Music Marvel of the Week - Primary1

So who fancied Nina Persson from the Cardigans when they were younger? Come on hands up... Everyone, yep, boys and girls, corrr how she made Romeo and Juliet cool again.

You might ask then, why hasn't someone taken her sexy Scandinavian tones and added them to their track for a while.

Well (and i'm guessing you can probably see where I'm going with this) Primary1 has done exactly that on the wonderfully crafted track The Blues.

Mixing Nina's sweet late-90's huskiness with Strokestyle driving bass and synths coming out of their floral smelling ass, the tune is lovely stuff.

This analogy does the artists other work a disservice though. The simplicity of this track is certainly alien to the rest of the Primary1 output.

Checking out 'Radiates' will have Hot Chip fans salivating out there that someone is moving their genre of electro dance forward with some awesome bass, that'll make you wee a little, blinding synths that burn your pupils with treble, and vocals that remind me of Bowie in his Ziggy days... although probably not as high brow even though i do enjoy the usage of the lyric 'Super bright hardcore, shadows rule the dance floor'.

All i'll say is those of you expecting to spend most of your weekend at Glasto this summer wearing neon will definitely be moving to the polyphonic beat of this track in Dance East or Fields of Avalon. Those more in the know will have already heard it blaring out over the last 6 months but it's a track designed for summer.

The man behind it is Joe Flory and unlike many of his counterparts, he actually has a major label deal with Atlantic and is currently working on his first album. He'll be touring with Ellie Goulding in the run up to the festival season and this will compliment Goulding's popelectric sensibilities perfectly. In fact it might boost her credibility further as Primary1 innovates and she continues as poster-girl for elctropop.

Check out his MySpace but also click to hear his home demos album Mess Detectives. Very chilled, very accomplished and a nice breezy summer vibe to play out of your ancient ghetto blaster round the festival campfire come June.

www.myspace.com/primary1

Inspiration in Sport... come on The Arts, man-up

Hey it's not often you can say you've seen Art in sport. Nor is it often, that you'll credit it to David Beckham. United beat Milan tonight in a 4-0 drubbing that had grace and finesse, but it was what happened in the stands and on the pitch after the game that carried the biggest resonance.

A usually red Stretford End covered in Green and Gold, cheering for the owners to leave and remembering the roots that created the legend, Newton Heath, the original United, where the love affair came from.

And the prodigal soon showed his thoughts too. Returning to a standing ovation Beckham left the field in defeat, but in wearing the green and gold, stood as a flagbearer to a people led revolution that many believe with it's power, will succeed in toppling the money grabbing Yanks.

It was an operatic scene with a history play undertone more at home at La Scala than Trafford.... well, maybe not.

But, rather than being a Red patting themselves on the back, it made me realise the resonances in the arts world, and the enforced call to arms we face today.

With cut funding, cut TV programming, and all in all a shit state of affairs for the support of the arts, it's up to the fans to stand up and pledge support.

The arts council is one of the worst hit from the recession. Some would say that's fair, and i wouldn't disagree, but the world has to support the Arts, lend it's hand, not just the powers that be. It is that important.

In the last 6 months we lost The Soutbank Show, possibly the greatest gateway to the arts that TV has ever offered. Now we have nothing, and we all moan about it.

I was at the awards for the show this year. Emotional, devastating, an end of an era, with actors, directors, designers, poets, writers, broadcasters lamenting it, and art TV's demise...

Talks of 'Where will our world be served now' rang out... yet no one had any ideas.

With the advent of cut government funding, ironically coinciding with the richest period of fashion, art and performing arts ever in the UK, there seems to be an apathy akin to politics that we can change nothing.

So here is the rally, the call to join the movement and pull your fucking socks up. This is the best arts scene in the world and we deserve the support of our government media, prolific (and affluent) artists and TV bosses to spread that talent.

Geeez... If only David Beckham had been born a lyricist...

Merci meets Liberty, enough to turn your macho man metro

Another cracking press event at Liberty and another top notch collaboration.

Their commercial and artistic twinning with Parisian concept store Merci is the perfect combo and cements them as the first port of call for trend spotters in London.

Anyone who hasn't been to the Merci store in Paris, well you bloody should, it has to be the chicest store in the chicest of cities and, in Liberty, probably has it's sister location in London.

When you arrive at the shop in Paris, through it's gateway and off the main boulevard, the clean fascia, landscaped entrance, well, it's like walking into a scene from 'A Year in Provence' but for the 21st century. Decidedly French, this concept store is a philanthropists dream, the most decadent charity shop in the world, turning a huge hunk of it's profits over to charity.

