Farewell, old friends...

The other day, my wonderful Mum came to the rescue and restored some order to my life.

This included a mammoth sort through of my wardrobe, a rifle through two full chests of drawers and a rummage through four vacuum storage bags in the loft. My clothes you see were literally consuming me. Like The Blob, they poured out of drawers, creeped out of under-bed storage and stubbornly bunched together in my wardrobe to prevent any new friends joining the gang.

An epic cull took place. Remember that scene in the good Sex and The City film, where Carrie is trying on clothes to determine which will survive the move to her plush new pad, and the girls score with a 'Toss' or a 'Take'? Mum was basically Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte combined, sadly without an abundant champagne flow. As I popped shirts over my head, slipped into dresses and squeezed into tiny tops, the nays soon totted up.

It made me realise I'd been obstinately hoarding unworn clothes from nearly a decade ago, not just because I genuinely loved them but because a memory was firmly attached to each piece. They represented a younger me, from a different life phase.

Each time my Mum said (gently) 'That's a no from me Nic...', I'd protest weakly and say 'Nooo, I can't let go of that top, I bought it in a little beach shop in Byron Bay in 2007!' or 'Ah, that's from a vintage shop in Surry Hills, I DEFINITELY can't bin that one'. Or recount a festival from 2010 where in a drunken haze I bought the floaty jackety-thing in my hand, à la Moss, and get all misty eyed and nostalgic for the good ol' days.

Thankfully, my Mum persisted. Sure, an embellished lilac halterneck dress is perfect for post-yoga chilling or imbibing beers on the beach on Fraser Island when you're a tanned 20-something - but that was then and this is now. They were terrific, heady times for sure, but my life has changed and so have my tastes and I've only just realised I'm totally on board with that.

I need a functional, stylish wardrobe to carry me from work to nursery pick up to evening blog assignment. I favour a muted palette, silk shirts, tailored jackets and sweatshirts and trainers rather than a floaty wisp of a thing that most certainly will flash my bum on the Victoria Line or make me stand out like a sore thumb at a sweaty London gig. Plus, there's no denying I'm hurtling towards the big 4-0 and will look a pillock in a fringed crop top no matter how vintage it may be or where it was purchased in Peru.

I negotiated with Mum though, and some pieces survived the cull. Items I can't let go of just yet. The memories are just too strong, weaved into the fabric and immediately brought to life in technicolour with just one glance. The dress I wore to meet a boy called Alex at Kingsford Smith Airport in 2008 when I was living in Sydney and he was just a visitor from London (that boy is now my husband. I love that dress). Some floaty trousers purchased from travels in Chile. A Marcel Fenez for Roland Klein cream chiffon gown with gold trim which can only be worn if I hold my breath. Besides, some clothes are still wearable and what with the trend for era-renaissance (hello again, '90s!) it seemed astute to hang on to them.

Being truthful to myself, the sift through was cathartic and satisfying and my head and house are decidedly more roomy. I'm excited about the future and slowly curating a new collection of clothes - that I can associate with other notable times in my life when, in ten years time, I'm sorting through them again.

For now, a little more room is proving to be very useful. I've seen the most gorgeous dress from Kitri...

Insta-Influencer: Dropscotch

Instagram’s a funny old thing. It’s the social platform I use most for my blog, but sometimes it can be a bit vacuous.

Yet, if you search hard enough and bypass the #happyvibess, dodge the #fridayfeels and ignore the celebs who get 13M views for simply blowing a kiss, there’s some real gems. Insta accounts with substance and style, their talented creators exhibiting their craft.

Like Dropscotch.

Any artist that skilfully blends clever, striking design with 1990s R&B and streetwear styles is a winner in my eyes. It was the TLC-inspired t-shirt that caught my eye and had me scrolling down the page, swiftly followed by the iconic Sade Adu set in colourful geometric style. The image of Brandy from the Sitting Up in My Room video (*finds Brandy on Spotify and listens to I Wanna Be Down on repeat*) made my stomach ache a bit with glorious nostalgia.

Dropscotch is the brainchild of artist and illustrator Luke Davis. He started the business earlier this year with his partner Emma, as a way to combine their key passions: illustration, fashion and music. Luke trained as a journalist and worked as an editor at a London creative agency, which gave him the chance to work with incredible illustrators and designers and ensured a good foundation in the software he uses to create his striking compositions.

Their work really spoke to me as it combines two of my favourite things; '90s R&B music and streetwear style. I grew up on the former and covet the latter. R’n’B was the soundtrack to my formative years and in the days before the likes of Spotify, digitalised music and streaming it filled my mixtapes and came crackling out of my first car stereo. I played SWV’s 1992 debut It’s About Time a million times in my early teens and remember being fascinated by TLC’s Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg video on MTV.

