READING FESTIVAL TWENTY FOURTEEN

Reading Festival was TWO WEEKS ago? Have I really had that much sleep?

I had a BLAST at Reading Festival this year. I saw around 35 bands and artists in total, and even brought a nice bout of festival flu back as a souvenir. Being from Reading, the festival always feels just that bit extra special, with 2014 being no exception. While walking out of the festival last year, I remember saying something along the lines of "I hope I have a job by next year so I can pay for a ticket myself" and I did it!! Go me!! Those £50 instalments were painful (and that like, £6 shipping fee was VERY painful) but all very worth it in the end.
This year I took a more laid back approach to who I saw, rather than having a meticulously organised schedule. Although I didn't see as many bands this way (I didn't manage to top last year's total of 39) I felt like I enjoyed the whole atmosphere and experience more, and had more time to enjoy the ridiculously overpriced food. (I think I'm having withdrawal from those cheese garlic bread baguettes from the pizza place near the NME tent already)
Line up wise, I didn't think it was as good as last year's, and a lot of the artists I wanted to see I had already seen at least once before. But on the other hand, I had the chance to see some larger bands that I may not have necessarily gone to see under normal circumstances. I also saw a few bands that I will definitely be listening to more of now, which is good! 

Sets I managed to catch over the weekend:
Friday:
We Are Evergreen
Blood Red Shoes
Drenge (2nd time)
Fat White Family
Sweethead
The Orwells
Catfish And The Bottlemen
King Charles
Vampire Weekend
Jamie T
Paramore
Bipolar Sunshine
Palma Violets (3rd time)

Saturday:
DZ Deathrays
Marmozets
Royal Blood
Peace (3rd time)
Bear Hands
Wolf Alice (2nd time)
Don Broco (2nd time)
Circa Waves
Happyness (2nd time)
Chvrches (2nd time)
Jake Bugg
Bombay Bicycle Club
Arctic Monkeys

Sunday:
Flyte
The Neighbourhood
Jungle
Drowners (5th time)
The Kooks
The Horrors (2nd time)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The 1975
Disclosure

Blood Red Shoes! I have waited what feels like forever to see them live, and it's finally happened. Although I didn't manage to catch their whole set because someone, somewhere, decided that it was a fantastic idea for them to clash with Drenge.

Drenge's Festival Republic set last year was amazing, so I was super excited to see them again. Obviously, they didn't disappoint. Outfit or music wise. Lovin' those dresses

Rowdiest crowd I was involved in all weekend was The Orwells. As soon as they stepped on stage I found myself being (literally) swept away. I was 100% fearing a repeat of FIDLAR's Reading 2013 set, in which I almost broke a tooth. I made it out with all teeth intact for all those wondering, but I did nearly lose my glasses. I wonder what valuable thing I'll come close to losing next time!

"I lost my mind I lost my shoe" Or in this case, glasses.

Funky crowd shot! At Bipolar Sunshine, before Palma Violets. Palmas were definitely one of my highlights, as I'd predicted. After seeing them smash an afternoon slot in the NME/Radio 1 tent, I was very excited to see them headline Festival Republic, my favourite stage. I have come to the conclusion that Best Of Friends is my favourite track to hear/see live. There's just something about it that gets you every single time.

Back in the NME tent for Royal Blood. There was a good reaction from the crowd even though this performance was prior to the release of their self titled debut (which is also good)

☮ ✌ ☮ ✌ ☮ ✌ ☮ ✌ ☮ ✌ ☮ ✌ ☮ ✌ ☮ ✌

A highlight that I didn't originally think would be a highlight was Don Broco's late afternoon set in the NME tent. Long story I didn't really like their music, saw them live and completely changed my mind. (I love it when live performances can change your opinion!!) Anyway, I totally regret not liking them this time last year, as I was right down the front in a great crowd and I know I would have enjoyed it. This was one of my favourite crowds of the weekend, everyone singing along made it even better.

Cool sunset! P.S sorry if you were fortunate enough to witness my embarrassing dancing at Jake Bugg, Chvrches or Bombay Bicycle Club (not really)

Me lookin' really excited to see Drowners with Mollie

Drowners!! This was my fifth time seeing one of my favourite, favourite, favourite bands this year, but this was extra special since it was in my hometown. I think the fact that they only play for half an hour just makes me want to see them over and over again. I feel super lucky that I have been able to see one of my favourite albums performed live this many times.

