Strong Island

Pet Sounds Playlist #52 – My Vice Or Yours?

Hello, hello, hello! So after a bit of a lengthy absence, I thought it was about time I showed my face and delivered a playlist, I think it’s a pretty good one even if I do say so myself. Whether you partake, approve, condemn or don’t give it much thought, there is no denying that narcotics have played a significant role in all forms of music, from Berlioz’s opium indebted Symphonie Fantastique, through Jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker’s heroin addiction all the way to the Beatles tripping and Snoop’s chronic tales, It’s not Sex, Candy and Rock and Roll…

Hope you enjoy it, and keep your ears peeled for a radio show that’s in the pipeline, Longlive X StrongIsland coming soon! Charlie.

Grab the Pet Sounds playlist HERE and check the past playlists HERE.

01 Medication – Primal Scream
02 Coffee In The Pot – Supergrass (Caffeine)
03 Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette) – Sammy Davis Jr. (Nicotine)
04 One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer – John Lee Hooker (Alcohol)
05 Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue – Ramones (Glue)
06 Animal Nitrate – Suede (Amyl Nitrite)
07 The Reefer Song – Fats Waller (Cannibis)
08 Mother’s Little Helper – The Rolling Stones (Valium)
09 Tramazi Parti – Black Grape (Temazepam)
10 Amphetamine Annie – Canned Heat (Speed)
11 Take Ecstacy With Me – The Magnetic Fields (Ecstacy)
12 Cokane In My Brain – Dillinger (Cocaine)
13 Lost In The K Hole – The Chemical Brothers (Ketamine)
14 Your Loft My Acid – Death In Vegas (LSD)
15 Happy Nightmare – Focus (Mescaline)
16 Heroin – The Velvet Underground (Heroin)
17 Medication – Spiritualized

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S3-TDTMM

The Stick Up

As some of you may know Strong Island Recordings have a presence at this years The Great Escape in Brighton with Is Bliss, Boneyards and Arrows of Love all playing. The whole lineup is obviously amazing over the course of the event, and to help promote the event ex Southsea artists Spencer (Petting Zoo) is working with The Stick Up, a gig poster show were you can get your hands on some seriously limited edition and incredible screen prints. If you’re in Brighton for TGE be sure to hunt these guys down.

Nocturne

Nocturne is the 3rd and latest photographic exhibition by Philip Woolway ARPS to be hosted at Le Café Parisien, Portsmouth. Nocturne features over 20 images capturing night skies, the magic of the stars and bright city lights as they introduce us to a new view of the world we thought we knew.


The exhibition is testimony to late night treks around cities, along beaches, through railway yards and across country fields in search of captivating subjects; where thermal clothing became as an important piece of equipment as the camera itself. From steam trains to windmills and skyscrapers to bandstands, the Nocturne exhibition at Le Café Parisien displays an intriguing array of imagery and techniques.

The preview night is 17th May (till 27th June) from 6pm at Le Café Parisien, 1-13 Lord Montgomery Way, City Centre, Portsmouth PO1 2AH.

Bored of Southsea X Ryantown

Bored of Southsea are pleased introduce there collaboration with the artist Rob Ryan and owner of the store Ryantown in Columbia Road, London.

Although Rob views himself as a fine artist since around 2002 he’s been mainly working within the paper cutting medium and has a style that lends itself well to screen printing onto fabric’s, ceramics and other surfaces. His work often consisting of whimsical figures paired with sentimental, grave, honest and occasionally humorous pieces he readily admits are autobiographical.

Bored of Southsea is a store based in Portsmouth with its roots deeply embedded in skateboarding culture though as a business its products and outlook tends to stray from the trodden path. Currently celebrating its 15th year of trade within the City its established itself not only with the City’s core skateboarder’s but also as a centre of creativity for like minded people.

For this collaboration together they have produced two colours of men’s T shirt a women’s T shirt and a tote bag, all of which are now available to buy at both Ryantown, London and Bored of Southsea, number 23 Albert Road. They are also available to buy via boredofsouthsea.co.uk with worldwide shipping available.

