22/8/2013 Hirst TownSo what do you do if you are the richest artist - read "rather talentless self-publicist trying his best to cash in on his pseudo-controversial reputation" - in Britain with your heydays firmly behind you but a bulging bank account (or two?)? You buy yourself a town. Or at least, this is what it's starting to feel like with Damien Hirst and Ilfracombe, in North Devon. I wrote about the quite horrid Verity in a previous blog; Hirst has also owned a restaurant on Quay Road, Number 11, The Quay, since 2000. Now, he has got his hands on no less than four properties in the harbour (the lovely Driftwood gallery, the first in a series of art galleries to open under the same name in the South West, is having to relocate somewhere else in town), and is also planning a - yes, of course, controversial! - housing estate in the fields opposite the Tesco supermarket (more on this HERE). It looks like councillors have been dragging their feet, but don't fret, Hirst will triumph in the end. Money - and celebrity - talks, and Ilfracombe has been in dire need of regeneration since the railway was scrapped in 1970. True, Hirst could be seen as some kind of "saviour", although things are not as simple as it seems (see HERE for an interesting comment on the situation). Most certainly, something seems to be happening: art galleries are popping up everywhere around the town, and the pub chain Wetherspoon is building a - completely inappropriate - "futuristic" establishment (they have pulled down the wonderful old hotel that used to stand there!). On the up side, one of the new galleries is located on the high street and is definitely worth a visit: the Jessica Dove gallery (a good write-up about the gallery can be found HERE). Set up by a former artist and art teacher who was born in the town before going to live and work in London, the gallery is bright and packed full of very interesting works. I particularly loved the sculptures by Jessica's husband, Stanley Dove, and my new favourite sculptor, Philip Wakeham - see his work on his Beautiful If Oblique website. His sculptures are simply stunning; they have a delicate, mythical, haunting quality. Perfect inspiration for a novel! More on Ilfracombe and North Devon in the forthcoming days.
Now is time to get back into things after a few days away! 16/8/2013 A short break...Tomorrow, my favourite designer and I are off to Devon for a short family visit. We do need a blast of fresh air!
I have my walking boots, The Book of Thoth manuscript as well as two books to read... The weather is extremely changeable over there so you need to be prepared! No blog until we come back... 15/8/2013 The London Book FairI have never been to The London Book Fair, even when I worked full-time in educational publishing.
I have decided that I will be going next year (I'm saving the entrance fee!) as a visitor, author and (very) small publisher, with my ears and eyes open. It's high time I took that publishing business seriously! I am hoping that 2014 will bring some interesting and exciting developments for Arcane Publishing (not least the publication of our second book!)... 8/8/2013 Another day in WhitstableLast weekend, we spent a wonderful day in trendy and thriving Whitstable. It was not our first time in the town (see my previous blog about it) nor was it our last! We are usually there in January for some reason, and it was great to see the town in the full swing of summer. It was transformed - although I do have a thing for seaside resorts in the winter; My favourite seasons for everything are autumn and winter! They really seem to be doing the right things there, and I think Southend Council, who seems to have a total lack of imagination and creativity, should send a few spies to analyse what the small Kent town is doing right. Southend deserves so much better. There are a few clues as to how in the following paragraphs. Their high street is full of a great variety of independent shops (i.e opportunities for local businesses). It is positively thriving. The week-long Oyster festival had just come to an end, but it didn't feel like it: there was music, stalls, and the excellent Whitstable Harbour Village was open. I really think Southend should consider doing its own seafront village: spaces available for small local businesses (most of them creative people: artisans, artists, small entrepreneurs... a flexible approach mixing fishermen's huts and cheaper stalls - we could have little colourful beach huts and stalls. The village is open every weekend and Bank Holidays from March to Christmas. With the amount of creatives in the area, this type of setting would be ideal on the seafront, which is full of cafes and places to eat but where there is nothing to see, really. I am sure visitors would love to have things to look at, browse and purchase, and us local creatives and small businesses who cannot afford to rent a shop would have a place to showcase and sell our work. Who will take on the challenge? The Tudor Tea Rooms are located in an absolutely gorgeous 17th Century building... It is lovely in there! 28/7/2013 Hurray for Southend!Imagine my (very nice) surprise when I opened The Sunday Times Magazine today - I buy The Sunday Times every Sunday, and yes, I know it's owned by Rupert Murdoch - and I stumbled on a 6 page-long feature about Southend and how it's become the boom town, especially thanks to its arts scene!