The Horrors were amazing as usual but the crowd definitely did not do them justice. Although, the massive pit that opened up during the last couple of minutes of Sea Within A Sea (AKA PRETTY MUCH THE BEST BIT OF ANY SONG EVERRR) was interesting to see, and also a bit odd. Still Live live was gorgeous, as per.

There were also some other strange happenings across the weekend, including the ridiculous amount I spent on that overpriced food and someone forcing me to go up on their shoulders during King Charles' set, (HELLO if you're out there) which is something I never saw myself doing. You do get quite a good view, though. I guess that's another one ticked off your typical festival bucket list, along with things like appearing on the stage screens (#claim2fame) and being at the main stage barrier.

We also met some (very drunk) women while watching Disclosure, and although their friend couldn't speak much English, they managed to get her to swear at everyone who walked by. Then she started doing forward rolls. It was, weird.

ALL IN ALL READING FESTIVAL 2014 WAS SO FUN I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE WOOOOP WOOOOP!!

More photos (film and digital) on my Flickr

DIY Wellies Revamp

The boots were made for walking. In the mud. Thick mud. And also snow. These are the only uses I have for my wellies, and since they have become a lil' battered during the former in particular, I wanted to revamp them before Reading Festival next weekend. Judging by the weather in Reading at the moment, I will no doubt end up using them.
This idea originally came from trying to think of a way to fix the broken buckles on the side, which I managed to somehow snap off while watching Spector last year. What started out as some ribbon to tie up the buckles ended up as black fringe trim around the top of the boots, accented by sequins. Sequins, obviously. Since adding non-waterproof trim to wellies is not the most practical of ideas, it's a good thing that it cost me less than £1 to put together. (cherrrrr ching)
I sewed the fringe onto thin elastic to make it slightly stronger, and hand sewed the sequins on top. After my last endeavour into sequin applique I felt like an EXPERT at this

I gave my boots a clean and repaired the peeling lining. With the help of some "super sticky" glue I proceeded to glue fringe/sequin extravaganza around the top (this was some proper tense stuff) and two episodes of Say Yes To The Dress and an hour's worth of Judge Rinder later,(if you have never watched it I suggest you do) tada/hey presto/hooray I was left with some funky looking fringing on my boots. The fringe looks great when moving, dancing or fleeing from impending mosh pits and walls of death, so I'll obviously have the coolest boots at Reading Festival and beyond. Unless you happen to have a pair of boots that are entirely sequinned, that is. They might just be a bit cooler.

BEFORE

Work in progress (I didn't intentionally choose to use pegs the same colour as the spots on the boots)

The finished product (and what became of the broken buckles? I ended up glueing them closed)

Materials Used:

• Black 2 inch fringing: 40p per metre
• Black strung sequins: 33p per metre
• Elastic
• Super Sticky Glue

NEW THINGS

FIRSTLY, it is August 13th. A very eventful date. By that I mean, Spector's debut came out two years ago today. An album I hold very close to me (hahahaha laaaame) as one of my absolute favourites and it's very strange to think how different things would be if it had never been released - I met some of my now best friends through a mutual love of Spector. It's also International Left Handers Day today! Essentially a second birthday. Feel free to send gifts.

TODAY a package dropped through the door while I was watching Say Yes To The Dress (as I do every day) and it was the two (beautifully wrapped) necklaces I ordered from You Earth Ash. Did I mention they were beautifully wrapped? They were beautifully wrapped. I love all of the typewritten elements and especially the confetti. You can't hate confetti, man.

I've been interested in crystals and minerals for literally as long as I can remember, and I've been building up a collection since before I was out of primary school. I have been scouring the web for necklaces like these for ages, and these were far too affordable to turn down. I'm talking a fiver. A fiver! A fiver. A FIVER! Everything on this site is so nice and affordable, I had to refrain from purchasing everything. 

After much deliberation I chose Amethyst and Blue Quartz. Arguably two of the most atheistically pleasing stones (although to be honest, most are very nice to look at) Both of these have some great qualities too. Amethyst is renowned for being calming, providing balance and peace. Quartz on the other hand is perhaps the most recognised crystal, a power stone. It enhances energy, and dispels negativity. Useful. What is also useful, is that these are also two of my favourite colours and match a lot of outfits. Hooray!