As well as featuring some of the biggest designers in the world, they have now worked closely with Liberty to bring an amazing floral selection of home accessories, female fashion and pretty outfits for your little girl.

As you may have guessed by now, it makes even grown men get a bit soppy...

Checking out the range with the girlfriend, I was all like "ooooh we must get one of these cushions... ahhh, reusable Liberty napkins, how wonderful... wouldn't my neice look lovely in this... (and) this floral suitcase would be a wonderful storage box."

I've already bastioned the floral Fred Perry range coming out this Spring at Libs but i really think the summer is the dawn of the floral in men's fashion and this selection of design pieces gets that metrosexual vibe perfectly.

In basic layman's terms, it's top quality unisex chintz, and I like.

It is also a vital collaboration that brings Paris and London closer and closer in the fashion world, which can only be a good thing. The travel links and the similar artistic sensibilities between artists here in London and Paris are growing day on day.

Many of my friends in bands, DJ's and artists are more regularly playing and exhibiting in Paris and the post-teen generation are seeing it as a second home, amazingly, probably for the first time.

It seems obvious, but not enough of us do it, get over to Paris, gen up on your French, particularly your Parisian lilt and continue the revolution. Vive la Franglais!

http://www.mylittleparis.com/

www.merci-merci.com

www.liberty.co.uk

(check out this excellent website for must sees in paris and more on the Merci store)

Hurt Locker... no brainer innit

It's going to win Oscars, a lot of them. Bigelow, you are Best Director in waiting and about to make history as a female in Hollywood.

What makes this film so accomplished is the machismo of the subject matter, usually kept aside for Tony Scott style Directors and homo-erotic camaradery, but Hurt Lockers sensibilities, proximity to the front line, innovative shooting and on the bloody button political acumen sets it out as a landmark film just as much as Avatar.

If you haven't seen it yet, see it at all costs. I watched it on a shitty laptop, and there's no way you can do that with Cameron's epic.

It won't pick up acting awards though, they're already sorted by the looks of things, Bridges, Bulloch and Waltz, although supporting actress is a bit more difficult and there is a shout for Carey and Gabourey for best actress, unlikely though.

I spoke to Tarantino the other week and he had carefully worked out that he will be up 3 times out of 8 nominations for Inglourious Basterds.

Waltz will be one, i got the idea he was hoping for one for best screenplay but i think he'll be fortunate, though Toby Young's assassination of the script on his blog and column was way over the top.

When will Toby realise he's famous for being a twat, no one cares what he thinks, or what I think admittedly, but stop believing anyone's listening man... boring.

My tips for the three are

Hurt Locker 6 Awards

Avatar 5 Awards

Basterds 2

People of New York, brace yourselves...

It has to be the biggest hit of the year and continues the vein of the UK creating seminal theatre, and makes London the centre of the stage world.

But alas, Jerusalem is leaving for bigger things, heading to New York from London and unleashing a wonderfully comic, dark and haunting, epic play on the Big Apple. In its tenure at the Royal Court and the Apollo it has received nothing less than five star reviews, had people crying with laughter and disgust and propelled Rylance back to the top of the actors pecking order.

Tony Award winner and former Globe arty director, Rylance will blow your socks off if you get to see this, as manipulative a turn on stage against his audience that an actor has ever given and an absolute shoe-in for Oliviers, surely.

Put quite simply, it's fucked up, a fucked up man, teasing a fucked up village, and their fucked up inmates in a fucked up Britain... so much so that it achieves the unthinkable at the mo, makes you proud to be British!

The play is good enough to make sure writer Jez Butterworth will go down as one of the best playwrites of the 21st century, and you can see the influence his hero Pinter has over the perfectly pitched satire and drama.

Londoners, you're buggered if you're going to get a ticket but beg, steal 'n borrow if you can... New Yorkers, brace yourself, you think the Bronx is bad, 'you ain't bin down Somerset...'

Get your Barbour out

So if we are talking about festivals now, then lets get kitted up... but I say, stay clear of your standard Barbour wax this year, because they have had an amazing year designing brilliant new styles that neeeeed to be worn.

This is their latest duralinen dry fly jacket, i have it in brown, but it's epic, lightweight, bloody british and will stand you out from the crowd whilst keeping the rain at bay. It's basically a 'well posh kagool'.

Marvin from JLS was well taken by me in it the other day... but don't let that put you off.

