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bukmarkmedia · 1 month ago

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Latest Boys’ Fashion Trends in the UK: What’s Hot Right Now

Fashion is constantly evolving, and boys’ fashion in the UK is no exception. Whether it’s for a casual day out, a special occasion, or school, staying on top of the latest trends can help young boys express their style and personality. In this blog, we’ll explore the hottest boys’ fashion trends in the UK for the current season, covering everything from clothing and footwear to accessories.

1. Streetwear Vibes

Streetwear continues to dominate boys’ fashion, blending comfort with style. This trend is all about oversized hoodies, graphic t-shirts, and joggers. Look for pieces with bold prints, logos, and unique designs that make a statement. Pairing a graphic tee with a pair of slim-fit joggers and sneakers creates a cool, laid-back look that’s perfect for everyday wear.

Key Pieces: Oversized hoodies, graphic t-shirts, joggers, and snapback caps.

Color Palette: Monochromes, neon accents, and earth tones.

2. Retro Revival

Nostalgia is making a big impact on boys’ fashion, with retro styles from the ’80s and ’90s making a comeback. Think color-blocked windbreakers, denim jackets, and retro sportswear. Vintage-inspired sneakers and accessories, like bucket hats and round sunglasses, add a fun throwback element to any outfit.

Key Pieces: Windbreakers, denim jackets, bucket hats, and vintage sneakers.

Color Palette: Bright primary colors, pastels, and classic denim blue.

3. Eco-Friendly Fashion

Sustainability is a growing concern in fashion, and boys’ clothing is no exception. Many brands in the UK are focusing on eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices. Organic cotton t-shirts, recycled polyester jackets, and sustainably sourced denim are becoming more popular. Parents and kids alike are leaning towards brands that prioritize the environment, making eco-friendly fashion a key trend.

Key Pieces: Organic cotton t-shirts, recycled fabric jackets, and sustainable denim.

Color Palette: Natural tones like beige, green, and muted blues.

4. Smart-Casual Mix

The smart-casual trend is perfect for boys who want to look polished without being too formal. This style blends classic pieces like tailored trousers or chinos with casual tops like polo shirts or crew-neck sweaters. Layering is also key to achieving this look, with lightweight blazers or cardigans adding a touch of sophistication.

Key Pieces: Chinos, polo shirts, crew-neck sweaters, and lightweight blazers.

Color Palette: Neutral shades with pops of color, like navy, grey, and burgundy.

5. Athleisure

Athleisure remains a top trend, combining athletic wear with everyday clothing for a stylish yet comfortable look. Tracksuits, performance t-shirts, and sporty sneakers are staples of this trend. It’s all about practicality and ease, making it perfect for active boys who are always on the move.

Key Pieces: Tracksuits, performance t-shirts, sporty sneakers, and athletic shorts.

Color Palette: Black, grey, and vibrant accents like red or blue.

6. Bold Prints and Patterns

From animal prints to camouflage, bold prints and patterns are making waves in boys’ fashion. These eye-catching designs add a playful element to outfits, whether it’s a leopard-print sweatshirt or a pair of camo trousers. Mixing and matching prints is also becoming more popular, encouraging creativity and individuality in fashion choices.

Key Pieces: Animal print tops, camouflage trousers, and patterned accessories.

Color Palette: Diverse, from traditional camo greens to bright, unexpected hues.

7. Layering for All Seasons

Layering isn’t just for the colder months; it’s a year-round trend in the UK. Lightweight jackets, gilets, and cardigans are perfect for layering over t-shirts in the spring and summer, while thicker coats and jumpers come into play during autumn and winter. This trend allows boys to mix and match different textures and colors, creating versatile outfits that can adapt to changing weather.

Key Pieces: Lightweight jackets, gilets, cardigans, and layered t-shirts.

Color Palette: Seasonal tones, from pastels in spring to rich hues in autumn.

8. Accessorizing with Attitude

Accessories are an essential part of any outfit, and boys’ fashion is no exception. This season, look out for trendy beanies, statement backpacks, and cool watches. Sunglasses with unique frames and bold colors are also a big hit, adding a stylish edge to any look.

Key Accessories: Beanies, backpacks, watches, and sunglasses.

Color Palette: Metallics, bright colors, and classic black.

Conclusion

Boys’ fashion in the UK is all about mixing comfort with style, allowing young boys to express their personalities through their clothing. Whether they’re into streetwear, retro styles, or eco-friendly fashion, there’s a trend out there for every taste. By staying on top of these trends, boys can look and feel their best, no matter the occasion.

#fashion store #clothing

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chrisryanspeaks · 8 months ago

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Cola's 'The Gloss': A Sophomore Album Filled with Wit, Energy, and Musical Evolution + Tour Dates

We are excited to share Cola’s latest project with you. Originating in Montreal, Cola was established by former Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy. They were joined by Evan Cartwright, a sought-after session musician from Toronto known for his work in the city’s thriving jazz and experimental music scenes with groups like U.S. Girls and The Weather Station, immediately following their initial rehearsal in 2019. Their first album, Deep In View, was launched in 2022 under Fire Talk Records and garnered acclaim from prestigious music publications. Rolling Stone highlighted them as an Artist You Need To Know, praising their debut as one of the year’s most exciting rock releases and marking it as a standout debut. Currently, the group is excited to reveal their second album, titled The Gloss, set to release on Fire Talk Records on June 14th. Coinciding with this announcement, they are introducing a new single, “Pallor Tricks.” Since the beginning, Cola has built upon the DIY spirit reminiscent of the Dischord and SST record labels, crafting powerful music using a simple set-up of drums, bass, and guitar. Their lyrics, filled with clever quips and reflections on society, invite listeners to search for deeper meanings. The album draws inspiration from various sources, including David Berman’s poetic approach and the playful aspects of early UK New Wave and the Dunedin sound, delivering a mix of sparse poetry and catchy hooks. It playfully navigates through themes with a mix of humor and insightful commentary, showcasing the band’s dynamic energy and creativity. Since their debut album, Cola has released singles like “Keys Down If You Stay” and “Bitter Melon” from their upcoming LP, demonstrating a more relaxed and exploratory sound. “Pallor Tricks” accelerates the pace, showcasing the band at their most intense, with restless rhythms and varying distortions striving for balance. Tour Dates 05.08 - Hanover, DE @ Cafe Glocksee 05.09 - Rotterdam, NL @ Vessell 11 05.10 - Eindhoven, NL @ Altstadt 05.11 - Luxembourg @ Out of the Crowd Festival 05.13 - Ramsgate, UK @ Ramsgate Music Hall 05.14 - Birkenhead, UK @ Future Yard 05.15 - Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach 05.17 - London, UK @ The George Tavern 05.18 - London, UK @ The George Tavern 07.05 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison 07.06 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall's 07.07 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House 07.08 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle 07.11 - Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records 07.12 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 07.13 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy 07.15 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd + 07.16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's + 07.17 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom + 07.18 - Troy, NY @ No Fun + 07.19 - Boston, MA @ The Rockwell + 07.20 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount + 10.10 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar * 10.11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon * 10.12 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill * 10.14 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios * 10.16 - Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall 10.17 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou's * + = w/ Mhaol * = w/ Mind Shrine Read the full article

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audiofuzz · 8 months ago

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Cola's 'The Gloss': A Sophomore Album Filled with Wit, Energy, and Musical Evolution + Tour Dates

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melanielocke · 3 years ago

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Lost in the Shadows - Chapter 6

AO3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Taglist @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings

It took less than ten minutes to discover the identity of the boy from the lake. As soon as they had arrived home, Lucie had started up her laptop and searched for missing children in the area. There was a boy called Steve Johnson, twelve years old. Lived in the village, just like the boy had told her. Had gone missing only a week ago. Lucie skimmed through the newspaper article. She’d thought the boy might have been dead for some time already, but he had been only dead for a week. She suspected he’d drowned the day of his disappearance. The article mentioned that the boy was a competitive swimmer, which explained why he hadn’t considered the danger in going swimming alone, but still, how likely was it that a competitive swimmer drowned in a lake that was perfectly safe for swimming? There were no dangerous currents, no weeds one could get trapped in. Drowning was always a risk, but in this lake, Lucie would only expect that to happen to people who couldn’t swim very well. Definitely not the case with this child. Exhaustion, then? But there was an island in the middle of the lake, and it wasn’t big. Anywhere he could have been, he should have been able to swim at least someplace he could stand in the water.

The boy had said something about how every time he tried to swim close to the shore, he’d appeared someplace else. Lucie wasn’t sure if she should believe that, ghosts tended to be confused about their deaths. Many didn’t remember dying at all until they realized what they were, and even then Lucie had heard some odd stories that couldn’t possibly be true. It was usually more believable that dying played tricks on the memory. But if that were true, if something had trapped the boy in the lake, then it would make sense why a competitive swimmer had drowned.

‘If he drowned and no one found out what happened, then his body must still be in the lake, right?’ Cordelia asked.

‘I think so. Someone should go looking for him. If the police know he’s in the lake, they should be able to find him. The problem is, how do we let them know where to look? I can’t exactly go to the police station and tell them I spoke to his ghost.’