Although I’ve always been into a variety of genres of music, my tastes have further diversified with rock, indie, jazz, soul and country amongst my favourites but, to me, 1990’s R’nB doesn’t date and still sounds fresh.  From a fashion perspective, you only have to look at the likes of Vetements to see how much this era has influenced current trends. I’m just as comfortable in an oversized sweatshirt and voluminous tee than I am in dress and I’m hoping to build up my trainer collection rather than heels.

Dropscotch’s Luke cites his creative influences as including the Memphis Group style of design that was popularised in the 1980s, geometric pattern-making and classical portraiture. In addition, album sleeves, editorial designs and streetwear styles provide every day motivation. The TLC and Aaliyah t-shirts are part of a series called Down in which every illustration is inspired by a classic female R&B video of the 1990s.  They are going to release a few as screen printed t-shirts in the coming weeks and months, as well as signed art prints and possibly some accessories which is exciting.

And why the name Dropscotch? As Luke explains, all his favourite things drop - from basslines, to limited edition sneaker releases to dancing bodies, while hopscotch represents fun out on the street.

So there you have it, the power of Instagram. It’s worth enduring the not-so-good stuff to find a real gem like Dropscotch. I wish Luke and Emma all the very best and even though my t-shirt collection is getting a little out of control, I don’t know how long I can last before giving in to the S. Double-U. V. one.

For now, I’m off to listen to Brandy and Aaliyah like it’s 1994 (which it is usually is in my head).

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For the Love of The Things We Love

I thought really hard before writing this post and adding the accompanying images - me faffing about in a t-shirt, appearing not to have a care in the world. I was so worried it would be seen as insensitive and out of touch.

After yesterday’s atrocities in and around London Bridge and the loss of life and injury which has once again shaken this beautiful city, the country and the world to the core - who cares about clothes? Nothing matters more than our loved ones and the safety of our country, so why on earth would I choose to write today about art and fashion?

Because in times like this, the things we love matter a lot. They are a comfort and a release and they serve as some form of uniformity when the new normal seems to be fear of attack. I don’t know why the evil bastards did what they did yesterday and I don’t want to face up to their motives and ongoing intentions. Last night as news of yet another terrorist horror unfolded on the news and spread like wildfire through social media, I shook and cried and gripped my husband’s hand even tighter. I watched my baby sleeping and when he woke up at 2am I held him and whispered that I loved him.

This morning in the light of day though, I felt frightened and heartbroken for those who had lost their lives or been injured in the name of terror but also really, really angry. How dare they try to prevent us from enjoying our freedoms, to constrain or change us. To stop us doing the things we love and feel passionate about. The things that make us, us.

We all need a creative outlet and for me, that’s fashion. Yesterday afternoon, hours before it felt like the world had turned in on itself I popped into designer Simeon Farrar’s store near my house in Walthamstow, East London. It’s a creative, fluid space with art hanging on the walls, clothes suspended boldly on rails and next season’s stock amassed and ready to be dispatched.

I spotted this amazing, super fashion-y t-shirt and it made me grin. Members of fashion’s coolest gang, like Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Lee McQueen and Paul Smith, brought to life by Farrar’s charming illustration.

He is a British illustrator, artist and designer and founder of label Blackscore. As well as an architect of his own respected collections, Farrar has collaborated with fair trade fashion pioneer People Tree and his infamous Kate Mouse t-shirt raised funds for Save The Children’s 2011 emergency earthquake appeal. He worked with the Gynaecological Cancer Fund and TopShop to create the Lady Garden range of hoodies, t-shirts and sweatpants to raise awareness of gynae cancer symptoms and the campaigns were fronted by eminent models and fashion influencers. I met Simeon and his partner yesterday, and they were warm and down to earth and I left feeling encouraged and inspired.

So, in the grand scheme of things, of course clothes don’t really matter. As the postcard that came with my purchase quips, ‘this t-shirt will make you look good, get dirty and be cooler than all your other t-shirts’. This t-shirt will not, though ‘let you down, lie to you and it won’t save the world’.

Right now, I don’t know what will save the world and that worries me very much. But we shouldn’t stop doing the things we do, the things we enjoy or from expressing ourselves creatively. These are our privileges, our values and the sheer beauty of living in a vibrant city such as London.

