Strong Island

Business

Southsea Coffee Co – Coming Soon

After much speculation, upcoming coffee house Southsea Coffee Co have finally announced their opening date in a teaser film embedded below. Occupying the old Holland & Barrett store on Osbourne Rd, the white-washed window has provided only the sneakiest of glimpses at the ongoing transformation of the shop which has been stripped back to its original fittings and given a deserved modern refit. Followers of the shops’ diligently updated social media sites will be well aware of the scale of the renovation, with industrially inspired and reclaimed furniture being installed today and the finishing touches being applied by the weekend, just in time for opening before the Bank Holiday on Thursday 2nd May.

If you’d like to keep up with shop in the run up to opening be sure to check out their Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram for updates.

Southsea Coffee Co – Coming Soon

Southsea Fest & Other Portsmouth Brands Representing At The Great Escape

Our friends over at Southsea Fest this year have their first ever alternative stage at The Great Escape 16th May at The Black Dove from 14.00. The event is free whether you have a wrist band or not and the line-up includes two Strong Island Recordings acts being Boneyards who we’re going to be releasing a 7” vinyl and digital release very soon and shoegaze/grunge outfit Is Bliss. The event is headlined by Wild Smiles and also includes Dolomite Minor, Flatpack Recordings own Bloody Mammals and  Polio, B of The Bang from Pie & Vinyl Records, Axes, Unknown Soldiers,  Curxes and Sleep Committee. Make sure you head down if you’re in the area as it’s a great line up.

As well as Boneyards and Is Bliss representing Strong Island Recordings the guys who helped kick start the label altogether Arrows of Love play the main Great Escape on Saturday at The Hope, 21.45 just before Mazes at the Artrocker stage. Pick up a ‘Conspiracy Podcast’ 7”  vinyl when you’re over there.

Also the weekend features Portsmouth’s own Bear Cavalry playing Friday for the Alcopop Records! vs Big Scary Monsters Alternative Escape stage at the Pavillion Tavern on the Saturday at 17.15 and Portsmouth’s own Sounds of Sumo are represented by  Squarehead who has just released the ‘Close EP’ on SOS and he will be playing a set at Audio on Saturday eve/early morning Sunday from 2-4 am.

So over the course of the weekend many Portsmouth brands look to be very heavily represented. Some of us will be enjoying the weekend, we will probably be wearing our Drunken Sailor tee one of the days so come and say hi and make sure you help support Portsmouth on the weekend! See you there.

Southsea Fest Great Escape Poster

Pie and Vinyl Win Indie Record Shop of the Year

You may remember recently that Pie and Vinyl were in the runnings for Indie Record Shop of the Year and today it was announced that they only went and won! Serious props to those awesome guys from us, an award well deserved.

You can keep track with their goings on with this award over at their Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pieandvinyl

Pie and Vinyl
(Photo from the Pie and Vinyl Facebook Page)

The Southsea Greenhouse Community Garden

The Southsea Greenhouse have been hard at work over the wet and cold months in the preparation for the opening of their new community garden, located by the Natural History Museum and Canoe Lake, right on Southsea Seafront and easily spotable with the great gate artwork by local street artist Fark.

The Southsea Greenhouse has been selling local produce to people for a while now and also putting on events but this will provide a place which they can cultivate and care for and to use as a base for selling and bartering locally grown fruit, veg and plants, and local crafts too.

Southsea Greenhouse will be celebrating the opening of their community garden with a launch event on Sunday 21st April which will include a ceremonial tree planting and lots of horticultural fun.

Find out more at the Southsea Greenhouse Facebook page and their website:

www.southseagreenhouse.co.uk

The Southsea Greenhouse Community Garden (1)

The Southsea Greenhouse Community Garden (2)

Advantage in Vintage wedding sale.

Local stylist and writer Naomi Thompson and vintage fashion expert Liz Tregenza have launched a huge vintage wedding sale on ebay as Advantage in Vintage. The pair plan four large sales of collections each year with the next being the 1970′s.

If you are planning on getting married or know of someone who is this is the perfect opportunity to bypass over priced wedding fairs and vintage stores. Naomi is also interested in buying vintage, selling and is also availible to source any pieces that you may have in mind so do not hesitate to contact her.

Fate London Online Home Goods Store Now Open

Our track record for supporting local businesses hopefully speaks for itself but sometimes, particularly online, it’s good to know you are supporting good people no matter where they are based. Southsea ex-pat Saffron Hunt has been hard at work with a team of creative people on the new online home-goods store Fate, which is based in London. Fate has been running in beta for a short while but as of today the website went fully live and is home to a stunning selection of carefully curated and internationally collected home goods and stationary, with a serious consideration to design. You can find things from hand screened and stitched notebooks through to Pendleton blankets through to stone candle holders.

