➢➢ Shapers of the 80s ➣➣

➤ Gaultier celebration trumps all else in London this summer

Posted on 21 Apr 2014 | Leave a comment

Fashion , Jean Paul Gaultier, Sidewalk to the Catwalk London, Barbican Art Gallery, exhibition, Eurotrash, reviews,

Dazzling couture, animated mannequins: Gaultier’s life story in one theatrical show

◼︎ YOU’LL NEVER HAVE SEEN an avant-garde fashion show like it, let alone couture up close and jangling its Swarovski crystals in your face. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier, From Sidewalk to the Catwalk, celebrates four decades of the crazee French designer who gave the world the cone bra and the man skirt. Andy Warhol said of him: “What he does is really art.” Touring the world’s leading galleries from Canada, this theatrical multi-media exhibition is unlike anything you have seen before and it is sensationally displayed all summer in London’s Barbican Art Gallery. It is sexy, funny, sumptuous and packed with philosophical surprises about clothes as an extension of yourself.

Gaultier also pays generous homage to British popular culture which he has thrived on since the 70s, whether the excesses of punk or the thrifty displays of status by the pearly kings and queens of Cockney London. He is always to be found hanging out on the London scene. Why? Because, he says: “The English were the first to appreciate my fashion! If there’s one place other than Paris that I should have lived, it should be in London.” The Barbican even devotes a video room to his stint presenting Channel 4’s Eurotrash TV magazine for its first seven series.

➢ The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier, 9 April–25 August 2014 at the Barbican Art Gallery, London

➢ “Raucous and experimental both in form and content, I’m likely to call this the most blithely divine fashion show you’ll catch in the near future” – New Statesman

➢ “A rare and fascinating opportunity to get inside the creative mind of one of fashion’s most daring designers” – Creative Review

➢ “Few other designers can boast a career that has moved from presenting the camp late-night television show Eurotrash to designing haute couture” – Vogue

➢ “Gaultier’s intention was not to merely provoke the public but to be a voyeur” – Hunger Magazine

➢ The UBU/Compagnie de création in Québec which produced the exhibition

➢ Jolicoeur International of Quebec, manufacturer of high-end mannequins

➢ View video: Gaultier’s SS2013 runway tribute to British pop icons

FRONT PAGE

Leave a comment

Posted in Culture, Europe, Fashion

Tagged Barbican Art Gallery, Eurotrash, exhibition, Jean Paul Gaultier, Reviews, Sidewalk to the Catwalk London, Video

1955–2014 ➤ Frankie Knuckles, the Godfather of House Music, is gone

Posted on 1 Apr 2014 | Leave a comment

Frankie Knuckles,house music, tributes, deejay, Chicago,

2012: an Evening with Frankie Knuckles at Smart Bar, Chicago (© Tasya Menaker). His final live deejay set was at Ministry of Sound in London on Saturday. He had been scheduled to return to the UK for shows at Gatecrasher in Birmingham and The Arches in Glasgow later this month

+++
➢ Today’s tribute to Frankie Knuckles at Rolling Stone,
by Michaelangelo Matos:

“ Nobody can agree on who invented the blues or birthed rock & roll, but there is no question that house music came from Frankie Knuckles, who died Monday afternoon of as-yet-undisclosed causes at age 59. One of the 80s and 90s’ most prolific house music producers and remixers, Knuckles is, hands down, one of the dozen most important deejays of all time.

The Chicago block where the Warehouse stood

“ At his Chicago clubs the Warehouse (1977-82) and Power Plant (1983-85), Knuckles’ marathon sets, typically featuring his own extended edits of a wide selection of tracks from disco to post-punk, R&B to synth-heavy Eurodisco, laid the groundwork for electronic dance music culture — all of it.

“ Knuckles made an abundant number of dance classics, including early Jamie Principle collaborations Your Love (1986) and Baby Wants to Ride (1987); Tears (1989), with Satoshi Tomiiee and Robert Owens; The Whistle Song (1991); and his remixes of Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody (1989), Sounds of Blackness’s The Pressure (1992), and Hercules and Love Affair’s Blind (2008) … ” / Continued at Rolling Stone

Frankie Knuckles Day, Chicago, Barack Obama

August 25, 2004: declared Frankie Knuckles Day in Chicago by the then-senator Barack Obama

Barack Obama, Frankie Knuckles, condolence

Update April 17, 2014: letter of condolence from the Obamas

➢ Knuckles, the man I knew, by Clive Morgan in the Daily Telegraph

➢ Priest of the dancefloor, by Alexis Petridis in The Guardian

VIDEO INTERVIEW IN LONDON 2012

FRONT PAGE

Leave a comment

Posted in Clubbing, North America, Pop music, Youth culture

Tagged Barack Obama, Chicago, clubbing, Continental Baths, deejay, electronic dance music, Frankie Knuckles, house music, Interview, nightlife, Paradise Garage, Power Plant, Tributes, Video, warehouse

2014 ➤ At last, Kemp reveals Spandau to tour UK and US in the fall – and tomorrow The World!