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Trousers That Make Me Think of Wine

All of a sudden spring is well and truly here - with the lighter evenings and radiant days it has officially sprung. In my eyes though, it didn’t evolve with a subtle rise in temperature or give warning with a dip in the evening chill. Instead, spring jabbed me on the shoulder and when I span around, shouted BOO in my face.

Argh, I’m not ready. I need to have a panic-pedi. My legs are milky white and in no way ready for public viewing. I’m still sorting the jumpers from the jeans of my autumn/winter wardrobe, let alone the spring/summer one. The latter is currently wedged into a couple of vacuum-sealed storage bags under the spare bed (the ones that no matter how tightly you seal the little bugger a hiss of air will still seep out) and needs a cull.

On the streets, plastered over Instagram and popping out of fashion magazines though the S/S trends are out in full force, and I absolutely love all of them - like pastel and khaki hues , those amazing Paperbag-waist tapered twill trousers by Stella McCartney and flirty off-the shoulder tops in gingham, the super check of the summer. Despite its surprise arrival, spring is by far my favourite season. The promise of the new, of rejuvenation and even personal transformation should you so wish. Time to reveal shoulder, leg and ankle which have been concealed under hosiery and baggy jeans and act out your own dress rehearsal, ready for the main performance; summer. The block colour palettes are dreamy, the fabrics are swishy and light and soft florals and statement sleeves are ready for weddings, race meets and al-fresco dining.

There’s a real sense of everything flowering, but for me there’s a real sense that I hate everything in my wardrobe. I’m still wearing ankle boots as (*see panic-pedi*) I’m not ready to brave cold toes in sandals or chilly heels in mules. I want frills and puff sleeves, but I’m still playing it safe in long-sleeved tops. I need inspiration…

These statement trousers from The Finery might just save the day.  When I clapped my eyes on them in the concession section in John Lewis the other day on a very rare shopping trip and gently ran my hands over their soft viscose fabric, I was momentarily overwhelmed. I hadn’t had that reaction about clothes for a while. They are called Argent Contrast Panel Trousers in Lilac Vines Print (is it me or does Lilac Vines sound like wine?) and I love them.

With side pockets, a high waist and contrast hems, not to mention a bold but beautiful print, they are too floaty for the office, too in-your-face for the Toy Library and I’m struggling to picture where I might wear them but, right now, I don’t care.

I am revelling in the sheer beauty of them and have literally just impulse-bought them, gulp, and snapped down my laptop lid before I had time to change my mind.

In your face, spring. Let’s do this.

Saffron - Drop Dead Gorgeous

(All photos by Kalpesh Patel)

Formed in 1994 from the emergence of Acid House and Rave and with a striking techno punk rock sound, Republica were a huge part of the iconic ‘90s Britpop movement. Their 1996 self-titled album sold 3 million worldwide and colossal hits such as Ready To Go (still heard in sports stadiums around the globe) and the delicious Drop Dead Gorgeous are as recognisable and relevant today as they were back then.

The band were hugely successful, securing top 5 slots in the UK, America and Europe and worked with a wide range of influential artists including Gary Numan. Republica’s second album Speed Ballads was released in 1998 but didn’t get the push it deserved due to the closure of their record company Deconstruction in the release week. The band took a hiatus in 2001, during which Saffron guested on tracks with artists such as Junkie XL and The Cure.

Republica reformed in 2010, performing a string of dates including a comeback gig at London’s 02 Islington Academy and issued Ready To Go 2010’. Following a stunning return in 2013 with their critically acclaimed EP ChristianaObey and high-profile European festival appearances, Republica headlined the Q Alternative Live Music stage at Brighton Pride 2014 and embarked on a sell-out nationwide 20th anniversary tour with Space.

A couple of years back, on assignment for RockShot Magazine, I caught up with the exuberant (and still drop dead gorgeous) lead singer Saffron on a sunlit London evening ahead of Republica’s gig at Under the Bridge that week. She was warm, articulate, intelligent and so much fun. She chatted warmly about why supporting up and coming new artists is essential, meeting Mick Jones and how it really felt to be part of the Britpop revolution…

Lovely to meet you Saffron! 90’s Brit-pop was undoubtedly a great time – I was a gawky teenager in my Adidas Gazelles but you were part of the revolution! Can you describe what it was like to be in such a hugely successful band at that really special time?

It’s interesting, I was talking to my friends Nicole and Natalie Appleton about this the other day at The Prodigy gig in Brighton. We were saying how really exciting it was. Literally nearly every week there was a new single, or a new album or a new gig coming out and there were so many British bands given the chance and quite rightly so. It was such a big scene in that sense and now everything seems too watered down, nothing to kind of follow or be individual.

