In a Matter of Time: Beach House

Beach House were the first (out of four) band of the week.  I was looking forward to a relatively relaxed gig and thought this would be the perfect start to the week ahead.  I guess what I'm saying is is that in lots of ways, the music Beach House make is the most accessible out of the four bands I was seeing.

I'll be honest, I really didn't like the Anson Rooms as a venue.  I'm not quite sure why.  It may have been that the vastness of the space didn't feel suitable or something.  If another band I like were playing there I would go to see them, but I'd feel a bit disappointed about the venue as it just didn't do it for me.  (Maybe I was put off that it's part of a students union building..hmm.  Maybe)

The stage set was simple, white and just right for setting the tone without being eerie.  Its simplicity could not have been more suitable when matched with the sound Beach House created. I think this gig was truly one where the vocal was completely unwavering and quite unbelievable. It was the best combination of the 'perfect' vocal you get on the album with the atmosphere created by the backdrop and lighting.  On that note, I really did fall a little for the lighting, and at one point it was throwing the most incredible shadows on to the walls either side of the stage.  (The only thing I liked about the vastness of the venue.)

The band truly were magnificent, and I found their set warm and embracing.  Their sound was much bigger than I'd expected, and by far surpassed my expectations based on their albums.  They ended their set with this great reverb and the sound felt huge.  I was blown away to be honest.  I hadn't considered Beach House to be a band that could create such powerful and large sound, and without a doubt I now consider them to be far better than I did before the gig.  Upon reflection, I now see it was imperative that they manipulated their sound this way.  It gives their music a whole new dimension, and that's exciting!  My only concern is that the albums will have almost have an emptiness, but I guess you run that risk whenever a band are just THAT much better live than on record.  

I'm so happy that they were the first stop of the gigathon.  They were an ideal way to begin, and I'm glad that they surpassed my expectations.  That's always a good and inspiring outcome.

Home Made Festival/Gig-a-thon/Independence

For the past few months I have been really looking forward to November.  So, to begin, yesterday I was honoured to witness two dear friends get married (to each other) and it felt incredible to be a part of their day.

The other huge reason I've been so focused on wanting November to arrive is that I'm embarking on a bit of an adventure.  Over the course of the next five days I'll be seeing four bands that are significant to me play live.  This adventure will also mean a fair bit of travelling.  I will be using planes, trains and automobiles, as it happens!  

The itinerary looks a bit like this:

Saturday - Beach House, Bristol

Sunday - Godspeed You!  Black Emperor, London

Monday - Spiritualized, London

Tuesday - Rest!

Wednesday - Animal Collective, Glasgow.

I know.  Amazing isn't it?  All these incredible bands playing within days of each other.  I almost feel as though their tour schedules were for my benefit, so that I could something as exciting as this.  I'm embarking on this adventure alone too, which is really key for me.  I don't want to ever feel dependent on anyone else to do the things that are important to me.  Especially when that involves creativity.  I'm really excited to write about each gig here.  I want to always remember how big a deal this is to me at this moment, and how fulfilling it is to be doing something so 'me' without it being for anyone else.  I guess I want to be a bit selfish...

I'll be back with a post about Beach House soon  xoxo

Boots

With the weather changing and becoming cooler, fresher and just a little chilly I'm finding myself thinking about how my wardrobe is going to transition to toasty layers and coziness!

For some reason I'm also pretty focused on boots.  I just want to buy boots.  I already have a fair few pairs, but for some reason I'm dreaming of some really spot-on 60s boots.  I've found a few examples of some favourite 60s inspired ones.  

You guys thinking of autumn yet?

xo

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Another fun link

Le petit pick-me-up

I was feeling a little low earlier.  I always get anxious on weekends if I don't have lots and lots of plans.  As much as I love the opportunity to be a little slower paced, my "your life is passing you by" button kicks in pretty bad and I tend to get all boo hoo.  First world whinge eh?

I felt tired too (as well as a bit boo hoo) and thought "I need to get away from my head for a little while."  As I didn't have my passport handy to just get to the airport and say "book my a place on the next flight outta here baby" (although I am determined to do this one day) I thought a little escapism at the cinema would be ideal.  I live around the corner from an independent cinema and have seen lots there recently (please see last post!).  I decided to just see whatever film was on next, and that film was..... Le Petit Nicolas.  A film based on some French children's books.