Castle Road Vintage and Spring Fair

This coming May Bank Holiday the Castle Road Area Traders Association are holding a two day Vintage and Antique Spring Fair on Sunday 26th and Monday 27th. Both days are completely free and there will be unique stalls, live music, food, drink, lots of fun and it is certainly promising to be a great event for all the family. Castle Road will be closed off from 10am till 3pm for your chance to really enjoy what’s on offer without having to squeeze to the side of it’s narrow road.

Pop along for a browse down this wonderful road as many of its quirky shops, and cafes including Pie and Vinyl, The Brocante, Revive |nteriors, Sabre Sales, Roberts Antiques, Sellers Coffee House, & The Barley Mow to name a few will be open for your perusal.

Pie & Vinyl will also be curating a couple of special acts for your enjoyment with ‘The B of The Bang’, ‘Retrospective Soundtrack players’ and wait for it……’The Day of The Rabblement’ – who on the day will launch their début album ‘Night Time Rallies’ in conjunction with Pie&Vinyl on Psychedelia records.

For more information or stall enquiries please contact Richard from Sellers Coffee Shop on 07742 526738. We will follow up with further details soon.

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Amazing mixed media illustration by Sue Meredith

Randonnee Head Checks – £10 Bike Surgery

To coincide with this year’s Isle of Wight Randonnee this Sunday there will be a drop in bike surgery at Head Hairdressing on Albert Road in the garden this Saturday. Bike mechanic Harry will be offering to check & sort gears, brakes, chain & tyres for a mere £10.

Whether you’re planning on doing the Randonnee or not, now is a great time to get your bike up together for the Spring at a bargain price! No new parts are included in this price, but Harry can advise if anything is needed & arrange a suitable time to sort it out. Drop in at Heads Facebook HERE.

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Sebastinella Dunne – Litter Project

I found Sebastinella’s work on Instagram and was instantly intrigued by what I saw! Sebastinella is a 3rd year student at South Downs College studying her Foundation Degree in Art & Design. Students can pick their own subject for their end of year project and Sebastinella decided upon ‘litter’ as her focus.

“I chose ‘litter’ as a topic, and considered such routes as campaigns and billboards but it was all pretty typical so I’ve branched into Guerilla art with the idea of making litter beautiful. Cans and crisps became my focus, and now i’ve expanded the idea even further and hope over the next few weeks to develop the crisp idea, advertising Britain on crisp packets as a type of spoof because Britain consume more crisps than Europe put together.”

Taking a very hands on approach to her subject art Sebastinella has created wonderful beauty in the very objects we dispose off without a second thought. The casual application of acrylic to the crumpled packets offers a real charm that makes it hard not to smile at, and the site specific illustrations work exceptionally well with the packet choices.

“I quite like the ‘not so perfect’ style and I’m tempted to actually do a few on location for my final exhibition rather than just working from photos the whole time. They’re simply acrylic paint on crisp packs, nothing else.”

Sebastinella will be off to Bournemouth University to study Graphics in September and Strong Island wish her the best of luck. Have a great 3 years. You can also follow Sebastinella over at her blog HERE.

Drunken Dogs at The One Eyed Dog – This Thursday

Don’t forget that Strong Island Recordings return with ‘Drunken Dogs’ for a very rare event at The One Eyed Dog with Arrows of Love, Munroe Effect and Is Bliss on the 25th April for just £3.00 entry. The Dog don’t do very many LIVE nights so we are stoked to be able to bring this night to you. Big thanks the Joe Collis for letting us put this night on.

Arrows of Love have been getting positive press everywhere from Artrocker to Front magazine as well as airplay from the likes of Lauren Laverne, John Kennedy, Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq, Rob Da Bank and Tom Robinson. With their sound crossing between grunge and punk Arrows of Love always ensure riot like mosh pits. There is good reason Kerrang! has named them one of the 2013’s most engaging new bands. Pick up a 7” vinyl released on SIR that night. make sure to have a good listen over at Soundcloud.

Really excited about these guys being on the bill. Munroe Effect will ensure tinnitus for all with their post hardcore/math rock sound. Amazing band, check out their album HERE.

