Glasvegas Talk Glowsticks and Gallagher

I caught up with lead guitarist Rab Allan and drummer Jonna Löfgren backstage at Low Cost Festival ahead of them headlining the main stage on Sunday night. They were most surprised to find out they were being interviewed in English by a fellow Scot! Here's what happened when a Glaswegian journalist (me) interviewed a Glaswegian band (Glasvegas) in Benidorm...

So this is your first time playing Low Cost Festival....

Rab: Yes! We've done some festivals here before like Benicassim, Summer Case, Dia de La Musica in Madrid, BBK Bilbao - It's always been great whenever we come to Spain.

Have you been to Benidorm before?

Rab: No, our manager Denise came when she was 18 and James came as well when he was 16 and I think that was the first time he ever got really drunk and threw up.

What was the first gig you ever attended as fans?

Jonna: It was probably some Swedish act, I don't know, I want to say some cool band like "oh yeah, that was the first gig I went to". [Laughs]
Rab: I saw The Bootleg Beatles, that was my first ever gig in Glasgow, in the Royal Concert Hall, and after that I saw Travis and about ten bands in a month.

Where is your favourite venue to go to in Glasgow?

Rab: Barrowlands, definitely.
Jonna: I've only been to Barrowlands once, I saw The Vaccines there and it was really good.
Rab: I saw Oasis there in 2001, we've played there twice. Once we supported The Wombats, that was good fun, there were lots of kids with glowsticks. All the parents were at the back of the hall and all the kids were at the front, I think James ended up threatening someone because they threw a glowstick at him. It was one of our first ever gigs just before we signed to Columbia and all of the big people from the label were there.

You've supported Oasis on tour, that must have been an amazing experience?

Rab: It was funny because that was the band that we kind of got into music with and then we supported them, so it's a strange thing but it was fun.

Was it kind of "dream come true" or did you get a bit disillusioned?

Rab: They were the sweetest guys, even Liam [Gallagher] is a bit of a pussy cat. He walked around backstage with his leopard print slippers on. He came in to talk to us and was saying that when he was our age he loved The Stone Roses and then he met Ian Brown and we were saying "oh we've met you" and he was really humble. He met my mum and James' mum and gave them hugs and kisses. He's a big pussy cat, he really is, you heard it hear first...

Are you excited about The Hydro (capacity 12,000) opening in Glasgow?

Rab: We're actually playing it with The Proclaimers, I think it's one of the first gigs, it's like the Scottish Showcase kind of thing so it's us and Roddy Hart and The Proclaimers, I think it's going to be great.
Jonna: That's gonna be mad! Our biggest gig I think, we might have played a wee bit bigger at festivals but not like a one-off venue.

You've just changed record company to BMG, do you feel that's a better direction for you creatively?

Rab: To be honest, I don't really think it was a creative thing, I think we were going to release the album on our own.
Jonna: It feels like we've got a bit more to say about things in general. We don't feel the pressure of "oh, we think you should release this and this..."
Rab: The thing is with Sony, we had complete control, we decided everything that happened but it's just that they would put pressure on us to try and do other things.
Jonna: They would suggest something...
Rab: BMG are basically funding us and we're putting our own team together and they're letting us run with it. They loved the album and that's why we signed with them. We'd been offered other record deals but with them, they loved the album as much as we did.
Jonna: It feels so good to actually have the album and then sign with them.
Rab: We haven't had any issues, everything has been great so far, we've met the people from BMG in Spain and they're lovely and paid for our drinks!

Have you eaten much Tapas while you've been here?

Rab: We actually all went out for Tapas in Glasgow about a month ago to Cafe Andalucia in the West End, there's one in Byres Road and it's really nice too. I love Tapas! We've been to a few restaurants but my girlfriend on really eats pizza and pasta, she doesn't eat meat so it's been limited. She had a pizza everyday for like three or four days [Laughs] so we've had to broaden our horizons a bit.
Jonna: It's been good, we've been getting the swordfish and all that.
Rab: Pretty exotic for Glaswegians.