(Note to self: purchase macro lens)

Have a look at You Earth Ash and while you're at it, listen to the Slow Club song of the same name

Sequin Applique Varsity Jacket

I love varsity jackets! I have been scouring various vintage stores and online outlets for several months for the perfect varsity jacket. One that was in my price range, (high shipping fees have put me off a number of times, obvs) one that doesn't cross the line between oversized and just plain massive (a thin line for someone below average height) and one that didn't have too much print on it to cover up. (I've seen everything from swimming pools to funeral directors advertised on the back) Not asking for much, then. While I am still on the search for THE perfect jacket, I purchased this one in the meantime:

I got this in Oxford Street's Primark a couple of months ago. It vaguely reminded me of a jacket I'd seen lusting after collections on the Saint Laurent website, which I think is what initially lured me in. I purchased it for £10 knowing they didn't stock it in my local Primark, so I at least wouldn't see anyone nearby with it. It looked kind of average which always bothered me, and I always sort of had intentions of personalising it. Little did I know that within a few weeks I'd see a rail of these jackets while I was working, and then see loads of other people wearing them. Seeing other people wearing something you have always gives you that sinking feeling, doesn't it? I thought I'd better get a move on customising it.
I did originally plan to make a classic felt varsity patch in black and white to match the stripes, but then thought about making it a little different. Sequins are obviously my go-to embellishment, and I'd been interested in trying sequin applique for a while.

INSPO: Ashish
I am a huuuuge fan of using sequins in casualwear / everyday wear and Ashish do this perfectly. FW14 features heavily sequinned sweatshirts and denim and even some varisty letters.

I started off with a template which I then transferred onto black felt. Overall I think the sequinning took me about eight hours, with fairly regular gaps to play the Kim K game, obviously. I then sewed it onto the white felt to make it stand out a bit more and applied it to the jacket. I am super happy I went with the green sequins in the end, the colour changes in the light which admittedly makes them look so cool

Materials used:

• Black felt - 30p
• White felt - 30p
• Black strung sequins - 30p per metre
• Iridescent strung sequins - 29p per metre

(Ashish FW14 images - Style.com)

July Favourites

The weather is hot and the summer holidays have officially begun. Not much has happened in July and pretty much everything I'm looking forward to is this month (i.e seeing Drowners again and Reading Festival, which means seeing Drowners again.) Here are some things I have been #digging in the thirty one days of the seventh month of 2014:

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
I must admit I was never really bothered about Kim Kardashian or any of the other Kardashians. I, among many others, was bewildered about the world's obsession with them, and my interest in watching any of their shows has been fairly minimal. But I, among many others once more, was sucked into a virtual world at the promise of fame and fortune, albeit virtual. I am of course talking about Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, or "The Kim K Game." This free game hit the app store in early July and I have been hooked ever since. It was initially one of those games I download for a laugh, with the intention of playing it for a couple of hours, draining my battery, and consequently deleting it. But once Kim had started being so nice to me, I couldn't bring myself to delete it. I have been spending a somewhat ridiculous amount of time on photoshoots, endorsements, and running from place to place tapping everything from fire hydrants to birds to gather extra energy for more stars. My character doesn't look like me, she wears all black with an Anna Wintour haircut. Her boyfriend wears all black too, but every time they go on a date he just insults her outfit choices. Maybe it's time to ditch him for an A Lister to match her A List #1 status. Or maybe it's time for me to check into Kim K Game Rehab.

The Commonwealth Games
I'm sure anyone that knew me in 2012 will tell you I was absolutely obsessed with the Olympic and Paralympic games. At first I was dreading them thanks to all the hype surrounding them, then I had an epiphany and fell in love. (I visited the Olympic park, went to see some Paralympic rowing and ending up purchasing everything from the DVDs of the Games to Olympic mugs) I love it when sporting events are in the same time zone as me so naturally I wanted to watch as much of The Commonwealth Games as I possibly could. As someone who can barely run for a bus, I am in awe of all these amazing athletes and I love how patriotic everyone/everything is! Just look at my (not very neatly done) nails

The IT Crowd
In July, I watched The IT Crowd. A lot. I should probably go here to learn how to introduce colour into my wardrobe, what with the hot weather and all:

Alvvays
Toronto's Alvvays (pronounced Always, but I can't seem to stop saying it like Alvays) make dreamy music on par with Best Coast and Cults' debuts. Their album dropped this month, and after hearing Archie, Marry Me I had a strong feeling it would be very good. Ding ding! I was correct. Possibly one of my favourite albums of the year so far.

