25 May 2013
24 May 2013
22 May 2013
!!!
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) headlined The Garage in London on 10 May for the newly opened indie night Bloodshake. The dance-punk band formed in Sacramento, California, in 1996 with members that came from the bands The Yah Mos, Black Liquorice and Popesmashers. They have been incremental in the dance-punk movement and are now based in New York City, Sacramento, and Portland, Oregon. The packed out venue waited until midnight for a huge warm-up set for their main slot at ATP festival in Camber Sands. Words and photos: Robin Pope
TWO-FACED FAME IN PRINT 1962-2013
On 23 May the
University of Kent’s Studio 3 Gallery in Canterbury will open its doors to Two-Faced Fame: Celebrity in Print 1962-2013,
the latest of the university’s entirely student run exhibitions, as part of the Print Collecting and Curating programme
offered to History and Philosophy of Art students within their final years of
their undergraduate studies. Devised by Art Historian and Lecturer, Dr Ben
Thomas, it is the only module of its kind; only at Kent do students have
complete freedom to devise their own exhibition, and to spend the £3,500 budget
(and fundraise for more) on which ever works they please.
In 1968, Warhol
famously stated 'In the
future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.' The inescapable
plethora of reality TV shows have made it possible for almost anyone to be
labelled as a ‘celebrity’. Our
exhibition is unique in that it acts as a eulogy to the gradual withering
status of the celebrity icon, from 1962 to 2013. Ultimately, it may be argued that Two-Faced
Fame is the first, and will perhaps be the only, exhibition to look at fame in art, from Pop to
contemporary art.
Two-Faced
Fame examines some of the ways in which Andy Warhol,
arguably the most famous commentator of celebrity culture, has inspired British
artists to explore fame since the 1960s. The artists on show provide a range of
differing representations of fame, some of which have been influenced by Warhol,
and some of which take an entirely unique approach. The exhibition provides a
diagnostic approach towards the changing attitudes towards celebrity mass
culture and offers both a celebratory and critical presentation of the iconic.
We will be displaying Andy Warhol’s iconic 1962 Marilyn silkscreen as a catalyst to explore similar works produced
by his British Pop contemporaries such as Sir Peter Blake, Gerald Laing and Joe
Tilson. These Pop artists of the 60s are accompanied by a number of
contemporary British artists who have also chosen to comment on celebrity
culture at some point in their career.
 |
| Peter
Blake, MM Silver, silkscreen and diamond dust, 2010 Courtesy Paul Stolper, London |
When it came to developing the theme of the
exhibition we wanted to focus on exploring a subject that would appeal to a
wide audience while retaining an academic underpinning. The real challenge was
for the marketing and curatorial teams to work closely in order to strike the
right balance between academic and populist material. As tempting as it was to curate an exhibition
in which we ‘show off’ everything we’ve studied over the last three years, we did
not want to produce an inaccessibly pretentious and overly academic exhibition
that would appeal only to the art history student. Part of our intention was to
try to appeal to a wider audience and put the Studio 3 gallery on the map. Two-Faced Fame combines visually
striking works by both recognisable and unknown artists but also presents a
genuine argument upon the status of the celebrity in today’s society.
Devising Two-Faced Fame has given us the
opportunity to approach numerous artists and dealers directly in order to
secure works of art. We have been lucky enough to be in contact with Jonathan
Yeo, Gavin Turk and GSG, all of whom have work exhibited in Two-Faced Fame. Along with organizing
the exhibition we were also given the opportunity to have a publication to our
names by writing the accompanying catalogue. Examples from previous years have
been described as ‘exemplary’ by the print journal Art in
Print, so there were high expectations to live up to. Of course, we’ve had our fair share of
disappointment throughout this project and at times it’s been incredibly
frustrating. The ups and downs have been part of the value of this programme
and provided us with the kind of first-hand experience that students wouldn’t
usually get until much later in their careers.
Over the duration of the course we’ve
managed to secure a vast number of exciting loans and brought together the work
of a number of major British artists such as Gary Hume, Joe Tilson and Peter
Blake to name but a few. Some of the most exciting prints on show include
Blake’s vast diamond dusted Marilyn print, which looms at almost two meters
tall and Hume’s unsettling depiction of Michael Jackson. Our finance group commendably
raised enough money to purchase prints by Gavin Turk, John Stezaker and Joe
Tilson, all of which will be exhibited and later added to the ever-expanding
Kent Print Collection. This is the first
time these prints have been exhibited together in Kent.
 |
| Gavin
Turk, Fright Wig (Red), silkscreen, 2010 Courtesy Paul Stolper, London |
The eclectic mix of works by some of the
greatest British Pop artists and leading Contemporary figures will ensure that Two-Faced Fame holds significance as a
commentary on the changing face of fame over the last 60 years.
Two-Faced Fame: Celebrity in Print 1962 –
2013 will run from the 23 May until the 14 June at
the Studio 3 Gallery in the Jarman Building at the University of Kent,
Canterbury.
For further info click here
Words: Luke Carver and Rose Thompson
20 May 2013
SMART PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH
KAREN CLARKE @clarkey
Shoreditch, east London
What inspires you to take photographs?
The potential to capture a moment and recreate it in my own unique way.
We love the way you work with colour, is this something that comes naturally?
It does. I have always been fascinated by colour and light and love the impact that they can both have on an image. I use a lot of layers and layer effects during my editing process and I enjoy experimenting with unnatural and unexpected colours.
What do you want to say with your images?
The only time I think about what my images say is in my music-related work where I want to capture the energy of the crowd and the different characters.