And I adored it.  Such a sweet, laugh out loud, pick-me-up of a film.  Seriously sweet, but not toooo saccharine.  The characters are fab, and the cast amazing.  Each one of the young, adorable little guys in this films were perfection on screen!  Something else I really liked about the film was the opening titles.  I basically fell in love with the film from the beginning.  Another plus;  the film is set in the 1960s and is not in any way an over the top, mod-esque parody of the era.  Even more loveliness for me to enjoy!

If you get a chance, check it out.  If it doesn't make you smile, I'm not sure what will...

Here's the trailer

And here's the brilliant title sequence!

Go see it!  Go see it!

xoxo

 

Personal Film Festival

(This photo has nothing to do with the post.  It's a shot of flowers at a wedding I photographed this week.  Pretty, right?)

Hi!  A little over a week ago I enjoyed an accidental 9 day film festival.  Translation:  I went to the cinema a LOT in a short space of time.  (And loved every second)

Here's a run down of what I saw:

The Women on the Sixth Floor

I really enjoyed this film.  It was sweet, but without being over the top or too twee.  I laughed out loud a few times, and found it to be really charming.  I went to the cinema to see it with two friends, and we made a night of it  by having the best Indian food in the city beforehand, and then having a few drinks and giggly chats afterwards.  I had so much fun!

The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson is one of my faves.  He just is.  The Royal Tenenbaums is one of my favourite Wes Anderson films (Moonrise Kingdom recently stole my heart).  A lovely little cafe in my area does fortnightly film night, and is currently holding a Wesanderthon.  I am enjoying every second!  Plus the food is amazing!  If you haven't seen this film, you MUST!  NOW!

The Dark Night Rises

 I'm a huge fan of the Chris Nolan Batman series (trilogy now, I guess) and have been looking forward to The Dark Night Rises since it was announced.  I totally fell for the hype, and LOVED IT.  I can't believe how amazing Tom Hardy was, and I really enjoyed Anne Hathaway's performance.  The whole thing was amazing.  Plus, I managed to avoid all spoilers and I never guess any twists, so was genuinely taken aback by the twists as they were revealed.  Big blockbuster thumbs up!

The Hunter

I had no idea what The Hunter was about when my friend invited me last minute on a cinema trip.  I'm so glad she did!  I thoroughly enjoyed this both emotional and warm film.  It's such a great story, and I thought Willem Defoe's performance was just brilliant.  The film's about a mercenary hunter who is sent to Tasmania to hunt down the (accepted to be) extinct Tasmanian Tiger.  What ensues is a really emotional (and kinda sad) story, and I got totally wrapped up in it.  Worth watching!

Woody Allen:  A Documentary

Ah Woody.  How ridiculously legendary you are!  I like Woody Allen, but have never made a huge effort to 'get in to' his films.  I will now.  I really enjoyed this (quite long but) engaging documentary.  He's really a warm and gentle soul, and has no semblance of a super duper director ego.  I enjoyed him explaining about his typewriter and 'attaching machines' (staplers) and his cut and paste technique.  It was a really great documentary for exploring the history of his work, as well as his personal story.  It was so nice to see quite an open (and very honest) Woody Allen, especially considering how elusive and private he generally is.  This was such an enjoyable documentary, and seeing some of my favourite actors talk about their experiences of working with him just added to the whole thing.

Have you guys seen any good (or bad?!) films lately?!

Have a good week!

Gwyneth xoxo

Today's Print - 70s

Last week I had this massive urge to source and purchase vintage clothing.  I'm not surrounded by the best stocked vintage stores, which are often overpriced, so I tend to buy most pieces online at Etsy or less frequently Ebay.  However, when the urge kicks in, a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.

I got a cute scarf, amazing orange beret, printed blouse and a printed skirt.  Both the skirt and blouse are 70s, and I am in love with their prints.

Today's print is the one on the skirt.

So lovely!  (And only a little obnoxiously/OTT floral!  Which is the perfect amount if you ask me, but you're not asking, so never mind!)

(oooh, pale leg alert!)

xoxo

Disappointing Myself

I had an experience last week where I as really disappointed in myself.  I was angry, annoyed and frustrated, but most of all I was disappointed.  I had only let myself down.  In my book, that's the worst kind of disappointment, as it's completely avoidable.

