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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

‘Is Bliss’ WIN Road To Blissfields – Portsmouth Heat

We’re super stoked to say on behalf of Strong Island Recordings that Is Bliss has won the first Road to Blissfields 2013 competition at the Wedgewood Rooms. The 3 piece will now get to play the Blissfields Festival in Winchester this July.

It’s kind of fitting in a way with the names of Is Bliss and Blissfields but after completely smashing it the accolade was thoroughly deserved. The competition was stiff with Jerry Williams, an immense talent for her young age, Lucifer’s Gold, Fine Lines and The Silhouettes respectively all trying to take that elusive spot but Is Bliss bringing their standard grunge sound tore the roof off.

It was nerving initially as to how Is Bliss were going to go down with their raw 90’s grunge and shoegaze influenced sound, but it seemed the Wedgewood Rooms enjoyed the change of pace and were ready for an ear pounding. With Max Goulding tight as ever on the drums and Jimmy Stuart and Dean Edwards bringing their standard rabid, feral chaos, whilst smashing their instruments, own selves and even jumping over the barriers into the crowd. Is Bliss were as engaging as ever throughout the entire set from Nitrate Confusion to Goy. An adrenaline fueled, chaotic, fireball of noise, Is Bliss brought their ‘A game’ once again.

Who knows, we may have a release from them come Blissfields Festival time…You can get your tickets for Blissfields, or as we like to refer it to now as Is-Blissfields HERE. The following first video is courtesy of Villiers Southsea showing Is Bliss finishing their set in classic style…

Road To Blissfields 2013

TOM Fest

Saturday 30th March see’s TOM Fest, a brand new one day festival, hit the shores of Gosport. TOM Fest is just a ferry hop away and we’re really stoked to be involved. Headlining the festival is the awesome math rock outfit Tall Ships and the line-up also includes Little Jonny England, Mark Morriss (The Bluetones), Gosport hometown heroes Bear Cavalry (Alcopop Records), The Day of The Rabblement, Bellyeyesmile, Kassassin Street and of course not forgetting our own shoegaze/grunge trio, Is Bliss representing our Strong Island Recordings label as well as loads more on the bill.

The event also features raffles and other competitions going on throughout the day and tickets are just £12 in advance and only £14 on the day so come along and enjoy your Easter weekend with the first music festival of the year in the PO area. Ferries are reasonably priced if you’re coming from Portsmouth Harbour and they are in service until midnight.

More details can be found HERE, and information about the venue, Thorngate Hall, HERE. Can’t wait for this, see you there!!

Drunken Sailor Strong Island at Southsea Fest Update

With Southsea Fest approaching we’re very happy to announce a new band to the Drunken Sailor Strong Island stage line up, local band You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn into Demons who will tear the stage up, fact. Have a listen to their song below to get warmed up.

Strong Island presents ‘Drunken Sailor’ at Bar Fifty Six, ‘A no holds barred blacked out day time DIY party’ that is guaranteed to get you amped from the very first second. This is going to be a noisy, sweaty, drunk, gnar filled affair featuring some of the best LIVE bands from the South Coast and beyond. This will be about as involved as it gets…

We’re happy to announce the lineup for Drunken Sailor with our new poster. You can keep updated with developments at the Facebook Event.

Southsea Fest Drunken Sailor Poster

Drunken Sailor – Strong Island at Southsea Fest

Strong Island presents ‘Drunken Sailor’ at Bar Fifty Six, ‘A no holds barred blacked out day time DIY party’ that is guaranteed to get you amped from the very first second. This is going to be a noisy, sweaty, drunk, gnar filled affair featuring some of the best LIVE bands from the South Coast and beyond. This will be about as involved as it gets…

We’re happy to announce the lineup for Drunken Sailor with our new poster. You can keep updated with developments at the Facebook Event.

Southsea Fest Drunken Sailor Poster

Strong Island Live: Concrete Tuesdays – Television Records Takeover

Our second Strong Island Live broadcast came direct from The Registry on Tuesday at the Concrete Tuesdays – Television Records Takeover. The seriously popular Concrete Tuesday’s was taken over by Dave Spoon’s Television Records and featured Simon Neal AKA Dave Spoon’s new project Shadow Child. We broadcasted live from 9pm until to 1am and from the feedback we have had from listeners it went down really well.

You can listen again to the broadcast on the Strong Island Live MixCloud page, with it split in to parts for each of the DJ sets plus track listings. It’s Friday, click the link below and get warmed up for the (most likely wet) weekend.

www.mixcloud.com/StrongIslandLive

The Shadow Child set is below:

Strong Island LIVE – COR’s Easter Bonnet Boutique LISTEN AGAIN

You might remember that the recent Easter Bonnet Boutique by COR was our first Strong Island LIVE live streamed event. We had many more listeners than we expected for our first event and we are already working on our next Strong Island LIVE event, more details on that soon.

The boys at COR have uploaded a recording of the Strong Island LIVE stream so if you missed being there and also missed the stream then you can have a listen to the COR crew and Terry Farley online:

Terry Farley : COR’s Great Easter Bonnet Boutique 08/04/2012 by Civilisation Of the Rough

Strong Island LIVE – COR’s Easter Bonnet Boutique

Strong Island are proud to announce their very first LIVE broadcast brought to you in collaboration with the good old boys over at Civilisation of The Rough and their Easter Bonnet Boutique Party on the 8th April. We will be broadcasting all night LIVE from the main room at COR’s annaul Easter Bonnet party.

This event marks the first of what will be a regular part of Strong Island as we cover music and parties from around the city. Can’t make it out? Throwing your own party or soriee? Or just having a night in. Then Strong Island LIVE is here to add a little bit of what’s happening out there, inside to the comfort of your own home.

Be sure to tune in from 8pm where your hosts for the evening will be COR’s Steve Laming and Mick Hood, as well some brief appearance from the rest of the COR Family. The highlight of the evening, however, will most certainly be the headline set from COR’s VERY special guest and true House music pioneer and ledgend Terry Farley LIVE from 11pm til 2am! A very rare treat indeed!

UPDATE:

You can listen to the recorded LIVE stream here featuring Terry Farley:

Terry Farley : COR’s Great Easter Bonnet Boutique 08/04/2012 by Civilisation Of the Rough

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