‘We can send an anonymous tip,’ Cordelia said. ‘Maybe claim we saw him go into the lake around the time he disappeared.’

Lucie frowned. ‘Would they believe someone only called now a week later?’

Cordelia shrugged her shoulders. ‘Could be that we didn’t recognize him at first, we don’t know the child. But after looking at the missing posters, we realized this was the child we saw go into the lake to swim on the same day he disappeared.’

Lucie started rubbing her wrist, something she usually did when she was nervous. Then something occurred to her. ‘If he went swimming and never returned, then he must have left his belongings somewhere, right? A bag, some clothes, at the very least a towel. There was nothing at the beach.’

‘Lots of places where he could have entered the water,’ Cordelia said. ‘Most would be hidden from sight, so a bag or towel would not attract attention there. You mean to say someone might have taken his belongings to cover it up?’

‘Maybe. Or maybe he put the bag somewhere hidden from sight and no one has stumbled upon it yet. I’ll call with an anonymous tip, and claim I just saw a missing poster and realized I saw that boy go into the lake, that he might have drowned.’

Lucie was sick with nerves, staring at the phone. Princess Lucinda, a fictional and much braver version of Lucie, might never have heard of a phone, but she would not be scared to make a simple call if she knew how. But Lucie was terrified of making phone calls. She knew it was a stupid fear, but it was so unpredictable what might happen after someone picked up. What they’d say, what she was supposed to say, how loud someone else was going to sound through the phone. If she could even understand what they were saying, no matter how loud someone was, Lucie often struggled understanding speech through a phone.

‘Do you want me to make the call?’ Cordelia asked.

‘I can do this,’ Lucie said, more to herself than Cordelia, and she picked up the phone and called the police station.

She hung up as soon as she was done, she wanted to avoid questions she couldn’t answer. Police received anonymous tips all the time, right? Would they be looking already? Would they find him?

‘Can we take a walk?’ Lucie asked. ‘For distraction.’

‘That’s alright,’ Cordelia said. ‘Do you think Thomas and Alastair are still out there? Alastair used to take walks of several hours, he can probably spend an entire day there and not get tired of it.’

‘Funny. Thomas did the same thing. His attempt to get away from overprotective family members,’ Lucie said. ‘I’m sure they’re having fun.’

Lucie knew Thomas’ family worried for him because he used to be so sick, and his parents and sisters had never really left the pattern of Thomas being the small sick boy who needed to be cared for. Thomas greatly valued time alone because of that.

Lucie quickly went into her bedroom and changed into something more practical for a walk. When she returned downstairs she noticed a note her parents had left, she’d been so preoccupied with finding out who that boy was she hadn’t seen it at all. Her parents had gone grocery shopping and would be away for some time since the village didn’t offer much vegan food. A couple of months ago, Thomas had decided to go vegetarian because he liked animals and cared about the environment and Lucie had decided to surpass him by trying a vegan diet instead. Thomas couldn’t stay behind and had joined her, leaving two sets of exasperated parents desperately trying to figure out what they could still feed their kids. Both Lucie and Thomas were ridiculously stubborn, so any attempt to change their minds had been in vain. Fortunately, the UK was one of the easiest countries to find vegan food. Lucie was especially proud of Thomas, she knew he struggled with making choices for himself that inconvenienced others and this was something he’d chosen for himself.

Lucie and Cordelia walked into the woods, and Lucie made sure to take in the atmosphere. If this were a scene in her novel, how would she describe the trees? They were tall, for sure, thick, allowing little light to pass through. There was lichen growing over rocks and trees. There was a fog that was worst in the morning but never quite lifted. If this were a scene in her novel, Lucie definitely would mention the fog. It was both beautiful and eerie, the backdrop for a dark or scary scene. There were some birds in the trees, Lucie couldn’t see them, but she could hear them. If the scene became creepy enough, they would fall silent.

‘Is there always a fog here?’ Cordelia asked.

‘Usually,’ Lucie said. ‘I’m not sure why, weather science is not my expertise. It’s worst in the morning. Makes for a nice atmosphere though. Mysterious, eerie.’

‘Creepy,’ Cordelia added.

‘That too,’ Lucie said. ‘If I ever write a gothic or horror novel, this forest shall certainly serve as inspiration.’

‘Now I’m getting nervous,’ Cordelia admitted. ‘What kind of creatures do you think hide here?’

‘Oh, probably nothing,’ Lucie said.

‘Well, if something attacks us I’ll have cortana to fight it with,’ Cordelia said.

‘You brought your sword?’

Cordelia put her hand around her golden necklace. Lucie realized she always wore that necklace, but it had never occurred to her that it was cortana.

‘It changes shape?’

‘Exactly. I can’t exactly walk around carrying a sword, so it changes into a necklace I can wear daily,’ Cordelia said. ‘I’ve never really used it to fight something, but if we are attacked, I can defend us.’

‘Has it always changed into that necklace? Now I’m picturing your father or uncle Jem wearing it,’ Lucie said.

Uncle Jem could look well with it, she guessed, but she couldn’t picture Cordelia’s father wearing a necklace.

‘It changes into something different for each of us. For my father, it was a fancy golden watch. For uncle Jem, it was a jade pendant.’

‘Has Alastair ever carried cortana?’ Lucie asked, curious what it would change into for him.

‘No,’ Cordelia said. ‘He did want it when he was maybe fourteen, but the sword chose me over him. I think he later realized it wasn’t for him anyway. He has his daggers in case something really bad happens, but apart from that he’d rather stay away from the dangerous parts of the supernatural.’

Lucie wasn’t sure what she wanted, if given a choice. Sometimes ghosts could be unsettling, especially when she discovered they had passed recently or asked her if she could solve their murders. She wanted to be a writer, not a hero, but at the same time, she liked being able to see people when no one else could and she liked solving mysteries. She liked being able to help, to give the ghosts some power. Unfortunately, many ghosts needed things she could not give them and reading them parts from her stories didn’t typically help them move on. Some did give useful feedback though.

‘Are his daggers magic too?’ Lucie asked. ‘Like cortana?’

‘I don’t think they can kill anything like cortana does. We don’t know, some are old and have a rich history and for all we know they were magic. Neither of us have been willing to test that though, and Alastair keeps them because he likes collecting them, he doesn’t intend to fight with them if he doesn’t have to.’

Lucie didn’t know the particulars of killing supernatural creatures, and according to her father much of it was trial and error. Cortana was special in that regard, since it guaranteed to kill anything, but for others they would just have to hope whatever weapon they have does something.

‘Do you think they have started looking already?’ Lucie asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Cordelia said. ‘Missing children usually have a high priority, so I guess they would have started already. Searching a lake for a body might take some time, even a small lake like this one.’

‘What are you doing here?’

Lucie and Cordelia turned around to see Alastair and Thomas. Alastair really looked tiny next to Thomas despite being average height, she thought. They both looked like they’d been here for a while, a bit sweaty, Thomas’ face flushed. Alastair’s usually meticulously styled dark hair was a bit messy.

‘We went for a walk.’

‘I thought you wanted to go swimming,’ Alastair said.

‘We did go swimming, but after that we came here,’ Lucie said. ‘For distraction.’

She decided the boys had better know the truth too, and summarized her encounter with Steve’s ghost in the lake and the story he’d told about being unable to get out of the lake.

Thomas looked unusually nervous, was he alright? Alastair looked concerned at most, but as far as Lucie remembered he rarely showed emotion. She wondered if Thomas and Alastair had had any fun during their walk.

‘Trapped in the lake?’ Alastair frowned. ‘There are stories of people getting trapped in certain places by powerful beings. Of course, no one knows if those are true since people who become victims of such things usually don’t live to tell about it.’

‘Perhaps we better return to grandma’s house,’ Lucie suggested. ‘Then we can explain everything, figure out if anything needs to be done.’

On their way back, Lucie did most of the talking. She asked Thomas and Alastair if they had any fun, but neither of them spilled much. Thomas mentioned something about them seeing a hedgehog and that Alastair liked them, and at some point Lucie fell into telling them all about her latest story idea. Only when they were home it occurred to her that Alastair might not care for her stories at all. Lucie could never tell, and when people politely told her something along the lines of ‘that’s interesting’, she tended to take that as an invitation to talk about her projects for the next hours. British people tended to be very polite, so they never said what they meant and left Lucie to figure out what they were trying to say. It was very annoying.

Not long before grandma’s house came back in sight, something caught Lucie’s eye. She stopped, Alastair nearly bumping into her, but she ignored him. Instead, she stared in the direction where she thought she might have seen something. There was a boy there. Not the one from the lake, but another boy of around twelve. Dark hair, light eyes, Lucie realized she recognized him.

‘Lu, are you alright?’ Thomas asked. ‘You look like you’ve seen a- never mind.’

You look like you’ve seen a ghost, except with Lucie that was often the case and it rarely startled her this much.