The days following that experience I felt empowered to change things, and have taken massive steps to do so.  I now feel relieved that I have been able to being to overcome something I thought was imposible.  Jeez!  

Anyway, I think it's important to listen to other people's advice and guidance when it comes to navigating challenging situations, but ultimately....(get ready for some valid cheesiness) 

Have a lovely Sunday everyone, Gwyn xoxoxo

Going Too Fast

Aside from today's other post, I haven't posted for soooo long.  I think it's a mixture of things that's caused this unintentional break, but mainly I think it's because I've been kinda busy, and also a little uninspired.  Bit of a rubbish combination, really.  Some of the things that have been going on (and therefore distracting me) include:

Losing some weight and cracking out the flimsy and floaty summer dresses I've been afraid of wearing.  This is a pretty big deal to me, to be honest.  Bare legs are not something I've been comfy with for a while and making a shift in my mentality is both challenging and fun.

Sorting out my hair colour.  My attempt at red hair didn't initially go to plan due to my (trusted at the time,  but now not trusted) botching it up royally and making quite the mess.  This was pretty upsetting as a) I like my hair and b) I keep it in good condition, so to have all of that ruined (and me paying £100 for the privilege) was deeply frustrating.  

I finally put my trust in another stylist, and we're not on our way to getting the colour I originally wanted!  The Chinese food was my lunch that day.  It was yum!

Due to a particularly difficult day at work, and the insane heat here, ice cream is now a better friend than ever.  It's how I roll during tough/hot times.

A visit to Bristol, just for fun.

Finding a pair of 1960s earrings that I feel like I've been searching for for ages has made me veeeery happy indeed.

I'm feeling rather inspired right now, and have been drawing all day (new Sharpies have helped) and I hope this inspiration trip continues....!  Now I'm off to a quiz about historical failures!  I'm really excited!

xoxo

A Stirring Song

I'll be honest.  I forget most Sundays to put A Stirring Song posts together.  Oops.  But today, I was obnoxiously singing along to the song below and thought "this is today's stirring song!" and the post was born without any 'reminders.'  Yay!

I love The Mamas & the Papas.  I am well obsessed with their insane vocals and I just love the warm feeling their music evokes in me.  I particularly adore Mama Cass Elliot's vocal, and the song I've had on repeat all day and have been bellowing with all the confidence of a professional singer (I don't have the vocal, mind) is 'It's Getting Better.'  Ahh, this song is a dream.  Listen!  You'll agree I promise!

So?  Did you like the song?!

Happy Sunday!

Gwyny xoxo

London Lowdown

This post is a totally disorganised one with crappy iphone photos!  I would apologise, but as most venues don't allow anything better than a point and shoot in for gigs, this will have to do!  This annoys me to no end, as the only digital camera (other than ones on my phone) I've ever owned and used is a DSLR (is that weird?) so I don't know how to use a compact camera, and it makes little sense to me.  Plus I constantly lift the camera to my eye as if it has a viewfinder.  Ah well.

The point I'm trying to make is that I end up taking better photos with my iphone than with my compact.  For some reason the iphone tends to pick up light better than my compact samsung one.  

So, in conclusion (!) this post is essentially a run down of why I was in London this past weekend.

Good times were had by all!xoxo

My tickets for Fri and Sat night

Gruff Rhys (be still my beating heart)

Pretty stage set up at the Royal Festival Hall

The gig was part of Brynfest, and it was Gruff playing his latest album, 'Hotel Shampoo' in its entirety.  Hence the 'hotel' themed stage set up.

Gruff always uses placards.  My favourite (the photo didn't come out well) was 'Ape Shit.'  Haha.  Twas an instruction to 'go ape shit' with applause and admiration!

Salted caramel ice cream.  Food is central to achieving a good weekend.

Lots of lights whilst on the night bus

Prettiness at the V&A Ballgowns exhibit

Photos were prohibited (don't tell anyone I broke the rules) so I had to take them sneakily and hastily

That feathered number is Daphne Guiness' 

Brian Jonestown Massacre.  I HAD to be at this gig.  Momentous.  I hope I get to see them play again, but you can't guess when amazing bands will tour!

Sorry for the bad quality, but at least it's a (grainy) glimpse into the weekend's activities xoxo