At every gig or a club night there were so many bands and it was such an exciting time. Quite a few of the bands in the last year have either come back or reformed; Cast are back, Shed Seven, Echobelly, Skunk Anansie and Space. Some of us never really went away and I still write music. I was with my friend Mark Morriss from The Bluetones the other day. He does his own solo stuff now and he played with the comedian Matt Berry’s band who are amazing. He brought out this album on vinyl called Opium and it’s really good. We are big fans of The Wonder Stuff who play one tour a year and Garage are back with their 20th anniversary tour which is amazing.

You’ve done some amazing collaborations with such a wide range of incredible artists in your career to date; including Fuel My Fire with The Prodigy (The Fat of the Land 1997), and The Cure on Just Say Yes. Anthem by N-Joi still sounds as relevant today as it did then. What was it like to perform it back in the day?

I was in a band called N-Joi and we were friends with The Prodigy; both bands were from Essex so I really trod the boards at illegal raves in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s! It was wonderful, a social revolution of music and people that was really, truly underground. It had never been done before; people were writing their own music and with the advance of technology producing their own tracks and it was a purely organic scene. It was a great experience doing hundreds of gigs.

Mark Franklin and Nigel Champion were, and still remain, seminal as producers of electronic music and are still seen in such high regard. You have to respect an artist’s desire or ambition – it was all about the music then, they weren’t interested in anything else. If it wasn’t going to be played by Fabio and Grooverider – that was it. I still don’t think even they realised how much they encouraged other artists and seminal music to be played. It was the punk rock of then, the antithesis of everything today. It was not a talent show, not judged by anybody; it was ‘I’ve done this, I’ve been influenced by my favourite DJ or my favourite night out with my friend, and I’ve written this piece, I’ve expressed myself in this way and I’m putting it out there’.

Do you have a personal favourite Republica song from the discography that you enjoy performing?

There are too many! It’s interesting though as I do have favourite tracks that I don’t think we’ve ever done live like 'Don’t You Ever' or songs that wouldn’t necessarily come across live.

I love them all, but it’s difficult because it’s not about me, it’s for the listener. They always request different songs so we always listen to the fans – it’s not about what we really want! We get requests for some of the less well known songs and feedback from fans saying ‘please play this one’ or ‘we’d really like to hear this’ etc and frontrunners come out.

I then have to say to Tim (Dorney) ‘We have to do it all again, get that part reprogrammed!’ but it is great that someone is giving us that feedback. Sometimes they weren’t necessarily hits or album tracks but it’s the fan’s favourite, and that’s what important.

One of your support acts, Kenelis, was quoted as saying that ‘People often ask me, what is making it? My new reply would be…. THIS!!! Kenelis + Republica!!’ and described you as ‘a musical hero’. How important to you is it to keep influencing other artists who are just starting out or who are quite new to the scene?

It’s always so important to encourage new up and coming artists. I remember when I first started there were three artists I met who I really admired and respected. They helped and encouraged me when I was nineteen years old; Mick Jones from The Clash, Jah Wobble from Public Image Ltd and Matt Johnson of The The.

Mick Jones came to our first ever gig and we only had three songs! He was really kind backstage and said ‘You’ve got potential but you need to write more songs!’. We blagged our way into this party at the Royal Albert Hall so that was our first gig. A week later we were playing at Vauxhall Arches to about three people! I grew up with PiL, and Jah Wobble wrote me a song that helped me when I was a solo artist. It was amazing that, someone who you’ve grown up with, who you’ve saved your pocket money to go and buy their album or their single and who mean so much to you, not only talk to you but come up to you and say ‘you can do it’. That really motivates and drives you.

So much so that in the last couple of years I’ve mentored at The Brighton Institute of Modern Music and the Bristol Institute of Modern Music in Live Summer Masterclasses with the kids there. It’s fantastic, I’ve really enjoyed it and take that part very seriously.

You recently cited 'King Snake' by Than.Eye as the best video you’ve seen in a while. Are there any new artists out there that have currently caught your attention?

Yes, that’s an incredible video. There are so many! A new band called Yak are really amazing; I think they’re going to do really well. Kwabs has an amazing voice; that’s really something – it actually makes me really happy that something so organic made it and got to that point. Beth Hart is great. Courtney Barnett is a really exciting artist from Australia. Bands like Slaves are really good, fresh and exciting and vicious and punk, and you need that sound to be coming out of your radio. There’s a really interesting singer-songwriter on Alan McGee’s label, John McCullagh & The Escorts. It’s nice just to randomly listen to music that people send me, and to Annie Mac – she plays some incredible stuff from across the board. She really loves her rock and punk stuff as well as the dance. She’s so important.