Posted on 17 Mar 2014 | 1 comment

Spandau Ballet, SXSW, tour news, UK, US, pop music, Twitter

Gary Kemp scoops Spandau Ballet’s own website on March 15

Spandau Ballet, SXSW, Vulcan Gas Company, pop music, Tony Hadley, reunion, concert

Spandau Ballet reunion at SXSW: the band together onstage playing 11 of their classic numbers at the Vulcan Gas Company

❚ HERE ARE THE TWEETS Spandau Ballet fans have all been waiting for, when Gary Kemp scooped even the band’s official website following their reunion performances and film premiere at SXSW in Texas. Yes, a tour is in the offing and it will conquer the world.

Spandau Ballet, SXSW, tour news, UK, US, pop music, Twitter, Irvine Welsh

Gary’s news of a UK tour also emerged on March 15 during interrogation at Twitter by Irvine Welsh, the Scottish author of the 1993 novel, Trainspotting

Two days later, March 17: Tweeter Martin Wood, an English fan from Yorkshire, engages Gary in some banter…

… whereupon Gary Kemp announces a second scoop at Twitter. Well done, Martin!

Spandau Ballet , video,Satellite of Love , SXSW

Spandau Ballet on Friday performing Satellite of Love at the Lou Reed Tribute at SXSW … Videograb courtesy Chickrock: click the pic to view her video in new window

➢ Previously at Shapersofthe80s: First review of Soul Boys of the Western World

➢ View March 12 interview for ComingSoon.net with Spandau Ballet plus their film director George Hencken

FRONT PAGE

1 Comment

Posted in Film, Media, North America, Pop music

Tagged Irvine Welsh, movie, pop music, premiere, Soul Boys of The Western World, Spandau Ballet, SXSW, tour news, Twitter, UK, US

2014 ➤ Curtain up on Spandau’s rollercoaster saga of war and peace

Posted on 12 Mar 2014 | Leave a comment

Spandau Ballet, SXSW, Vulcan Gas Company, pop music, Tony Hadley, concert

Hello America! In Austin, Texas, 28 years after their last vsit, Spandau Ballet return to play live

➢ UPDATE – First official review of SBWW from Mel Brown at Facebook:
“ I’m a very lucky girl. Got to see the worldwide premiere of Soul Boys of the Western World. Truly amazing. An emotional roller coaster. This film is not just for Spandau fans, it’s for anyone who loves a good story of friends growing up together. Can’t wait for its UK release. Thanks guys! Looking forward to the first US show in 28 years tonight. ”

❚ AUSTIN, TEXAS, IS SIX HOURS BEHIND THE UK so any minute NOW the curtain is going up on the world premiere of Soul Boys of the Western World. The documentary movie made entirely from vintage footage follows the rise and fall of the five london schoolpals who became one the the world’s half dozen pop supergroups of the 80s. And in two hours’ time we’ll know how much of a tearjerker it turns out to be. Take it away, Tone!

Spandau Ballet, reunion, TV, interview, Soul Boys of the Western World,movie,pop music, SXSW

Spandau Ballet all together on the Austin TV breakfast show: first public reunion since the Reformation tour ended in summer 2010

➢ Tony Hadley on Facebook early today:
“ A tiring but extremely successful day 2 at SXSW. We spent pretty much the entire day from 7.30am to 6pm doing promotion for the movie. The feedback from all the journalists that interviewed us was fantastic and there will be some reviews online later. In the afternoon we had a couple of hours to head out and check our back-line equipment for today’s show at a rehearsal facility here. In the room next door there was Kanye West and Jay-z rehearsing.  Last night I had a chance to go and see London Grammar, Imagine Dragons and Coldplay playing at the iTunes Festival here. They all put on a great show.