She’d known about her ability already when Jesse died, had known about for as long as she could remember really. She’d searched for him, in the forest where he’d died, at school. She’d even gone by his mother’s house, who had refused to let her in. She’d never seen him, never even caught a glimpse. He must have moved on already, she’d thought and although she’d wished she’d had a chance to say goodbye, Lucie was fine with the idea of him moving on. It was better than remaining as a ghost.

But here he was, and he hadn’t changed a bit since he’d died over four years ago. Still a twelve year old boy, and it hit Lucie just how young he’d died.

‘Jesse!’ she called out.

Jesse looked up. He had a haunted look in his eyes ghosts sometimes had. He didn’t say anything, nor did he move any closer.

‘Jesse!’ she tried again. ‘It’s me, Lucie! I can see you!’

Jesse opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then disappeared as if he’d never been there. There was no poof, no cloud of shadows or ray of light in which he disappeared. He was just gone, no evidence that he’d been there at all. But Lucie was sure of what she’d seen. Jesse Blackthorn had just appeared in front of her. But why here, so far from where he’d lived and what he knew? Why now, four years after his death?

‘What is he saying?’ Cordelia asked.

Lucie shook her head as she tried to get her breathing under control. ‘Nothing,’ she whimpered. ‘He’s gone. He disappeared. But he was right there, it was him.’

#Lucie Herondale #Cordelia Carstairs #thomas lightwood #Alastair carstairs #Lucelia #Thomastair #fic #fanfiction #tlh #the last hours

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supposed2bfunny · 5 years ago

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Friends, Romans, Murdocfuckers

I understand that times are really stressful right now for everybody. Our work and school schedules are wack, loved ones are at risk of illness, and our mental health is collectively deteriorating.

2D had it right:

I don't want this isolation!

So to mitigate some of that stress, or at least to create a bit of a distraction, I’d love to create some prompts and challenges that we can all post to a specific tag to engage with one another and to keep our minds busy!

How do you partake? However the heck you want! Write a fanfic (that too much effort? Write a paragraph or two, a blurb will do!), draw a doodle, or just grab images, songs, etc from the Internet (just source anything you borrow from other creators), make a post, and tag it with the following:

#GorillazQuarantine2020

And what prompts are we working with? Here you go!

Ugly Outfits. Give us the worst outfits the band could possibly wear to make this isolation even worse.

The Last Supper. If they’re all gathering around for a meal together, what is that meal? What chaos ensures as the band breaks bread?

Summertime. Warm weather has to hit the UK eventually: how are these idiots going to spend it?

Not a Band!AU. If the Fab Four hadn’t worked out, what would Plan B look like?

Netflix-Inspired. Everyone’s been watching a ton of TV lately. Any crossovers in mind with anime or dramadies you’ve been binging? Bloody documentaries, anything!

BYOP. Build-your-own-playlist! What do you think your favorite band member would listen to? Can you craft something more in-character than the current writers for Phase 6?

Dream Collab. Building off of that, what would your ideal collaboration with Gorillaz look like? Why would your other favorite artist work so well with their sound/aesthetic, and what might they sing about?

When are these due? There is no due date! There is no order! Do any of these whenever you want, and if you come up with another prompt idea, use this tag to spread it around. The only rules are the self-explanatory ones: no hate-speech or inflammatory language, no bullying, be nice to each other. Please.

This is just a fun, spur-of-the-moment, super impulsive thing to help inspire some creativity and community during difficult times. Feel free to do any of the prompts, or just reblog this so other folks who may want to try it can share their work! Make sure you use the tag so we can find it!

We’re all in this together, y’all! Let’s try and have some fun and share some content!

The sky’s falling baby, drop that ass ‘fore it crash!

#gorillazquarantine2020 #gorillaz #there is a chance I will become overwhelmed and panic #but gosh darn it I will try to reblog anyone using this tag if I can #hope y'all wanna try it!#lets make something fun as a community!! <3 <3 <3

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liam-93-productions · 5 years ago

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Liam’s Interview for Men’s Health Australia

When we arrive in springtime London to meet with singer Liam Payne, he’s at the centre of a heaving team of staff, fussing around a small hotel room in the heart of the city. It’s a small whirlwind overlooking a comparatively peaceful Hyde park.

Amongst all the drama, Payne remains unruffled. He’s alert, aware of every person and conversation in the room, yet oddly at ease with the lunacy ensuing, greeting me with a traditional British bro-shake.

His calm under pressure is perhaps a product of his adolescent stint as one-fifth of the world’s biggest boy band, One Direction, an experience in which an ability to find your equilibrium amid chaos was an essential survival skill.

What’s immediately apparent is that Payne is a surprisingly self-aware and largely egoless 25-year- old, no mean feat for a man who’s helped sell over 50 million albums in the past decade.

“You’re kind of known sometimes as, ‘the guy from that band’, which is not really where you want to be at a certain point,” Payne says within minutes of our first meeting. It’s a refreshing show of vulnerability so early on, setting the tone for a poignant, sometimes emotionally raw two-day encounter with the star. “If you are what you think you are, then you don’t have to fucking prove anything.”

Delivered with a hint of defiance, it’s a sentiment that applies whether you happen to be a popstar or a product manager.

“I’ve got a lot of things wrong in my time, but they were also the moments that I’ve learned the most about myself,” Payne adds. “The moments to do with fear, patience, intelligence, all those different things.”

The truth is, Payne has lived his life in fast forward, cramming youthful missteps, naïve blunders and redemptive wisdom into one dizzying decade in the crucible of pop-culture stardom, a vortex that generally chews up and spits out young men. Instead he’s emerged, if not fully formed, then certainly as a man acutely aware of who he is. He’s as unsure as the rest of us what happens next – there aren’t many five-year plans in pop stardom – but you’d be hard-pressed to find a guy more ready to seize his potential and make his mark. And that’s an enviable position to be in, whatever direction you want life to take you.

BOY BAND BLUES

At the height of their success, One Direction achieved the impossible, inducing Sixties-style hysteria in an era deemed too atomised for such levels of superstardom. A five-piece boy band, manufactured on TV’s X-Factor by none other than Simon Cowell, with universal appeal. The mop-top haircuts, cheesy grins and wholesome values echoed boy bands of decades past, with an updated millennial twist.

To fully grasp the band’s gigantic pop-cultural footprint consider this: One Direction are the only band in history to have their first four albums debut at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat not even The Beatles managed in their heyday.

“It literally was the perfect storm,” remembers Payne. “There were so many scenarios that had to fall into line for that to happen. It’s not something that can easily be recreated or probably ever will be because of the way the Internet was kicking off, the way The X Factor kicked off. I just think it was just dumb luck.”

Prior to meeting Payne I’d been given strict instructions not to ask any One Direction-related questions. As it turns out Payne freely offers up details of his decade in the eye of the boyband storm. Indeed, he’s happy to share, almost as a cautionary tale.

“It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” he says. “There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help that they need and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry. It’s the same shit that happens to everyone, that’s been happening since the 70’s. You know what the traps are and if you are lucky enough, like me, to be able to get out of that scenario and back into a sense of normality, then you know it’s a bit different.”

Payne was only 14 when One Direction blew up. Forced to grow and mature under the magnifying glass of the global media, his adolescence quickly became click-bait fodder and, despite the companionship of fellow band members, he remembers his 1D days as a lonely time, punctuated by alcohol abuse.

“When you’re doing hundreds and hundreds of [concerts] and it’s the same 22 songs at the same time every single day, even if you’re not happy, you’ve got to go out there,” he says. “It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on. I mean it was fun. We had an absolute blast but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”

It’s the only time in my two days with Payne that the mood darkens. The sentiment echoes around the empty room for a moment, Payne’s eyes glazing over as he’s transported back to those riotous days. Did he ever feel in control during those times? “No. Never.”

“I still struggle with it now,” he adds. “I really struggle to say no because I don’t like to let people down. It’s in my nature.”

If there’s anything Payne hopes his fans take away from his time in fame’s spin cycle, it’s to embrace your past for what it is and grow from it. That way, at least, you ensure the only direction in which you can head is forward.

PAYNE AND GAIN

As if to remind us that we are in fact in the UK, on my seconds day with Payne the spring weather gives way to frosty winds and constant light drizzle. It doesn’t seem to bother anyone in Payne’s camp. Today is the singer’s turn in front of the camera and he wears the dreary London day as well as his perfectly-tailored suit.

After much negotiation, we manage to get onto the rooftop of The Beaumont Hotel, giving Payne a chance to survey his turf. It’s the most at ease I’ve seen him in our time together, the rain seemingly washing away the last traces of his boyish nervousness.

For all his self-discovery and reflection, Payne seems to have solace from the trials of pop stardom in fitness. He’s energetic and you get the sense his next workout is never far from his mind. Even as we shoot on The Beaumont’s suddenly wet rooftop, he jumps at the chance to squeeze in a few triceps dips on a flimsy railing. It’s an odd look, the former boy-band star dressed in a beautifully tailored Hugo Boss suit, the contrast perhaps symbolic of the crossroads Payne now finds himself at.

The less than optimal workout gear not withstanding, Payne credits his newfound fondness for fitness for keeping him on the straight and narrow.