Is Bliss will be bringing their 90’s influenced grunge and shoegeaze influenced sound to ensure a ‘rampage’. Check out their video Touch over at their YouTube site HERE.

Theory Tuesday – Disclaimer

Are you alright? It’s hard to say wether or not Theory 77 is alright or not, but that’s just the way he is. Offering serious flow to his latest video this is another unique insight to his thoughts. Easily distracted isn’t something that that comes across after watching ‘Disclaimer’. Special appearance by Trash from Return of the Living Dead! Check out more of Mikes madness on Strong Island HERE.

The Durty Dozen Fundraiser

That good ‘ole boy Monkey Paul has just sent in the details for the latest Durty party to hit us, The Durty Dozen. A themed party based on the Robert Aldrich 1967 classic war film The Dirty Dozen. Featuring the most twisted, anti-establishment bunch of music junkies you’ll ever run into and they are armed with fantastic records to execute their mission. Taking over the whole of the Fat Fox and The Atrium this promises to one wild party you’ll never forget. The Durty Dozen are as follows:

HANDSOME DAVE as Victor R. Franko
MATT SEENEY as Pedro Jimenez
MONKEY PAUL as Robert T. Jefferson
STEVE LAMING as Archer J. Maggott
DJ BIONIC as Roscoe Lever
CHARLIE LONGLIVE as Milo Vladek
JIMMY SHUTKA as Vernon L. Pinkley
DJ SPENCE as Joseph Wladislaw
GARY SAMWAYS as Tassos R. Bravos
LUCKY DARREN as Glenn Gilpin
JED NUGGET as Seth Sawyer
MARK JAMES as Samson Posey

The Officers

LEE MARVIN as Major Reisman
GARY MARTIN as Sgt. Clyde Bowren MP
LARA DIMUS-INMAN as General Lara Warden

The Durty Dozen will be fitted out in US Army WW2 outfits and if you want to join with the fancy dress, the theme is Britain in WW2. No Nazi’s Welcome!! Full D.S.S Decor, lighting and Sound. Plus they will be installing the Latest Durty Sound System in one of the rooms…BOOM! The party kicks off at 6pm till late, plus as its a bank holiday weekend, no school the next day.

Tickets are a recession busting £3 and will be on sale from Friday 12th April. There is a very limited number available so please don’t wait. THIS WILL BE A SELL OUT. This event is not about glorification of war. Just the first of many theme nights to add to the fun. War, Politics, Pollution and the Banking System are directly contributing to this horrific situation. This event is dedicated to the people who have lost their lives fighting in wars and revolutions.

For more information about No More Durty Water and tickets please head over to durtysoundsystem.com

Features

Southsea in an Instant, An Instant Photography Walk and Instant Exhibition

Strong Island & local artist When We Were Cows present ‘Southsea in an Instant’ an instant photography afternoon walk where anyone with a camera that uses Polaroid, Impossible Project or Fuji instant film are welcome to get involved. We will be exploring Southsea seafront from 1pm on 18th May with our instant photography cameras, starting off at The Bridge Tavern Pub at The Camber in Old Portsmouth. We’ll then make our way to The Hot Walls and then along the Millenium walk and then the Prom to South Parade Pier.

From the pier we’ll make our way to Albert Road and we’ll then be holding an instant, pop-up exhibition with the photos taken during the walk in Little Johnny Russells from 5pm to 7pm. We’ll then put the photos up on our upcoming exhibitions archive section of the Strong Island website soon after.

If you want to get involved simply pop along to The Bridge Tavern from around 12:30 to 1pm, the more the merrier and all that. Look forward to seeing you there!

Southsea in an Instant, An Instant Photography Walk and Instant Exhibition

Southsea in an Instant, An Instant Photography Walk and Instant Exhibition

Strong Island & local artist When We Were Cows present ‘Southsea in an Instant’ an instant photography afternoon walk where anyone with a camera that uses Polaroid, Impossible Project or Fuji instant film are welcome to get involved. We will be exploring Southsea seafront from 1pm on 18th May with our instant photography cameras, starting off at The Bridge Tavern Pub at The Camber in Old Portsmouth. We’ll then make our way to The Hot Walls and then along the Millenium walk and then the Prom to South Parade Pier.

