this certainly isn’t pipe and slippers stuff, there is an extra sophistication demonstrated by morose strings, galloping drums and introspective. Ultimately though, it’s still all laced with the trademark light and breezy melodies that The Kabeedies are known for, and if you fancy immersing yourself in some sugary sweetness, make sure you see them on their forthcoming tour.
If you’re London based, plan a Valentine treat and take your loved and hated ones to see them at the Camden Barfly on 15^th February.
Directed by Spindle Films, this is the amazing video for Eyes, released on January 30th,
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1d6DdmFAn0]

It would be easy to pigeon-hole Evans the Death before you’ve even heard a note tonight. A female lead singer with striking blonde hair, backed by a group of lads ready to bash out some melodic guitar riffs and it could be the late 80’s / early 90’s all over again and the comparisons to Fortuna Pop labelmates The Primitives, could begin. Evans the Death are not here to be typecast though. When they walk onto the Barfly stage for one of John Kennedy’s excellent X-Posure nights they look young and almost ill-at-ease, but when they play their sound is bold and heavy. Katherine Whitaker’s voice is rich and distinct, but sometimes battling to rise above the heavily distorted sound of Matt Gill’s second guitar, all the while the lead parts of main songwriter Dan Moss’ guitar dance round the melodic hooks on tracks such as Telling Lies and The Thread. Maybe it’s the weight of knowing that they were being recorded for XFM, or perhaps they are just that shy, as between song chat is kept to the bare minimum. “Thank yous” and “this next song is…” are the most the band express, prompting their manager to heckle them from the crowd into promoting their singles clearer, leading to a slightly awkward laugh from Whitaker. It’s a shame that the sound levels are slightly out for their set because some of their tracks are brilliant. One half of new AA side single I’m so Unclean is the standout, with the pop-punk bass solo intro leading to the full on assault of the melody kicking in, it hits you like a freewheeling truck. As she sings the tale of heartbreak and loneliness Whitaker’s voice acquires almost Morrissey-esque inflections, whilst lyrics such as “So I stared at the cat for a while” and “When I’m watching the shopping channel, I will think of you” perfectly capture the banality of post-breakup introspection. Whilst impressive, it’s by no means a perfect set for Evans the Death tonight, with the keys and the vocals sometimes getting battered into a corner by the guitars, but with Whitaker’s awesome voice and their clever song-writing they’re certainly worth checking out.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZTebot8rJU]