“For me, working out was one of the things that I really wanted to tick of the list ‘cause I always saw myself as that sort of sporty active person and I actually wasn’t,” he says, “I was smoking tons of cigarettes and drinking alcohol. It was the complete opposite but in my head I was still a 14 year-old cross country runner who was fucking on top of the table.”

And although it seems Payne may have simply traded one addiction for another, there’s no denying the positive effects his commitment to movement has had on him.

“I run every morning at the moment,” he says, showing off pictures from this morning’s run on his phone. “I’ve been getting up and doing a before sunrise sort of thing, whereas before I would have been out of bed at 11 and smoking cigarettes.”

Surprisingly for a man of his age, Payne’s workout motivation remains relatively pure, free of any vanity and at odds with the current gym-bro culture.

“I think it’s just having a gentler approach to things and not thinking that everything has to be brawn, muscle and testosterone,” he says. “Man, just fucking be a man about it but do it gently.”

At the same time his fitness journey isn’t solely about pursuing emotional growth. Payne is keen to increase his strength, offering inspiration to fellow “lanky lads”.

“My biggest problem training wise has always been trying to bulk up,” he says. “Bulking up is super hard and my metabolism is just so quick and I’m always on the go, so fitting food in has always been quite hard.”

Currently eating over 12,000 kJ a day in pursuit of size, no doubt spurred on by his latest workout partner, Mark Wahlberg. Payne needs to mantain this high-energy intake and systematic recovery plan to sustain his vigorous training schedule. And it doesn’t come easy. “I have ice baths every single day”, he says. “It’s a fucking mission to get yourself in and out.”

Hard as it may be, fitness has become Payne’s sanctuary, the therapy that keeps his mind in the right place. “The moment you have that little bit of time to yourself where you put your body through a bit of stress, it’s like everything just starts to fall into place.”

FIND YOUR BEARINGS

As I accompany Payne to meetings with stylists and photo shoots for German fashion house Hugo Boss, it’s hard not to reflect on the duality of his circumstances. It’s clear Payne is caught somewhere between boy and man. He mantains the youthful energy and humour that endeared him to millions of teenage girls worldwide, yet there’s a vulnerability and self-awareness many pop stars could benefit from. The partnership with the fashion giant makes a lot of sense, with Payne looking to solidify himself as a man of style and the brand hoping to appeal to a new generation. In Payne, they’ve found the perfect bridge between the old and the new.

The singer certaintly brings edgy appeal and a generous dollop of street creed to the table.

“I haven’t really managed to settle,” he says (...), as we approach at his mate’s photography studio. “(...) Everything happens five years earlier in my life. I should just blame Brexit. It’s fucking Brexit.”

“I’m single... with a goal,” he continues, as he holds me back from a passing black cab. He has a cheeky look, (...).

(...)

(...) although Payne isn’t in a rush to define himself as a solo artist just yet. Unlike his fellow 1D grads, he’s yet to release a full album, instead biding his time to explore his sound and, indeed, himself.

“At the moment, I’m kind of song searching a little bit, which is hard because a lot of songs sound the same to me,” Payne says. “I hope to tell more of a story about myself with the music. I think the first few songs I’ve done were fun and we were very lucky with the success we had, but it doesn’t necessarily paint the right picture of me.”

Indeed, Payne is keen to distance himself from the image he initially portrayed following the 1D departure, despise the success he enjoyed. On sales alone, he’s the most successful of the One Direction alumni. But he insists that the “Lamboghinis, big houses, flash shit, gold chains” have given way to “pick up trucks, lakes, sunrises”.

“It might seem crazy, like a midlife crisis, but I don’t give a shit,” he says. “That’s what I enjoy doing. And then you just kind of have to develop on top of what you like. And I know what I like is getting up and watching the sun come up. And I can do that every single day, free of charge.”

He admits that it’s a complete transformation. He’s not wrong. For a man whose life and career have been shaped by sharp and distint trajectories, this qualifies as a very clear 180.

#liam payne #men's health australia #liam's interview #03.06.2019

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clippedwingsmusic · 5 years ago

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Interview with Hot Flash Heat Wave

Following the release of their latest EP, “Mood Ring” and their first full US headline tour, we got to chat with Hot Flash Heat Wave and ask them some song-inspired questions!

Floating - A lot of people describe that listening to music makes them feel like they’re floating. Is there a certain emotion or sensation that you want your music to evoke in those listening to it?

Every song evokes a different emotion so it really depends on the track, but usually it has a lot to do with what the meaning of the song is to me and how I want the lyrics to impact someone. A song can be sad, but have a happy melody so the meaning can have a kind of silver lining to it. The Beatles would do that all the time with their songs which has made a big impact on how we craft our tracks and present them to the listener.

Head in the Clouds - Is there a particular headspace that you have to be in to write your music? Has it differed between your releases?

For me (Adam) I try to find a place in my mind where i’m having fun and experimenting. It’s kind of a flow that you can’t force, but you can cultivate through a healthy lifestyle or trying new things. Maybe one day you wake up early and go on a run and it puts you in the perfect mindset or maybe you wake up hungover at 1 pm and you just have this idea that you have to record. There’s many ways to find this place, but there’s never one way to get there and when you do get to that space it’s never exactly the same. Nick is just generally most productive when he’s in a good mood, and so he needs that as a prerequisite for writing. Ted typically needs to be feeling very inspired and motivated to express a specific emotion that he is hoping to evoke in the song.)

Glo Ride - What 3 songs are on your essential road trip playlist currently?

‘Nevermine’ by Forth Wanderers, ‘Maybe you’re the reason’ by The Japanese House, ‘New Magic Wand’ by Tyler, the Creator

Grapes - What sort of ‘fresh’ take do you think your latest release “Mood Ring” has brought to your live show?

‘Mood Ring’ has made our live set more dynamic. It gives us a chance to break up the rock n roll songs of our previous records with chiller, groovier, and more psychedelic sounds. On our headline tour in Feb/Mar this year we wrote the setlist so to cultivate a specific journey and arc through our music, where the energy ramps up and then ramps down, to people have time to catch a breath and a different vibe.

Sky So Blue - If you could describe your music as the ideal weather conditions for listening to it, what would they be and why?

Any kind of weather is good for listening to music in my opinion. Sunny days lend themselves to more upbeat and energetic songs, but also a dark and rainy day is great for a sad song or a love song where you could just curl up in your bed and blast some tunes.

Trust - Do you ever find your trust in your artistic abilities wavering while creating new music? How do you bring yourselves back to center when this happens?

Absolutely, but we have each other to help ground each other. We all have very similar songwriting sensibilities and a collective ear that we have cultivated over many years together as bandmates and friends and so at this point we feel pretty comfortable with each other and can trust the other bandmates for advice while we are going through a period of personal uncertainty.

Dreaming of U - What’s a dream you have for Hot Flash Heat Wave for the rest of 2019?

One dream we all have had that is coming true this fall is going to tour Europe. We can’t wait to go play our music outside the US and meet people in countries around Europe and the UK. Truly a blessing and a dream come true. Also that our next release turns out really good! We hope to grow our audience as well, so our music can reach more listeners and potentially impact their lives, as our past music has already done. That is one of the most rewarding aspects of this line of work.

Written by Ashton Carr

Photos by Allyssa Cornier

#hot flash heat wave #hotflashheatwave #mood ring #ashton carr #ashtoncarr #allyssa cornier #allyssacornier #interview #ftbt #ftbtmusic

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badger-s-moved · 6 years ago

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*+:｡.｡fifty questions tag｡.｡:+*

1. What takes up too much of your time?

— all 1935783921 projects i have going on all the time sksksksks but also i guess daydreaming???

2. What makes your day better?

— @bfjeno , my pets, music, warmer weather, daydreaming

3. What’s the best thing to happen to you today?

— i got this super cute skirt that i look adorable in and !!!! i also got mr. toad’s wild ride socks and they make me so happy uwu

4. What fictional place would you like to go to?

— not o be that bitch and say hogwarts but uhh. hogwarts (also any of Miyazaki’s setting for his ghibli films!!!)

5. Are you good at giving advice?

— most of the time yeah (i give a lot of unsolicited advice but people don’t seem to mind all that often)

6. Do you have a mental illness?

— nothing diagnosed but there have been talks of anxiety, ADD/ADHD and maybe a couple othr things

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

— nope!! and i pray to the gods that it stays that way

8. What musician(s) inspired you the most?

— jonghyun, gerard way, frank iero, jongdae, taemin

9. Have you ever fallen in love?

— yep

10. What’s your dream date?

— DANCE HALL DANCE HALL or like. there’s this one cafe down in denver that does live big band music and dance lessons so that would be fun O R going paranormal researching or antique hunting.

11. What do others notice about you?

— prolly my hair or my loud ass voice sksksksks, also people talk about my posture a lot bc i really like having good posture when i sit ??