Does place impact your work? I would say my mood has a bigger impact than place. I'm guilty of being a daydreamer so my work always tend to fall somewhere between fantasy and reality.
Where are you most happy taking photographs? Festivals, night clubs and live shows. As a massive music fan I love the idea of being able to capture the energy and atmosphere that can only come from a music event. The lighting, the smoke and the crowds of people are the perfect combination for some interesting shots.
What is next for you? Music photography is my main goal, so I’m working towards getting more involved. Hopefully the start of festival season will provide some more opportunities.
Anyone you would like to plug? Sarah Ginn, Ashes57, Robin Bharaj and Leon Thompson Photography
19 May 2013
18 May 2013
17 May 2013
THE DIAMOND LIGHTS
London based two-piece The Diamond Lights performed at Islington’s Hope & Anchor on 10 May. Their guitar and drum setup invited comparisons to The Black Keys, but their no-frills, back-to-basics approach owes more to smaller bands like Japandroids and No Age. The primal but precise sound of Glenn Fryatt on drums is the perfect counterbalance to the thrash and unhinged performance of Chris Hornby on guitar and lead vocals, harking back to early Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. As Hornby's guitar rips through the tiny basement, he belts out opener CTF with a vocal reminiscent of a young Mark E. Smith. Armed with a bank of effects peddles, he plays and distorts the guitar to ferocious effect with Glenn’s drumming providing the backbone for their muscular sound. At a lean 25 minutes, they play just seven songs, but save the best for last in Yes Sir, a dirty little garage rock belter complete with Stooges' riffs and wolf howls. It all made for a great end to a rough and ready sonic attack that shred our ears in the best possible way.
16 May 2013
15 May 2013
13 May 2013
BILL RYDER-JONES
Bill Ryder-Jones was originally the lead guitarist in The Coral and in 2008 it was announced that he would be leaving the band to pursue a solo career.
April 2013 saw Ryder-Jones release his second studio album A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart which has been met with critical acclaim.
Last week he played live at The Lexington in London. It was hard to believe a man with so much talent could be so shy on stage. In between songs he interacted with the crowd and at one point felt the need to apologise just in case he messed up, which was obviously unlikely. He made a stunning live performance and I hope he plans to continue his tour and play on the summer festival circuit.
12 May 2013
11 May 2013
10 May 2013
SEASICK STEVE
At age 71 and having just released his sixth album, Hubcap Music, Steve Wold aka Seasick Steve graced the stage to a sold out crowd on 1 May at The Roundhouse Camden in London. Arriving in his traditional checked shirt and John Deere cap, ready to prove he
still has pulling power, Steve was accompanied by two backing singers who opened the show with a pitch-perfect version of Amazing Grace. He
stood as he performed Self-Sufficient Man to an awed crowd before taking
position in his chair and welcoming on stage good friend and Led Zeppelin's
bassist John Paul Jones. We just had time to catch our breath before Steve
serenaded a young lady and saying 'My name is Steve and I'm your walking man.'
With eight tracks from his new album played live, including Freedom Road, Home, Keep On Keepin' On and Down on The Farm, Steve proved he is still a prominent part of today's music scene and is now warming up for a busy festival season that includes Glastonbury, Lounge On The Farm and Kendal Calling.
Words: Robin Pope
Words: Robin Pope
9 May 2013
8 May 2013
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE WEEK
Robin Pope joined the Volume team in early 2012 as Photo Editor and has brought his raw vision, talent and unshakable energy to the magazine. Robin is a photographer who takes pictures of life with a particular focus on live music photography. His music portraits and live work reflect his patience and passion as an image maker, which always portray something new. Robin began taking photographs on his iPhone and showed us at Volume that smart photography was something not to be overlooked. Since then we have published many smart photos, including our latest release Volume 10, which has an iPhone image on the cover. Please follow Robin's captivating and beautiful stream of photos at www.robinpope.co.uk and on Instagram as @robinLDN Words: Ruby Ocean
Where are you based?
I work in
London and live in Kent.
What made you initially pick up
a camera?
Seeing images by Greg Schmigel in New York a couple of years
ago during a Q&A which lead me to other mobile photographers' sites. It made
me want to go out and see how far I could push the boundaries of photography using
my iPhone.
What does the image mean to
you?
The joy of
photography is creating something unique and interesting. I like capturing life around
me and documenting characters and situations which can be
interpreted in different ways to each individual. The magic is capturing
something the eye doesn't usually see.
What are your thoughts on smart
photography?
Smart photography is good and will only get better. I was
introduce to it when the iPhone 4 was released but I know some
photographers who pushed this format when the iPhone 3 was around and are
still using this model and getting amazing images from it. I know it's been
said hundreds of times before by various people but it's the camera that's
always with me and allows me to share on my chosen social media sites. Apps
like ProCamera and SnapSeed are excellent to use and I highly recommend these
two apps to anyone who is just starting out using their smart phone as a
camera.
What are you currently working
on?
Currently promoting Volume 10 The World Issue which is now on sale and
can be purchased from the main website. We also have a few ideas in the
pipeline to be released on the blog.
Do
you do anything else?
Music photography is also a passion and I try to cover gigs
every week for various music blogs.
What
is next for you?
A busy summer with music festivals and gigs. And then
Volume 11...
Anyone you would like to plug?
Richard Gray (@rugfoot), Greg Schimegl (@justwhatIG), Suzy Schmigel
(@suzyschmeegs), Renzo Grande (@aliveinnyc) and Stuart Mitchell (@walnutwax) who can all be found on Instagram and Twitter.
