Dublin Beat Academy

By now, I’m sure most people are aware of Coca-Cola‘s ‘Move to the Beat’ campaign in some shape or form. The campaign focuses on combining Coca-Cola fans love of sport and music by fusing the two in an unusual fashion. Five young Olympic Games hopefuls have provided the sounds of their respective sports to Mark Ronson who, along with vocals from Katy B, has created the song ‘Anywhere in the World’.

As part of the ‘Move to the Beat’ campaign, Tower Records is hosting Dublin’s Beat Academy this weekend. This one off, pop-up, music workshop will allow fans to create their own exclusive Coca-Cola ‘Move to the Beat’ mix using state of the art music equipment. DJ Dave de Valera and international producer Phil Misk will be on hand as ‘Beat Mentors’ to assist you in honing your mixing skills. The workshop is a great opportunity for music enthusiasts and anyone interested in music producing. So if you’re a music fan this is an event you won’t want to miss!

The Beat Academy will take place this weekend, March 23rd-25th from 12pm to 6pm, in Tower Records on Wicklow Street. 

Grimes

Grimes is none other than 23 year-old Claire Boucher from Canada. In the space of two years she has managed to release four albums, the most recent of which will be released in Europe on 9th March through 4AD. Described as ‘post-internet’, indie-pop, her fourth album ‘Visions’ has already been featured in Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Music‘ category.

Having heard ‘Genesis‘ I developed a number of misconceptions around Grimes believing her to be timid and quiet in her demeanour, however, I couldn’t have been more wrong. After watching the video for ‘Oblivian’ I was pleasantly surprised by both her quirky style and lack of inhibition which make for an interesting combination. Despite her falsetto, almost childlike, voice she manages to come across as incredibly confident/self assured. From her pink and green hair to her trucker hat, she is completely the opposite to girly, airy-fairy person I had expected. If I had to describe her sound it would be a mixture of Fever Ray from The Knife, Robyn and Lykke Li (which is somewhat ironic as she supported Lykke Li during her tour of North America last year). If you still need convincing of her awesomeness check out the following story on Pitchfork which is sure to make an impression!

Grimes’ fourth album, Visions, is available for pre-order on iTunes and will be released on 9th March. She will play at Forbidden Fruit on Sunday 3rd June in Kilmainham. 

Mmoths

The video for Hearts was released two weeks ago and I’ve had it on repeat ever since. Taken from Mmoths debut EP of the same name and featuring Keep Shelley in Athens, it is already one of my favourite tracks of 2012. It would appear that Mmoths is only going to go on to bigger and better things!

Check out the video, directed by Jamie Delaney, below.

A Few Bits n’ Bobs…

So I haven’t written a blog post in nearly two weeks….I could blame this on being sick/busy in work/my trip to London/my recent addiction to Pinterest (all of which have actually happened) but if I’m perfectly honest it’s been pure laziness on my part.

I’ve been meaning to post about some of the things I bought in Brick Lane (yes, from my trip before Christmas, it’s becoming more and more evident how neglectful I’ve been of my poor blog!) and decided to do a general ‘recent things I’ve bought in London’ all in one go instead.

Some of the items included were bought when I was over before Christmas, others were bought while I was in London last weekend. My favourite pieces by far are the jeweled Peacock ring and the vintage necklace from the 70s, both of which I picked up in Brick Lane at the Sunday Market. Other bits I bought include, a cutout dress and cross earrings from Urban Outfitters, striped shorts and a silk print dress from Topshop and a jumper from Brick Lane, all pictured below!

Urban Outfitters: Cutout Dress £45

Jumper, Brick Lane £30

Shorts, Topshop £35

Earrings, Urban Outfitters £10

Dress, Topshop £80

Necklace, Brick Lane £15

Ring, Brick Lane £10

Ring, Brick Lane

Ring, Brick Lane

Burberry Trench Coat

I was recently lucky enough to come into possession of a (real, none of that fake stuff!) Burberry trench coat. My Mum had bought it for herself about 20 years ago and after hearing me gush about wanting one, she offered to pass it on to me. To say I was delighted would be a complete understatement, MY OWN BURBERRY TRENCH COAT!!!!!