12. What’s an annoying habit you have?

— i rip at the skin on my hands all the time

13. Do you still talk to your first love?

— yes

14. How many exes do you have?

— 2

15. How many songs are in you playlist?

— probably upwards of 5000 when it’s all put together

16. What instruments can you play?

— trumpet, piano, a little bit of flute, guitar, and uke

17. What do you have the most pictures of?

— jongdae or my trip to china

18. Where would you like to go before you die?

— every country i can tbh, but if we’re to be specific i really wanna go to all the wonders of the world and as many archaeological sites that i can

19. What’s your zodiac?

— leo sun

20. Do you relate to it?

— i used to hate it, but since i’ve gotten more into astrology i’ve become a bit more partial to it

21. What is happiness to you?

— being able to live comfortably and without too many worries; being able to spend an equal amount of time with friends and loved ones as i am working

22. Are you going through anything right now?

— just some personal issues and school stress

23. What’s the worst decision you’ve ever made?

— not giving myself a voice for the first 14 years of my life

24. What’s your favorite store?

— any sort of antique or book store, i also really like uniqlo for clothes and this store called attic salt that’s in park meadows in denver

25. What’s your opinion on abortions?

— it’s not my body, it’s not my choice. i think people should be able to do what they think is best for themselves, and that better education on the topic of sex, abortion and forms of contraception should be developed and implemented rather than the underdeveloped curriculum that is being used now.

26. Do you keep a bucket list?

— yes

27. Do you have a favorite album?

— i have more than i can count but if i have to pick one either revenge or danger days by my chem

28. What do you want for your birthday?

— some cute stationery, maybe some stuffed animals, some new language textbooks, maybe some good foreign candy ???

29. What are most peoples first impressions of you?

— a lot of people say that i’m intimidating (fun fact my best friend didn’t talk to me for 3 months when she first met me bc she said i was terrifying lmao), but like once they start talking to me i’ve been told i’m really approachable

30. What age do you seem according to most people?

— 18-20

31. Where do you keep your phone when you sleep?

— on my bed next to me playing my asmr playlist

32. What word do you say the most?

— i’m not including swear words so uhh: mood, love/babe, listen

33. What’s the oldest age you would date?

— 18/19

34. What’s the youngest you would date?

— 15

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you?

— teaching, languages or history

36. What’s your favorite music genre?

— indie, (punk) rock, 80′s pop, pop punk

37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be?

— China/Taiwan, South Korea, Austrailia/ New Zealand

38. What’s your current favorite song?

— Do You Believe In Magic - The Lovin’ Spoonful, Inevitable - Starkid (from tgwdlm), Savannah - Relient K

39. How long have you had this blog?

— I’ve had this blog since like. January 2015 i think ?? so like 4 years babiey

40. What are you excited for?

— @bfjeno maybe visiting me over the summer !!!! going to an East Asian religions class with my sister, applying for college

41. Are you a better talker or listener?

— i’m good at listening but not at comforting, but like i’m also a huge chatter box when i want to be sksksksks

42. What is the last productive thing you did?

— i bought a gift for my mom and i started working on some moodboards for a starkid thing

43. What do you want for Christmas?

— see my birthday list plus: maybe a couple kpop albums, maybe the money to buy a decoden case, /maybe/ a nice camera or some vintage clothes

44. What class do you get the best grades in?

— chinese & english/humanities

45. On a scale of 1-10 how are you feeling right now?

— i’m prolly at a solid 7 or 8

46. What can you see yourself doing in ten years?

— if life goes the way i have it planned right now, i’ll be living in either china or south korea working either as an interpreter, english teacher or as a translator on archaeological dig sites

47. When did you experience your first heartbreak?

— i’m not counting this romantically so the day my grandfather died

48. What age do you want to get married?

— if i’m going to get married before my 30′s preferably but like. i’m not overly picky about it

49. What career did you want to have as a child?

— author, archaeologist, forensic toxicologist

50. What do you crave right now?

— i would love some authentic chinese food rn

・‥…━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━…‥・

shoutout to both @bfjeno and @bxngchan for tagging me!!!

i tag: @yourdailydoseofnct @markheehee @cosmicxwoobear and anyone else if yall wanna do it uwu

#yall so don't gotta if you don't want to uwu !!!!

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epchapman89 · 6 years ago

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The Sprudge Guide To Edinburgh, Scotland

Coorie (ku:ri) is the Scottish art of living happy. It used to mean something akin to snuggle—coorie in, coorie down—but in the last couple of years it’s developed into a style of aesthetics and living. It’s not just about candles and coffee. Coorie is about taking comfort and energy from both the wild landscapes of Scotland and the cheerful interiors that inspire cozy togetherness. You might have experienced something like coorie if you’ve ever walked into your best friend’s living room or your favorite coffee shop and immediately felt welcomed and loved.

While traveling around Scotland last fall, I searched high and low for the best coffee I could find, the places that made us want to coorie down with loved ones, a book, and coffee. The local coffee haven is Edinburgh. Here, coffee shops sprout up like mushrooms after a good rain. In the center of the city, it’s unlikely you’ll walk a block without spotting at least one. In the last few years, the local scene has begun shifting more towards specialty coffee with a focus on top quality and good service. We’ve rounded up our top eleven coorie shops to help you get around the city without getting caught in the rain.

This guide is meant to be used in conjunction with Edinburgh cafes previously featured on Sprudge.

Artisan Roast

Artisan Roast is a welcoming, homey spot that feels worlds away from the central tourists hubs of Edinburgh. Here the roasters care deeply about their coffee, and tucked among plants, art, and knick-knacks are colorful flavor wheels and descriptions of the current coffees they’re roasting. Bags of coffee are displayed prominently and the bar is visually open, inviting everyone into the space.

When I visited Artisan, customers from the neighborhood and tourists from all over were making themselves at home in the front tables by the picture window and their comfortable back living room-style sitting area. When you visit, look closely at your surroundings, because hidden among the usual coffee shop trappings and home-like decor is a collection of funky wall art, a gold-framed photo of Morgan Freeman who reminds everyone to hydrate, and a cheeky promise “from” JK Rowling to never write there.

Artisan Roast has multiple locations in Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Baba Budan

Baba Budan has the kind of bubbly atmosphere that comes from baristas who are having fun behind the bar. The space is cheery too: high ceilings, sleek wood, and skinny lights pair well with their coffee to brighten up even the darkest winter afternoon. Named for the 16th century Sufi saint who is said to have introduced coffee to India, Baba Budan is a continued celebration of the spread of that beverage. The community table is a good space to work, and the whole cafe is a great place to meet up with a friend. The baristas were brewing up a Salvadoran coffee from Girls Who Grind on drip, along with espresso from Workshop. Rotating roasters include Square Mile, The Barn, Coffee Collective, and Dark Arts Coffee. If you’re feeling a little jittery from caffeine already, they have a selection of food using seasonal ingredients. It’s all made in-house.

Baba Budan is located at Arch 12, 17 East Market Street, Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Black Medicine

If you’re trying to drink coffee in the cafe where JK Rowling first wrote Harry Potter, Black Medicine is the closest you’re going to get. It stands where Nicolson’s used to, which is where Rowling wrote most of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. (Later books were written at Elephant House, but despite claims to be “the birthplace” of Potter, they didn’t open until Philosopher’s Stone was almost published.) Today, Black Medicine is a bustling coffee shop serving up good brews, bagels, and high energy. The baristas are an upbeat and friendly group, even when there’s a chaotic line. Their menu of milk-based drinks is reliably good, and espresso is served with a ginger cookie to make your coffee break just that bit more exciting. The bohemian decor and excitable environment is conducive to any creative who finds people-watching inspiring, and you’ll find writers camped out with laptops everywhere.

If you care about the environment (and don’t you?), you’ll be happy to know Black Medicine has experimented with using steel straws for cold drinks, has completely banned drinking from takeaway coffee cups inside, and offers a 10% discount if you bring your own mug.

Black Medicine is located at 2 Nicolson St, Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Brew Lab Coffee

True to its name, Brew Lab Coffee has an underground bunker laboratory feel that makes it a favorite of students. The rooms are laid out like a rabbit’s warren and packed full of young millennials writing, studying, and talking. There’s more exposed brick than you can shake a fist at, and the decor is focused on the scientific, including a menu that visually mimics the element squares of the periodic table. The focus here is on coffee: equipment is top of the line and the baristas are clearly extremely knowledgeable about the drinks they’re serving. Brewed coffee itself is not a rarity in Edinburgh, but the pour-over bar in central view for everyone is. Service includes drinks brought to the table (if you’ve found one) and friendly baristas. V60s are brewed into carafes and served on trays; flat whites show up with perfectly symmetrical rosettas.

Though it’s one of Edinburgh’s more spacious specialty cafes, popularity and proximity to the University of Edinburgh means finding a place to sit can be a challenge. If you can, try to snag one of the arm chairs at the back and settle in. When you’re done with caffeine for the day, Brew Lab also serves beer, wine, and cocktails.