*Update*: You can read the full article on Metal's website HERE. 20/7/2013 I do like it...I am chuffed to bits, today... This afternoon, I got some more stock for my book stall. Not only that, but I came across a copy of Shakespeare's As You Like It, but not just any copy... On the cover, it features the initials "O.A & L.B". Inside, one can find two lovely pictures. The title page tells us: I have done a little bit of research and it looks like the initials refer to Oscar Asche, a Norwegian-Australian actor, producer and director who worked on the Australian and English stages, and his wife, English actress Lily Brayton. They are the people in the pictures, and they were very, very big indeed in the theatre world!
This copy refers to the time when Asche and his wife managed His Majesty’s Theatre in Haymarket, London (they had become managers of The Adelphi in 1904). I have only found one listing for this book on the internet: HERE. Does that mean that it is pretty rare? I love it when this happens. 18/7/2013 The past month has been busy...I haven't touched The Book of Thoth for about a month... During the week, I've had some work to do - the bills need to be paid! - and at the weekend, well, we haven't been home much, lately.
I haven't got time to write a long blog about it, but I'm a lucky girl because Matt ArtPix took the plunge yesterday evening and posted a wonderful blog full of lovely pictures summarising our busy month... Expect a cute pooch, some steam engines, a masonic hall, some classic cars, a church tower and a few pictures from the Village Green festival. Our last vintage fair of the summer is next week and in August, we do not have any events planned. We will be taking a break to write and create. Matt ArtPix has a few events lined up for the end of the year so go to his NEWS PAGE for more details! 6/7/2013 New event! Maldon Motor showTomorrow, Sunday 7th July, I will be at the Maldon Motor Show. I will not be selling I Am a Muse - customers will get a flyer for the book! - but I will have a great range of second-hand books: cinema, entertainment, classic cars, glamourous Hollywood stars, football,... And of course, Matt ArtPix will be selling his range of vintage-inspired art (read his blog about the event HERE)!
Next week, we will be posting some news about I Am a Muse and we will start the count down to Shorelines: literature festival of the sea! After weeks of not being able to write, I have next week free to work on The Book of Thoth. Deadline for the first draft is approaching dangerously... I might have to change the publication date from summer 2014 to autumn 2014... In the next few weeks, I am hoping to start working again on the promo for I Am a Muse and Arcane Publishing... About two weeks ago, I finally finished my review of The Eden House's gig at The Lexington and sent it, together with some photos, to the guy who puts all the articles online at La Magicbox. Unfortunately, it looks like he's so busy that he still hasn't found any time to post it, and it has been sitting there for a fortnight... Therefore, I have decided to put the article here in the meantime. The photos are not very good as my trusty "gig camera" doesn't work anymore... When the review is up on La Magicbox, I will come back to this blog and link it (there will also be a French version of the article on there.) Supporting were Jordan Reyne (whose new album The Annihilation Sequence I have reviewed HERE) and Red Sun Revival. *Update 24/07/2013: the English and French versions of the review are now on La Magicbox website: ENGLISH FRENCH THE EDEN HOUSE – RED SUN REVIVAL – JORDAN REYNE The Lexington London, UK 9th June 2013 The launch of The Eden House’s second album Half Life (reviewed by me HERE) feels like some kind of laid-back, good spirited family affair. The Lexington hasn’t got the barriers and the overzealous security meat-heads that so often spoil the gig-going experience. We are left free to enjoy some of the best music around without the corporate beer and the idiots watching the bands through the tiny luminous screen of their smart phones. I first came across New-Zealand artist Jordan Reyne last October when she supported Fields of The Nephilim at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Tonight, Jordan is smiling, relaxed and chatty, her tumbling curls looking ablaze under the red lights. She is a charismatic performer and born storyteller armed only with an acoustic guitar and a machine that mixes sounds and vocals live. Her work is an intoxicating