Your album comes out in September, will you be doing a promo tour for it?

Rab: We've started doing a bit, I keep forgetting it's only not long now. We usually do quite a lot of press, I think there are some gigs planned as well but I'm not really sure, in Europe not the UK.
Jonna: We never know what's going to happen in advance, someone just tells us. We're lucky if it's as much as three days before, usually it's like "tomorrow, you're doing this".
Rab: We get told day to day.

Where's your next big tour?

Rab: September/October we do a big UK tour and then November/December we do a big European tour, we're playing Madrid and Barcelona.

I loved watching Glasvegas perform on the main stage at Low Cost Festival, Jonna is the craziest and most incredible drummer I have ever seen. The new album Later... When The TV Turns To Static is released 2nd September 2013.

Web: glasvegas.net
Facebook: /glasvegas
Twitter: @glasvegas
Instagram: @glasvegasofficial

Two Door Cinema Club Bring the Cool to Benidorm

21:30h in Benidorm on Friday 26th July and I'm standing with Alex Trimble, Sam Halliday and Kevin Baird aka Two Door Cinema Club in the middle of a football pitch. We were, of course, backstage at Low Cost Festival. Alex heads back to his dressing room with the Spanish translator we didn't need and birthday boy Sam goes off to catering, leaving Kevin who says, "Shall we just do the interview here?"

We sit down on the sub-benches and the interview commences. I ask when they arrived here in Spain, "We got here this afternoon, we were shooting a video in London. We actually flew out from Gatwick on an Easyjet flight. We haven´t been to Benidorm before but haven´t seen any of it yet. Wer'e heading down to Alicante for the rest of the weekend for Sam's stag do!"

What was it like playing the main stage at T in the Park? "It was great having played before to have a point of reference. When you've played the smaller stages you know how important it is to be playing the headline stage. In 2010 we played the Small Tent at T and last year the 2nd Stage, so it's good to have that."
Their music has been used in adverts for the likes of Vodafone, Meteor, clothing retailers Debenhams and Next and by Microsoft. I wonder how much say the boys have in it, "We have full control over what we do, for instance, we've been asked to do loads - I won't tell you what - that we decided not to do. We're not fortunate enough to be in Adeles' postition where we can turn down the offers all the time. In the beginning it really helped to get us known and in fact a track for Debenhams became a single when we weren't releasing it, purely on the basis of the advert. We've also had tracks for Playstation and Xbox, Fifa games and NBA which has got us known in America so it's all been good really... It's also quite lucrative. I wouldn't want to not be able to decide what we do as I'm a control freak."

I ask Kevin what the first gig was he ever attended as a fan, "I think it was probably a Radio 1
Roadshow, I can remember it came to our hometown in Ireland which was quite major as nobody ever came. Zoe Ball was the presenter and I remember seeing The Corrs."

On Wikipedia Two Door Cinema Clubs' Genre is described as Indie rock dance-punk synthpop new wave post-punk revival, I ask if he could sum up their genre in no more than 3 words. "Alternelectronica, when we first started out someone came up with that and we thought it was really good. I guess we're more Indie now, we used to be to be three guys and beats, but now we have a drummer..."

The band have 1.5 Million Likes on Facebook and growing, I ask how important Kevin thinks social media is for musicians? "It's definitely the way things are going now, but just because you have 1.5 million Likes doesn't mean they all see your posts. Facebook uses algorithms to decide how important each post is and how they show up in feeds. For example, if you add a photo or not it can make a big difference and you can actually pay to promote an individual post and decide how many hits you want it to get." Wow, so you've really thought about this? [Laughs] "Well as I said, I'm a control freak."

As his manager makes exaggerated winding notions with his hands as he's on the phone, I ask Kevin one last question, what's the most expensive item of clothing he's ever bought? "I bought a Cristian Dior jacket... the other guys still make fun of me for it, I bought it in Browns in London." Eeek! How much was it? "I'm not saying... but it was a lot."