The website is a little different, rather than categorising products by function, it groups them by materials such as stone, metal, wood and fibres and is well worth taking some time to have a good look through. Of particular note is the beautiful product photography too, giving you a sense of texture and scale & ideas on how you might want to incorporate the items in to your own home.

You can visit Fate at:

www.fatelondon.com

Fate London (1)

Fate London (2)

Fate London (3)

Fate London (4)

Fate London (5)

Room With A View! Creative Desk Space In Emsworth

We don’t often cover ventures off the island but Fix8 Design crossed our radar recently over in Emsworth when they contacted us about some creative desk space going!

Andy Brabyn setup Fix8 just over a year ago when he was sitting on an industrial estate trying to jump start his creative juices! Yes he’d sold out, great job, great clients but the work space resembled an IT department and his view was of a car park with a burger van parked at one end. A ray of light moment took hold one day when he walked into the studio looked around and decided enough is enough and handed in his notice to go work for himself.

Andy tells me nervous excitement took hold as he soon found himself converting an old boat house on the millpond into a studio. Branding himself Fix8 Design after being fixated with all things design and his love for fixie bikes which tied in with his main client base within the cycle industry.

Andy is looking for freelance creatives to take desk space. The studio has floor to ceiling windows with a view that makes you feel like your on permanent holiday. If you’re a graphic designer, web designer, illustrator in the creative industry looking for “flexible terms” drop Andy a line at ideas@fix8design.com or call 01243 376676.

Twitter @fix8creative

Fix8

Fix8 4

Fix8 Table top

View

Fix8 building

Make

As an avid maker and artist I was totally stoked to learn of the arrival of Make on Albert Road. For years now I have either purchased my craft materials off the net, avoided the soulless Hobby Craft at all costs or made lengthy train journeys to London or Brighton. I was also insanely jealous of other cities having craft cafes and equipment you could hire. I can honestly say i’ts about time Portsmouth had a gem like this to add to our blossoming creative scene. So go out and support this business because without places like this we just have faceless high streets and nowhere to be creative.

‘Make’ is an independent crafts studio, incorporating varying craft workshops with supplies and equipment available to purchase. Our ethos is based within local community, sourcing local people and products where possible. A one of a kind creative space for people who want to embrace craft, but do not have the equipment, space and in some cases the know-how to pursue it. In the same vane as an Internet café, customers can come to hire workstations by the hour too. Aside from this there will also be the chance to learn. Workshops will be taught by local craft professionals, ‘Makers’, in crafts such as machine & hand sewing, knitting, crochet and other crafts that have minimal overheads. As well as the workshops ‘Make’ will lay host to organised events such as birthdays, corporate events, hen days and children’s parties.

‘Make’ is a unique award winning business idea, all of it’s services aren’t offered anywhere else in Portsmouth under the same roof. The Craft Council study ‘Making Value’, shows craft is having a huge resurgence and is vitally important to our flagging economy. ‘Make’ is a space to unwind in, and as research by the Craft Council has proved, participating in crafts has an amazing effect on reducing stress levels.

For more info contact: info@makesouthsea.com

Student Hosting Deal with Divine Aesthetic

Hello you lovely student lot, hope you’re not stressing too much just yet! It’s getting to about that time of year when many of you are shopping around for a decent domain and hosting deal for your websites, portfolios and online promo. Well, look no further.

To help you out local design and online services company Divine Aesthetic have put together a tasty discounted domain and hosting package that’s provided on a reliable, fast, secure and resilient platform from their very own hosting company, FreshNet. Usually £50 for a year they are offering it for a bargain rate of £30.

Something Interesting Becomes Si Digital

Southsea based digital design agency Something Interesting has for over a decade created some excellent and creative website, e-commerce and web app. design with clients such as the AA, Coop Insurance as well as local businesses. Something Interesting have also shown a lot of support for local exhibitions too including prizes for our recent PRIMARY exhibition and In Rust We Trust at Room 237.

As of today Something Interesting has become Si Digital, with a new name, logo, website and a completely new & fresh identity. The rebrand was conducted in-house by their new Lead Designer Tom O’Malley and you can find out all about the creative process from initial idea to completion HERE. The new identity has a nice chemistry feel (with Si not only being the common abbreviation of Something Interesting but also the chemical symbol for Silicon – appropriately enough) and can be seen not only on the new, interactive, animated and responsive website but also across Si Digital’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

“We have shown a great deal of growth lately and gone through some really big changes, which I’m really pleased about, considering today’s climate. A fresh start was definitely needed to reflect those changes.

Having run the business for the past 11 years, the rebrand is a real turning point for Si. We now have a new lease of life, our new identity and branding truly reflects who we are today, where we see ourselves going and to a degree, even the clients we work with. Everyone here at Si is very excited to be a part of this.”

- Steven Piper, Si Digital’s Managing Director

Check the new website at: sidigital.co

Si Digital

Si Digital

Si Digital

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