From the pier we’ll make our way to Albert Road and we’ll then be holding an instant, pop-up exhibition with the photos taken during the walk in Little Johnny Russells from 5pm to 7pm. We’ll then put the photos up on our upcoming exhibitions archive section of the Strong Island website soon after.

If you want to get involved simply pop along to The Bridge Tavern from around 12:30 to 1pm, the more the merrier and all that. Look forward to seeing you there!

Southsea in an Instant, An Instant Photography Walk and Instant Exhibition

Strong Island Clothing Co X Portsmouth Supporters Trust T-Shirt Available for Pre-Order

As you are probably well aware from reading the news recently, the Portsmouth Supporters Trust succeeded in their bid to take control of Portsmouth FC making it the biggest community owned club in the UK. It is a long and hard fought victory by the fans that have endured years of bad fortune, bad news and bad performances and a couple of the SI crew have seen most of them! PST’s aim is to bring about responsible, democratic representation at Portsmouth Football Club and so help promote the highest standards of transparent governance, accountability and embed Portsmouth FC deeper into its community through greater communication and co-operation with its fans.

We contacted the PST back in November last year to put forward our idea of doing a Strong Island PFC edition T-shirt to raise money towards buying a share in the club. The PST warmly welcomed the idea and we are pleased to say we are now putting our plan into action.

Strong Island is keen to get behind the trust as are many others. We’re going to pledge £5 of every limited edition SI X PFC tee sold towards Strong Island buying a share of the football club, therefore financially helping PFC in it’s aim to become stable again and continue to be a hugely important aspect of the city.

The design itself is a re-imagining of the common elements from the iconic Portsmouth FC logo from the 1980s and the Strong Island logo, with two swords in place, each dated with the club’s FA Cup wins. The Strong Island Clothing Co. items are normally hand screened in East London but for this particular tee they are produced literally just down the road from Fratton Park and will be at a special price of £15 (plus P&P).

No matter if you are passionate about football or not, we hope this tee is a way of showing support for a club that is now a beacon to the rest of the country for a city and a community that strives to work together for the better.

To pre-order the t-shirt click on the link below. Tees will be back from the printers soon and we hope to have orders in the post by the end of the month, if not sooner.

Strong Island Clothing Co. X Portsmouth Supporters Trust T-Shirt

Anglepoise, Strong Island and The University of Portsmouth Present The Creating Balance Project

We are very proud to announce The Creating Balance Project, a new, collaborative project between Anglepoise, Strong Island & the University of Portsmouth to celebrate a design classic and local creativity in Portsmouth. The project aims to showcase the working studios and disciplines of artists and designers across the island and connect them to local photographers to capture, document and collaborate.

Anglepoise lamps have been given to each of the 10 participating artists/designers and the 10 photographers involved have used the lamps to light the photographs, give a sense of place and document the artist, where they work & how they create. During the collaboration sessions University of Portsmouth BSc TV and Broadcast students Massimo Marzullo and Jonas Jakunas have been documenting the project, producing short films for each collaboration.

Later this summer key images from each photographer will be printed and displayed with the films, lamps, photos and more in an exhibition in Portsmouth and one in London (TBA).

The collaborations are:

Andrew Whyte & Peter Clutterbuck
Matt Sills & Lorna Apps-Woodland
Paul Gonella & Tristan Savage
Russell Squires & Farkfk
Josh Knill & I Love Dust
Thor Haley & William Pounds
Rob Luckins & Roo + Barry Abrook
Cotton Candy & Neal Layton + Sadie Tierney
Matt Saxey & Deer Park Alpha
My Dog Sighs & Jack Daly

The project is progressing over the next couple of months and already two films are finished and many collaborations complete. Below are the completed collaboration films and we will be posting updates on The Creating Balance Project regularly here on Strong Island. To keep up to date with the project also please check the Creating Balance website where you can see loads of photos from behind the scenes of the collaborations.

creatingbalanceproject.tumblr.com

A huge thank you to Claire Sambrook, Simon at Anglepoise and everyone involved.