Two Door Cinema Club played the main stage at midnight, despite being 90% Spanish the crowd sang along to every song. It was one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen, their energy was phenomenal with some amazing pyrotechnics.

Revival of the Retro Bikini

The bikini as we know it first appeared on the beaches of France in 1947. The word "bikini" creates a different image in everyone's mind, the majority probably being of 3 small triangles strung together to cover the essentials. Far from the visual of the beaches of France 65 years ago. The bikini was made popular in the 20th century by pin-up girls such as Esther Williams, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner, carrying on through the 60's with Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

There are so many different styles of swimsuits, one piece, two piece, tankini, trikini, halternecks, bandeau, surf shorts... By the 2000's, bikinis had become a multi-million pound business annually. 2013 sees the return of the vintage bikini, they are featured on catwalks all over the world and iconic high-street fashion store Topshop have named the high-waisted bikini "this year's must-have item". Numerous celebrities including Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon and Kim Kardashian have also been seen rocking the vintage vibe.

The girls who originally wore this style of bikini were not a size 0, nor a size 6. That was, however, irrelevant because they were stylish, glamorous and their clothing flattered their figures. High-waisted bikinis look great on any body shape and are very feminine, suggesting anyone can be confident in a two-piece this summer. Team with a head scarf and a slick of black eyeliner (make sure it's waterproof ladies if you're actually going to go in the pool!) to emulate that classic Hollywood starlet look.

Advances in fabric technology means that we have so much more choice when it comes to bold colours and prints from the high-street to high-end fashion. This year Kelly Brook has done her second collection for New Look, predominantly featuring styling from the 50's. Every fashion retailer from River Island and Urban Outfitters to the designers such as Ted Baker and Alexander Wang seem to have at least one maxi-bottom in their summer collection. Old-style bathing suits still look fresh and modern and designers are consistently coming up with new creations.

Whatever you choose this summer, I'm sure most of us will have our own version of a retro bikini packed in our holiday suitcase. I've got more than one in my wardrobe already!

Published in Vista Magazine June/July 2013

Rise of the Red Hot Gingers

It’s no secret that people with ginger hair used to automatically lose points in attractiveness. Writing that now, it sounds so trivial but it’s true. With ginger hair, often came freckles and pale skin; which were also not in the criteria used to make up the world’s sexiest person. I don’t know who decided this originally, but the gingers have had enough of the “carrot top” name calling and are fighting back…and not just with the retort “I'm strawberry blonde!”

Ginger is now the most popular colour of hair dye in the world. Being ginger is now seen as cool and definitely doesn't make a person less attractive, of course, a few big names have helped. Teenage girls up and down the country are lusting after gingers more than brunettes with six-packs. Who knows if it’s just a phase or the thing of the moment, but I think the boundary has been crossed and from now on gingers will be credited with more respect.

You may find it hard to believe that just a few years ago record companies told Ed Sheeran to dye his ginger locks. Even more so, considering his whole orange brand and image is based around his hair colour. Orange is his thing and nobody could mistake his merchandise for another artists. Ed’s music video for Lego House featuring Rupert Grint is like a ginger feast. The shot which features them both together will remain a favourite of mine and, I'm sure, many others for years to come.


Our very own Prince Harry used to get a bit of a hard time for his “unfortunate hair colour” but now it’s what makes us love him even more. He just looks so cute, and what with William practically having no hair, Harry is representing us all with his gingerness.

In case you’re not convinced yet, here are a few more cool gingers; Julian Rhind-Tutt from Greenwing, and one of the biggest actors right now in Homeland, Damian Lewis. Benedict Cumberbatch (who may be my favourite person ever) is also naturally ginger, although he would remain just as perfect with a pink Mohawk. Gingers are even favourites in the world of fictional characters; Tin Tin, and Lois from Family Guy are at the top of the list.

When I interviewed Theme Park I asked Oscar; have you ever suffered because of your hair colour or have you always been a red hot ginger? "Both, they're not separate things," he replied laughing. "I think anyone who is ginger will know suffering, will know pain and will know being on the end of very shit jokes from people who think they're hilarious."