Brew Lab Coffee is located at 6-8 S College St, Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Cairngorm Coffee

Behind the bar in Cairngorm read the words “Coffee and grilled cheese.” Generous sandwiches are constructed by the staff, and the coziness of this childhood favorite meal perfectly matches the coziness of Cairngorm. The ceiling is hung with burlap coffee sacks, and the natural wood and forest color palette evokes the eastern Highlands mountain range it’s named for. A snowboard, a skateboard, and skis hang on the walls to bring mountain adventure inside, or you can pick up an AeroPress and bag of this micro-roaster’s coffee to take on your next outdoor escape. When I dropped by, Cairngorm’s baristas were brewing up an excellent selection of Five Elephant coffee and their own Central American selection. They served up what was, hands down, the best flat white I had in Edinburgh. Attention to service is in everything Cairngorm does: tea was served with a timer to ensure it wasn’t over-steeped, newspapers were available for reading, and tablets set into bar seating were available to browse their website.

Find Cairngorm by descending some stairs from the main level of Frederick Street. The small patio outside is aces when the weather is great, or cozy up inside.

Cairngorm Coffee has multiple locations in Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Castello Coffee

Just a block off of the Princes Street Gardens and the main tram line, Castello Coffee waits to supply you with coffee and food to fuel up. The space is clean and bright, and framed art features prominently on the walls. Clearly named for Edinburgh Castle nearby, this shop serves up an Americano made with Allpress Espresso that’s fit for a monarch and delicious hot chocolates for everyone else. The breakfast and lunch soup options are great, as well. Friendly baristas are behind the bar and the bustling energy patrons bring in and out of the shop is the perfect pick-me-up to accompany the coffee when you need one.

If you’re out playing tourist or shopping nearby, Castello is a convenient and reliably good shop to drop in on. Grab a seat at the counter facing the window to watch people stream by in this busy neighborhood or enjoy their wide patio seating under umbrellas to protect you from the elements.

Castello Coffee has multiple locations in Edinburgh. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Cult Espresso

Tucked away on a small road close to the University of Edinburgh is wee gem Cult Espresso. This long narrow shop has a sapphire blue facade that makes it stand brightly out from the rest of the store fronts on the street, and the front door promises coffee, brunch, and good times��indeed, the service is amazing and the energy in the shop is cheerful and welcoming. When I visited I had a delicious long black and a good long chat with the baristas about the coffee scenes in the US and Scotland, what makes Cult special, and how excited they were about the coffee they were serving that day. As a group of self-proclaimed “coffee nerds,” Cult is constantly curating seasonal single-origin coffees from the UK and Europe, and they’re truly dedicated to making sure each cup is delicious.

Cult Espresso may not be an actual cult, but I could come to be (almost) as dedicated to it as a real one. Drop by the shop for their ritual brunch and coffee combo, and don’t forget to snag some of their branded swag on the way out.

Cult Espresso is located at 104 Buccleuch St, Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Fortitude Coffee

More than any other, Fortitude Coffee feels like a barista’s coffee shop. It retains the appearance of a converted rowhouse and is a peaceful background for great coffee, friendly baristas, and a community vibe. I sat by the windows and enjoyed a juicy pour-over roasted by Fortitude and perused the simple food menu. When I visited, they were quick to talk up the other coffee shops on the Disloyal 7 card, as well as recommend other must-try places around Edinburgh. They host the occasional cupping with their full lineup of coffees, and recently co-hosted a Meet the Roaster event with Edinburgh Coffee Society, so if you’re just visiting, check with the baristas to see if there’s an event coming up. Though still a relatively young scene, Fortitude is proof of how great a city’s coffee network becomes when everyone in it cares about the same main goals: delicious beverages and open community.

On a busy day, Fortitude is the perfect tranquil spot to relax, chat about coffee, and grab a bite to eat. Their full wall of retail coffee and coffee equipment is a great source for whatever your coffee-loving heart needs.

Fortitude Coffee is located at 3C York Pl, Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Lowdown

Literally low—down a flight of stairs—Lowdown is a minimalist shop. It’s a peaceful place to get away from the bustle of the main road, and has an airy feel to the decor and art. If you’re looking for a quieter place than Black Medicine to get work done, Lowdown is going to be your best bet for a distraction-free environment—the baristas are focused on careful, precise brewing. The coffee served and sold at Lowdown comes from all over Europe, including the delicious balanced shot of Ethiopian coffee from Colonna that was on drank when I stopped by. Similar to Artisan, Lowdown’s espresso bar is open and visible to guests, which invites an easy engagement that the baristas welcome.

The pastry case was full of beautiful pastries, including several cake options that are always the perfect pairing with any coffee for a good mid-morning snack. Bring a friend to take a break from shopping or sightseeing, or hunker down here with a good book. Lowdown is the perfect place to pass an afternoon with a cup of coffee.

Lowdown is located at 40 George St, Edinburgh. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

Machina

The coffee aesthetic is strong with this one. Above the bar hangs a black metal industrial light fixture from which a portafilter, a pitcher, and other various coffee implements hang from to float over the space. The walls are clean and white, and the tables are modernist sturdy wood and black metal. In Machina, several shelves are dedicated to different retail options; if you’re looking for equipment Machina seems to have the largest selection in Edinburgh. Located just up the street from Filament, this micro-roaster’s shop is another warm and relaxing space to escape rush hour or a quick rain shower.

Drop by early to enjoy the food menu options and sign up for their coffee subscription service while you’re there. Try to snag the window seat—not only is it super comfortable, it’s the perfect setting for your next Instagram photo with coffee.

Machina has multiple locations in Edinburgh. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Valorie Clark (@TheValorieClark) is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. Read more Valorie Clark on Sprudge.

The post The Sprudge Guide To Edinburgh, Scotland appeared first on Sprudge.

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strangerdawn · 6 years ago

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The Pioneer

The Pioneer was a dream come true for a kid with scuffed knees and a ragged skateboard. I'd spend all week in class drawing old Flip graphics in the back of my exercise book and daydreaming about skating. My feet itching for my weekly pilgrimage to the park. I'd arrive at the park and skate until I couldn't. I'd injure myself or my parents would be parked outside honking the horn. Nothing else would stop me.

The first time I went to Pioneer, I didn't even drop in. I stood at the top of the flatbank, looked down, and thought about all the different ways I could hurt myself rolling down. Glued to the wall, I watched the older kids tearing around the park and stood in sheer awe. The videos I'd seen simply couldn't compare to seeing the rawness of skateboarding in person. I was fascinated by their speed, power and the mental strength they had to shrug off a heavy slam and try the same trick again. I barely moved from my spot all day and left without having even rolled down any ramps. I was disappointed in myself. I'd so desperately wanted to take part in the session but I had been overcome by fear.

I thought about the park all through school that week and begged my parents to take me back at the weekend. This time I was determined to ride down that flatbank. Saturday finally came around and my parents dropped me off at opening time. I paid my entry, walked over to the bank and scampered up it's lumber skeleton. At the top of the ramp I stood and looked down. I was terrified but I knew I couldn't leave without at least trying to roll in. I rolled up to the edge of the ramp and peered over. It looked like a hell of a long way down. I followed this routine over and over and over again. Each time inching closer and closer to the edge but never quite having the balls to let myself roll over. There came to be a point where I knew I couldn't take one more attempt without rolling in. It had to be this go.

When I eventually I mustered up the courage to go down. I pushed off, put my feet on the board, and felt my wheels roll over the lip. As I picked up speed I began to wobble and I got about halfway down before I slipped out and slammed hard. I shook as I felt the unforgiving concrete connect with my knee. It hurt, but not as much as I expected, and once I'd got that first slam out of the way my fear evaporated. I could do this. I knew I could do this.

I clambered back to the top of the ramp and waited for the right time to roll in again. My heart pounded in my chest and my knees shook from the adrenaline. I saw a space begin to open up and took a few dummy pushes like a bull preparing to charge. I took off with the last push and hopped on my board. My wheels rolled over the lip and into the bank. Time slowed as I felt myself pick up more and more speed. I braced myself for a fall but before I had time to think I was rolling along the flat. I couldn't believe I'd made it. My face lit up. Fuck. I had actually done it. I'd expected to fall but I didn't fear the pain. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. All it had taken was the balls to push off, the strength to get up when I fell, and the belief that I could do it when I tried again the next time. I got hooked on skating from that point onwards and since then I've always been trying to chase that next challenge to push what I am physically able to do on a board.

I lived a town over from Pioneer growing up and found the scene in the local area to be a constant source of inspiration. There was everything a grom could dream of. The town had a local pro, a skate shop, an indoor park, a few skate crews, and a local video.

In a country notorious for it's damp and dark seasons living by an indoor skate park is important. England is a place where sunshine can all too often seem to be a mythic creature and the weather can snake you in a way that a child on a scooter can never match. The days where you watch a skate video and get excited to skate only to look out the window and see puddles forming on the pavement outside. Pioneer provided a level of security and a skate sanctuary on those drizzly days. I knew that when I felt that itch to skate there was always a place I could go bomb around on my board and empty my mind.

The park was originally set up when Rodney Clarke and Andy Willis approached the Pioneer Youth Club to see if they could store their homemade ramps there. They were tired of them getting ruined or vandalized when they left them elsewhere. They moved the ramps into the club and over time were allowed to build more and more additions. The park has been running and expanding ever since.