These UK brands have been awesome this year and are constantly re-inventing themselves in a way that they failed to do before.

Another range to majorly look out for this summer is Liberty's collab with Fred Perry... google the images... they're florally brilliant, a touch of metrosexuality to your modish summer

Early festival highlights for 2010

Amazing news from Lovebox...

Roxy Music to reform by invitation of Groove Armada. Anyone who was there last year will vouch that Duran Duran were epic, and i'm sorry but watching Brian Ferry rock his 64 year old new romantic ways is fucking cool. Also, ahem, Empire of the Sun look set to be on before him... just hope he has some new hotties lined up to dance to Addicted to love!

Oh, does that excite you? Well if you can't be assed to spend two days in a London City park.... which, is preety bore off, then they're doing Bestival... along with may I say, an epic line-up that will draw a huge amount of Glastonbury goers away to the Isle of Whyte

Smaller festivals will I think be the toast of the summer, and hopefully, they stay small as well. If you've never been to Big Chill be rest assured it is a mix of chilling and maxing but stay in Herefordshire for Nozstock. Indie, rock, drum n bass and dubstep set in the best frickin' county in the UK and sozzled with endless scrumpy cider. Fit.

Also don't forget The Great Escape in Brighton, probably the best place to see 'almost signed' talent...

Broaden your horizons this year you bunch of boring bastards.

Retro record of the week - Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue

It's a marvel of modern science that you can kick back in bed and watch TV from a week ago on you're laptop whenever you want, isn't it?

Even someone like me who struggles to get my head round these things has embraced it, and fortunately, unlike the other stupidly lazy innovations technology has brought us, this one allows you to catch brilliant bits of TV that you otherwise sidelined for a can of Red Stripe and the fottball.

Dennis Wilson : The Real Beach Boy was one of the shows that had caught my eye in the schedule that I'd missed because it was on at 10pm on a Friday night... scheduling heresy against one of the unsung heroes of 60's and 70's America.

BBC 4, in co-pro with a US production team and Lime Pictures, brought to life a man that exuded charm, sexuality, beauty, anger and pain in enough abundance to kick Marlon Brando in the nuts. One story proved this, when in their early clean cut years the boys had attracted hoards of girls and were confronted by a group of jealous lads, only for Dennis to boot one so hard in his scrotum that it split.

It's kind of become 'cool' to talk about The Beach Boys as the best band of the 60's after a renaissance of brilliant early albums, Pet Sounds, the final filmic release of Smile in 2004 and of course Dennis's lost album Pacific Ocean Blue with Bambou in 2008.

The group had become aligned with cheesey surf tracks, epic live stadium perfrormances, brilliantly shiny 80's letterman jackets and the kokomo from cocktail (an admitted guilty pleasure). But, in the last few years as people's record collections have spread, vinyls have come back into play, and labels have cashed in on 40/50th anniversaries, the Boys are back.

But lets go back to the early days, the days where the blue collar Wilson family all reacted in their own way to the torment of a vicious father until forming the tightest vocal group of their time. Brian, the genius, battled with his Dad's jealousy, suffering deafness in one ear from a suspected clout from 'Pop'. Carl was meek. Dennis, was far from it, escaping to the beach, meeting girls, surfing, and bringing a pre-ordained James Dean quality and credibility to what, otherwise, was a motley bunch of gawky kids.

In my opinion it probably is the best solo album of any of the band mates, of which only Brian and Dennis can actual stake a real claim to having produced. But, lets not forget that Pet Sounds, which only featured snippets of the other band members, could probably be called a solo effort for Brian. Pacific Ocean Blue, with a couple of tracks at least, can stand up against that, his brothers greatest creation... even if he still comes a distant second.

This summer I'd suggest getting out there and buying Pacific Ocean Blue. The sound of the summer will definitely be harmony based, trad and folk with a rocky edge, think Vampire Weekend, the Mumford's hitting the festival scene, etc. You'll see how epic this record is, and influential on great 80's bands as well as modern heroes like the Foo Fighters and other US groups. Also, you'll look pretty fucking cool, because Dennis, was fucking cool

Huge tracks to listen out for and spread the word about are River Song, Pacific Ocean Blue and Thoughts of You... painful, beautiful, epic and basically, just cool tracks.

Sure it was released in 2008, but if anything the summers were shit then, lets hope for an Endless Summer this year, listening to his gravelly tones Forever.... what a cheap pun...

http://www.pacificoceanblue.net/