Nicole Kidman, Christina Hendricks and Emma Stone are just a few examples of ladies that prove it’s not just boys that look hot with ginger hair! I read in the paper recently that when Christina Hendricks originally dyed her hair ‘red’ everybody told her it was a mistake. It’s not really necessary to point out who’s laughing now. Desperate Housewives’ Marcia Cross and songstress Florence Welch are more examples of high profile glamorous redheads.

We all remember that video of the young ginger boy shouting and proclaiming to the world that "Gingers do have souls!" Were we convinced? Well if we weren't then, we certainly are now. Pass me shade 74 Mango Intense Copper.

When Are Shorts Too Short?

If you've got it, flaunt it, right? Well maybe not always...

Summer is fast approaching, we're currently at a daily average of 30°C here in Spain and as the spring wear is being flung to the back of the wardrobe, summer attire is a necessity. As ever, every girl's staple summer piece is a pair of denim shorts. High-waisted, patterned, vintage and distressed are just a few of the styles out there. This year, however, "short shorts" are the ones I'm seeing the most of.

"Short shorts" are basically hot pants made acceptable as day-wear because somebody cleverly named them "shorts". These kind of shorts don't stand out as being quite so short during the winter (or all year round in the UK) because they are worn with tights, usually thick and black. However, during the summer or when on holiday, legs, and the rest, are on full display with no tights to shield modesty.

Every other teenager owns a pair of shorts shorter, I'm sure, than their parents would like. Yes, celebrities wear them and yes, all major retailers are selling them but does that make them okay for the everyday high street customer? Where do we draw the line between fashion and indecency? Clothes shouldn't matter and how much respect you're given shouldn't depend on how much, or how little, flesh is on show... but it does. It is difficult to take someone seriously when parts of their body are in full view to anyone and everyone.

Let's be honest, how many people actually look like Rihanna or Miley Cyrus? Better to look gorgeous in some pretty longer shorts rather than mediocre or too short butt huggers? Save the hot pant shorts for clubbing/on the beach and try wearing actual clothes during the daytime.

8 Telling Signs your shorts are too short...
1. There is a visible crease where your legs stop and your bum begins.
2. You can feel a cool breeze on your buttocks.
3. Your shorts appear non-existent if worn with anything longer than a crop top.
4. People frequently say to you, "gosh, your shorts are quite short".
5. Your knickers show underneath your shorts hem.
6. You constantly find yourself pulling your shorts down from the bottom.
7. When you sit down, it looks as if you forgot the bottom half of your outfit.
8. Your Dad refuses to leave the house with you unless you put on something a little more "respectable".

Published in Vista Magazine May/June 2013

Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain

The British songstress had her first No.1 Single with her cover of 'The Power Love', used in the John Lewis 2012 Christmas Advert. Over the past few years Gabrielle gained a huge online following after publishing acoustic covers and released her first 5-Track EP in 2010. She since toured the UK and Europe, meeting fans after every gig expanding her army of loyal followers wherever she went. Earlier this year she supported Ed Sheeran on his Australia/New Zealand tour after being invited along via text message by the Acoustic King himself.

First single from the album 'Please Don't Say You Love Me' shows her melodic tones and word phrasing to perfection. 'Panic Cord' edges closer towards the sort of pop music we're used to hearing, while other tracks such as 'How Do You Feel Today' and 'Alive' prove why she really is the indie-folk princess.

It's notably refreshing to hear an album with every single song written by the artist. I had the pleasure of watching Gabrielle soundcheck at The Electric Circus, Edinburgh, in July last year. Her voice was so effortlessly powerful and she seemed like a sweet, down to earth girl. This album deserves every success and I'm sure it won't be long before Gabrielle Aplin is a household name and a national treasure.

Published in Vista Magazine June/July 2013

The Theme Park Everyone is Talking About...