Andy Willis has been involved with the skate park since it's inception and was instrumental in the recent redesign and rebuild of the park. He has also been involved in a number of other skate parks around the UK. Most notably he was at the forefront of the Frontside Gardens project in Hackney Wick, a skate park built for the local community exclusively with materials left over from the construction of the London Olympics stadiums.

Andy's recent redesign of The Pioneer reflects the current state of skate culture. Modern skateboarding was birthed by surfers carving concrete banks but now the possibilities of what can be skated and how it can be skated have blossomed to include almost anything you find in the urban landscape. When these elements are placed in a skate park setting, skaters are able to practice their tricks in a safe space free from the interference of pedestrians or other difficulties found on the street. A great skate park architect will include a great deal of variety of obstacles in an arrangement that provides creative opportunities for fluid movement through the space. Not only that but a park needs to cater for the mixture of styles in contemporary skate culture. The new layout of The Pioneer has moved away from the traditional skate park structure of a few big simple obstacles arranged in a formulaic manner to a more complex range of small objects which provide greater creative opportunities for experimentation on a skateboard.

As a kid I'd occasionally see Rodney Clarke at Pioneer. He had great energy and composure on and off his board. Not to mention monster pop and the ability to conquer every obstacle in sight. Being able to see that level of skating in person blew my mind. I was amazed by the skate videos I saw coming out of America but I couldn't relate to the environment. The smooth concrete and seemingly endless sunshine was far removed from the grey skies and cracked pavement that surrounded me. Seeing Rodney skate completely demystified the other worldliness of LA skating and I was able to see that even in my hometown you could teach yourself how to skate to a high level. He was just some guy from my area who had put in the time to teach himself these incredible things. You would never see Beckham having a kick around in the local park but I could go to Pioneer and I might catch a glimpse of a professional skateboarder showing me the huge amount of creative possibilities with a skateboard at your feet.

This brought on the realization that on a skateboard, everyone is on a level playing field. Being bigger or smaller doesn't matter, it's simply how much time you have put in to learning the skill and what tricks or obstacles you have spent your time skating. When you see someone able to push themselves to such a high level it changes your perception of the possible and your ideas of what a person is physically able to do. The act of skateboarding instills the ability to learn within you. You understand what steps you need to take in order to teach yourself a new skill and gain the patience needed to learn something new. You become aware of your strengths and weaknesses on a skateboard and set yourself mental and physical challenges in order to be able to play with your board in a more sophisticated way. There is no glass ceiling in skateboarding and there is always something new to try. Can you learn a new trick or do an old trick longer, higher or faster?

Another inspiration for me at the park was Ben Rafferty. I grew up skating with Ben who is now a proud member of the Pioneer staff and lent a hand with the recent rebuild of the park. He's a ripper and a firm fixture in the local scene. I knew him when his skateboard looked taller than him and it'd didn't make sense how someone so small could throw himself down stairs so high. Ben started skating after he caught glimpses of his neighbour skating behind his garage and got his first board when Santa hooked him up with his very own Rhino deck when he was 10. Growing up he was one of those skaters you'd see every other week and in that time he'd learnt 10 new tricks. He looked completely unified with his board and it was almost impossible to imagine it any other way. His familiarity with the park shines through and he can attack the park like noone else. He sees lines that others would never notice and his bag of tricks on the course is seemingly endless.

I no longer live near the park but I still travel there when I get the chance and the place will always hold a place in my heart. Skateboarding can be a cruel mistress but we will always strive for those days when you're surrounded by friendly faces and everything is new and fun.

The Pioneer was first published in Radulthood (2014). Illustration by Otso Perasaari.

#radulthood #skate #skateboarding #skate park

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bukmarkmedia · 3 months ago

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Latest Boys’ Fashion Trends in the UK: What’s Hot Right Now

Fashion is constantly evolving, and boys' fashion in the UK is no exception. Whether it’s for a casual day out, a special occasion, or school, staying on top of the latest trends can help young boys express their style and personality. In this blog, we’ll explore the hottest boys' fashion trends in the UK for the current season, covering everything from clothing and footwear to accessories.

1. Streetwear Vibes

Streetwear continues to dominate boys' fashion, blending comfort with style. This trend is all about oversized hoodies, graphic t-shirts, and joggers. Look for pieces with bold prints, logos, and unique designs that make a statement. Pairing a graphic tee with a pair of slim-fit joggers and sneakers creates a cool, laid-back look that’s perfect for everyday wear.

Key Pieces: Oversized hoodies, graphic t-shirts, joggers, and snapback caps.

Color Palette: Monochromes, neon accents, and earth tones.

2. Retro Revival

Nostalgia is making a big impact on boys' fashion, with retro styles from the '80s and '90s making a comeback. Think color-blocked windbreakers, denim jackets, and retro sportswear. Vintage-inspired sneakers and accessories, like bucket hats and round sunglasses, add a fun throwback element to any outfit.

Key Pieces: Windbreakers, denim jackets, bucket hats, and vintage sneakers.

Color Palette: Bright primary colors, pastels, and classic denim blue.

3. Eco-Friendly Fashion

Sustainability is a growing concern in fashion, and boys' clothing is no exception. Many brands in the UK are focusing on eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices. Organic cotton t-shirts, recycled polyester jackets, and sustainably sourced denim are becoming more popular. Parents and kids alike are leaning towards brands that prioritize the environment, making eco-friendly fashion a key trend.

Key Pieces: Organic cotton t-shirts, recycled fabric jackets, and sustainable denim.

Color Palette: Natural tones like beige, green, and muted blues.

4. Smart-Casual Mix

Key Pieces: Chinos, polo shirts, crew-neck sweaters, and lightweight blazers.

Color Palette: Neutral shades with pops of color, like navy, grey, and burgundy.

5. Athleisure

Key Pieces: Tracksuits, performance t-shirts, sporty sneakers, and athletic shorts.

Color Palette: Black, grey, and vibrant accents like red or blue.

6. Bold Prints and Patterns

From animal prints to camouflage, bold prints and patterns are making waves in boys' fashion. These eye-catching designs add a playful element to outfits, whether it's a leopard-print sweatshirt or a pair of camo trousers. Mixing and matching prints is also becoming more popular, encouraging creativity and individuality in fashion choices.

Key Pieces: Animal print tops, camouflage trousers, and patterned accessories.

Color Palette: Diverse, from traditional camo greens to bright, unexpected hues.

7. Layering for All Seasons

Key Pieces: Lightweight jackets, gilets, cardigans, and layered t-shirts.

Color Palette: Seasonal tones, from pastels in spring to rich hues in autumn.

8. Accessorizing with Attitude

Accessories are an essential part of any outfit, and boys' fashion is no exception. This season, look out for trendy beanies, statement backpacks, and cool watches. Sunglasses with unique frames and bold colors are also a big hit, adding a stylish edge to any look.

Key Accessories: Beanies, backpacks, watches, and sunglasses.

Color Palette: Metallics, bright colors, and classic black.

Conclusion

Boys' fashion in the UK is all about mixing comfort with style, allowing young boys to express their personalities through their clothing. Whether they’re into streetwear, retro styles, or eco-friendly fashion, there’s a trend out there for every taste. By staying on top of these trends, boys can look and feel their best, no matter the occasion.

#fashion store #boys fashion

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jamesginortonblog · 7 years ago

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It's nearly unheard of that a television series inspires a nationwide law that targets international corruption, money laundering and organized crime.

But that's what happened in the UK as a result of the James Norton-fronted drama McMafia, an eight-part series currently airing in the U.S. on AMC after completing its British run in mid-February.

McMafia delves into the incredibly profitable underworld of criminal activity including sex trafficking, drug dealing and money laundering and how the tempting tentacles of corruption reach into the highest levels of finance and government through the machinations of global organized crime.

Norton plays the British-raised, Ivy League-educated Alex Godman, the scion of a connected Russian family who moved to England to legitimize themselves after some shady dealings in the old country. He runs a London-based hedge fund, is engaged to his girlfriend, played by Juliet Rylance, is a model son to his parents and a loving brother to a troubled sister. In other words, the perfect hero, until he gets drawn into a series of scary scenarios that see him evolve from proverbial choirboy to criminal.

McMafia's tales of intrigue kick into high gear with the murder of Godman's uncle Boris, who, unlike the rest of the family, is still actively involved in the Russian mob.

To avenge the killing, Godman teams up with a powerful Russian-born Israeli businessman and politician, Semiyon Kleiman (David Strathairn) to battle the crime boss behind the killing, a brutal kingpin known as Vadim. Kleiman and Godman, first introduced by Uncle Boris and after overcoming their initial suspicions of each other, develop a sort of father-son relationship and conspire to take territories, including ports in India and Croatia, where Vadim has a "free pass" to ply his illegal commerce—and thus, take him down.

Some have compared the character of Alex Godman to that of The Godfather's Michael Corleone, the once-legitimate businessman who becomes the powerful head of a massive criminal enterprise.

But unlike The Godfather films, which were based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel, McMafia is inspired by investigative journalism. The series is based on the 2008 nonfiction book McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld by Misha Glenny, who also serves as an executive producer.