“ Today is the main Spandau Ballet event…the premiere of Soul Boys of the Western World at the Paramount Theatre at 1400hrs. Very exciting!  Tonight we play our first show here in the US for 28 years at the Vulcan Gas Company and we are all really looking forward to it. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it went!! ”

FIRST SNAPS AFTER THE SCREENING

Soul Boys of the Western World, Spandau Ballet, SXSW, Austin, premiere, movie, pop music, George Hencken

After the screening of Soul Boys of the Western World: Spandau invite a Q&A from the Paramount audience… Far left, the film’s director George Hencken

Today’s Tweet from Gary Kemp ‏@garyjkemp
– On stage with band and director @georgehencken for Q&A post screening. Thank you @sxsw, it was emotional.

Spandau Ballet, Vulcan Gas Company, concert, pop music, SXSW,Austin

Soundcheck for tonight’s live gig: Spandau onstage together for the first time in almost four years at the Vulcan Gas Company in Austin. Photo by Spandau’s first record producer, Richard James Burgess

Today’s Tweet from Spandau’s film director Henckenstein ‏@georgehencken
– Tonight is going to be about this: #SpandauBallet #VulcanGasCompany

Richard Burgess , Spandau Ballet, Steve Norman, film, Soul Boys of the Western World, premiere,SXSW

Another reunion! Steve Norman meets up with Spandau’s first record producer Richard Burgess today at SXSW

Today’s tweet from Spandau’s first record producer Richard James Burgess
– I haven’t seen them in a small room since 1980

After the soundcheck for tonight’s Spandau show: Tony Hadley relaxing as Steve Norman takes the snap

Today’s tweet from Steve Norman ‏@SteveNormanReal
– The big man post sound check, pre gig madness @TheTonyHadley #SXSW

Soul Boys of the Western World, Spandau Ballet, SXSW, premiere, movie, pop music

Marquee of the Paramount in Austin, Texas: Soul Boys of the Western World premieres today

➢ Today’s SXSW 2014 print interview with Spandau Ballet and their film director George Hencken

➢ Click to view the trailer of Soul Boys of the Western World

➢ Previously at Shapersofthe80s: Spandau confirms live reunion gig in Texas – for a tiny elite!

FRONT PAGE

Leave a comment

Posted in Film, Media, North America, Pop music, Youth culture

Tagged George Hencken, Interview, movie, pop music, premiere, reunion, Richard James Burgess, Soul Boys of The Western World, Spandau Ballet, SXSW, Tony Hadley, trailer, TV

➤ Rock god Lovatt exits TV talent show with charisma intact

Posted on 10 Mar 2014 | Leave a comment

❚ THAT’S THE WAY TALENT CONTESTS CRUMBLE. One minute you’re flavour of the week. The next, you’re out. That’s the way Saturday primetime TV crumbles too. The show is called The Voice. It’s not called The Star. So although glam-rocker Jamie Lovatt radiated tons more charisma than the awkward bloke from the pub, Chris Royal, who was wearing his Auntie Mabel’s pinafore under his jacket, the bloke won this week’s vocalists face-off because apparently, according to coach Ricky Wilson, you “can’t learn the kind of emotion he can portray in a song”. (Even while wearing a pinafore and a twat-Kevin baseball cap back to front. In 2014! Per-lease!)

The pair were billed as Emotion vs Power and powerhouse Jamie was sent packing back to his band Romance, whose bookings have suddenly sky-rocketed thanks to his TV appearances, so that can’t be bad. Pop goddess Kylie did bid him goodbye saying: “Everybody’s going to fall in love with you. You already have it all. Run with it.” Fact is, Jamie has all the attitude to be the next Adam Lambert and a better rock voice than the falsetto bloke from the pub, so long as he chooses better rock songs by real rock writers than the Adele number he nobly had to get his vocal cords round on Saturday night.

Click any pic to launch slideshow

The fan: Kylie the coach who could have recruited Jamie, but didn’t

The coach Ricky Wilson: the man who drowns kittens parts company with Jamie

The exit: Will.i.am, Kylie and Sir Tom Jones are fascinated to the last

After Ricky the coach had passed verdict on which of his two protégés was staying in the contest, he totally bottled out of making eye contact with Jamie in their kissy-huggy moment of parting, and mumbled one of those reality-show platitudes: “Life is made of big decisions. You made a really big decision. I had to make one too.” He did look choked, to be fair for one second, but he did also look like the man who drowns kittens in a sack, and turned away utterly shame-faced. The best bit was Jamie’s flouncy exit during which the other three judges beamed benignly behind him and couldn’t take their eyes off his defiant strut.

Today, Jamie posted this equally defiant new cover of Paul Weller’s Brand New Start, videoed beneath chintz lampshades while perched on a cushion. Two fingers up to suburbia.