On this freezing cold Monday night, before their (incredible) gig I go backstage with Theme Park for an exclusive interview at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. The guys were very friendly and we got chatting before the voice recorder was even turned on. Twenty-two year old twins, Marcus and Miles, and childhood friend twenty-three year old Oscar from North London are the kind of guys you would love to have as friends. They have a very cool natural air about them while remaining genuine and down to earth.

How old were you when you decided to form a band?

Miles: I was in a sort of Black Sabbath cover group when I was about 14, it was just Brother M (Marcus), another friend and I. The first band we did with Oscar was maybe 4 years ago. We decided to start doing Theme Park when we finished university, we were 21 and took a post-uni gap year to do writing to see if we could come up with songs. So that was the time Theme Park was born.

(From left to right) Oscar, Marcus, myself and Miles.
They are all over 6ft, I'm over 5ft,8! 

Can you give me three words to sum up your début album?

Miles: Exceptional..[laughs]..No seriously...I think it is optimistic, groovy and textured.

You said previously you like Theme Parks, which is your favourite?

Marcus: That's actually not quite true!
Miles: A misquote!

I read an old interview and it said that you loved theme parks so that's why you chose the name...

Miles: I think our sarcasm doesn't translate on the page... We're big fans of Legoland, that was a life changer when I was younger. Oscar always gets annoyed at this point because he likes them.
Oscar: Annoyed is not the word...disgruntled.
Miles: Misrepresented! Personally, the log flume is enough. Drifting through the plants and then plopping down at the end but after that it's not my kettle of fish.

What has been your favourite gig to date?

Marcus: Ooh, there have been a couple! When we supported Misfits at Bixton Academy that was a really special gig. Ibiza Rocks was fun too!
Miles: Up until a week ago I might have said Reading... but the Heaven show in London that we did was definitely my favourite one.
Oscar: It was the trump card.
Marcus: That was our own show and everyone had come specially to see us, so that's really nice.

Where would be your dream venue?

Miles: The Hollywood Bowl, it's a huge amphitheatre in Los Angeles, the kind of place you would see Simon & Garfunkel or Fleetwood Mac. To play there with the sun set would be really cool.
Marcus: Does it have to exist?
Oscar (to Marcus): Didn't you want to play on the moon? I already got to play Ally Pally (Alexander Palace) and I always wanted to play there. I remember seeing the Strokes there when I was 14 and I thought they were just too cool.

Who would you one day love to support you on tour?

Oscar: Ooh it's hard because it feels like you have to look down and you don't want to offend someone really good.
Marcus: I'd quite like Two Door Cinema Club to support us on tour.
Miles: I think someone who would really get the crowd going, maybe Daft Punk as they can get everyone dancing!
Oscar: Have you gone mental?




Is there a particular artist you'd love to collaborate with?

Marcus: I think it would be fun to collaborate with Tom York. We're actually going to be doing a track with Edwin Collins.
Miles: Who is the lead singer of a band called Orange Juice.
Oscar: I don't really dream people to collaborate with as I'd just be a gibbering wreck, like "Hi....." so I'd prefer not to do it at all.

If you weren't in music what other careers might you have gone into?

Marcus: I'd like to work on an exotic animal farm, like a crocodile farm but not where they kill the crocodiles, where they look after them.
Miles: I don't know whether I was bemused or something but I considered being a barrister, I looked around the temple and came to my senses pretty quickly. I'm writing a screen play at the moment, I think that'd be fun.
Oscar: I'd like to teach one day, maybe teach guitar when I stop doing this.

What do you mean stop doing this? You will never stop!

Oscar:Yeah, I suppose in my mind-
Marcus: Oscar's planning an exit already!

Could you give me a quick iTunes shuffle and tell me the first 3 songs to come up? [The boys use the MacBook sitting in front of them]

The BeeGees - Living Together, The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love and Prince - I wanna be your lover.
 
If you won £1,000 pounds on a scratch card right now, what would you do with it?

Marcus: Go and buy a very nice classic car.
For £1,000?
Marcus: Yeah, on eBay, second hand.
Miles: £1,000 is one of those amounts of money that's in between small things but not enough for a big thing. I think I'd put it into savings. I'm joking, I'm joking!
Oscar: I would repay my mum for a guitar she bought me.
Miles: Last Christmas we went on holiday to this house in Norfolk, it was the coolest place I've been and I would just pay for it as a treat for my friends next Christmas.