Yuck
Back in the days of NME TV, when I was 13, I decided I didn't like Yuck. I based this very strong opinion on hearing like, 30 seconds of Get Away. A year or so later I saw the light and looking back I was super stupid and missed out on seeing Yuck before their lineup change which SUCKS. But over the last couple of months I have become obsessed with their 2011 debut, and July was no exception. 

Denim Idols #tbh

My Jams this month:
Hebronix - Viral
Parquet Courts - Dear Ramona
Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me
Estelle - American Boy (ft. Kanye West)
Blessa - Unfurl

Sewing + Slow Club (SEW CLUB?)

Summer has officially begun, and now that Wimbledon is over I am finding myself with little to do. Haha, kidding. I just got a new sewing machine! I am notoriously fussy when it comes to sewing machines, with a preference of Janome machines and top loading bobbins. I intend to spend my whole summer sewing (besides that hour I take out to watch Four Weddings) and my goal is to love sewing by September. Maybe that's a bit ambitious. I don't think I will ever love sewing. But I'd at least like to improve my sewing.

A stream of Slow Club's eagerly anticipated third album also dropped this week. Titled "Complete Surrender" (BY THE WAY a great title I like it a lot) it was set to be a great follow up to 2011's Paradise. And it was!
A few months ago Slow Club revealed the first snippet of their new material, album opener Tears Of Joy. It's a very typical Slow Club track, with hints of both Yeah, So and Paradise woven through it. The second track released, title track Complete Surrender, is where things really got exciting. It feels like a natural progression from the bold and atmospheric sounds of Paradise, with a groovy twist. I read a review somewhere that stated it sounds like a Bond theme, and that's the perfect way to describe it. Perhaps my favourite Slow Club track alongside Beginners, Two Cousins and If We're Still Alive.
That groove is a continuous theme throughout the entire album. It all feels floaty and flamboyant, big and bold. Everything Is New sounds like a bombastic finale, but is in fact only the second track. Suffering You, Suffering Me is deceiving - it starts off with some very ballad-y vibes, but ends as a funky, upbeat track. Like, one of those songs people dance down the street to in TV adverts.
All in all, I'd say this is Slow Club's best album, and they seem to get better with each one. Complete Surrender is one of my favourite albums of 2014 so far, and already my favourite album title.
Favourites: Complete Surrender, The Pieces, Everything Is New, Not Mine To Love, Tears Of Joy, The Queen's Nose

SUMMER MEGAMIX

Making "summery" playlists when most of what you listen to could be described as "summery" is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, you have loads to choose from, but perhaps too much. I found it impossible to narrow this down to a reasonable length (I aimed for 20 tracks) so here it is as a "summer megamix." A whole 2 hours and 46 minutes of groovy summery goodness, arranged in a somewhat flowing order. 

Tracks:

1. Girls - Morning Light
2. Splashh - All I Wanna Do
3. Palma Violets - Best Of Friends
4. Cults - I Can Hardly Make You Mine
5. Coves - Wake Up
6. Arctic Monkeys - The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
7. DIIV - Wait
8. Yuck - Middle Sea
9. Coves - Fall Out Of Love
10. SKATERS - I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How)
11. Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold II
12. Drowners - Long Hair
13. Dom - Bowl Cut (ft. Madeline Follin of Cults)
14. Bully - Brainfreeze
15. Bleeding Knees Club - Teenage Girls
16. FIDLAR - No Waves
17. Wavves - Nodding Off (ft. Best Coast)
18. Yuck - Holing Out
19. Splashh - Need It
20. Twin Peaks - Stand In The Sand
21. Girls - Summertime
22. Melody's Echo Chamber - I Follow You
23. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - So Good At Being In Trouble
24. Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
25. JAWS - Gold
26. Slow Club - If We're Still Alive
27. FEMME - Fever Boy
28. Blood Orange - You're Not Good Enough
29. Solange - Losing You
30. Peace - Bloodshake
31. Dom - Living In America
32. Spector - Celestine
33. Girls - Hellhole Ratrace
34. Cajun Dance Party - Colourful Life
35. The Drums - Forever And Ever Amen
36. Foals - My Number
37. Metronomy - The Bay
38. Best Coast - Boyfriend
39. Sky Ferreira - Everything Is Embarrassing
40. Cults - Go Outside
41. The Horrors - Still Life
42. Temples - Colours To Life
43. Best Coast - The Only Place
44. Icona Pop - I Love It (ft. Charli XCX)
45. Ultraista - Bad Insect
46. Yuck - Shook Down

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