and intriguing mixture of folk and industrial with a dark heart and a fascinating and fluent narrative core. Her set mixes songs from her brand new album, The Annihilation Sequence, and from the previous one, the excellent Children of a Factory Nation. She also plays the powerfully evocative The Proximity of Death from her 2009 album How the Dead Live, a real treat! Another highlight is the stunning, hauntingly visceral The Narcissus – from the new album – a track that burrows itself under your skin and makes your hair stand on end. To see Jordan perform it gives the song the flesh and bones it crucially requires. Thundering machines beat the rhythm of Factory Nation and a mosaic of sounds inhabits London, whilst A Woman Scorned is incredibly poignant in its bare simplicity. A truly riveting performance. I didn’t know Red Sun Revival before I checked them out ahead of tonight’s gig. A relatively new band – formed in 2011 – comprising of accomplished and experienced musicians, the quartet has already built up a faithful following. Their music is a rather traditional gothic rock, full of sweeping melodies and heavy hearts. Frontman Rob Leydon’s sonorous, emotional voice is delightfully theatrical and suits the music perfectly. As the set goes along, I warm to them and their meticulously crafted, perfectly delivered songs. I particularly like Christina Emery’s violin, which really adds an interesting dimension to the tracks, as on Nothing To Hide, Running From The Dawn or the very Fields of the Nephilim-inspired My Child. Red Sun Revival's Rob Leydon is most certainly a much-in-demand musician as he has just officially been announced as a new member of The Eden House, replacing the very busy producer Andy Jackson on guitar. Back on stage as well is Jordan Reyne, who tonight will be one of two main vocalists, together with Laura Bennett.
Now, The Eden House is probably one of the best live bands around, but tonight, we are in for a very special treat indeed. Joining Stephen Carey(guitar), Simon Rippin (drums) and Tony Pettitt (bass) are Bob Loveday on violin and five of the female vocalists who appear on the new album, Half Life – and I’ve got the feeling that if Monica Richards hadn’t been living in the US, she would have been here tonight as well to sing Bad Men. Seeing The Eden House live is a masterclass in musicianship and excellence: Stephen Carey and Tony Pettitt play with a quiet concentration which is nothing but impressive; Jordan and Laura sing with gusto and passion but I would have liked their microphones to be set on a higher level; their beautiful voices are getting slightly lost, overpowered by the sheer might of the music. Three songs from the first album Smoke and Mirrors – God’s Pride, All My Love and Sin – remind us all of why we fell in love with the supergroup in the first place: this unique, intoxicating mixture of grandiose melodies, dark undercurrents and epic sense of the dramatic. Live, liberated from the shackles of the recording format, the beautiful monster that is The Eden House’s music comes alive and finally has a face, a body and a soul – albeit, much like Frankenstein’s Creature, it is made of a multitude of components: singers, musicians, moods, genres… And just like said Creature, it is so incredibly strong and powerful, we can literally physically feel the music taking possession of our senses in the small venue. The mainly instrumental Timeflows keeps the promises of its title: it rumbles like a swollen river of sound flowing across a wild, unforgiving landscape. Soul singer Queenie Moy confidently takes possession of the microphone for Hunger, whilst Anathema’s Lee Douglas is joined by Jordan and Laura for her pitch-perfect, rousing City of Goodbyes. The playful Phoenix J enchants us with her sunny presence and First Light, during which Bob Loveday gets a little pipe out and plays the little bird fleeting around PJ’s head. It is all so heady that when we are denied an encore because of venue time restrictions, we feel a tad lost. And we therefore exit onto the busy Pentonville Road, convinced that we have witnessed something special and magical. It was a privilege to be there. You should have been too. 26/6/2013 Event!This Saturday 29th June, Matt ArtPix and Arcane Publishing will be on the road again, this time to Ipswich.
We will have a stall at The Secret Vintage Fair. It will be in a Masonic Hall, so loads of inspiration to be had from it for The Book of Thoth! |
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