What's the most expensive item of clothing you've ever bought?

Miles: Mine is hanging up over there, it's a coat by a company called Canada Goose, it's my prized item in the whole world. It's so warm!
Oscar: I've got a nice suit by Paul Smith.
Miles: Brother M bought some swimming trunks from Paul Smith for £90!
Marcus: I've only worn them once, I don't really like getting wet.

Are you looking forward to playing the festivals this year? You've already announced Reading and Leeds, what others are you doing?

Oscar: We're doing loads!
Marcus: We'll be at Bush Stock and we're doing lots that have been discussed but aren't official yet.

Have you made any plans for next year?

Oscar: Plans at the moment are to circle round playing many, many lives shows to lots and lots of people hopefully. We have very lightly pencilled in starting work on the next album. That's the lightest pencil, 1B? 7H?
Marcus: 8H is lighter.
Oscar: 8H then, that's how lightly it's pencilled in.
Miles: You might want to use the 7B because that's when you really get soft. H is more of a thin point.

We wind up the interview with me telling the boys how much I'm looking forward to seeing them perform. I got the impression they enjoyed the interview as much as I did grilling them!

I also filmed a game of 'Theme Park's Favourite Things...' to be uploaded next week. While you wait in anticipation, enjoy their latest single 'Tonight' and have a gander on their YouTube channel and, of course, buy the album.

Website: themeparkband.com
Twitter: @ThemeParkBand (@mileshaughton @marcuscus and @oscarmanthorpe)
Facebook: /ThemeParkBand
YouTube: /thmprk

Theme Park, Monday 18th March 2013

Within the first 30 seconds a packed out King Tuts Wah Wah Hut have already fallen in love with the Theme Parks' electric sound and vibrant set. Tracks from their debut album 'Jamaica' and 'A Place We'll Never Know' have every person in the room grooving along with their slick sound.

The loudest screams of the night come when Miles, Marcus and Oscar play 2011 release 'Milk' and their latest single 'Tonight'. The boys manage to create a warm intonation holding this small crowd in the palms of their hands whilst creating a sound that would still sound intimate in an arena of 30,000 people. Lead singer Miles' velvety smooth tones go perfectly with the overall vibe the three-piece pull off so effortlessly. It's like the snuggling up with the perfect blend of silk and cashmere.

Their zesty 80s style is somewhat lacking in the music industry of today. Theme Park could be one of the biggest bands of my generation, I can imagine telling my offspring about my experiences seeing them as I grew up.
 
It may be a snowy winter's night outside but inside this cosy venue I feel like could be in a beachfront cafe in LA sipping on a coconut cocktail, with Marcus' Hawaiin shirt completing the illusion. After the most enjoyable three quarters of an hour I have experienced in a long time the gig concludes with my, and apparently everyone elses, personal favourite 'Wax'.

I was lucky enough to catch an interview with the guys prior to the show, it was lovely to meet them and the interview will be published on the blog at the beginning of next week.

Theme Parks' debut album is available now on iTunes.

A Little Update...

Hello dearest loyal bloggy readers,

I'm really sorry that I haven't written anything for this blog since my Christmas article (wow, that sounds even longer now that I'm typing it). I've got some really cool ideas for some new articles and a couple of rough drafts but I've had no time to pursue them.

Apparently trying to manage all of my schoolwork and write a blog is actually rather difficult. The Spanish curriculum is very harsh and time consuming, not to mention trying to keep up with the language at the same time. Every exam I do is very important as it contributes to my overall term mark for the subject, failing more than 2 means repeating the year, eek!

I hope you can forgive me and I promise that soon I will have more articles than you can shake a stick at, although I'm not really sure why you'd want to do that... If you're still struggling to find that forgiveness in your heart, here's a cute picture of my cat Rudolfo:

Besos,
Lauren x