The Creating Balance Project

The Creating Balance Project (3)

The Creating Balance Project (4)

The Creating Balance Project (5)

The Creating Balance Project (1)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Spring 2013 Capsule Now Available

It’s been a while (apologies) but the Strong Island Clothing Co. spring 2013 capsule drop is now available and online in the Strong Island Shop Ahoy store! The drop includes some brand new Branded tee colourways, a new grey crew (highest quality, carefully selected and sourced) and a collection of accessories including new beanies, our seriously high quality Branded iPhone cases (4 & 5) from Etch and our hand crafted, leather coin pouch collaboration with Raw & Auburn.

To kick this capsule drop off right we visited the home of Portsmouth’s Eberhardt signwriters and neon sign specialists. Eberhardt are a true creative business gem of the city with a very long history and still produce hand crafted, carefully designed neon signs, a rare and special craft these days. Check the photos below and the behind the scenes edit too to see more. Photography principally by Jack Daly.

View the full lookbook HERE.

www.strongislandclothingco.com

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (1)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (1)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (2)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (3)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (4)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (5)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (6)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (7)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (8)

Strong Island Clothing Co. Collections - Spring 2013 - Eberhardt (9)

Opening Night of the My Dog Sighs Exhibition at The West Bank Gallery in London

Southsea and Portsmouth street artist (and Strong Island contributor) My Dog Sighs had the opening to his solo show in London last night and as expected, he killed it. ‘Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me’ opened at The West Bank Gallery and is home to not only the largest collection of My Dog Sighs’ work to date but also shows his work sparking off in to some new directions of creativity including the apples, collaborations with other artists and a room covered with paintings that can be cut out to reveal a painting underneath.

Word was that pre-opening sales had gone really, really well and there were people outside the gallery at 8am, ready and willing to wait the ten hours on the pavement to get their chance to have a look and buy some of My Dog’s work. Don’t take our word for it, below are the thoughts and opinions of the show by the people who experienced it and I think say all you might need to know…:

“I’ve been to several exhibition openings but none as been as warm as the one of MyDog. He was there happy to meet his fans and the staff was friendly, helpful and more than happy to introduce you to him. And about the art, what can I say; it’s truly sweet and inspiring. You have either the eyes that give an entire story in their gaze to the delightful stick men, all accompanied by simple but touching phrases”. – Dette Marhez

“I queued from 8 in the morning and throughout the day MDS popped out offering coffee and to talk to the brave hardy souls braving the temperatures. His whole manner on the run up and throughout the day and night is an example to any up and coming artist and artists in general. The gallery is a cracking space to show in and the work on show was of the highest order. MDS and the collabs were exhibited so well it was pleasure to wander around and warm up!” – Rob Pike

“The show promised big things and I was not disappointed. After an impressive 12 months from his first solo show at Pure Evil, I was looking forward to seeing how Can Man had progressed. There was not a bare wall in the gallery and the whole show felt like an art hunt with pieces hiding in every nook and cranny. With so many pieces to choose from MDS had taken his work to the next level and even managed to capture the innocent of a lost can on the street that you can take home and put on your wall. The hype is well deserved and things can only get better!” – Ryk Turner

“I loved it. It’s kind of like he’s brought life and beauty back to the discarded and neglected. Whilst other pieces capture solitude, loneliness and searching, leaving you topped up with that warm-glow of finally finding The One!” – Les Black

“Had a fantastic time. Just unbelievable what he’s managed to produce. Incredibly varied work. Totally stunning”. – Rick Christie.

The show is open to public until Sunday 31st March and there is also a bit of a special event tomorrow (Saturday) too. Gallery open daily 11am-7pm. Below are photos of last night’s opening by Strong Island homie Jack Daly.

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (2)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (4)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (5)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (6)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (9)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (10)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (11)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (12)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (3)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (16)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (17)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (18)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (20)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (22)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (23)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs, Photo by Jack Daly (24)

'Walk By, Ignore Me, Forget You Ever Saw Me' Exhibition by My Dog Sighs