You’ve been described as an ‘iconic and fiery front woman’. With the rise of female-fronted rock/indie bands of the 1990s, how did it feel to be part of that movement, i.e. with Garbage, No Doubt, Elastica, Sleeper etc.?

Apart from the fact of having to kick a lot more doors down, before you do a thing if it doesn’t exist, you have to make it exist. People weren’t playing female-fronted bands because there weren’t any. Or, if there were, they weren’t playing them, so you had to get yourself into position to make them; you make yourself known and heard.

Especially for No Doubt; in America their Just A Girl track was being played on the radio and they had been together for fifteen years before that. Unbelievably they couldn’t get anywhere but MTV picked up that record. In some ways it really helped us, as suddenly it was ‘what’s this, are there any others, who are they’? and the interest was sparked.

What’s important is, whatever gender you are, it was a time of British songwriting; songs that were being made and played in Britain and being played in the US. We were very lucky as we were one of the bands who managed to be successful in America, but if you’d have said that before, my money would not have been on us because of the punky element of my voice – or because I was from South London and talked like a Cockney! But somehow it did transfer over to other countries, which was very really exciting; we got to go to lots of different places.

Republica sold an incredible 3 million albums between 1996 and 1999, and Ready To Go and Drop Dead Gorgeous, amongst others, are still instantly recognisable and relevant now. Do you still get a sense of pride knowing how much of an influence the band and you have?

Who would have thought it; twenty-one years later they are still being played all over the place! We did not foresee it, it’s absolutely wonderful. The songs are gifts, they are almost immortal. They’ll last when we’re all gone but if they can exist or carry on bringing a smile to someone’s face wherever they are in the world then that’s great but we never thought it. I’ll meet kids that don’t know me or the band, but they know the song from the football terraces in Sunderland or from lots of football matches, NFL, and New York Rangers ice hockey team in America.

I get a real sense of pride especially from those kids who aren’t even twenty yet and know our songs. I think ‘You do? How?!’ You have to be proud of that wonderful achievement. Music is very powerful. Playing Brighton Pride last year, the amount of couples that came up to me was amazing and there was a lot of love in the field. Drop Dead Gorgeous has always been a big gay anthem and they’ve always supported us. It was really wonderful.

If Wikipedia is not telling fibs, I noticed it’s your birthday on 3 June. How do you feel about growing older in the music industry?

My birthday date is correct, but there are lots of lies online about, for example, my hometown and my age. I’m very proud of my age and anyway, what’s the definition of age?!

I’ll never forget what Courtney Love said to me once – if there’s ten things in an interview; nine great ones, and a really bad one that attacks you personally, it’s human nature to go to that one. I’ve had to learn to have a very tough skin in this business and certainly at the beginning being a female as well, a lot of our early interviews were not good but I had to get used to it. People were focusing on the fact that I just happened to front a band and I was female. That was relevant but this is a band and it’s not about me – I wanted them to talk about our music, our songs; those are the important things!

In addition to Material Whirl, I am a contributing writer for RockShot Magazine. 

A full, unabridged version of this interview first appeared on the RockShot Magazine site and can be found in its entirety HERE.

All photos by Kalpesh Patel. Kalpesh is a hugely talented photographer who has shot a number of bands and musicians. You can find more of his work HERE.

A Sentence a Day - 20 March 2017

In 2017 I will be writing A Sentence a Day. You can read more about why here.

Today is the 20 March 2017.

Question:

If you were a fictional character from a book or film, who would you be?

Answer:

Summer Finn in 500 Days of Summer, one of my favourite films, played by Zoeey Deschanel - because of her amazing wardrobe and because Joseph Gordon-Levitt does THAT dance the morning of the night before which makes grin from ear to ear every time.

A Sentence a Day - 19 March 2017

In 2017 I will be writing A Sentence a Day. You can read more about why here.

Today is the 19 March 2017.

Question:

What expression do you use all the time?

Answer:

'I'm so sorry..."; I'm a serial apologiser and feel guilty rather a lot at the moment; for taking ages to respond to messages and emails, for sending birthday cards late and for not being able to make social occasions etc - all part of being a busy mum I've realised.

A Sentence a Day - 18 March 2017

In 2017 I will be writing A Sentence a Day. You can read more about why here.

Today is the 18 March 2017.

Question:

What was your most recent purchase?

Answer:

A limited edition NARS lipstick via Space NK from the Wildfire Collection - in Breaking Free, a punchy coral shade ready for Spring and Summer.