As she had bought it in the 80′s, the style was slightly outdated with the length falling (nearly) down to my ankles….a little bit too ‘Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy’ for my liking.

Before

This was, however, a minor issue as I was able to pop into The Alterations Centre on South Anne Street to get it taken up to just above my knee for a mere €30. (On a side note: If you ever need to get anything taken in/taken up I HIGHLY recommend The Alterations Centre, they never fail to do an amazing job and they are incredibly efficient, 10/10 for service!)

After

After-Side View

I spotted the exact same trench coat on Net-A-Porter priced at €1,060!! So for a grand total of €30 I now have my own vintage Burberry trench, and managed to save a whopping €1,030, talk about a bargain!

Net-A-Porter: €1,060

Net-A-Porter: €1,060

The Alteration Centre is located on South Anne Street (just off Grafton Street) and is open between 9.00a.m. – 6.00p.m. Monday to Saturday.

M.I.A.: Bad Girls

I love love love love LOVE the latest track/video from M.I.A. ‘Bad Girls’. The song is the first track to be released from her fourth album which is due out later this year. The video, which was directed by Romain Gavras, was shot in Morocco and follows a Middle-Eastern theme with shots of drag racing, women with AK-47′s and tankard fires in front of derelict buildings.

Whilst I love the video (especially M.I.A.’s style-WOW) I find the scenes with M.I.A. dancing somewhat awkward and slightly cringey…. Just me? Dancing aside, the video is amazing and is suited perfectly to the song. Check it out below!

The Closet Clear-Out

Last weekend I dropped into Andrews Lane Theatre (ALT) to check out The Closet Clear-Out. Due to the success of the first Closet Clear-Out in December, a second ‘Clear-Out’ was held on January 28th and a third will be held on March 3rd. Starting at 12pm and ending at 6pm, the idea behind the Clear-Out is to allow people to sell any unwanted (or ‘pre-loved’ if you want to be P.C.) clothing, shoes or accessories so you can (to quote the Facebook event page) ‘clear out your closet and make a few bob at the same time’. Items can be designer, high-street or vintage and must be in good condition.

The inside of ALT was completely transformed for the event. Rail after rail of clothing, tables full of accessories and a huge selection of bags and shoes which left me spoilt for choice. Despite arriving at 4pm, I was delighted to find that there were still a great deal of bargins to be had and managed to pick up a River Island t-shirt dress for €5!

The Closet Clear-Out: €5

Overall I would highly recommend visiting the next Closet Clear-Out in March! I’m definitely considering booking a rail at the next event so I can flog a few pieces that have been gathering dust in my wardrobe.

If you are interested in booking a rail for the next Closet Clearout send an email to Closetclearoutdublin@gmail.com. For more information visit The Closet Clearout Twitter account.

The Closet Clear-Out: €5

Yelle: Comme Un Enfant (Freaks Remix)

Yelle has teamed up with Nathan Barnatt for the video for the remix of her single ‘Comme Un Enfant’. The video features Nathan and infamous dance moves along with cameo’s from TJ Miller, Martin Starr and Yelle. Hilarious video, awesome song!

Santigold: Big Mouth

Big Mouth is the first single to be released from Santigold’s long-awaited second album, Master of My Make Believe. It was released on 17th January and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it! The video is completely off the wall but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Santigold. The track can be downloaded for free by signing up to the Santigold mailing list. Enjoy…..!

Karl

Karl Lagerfeld’s long awaited collection for Net-A-Porter was, finally, released today. After a month long campaign, including a collection leak and the appearance of a mysterious ‘Cube’ in Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the 70-piece ready-to-wear line is now available. In true Karl style, the majority of the pieces are either black or white and will immediately inject a hint of rock-chic into your wardrobe. My favourite pieces from the collection include the poplin collars, a black and white monochrome sleeveless shirt and a pair of cut out buckled leather sandals. Items range in price from €19 to €1,000 and can be purchased from Net-A-Porter.

Bansi layered cotton-poplin shirt €150

 

Cracked-leather collar €130

 

Printed canvas shopper €19

 

Sabine sequined shorts €200

 

Large printed canvas tote €100

 

Jela metallic-flecked twill jacket €350

 

Metallic-buckled leather sandals €330