The crime drama was created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins and is a coproduction of the BBC, AMC and Cuba Pictures. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on January 1 and created a huge amount of buzz, including the aforementioned "McMafia Law," more formally known as the Unexplained Wealth Order.

It requires that rich people who come to Great Britain from elsewhere must prove the legitimacy of their wealth. If found to be acquired from illegal activity, their assets can be seized and liquidated, with the money going to law enforcement. Great Britain's National Crime Agency estimates that £90 billion a year (about $126.5 billion) is now being laundered in the UK, twice the amount of the nation's entire defense budget.

The problem is so severe that UK security minister Ben Wallace recently wrote an op-ed in The Sunnewspaper which stated, "McMafia has brought home to millions of viewers the nature of serious and organized crime in the 21st Century. Sharp suited people swan around the nation's capital while all along they head up networks that trade on the back of the misery and suffering of others. It is time the flashy McMafia mob felt the long arm of the law."

Already, two £11 million London mansions, believed to be bought with "dirty money," were seized by court order in February.

Norton's Godman is in almost every scene of McMafia, whose story unfolds in multiple picturesque international locations including Belize, Istanbul, Belgrade, London, Prague, Zagreb, Cairo, Qatar, Russia and Israel.

"Alex Godman is not necessarily always likeable, but James brought such a sense of humanity, especially in scenes with his family, that counterbalanced the coldness of the character," says Watkins, who directed all eight episodes.

"James was very brave in committing to such a withheld character. In creating the antiheroic Alex Godman, we wanted to maintain a deliberate ambiguity as to his motivations. Is he acting out of revenge or out of survival? Or, somewhere within him, seen in occasional glimpses, is there a will to power at work, a seduction by the dark side?

"James is a very attuned actor and worked forensically at finding those little micro-details. One of the wonderful things about James's performance is the very subtle way in which he lets emotion leak through the mask, especially in the last episodes as events spiral out of control."

The 32-year-old Norton is well-known in the UK after leading roles in numerous prestige productions including War & Peace, Grantchester and Happy Valley. He also co-starred in last year's reboot of the feature film Flatliners.

Norton will appear again on the big screen toplining director Agnieszka Holland's Gareth Jones as the title character, a Welsh journalist who exposed genocide in the Stalinist Soviet Union, secured access to Hitler and Goebbels and was murdered in 1935.

We caught up with Norton by phone on location for the film in Ukraine where he said he was shivering in -15°C (5°F ) weather. The conversation was anything but chilly as we explored facets of his career and the echoes of McMafia in real life.

Tell us about the evolution of your character Alex Godman on McMafia.

It was a most exciting part to play with. During 150 days, we shot out of sequence and it was a huge challenge. Most of the conversations about Alex revolved around where we were in his arc- from clean-living man and golden boy to his fiancé Rebecca, and then how he becomes a linchpin in shady deals with Mafias.

James [Watkins] and I would try to understand his motives. We wanted to leave a lot of it open, to leave muddy his motives. You can claim to understand them but there are a myriad of reasons.

We were clear about protecting his family and then making a choice as he began moving away from fortuitous, virtuous reasons to avarice. While the creators- and audiences- are realizing Alex was being sucked in, Alex didn't realize it soon enough. Suddenly he surprised himself, and he's loving it, and it's incredibly sexy and seductive.

It was a layered role. His headspace doesn't ever stop giving you revelations about his relationship with his father and fiancé, and the associated Russians with inherent criminality. But there were a lot of commentators quick to make the connection about him running away [from organized crime] and then being seduced. It was a joy to play, right until the end of the last hour.

Many of your scenes are with David Strathairn. Let's talk about his character's magnetism, and how you are drawn into his nefarious agenda and the plot to destroy Vadim.

David's a master, and the journey Alex is on is incredibly defined by his relationship with Semiyon. He becomes almost like Alex's moral compass, kind of like Rebecca. Semiyon sort of sets it up that if he wants to protect his family, he has to take on Vadim. He became a dark, sinister individual but also becomes a paternal figure. To have a relationship with Vadim—they're so different, and corrupt, but they have their allies, children, lovers and they're not stock villains.

David played it beautifully, a real character, a likeable one if not more sinister. He's a politician we all recognize, progressive and yet he's subversive and deals in human trafficking. He brought home how close these politicians are to corruption.

Off set, David was wonderful. We went walking and swimming along the Croatian coastline. He's a lover of life and I loved hanging out with him.

That sounds fun, but what are some of the most challenging and memorable scenes that you have shot in the series?

We shot in Croatia, Serbia and London in very glamorous locations but I didn't get to Mumbai. One location was a beautifully landscaped villa with a beautiful mosaic ceiling – just unbelievably extravagant in the South of France, yet nearby was extraordinary poverty. Some of the scenes, particularly with David, felt like mini pieces of theater. James gave us time to mine those scenes.

The scenes with the parents were wonderful to play, so subtle and with the human subject so rich. With Vadim, when we crossed paths in the airport lounge, it was like punctuation marks on our respective journeys. All the other storylines were leading to this. The scene's very charged, halfway through the shoot, crackling and informed.

It was wonderful, and the reason you do this, when the story and situation take on a life on their own and memories and experiences inform it. It's like a mini explosion.

With Rebecca, the first thing we shot was the apartment stuff between them in the first week. It was incredibly emotionally charged material, when she moves out after she confronts him about travel. It was a sad day, and it was harder because we didn't have the backstory. On Alex's journey, she represents where he comes from, and you suddenly remember where he was with her. The tragedy is he does set out to protect her and it's gone way too far.

The family elements are especially resonant within McMafia - and Alex is always right in the middle of everything.

The family element allows us to explore the man, seduced by the subversive and the dark side. The family is a way of seeing that component. He ends up as a gangster, but he's ultimately a family man, a good son and brother. In one of the most tragic, heartbreaking scenes he's asked to cut loose his dad, Dmitri – it's almost self-sacrifice. I have a close relationship with my own father, and that day Alex was willing to sabotage his family was difficult.

Faye Marsay, Aleksey Serebryakov, Mariya Shukshina-- we become a real family. There was a concentrated, really fun sense of unity. All of us were so invested in the warmth and affection both and off camera, and they are all such great actors. Aleksey came in with different versions, using the Stanislavski method. We Brits were far too polite.

Aleksey would come in and say, "No, we do it like this." When Dmitri says goodbye to his brother in the morgue, he paced around and genuinely threw up in the sink. It was extraordinary.

You have had key roles in a number of series including Grantchester, Happy Valley and War & Peace. What have you learned from these experiences? Is there a throughline amongst these characters?

You learn through every role, with different headspaces, time periods and genders, you get to learn and have an emotional connection. I would hate to be typecast. If there is a throughline, the characters are very switched on and inquisitive - kind of trying to work it all out or not take life for granted. They're on some quest to understand it. Maybe I am completely confused, but they're all thinking and in existential angst.

Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming starring role in Gareth Jones with Agnieszka Holland?

Gareth knew his place, and he's on an incredible journey but also on a mission. It's a true story about a young journalist, one of the first to interview Hitler in 1932 just at the emergence of Nazi-ism. He describes being on a plane with Goebbels, and then back home to the UK where he tells the British government about the emergence of totalitarianism. They dismiss this and of course we know what happens later.

Then he takes on a mission to Stalin's USSR. He was beginning to have doubts about Communism. He decided to check out the numbers and how they're paying for planes, etc. He was on a tour, went rogue and discovered Stalin's extortion at the expense of millions of lives. At home, they accused him of lying, "fake news" and being inflammatory.

It's terrifying in 1933 when they had so much less access to communications. In Ukraine, Stalin was able to get away it and millions died [as a result of famine]. Now we are using the same language. It's a very relevant story, what is truth and what is agenda. We feel a responsibility to respect his story. It's exciting, and I'm really enjoying it.

As McMafia unfolds, what do you hope viewers take away from it?

You want the work to be entertaining as we're in the business of entertaining people. But with the last few years of Brexit, Trump and populist right-wing governments coming to power, and corporations being so powerful, corruption is no long self-contained. It's straddling everything, and we're in unknown territory.

I know in the UK they want to know what that corruption looks like. In the days of The Sopranos and The Godfather, organized crime contained an element of romanticism but did not really affect us. For a show to provide understanding of financial corruption is important, to see how a hedge fund manager facilitates a drug deal. Aside from the human-driven drama, it is also about corruption and transparency, and will hopefully bring some clarity.

With the UK McMafia Law, suddenly we are part of a much larger conversation, more pertinent and crucial. I hope for those people in the audience who are fully engaged and hungry for clarify that this is a perfect show.

#James Norton #McMafia #article #Interview

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welldresseddadblog · 7 years ago

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Welcome to the 13th instalment of the “Garmsman Dozen” question and answer session. The response so far has been tremendous. Did you miss earlier ones? There are links at the end of the page.

This week we welcome to the Garmsman Dozen Christopher Laverty from Great Britain!

Who are you, where do you live and what interests you?

Christopher Laverty. York, UK. 40 years old.

Author of book Fashion in Film, broadcaster, creator of website Clothes on Film and costume consultant.

Twitter: @clothesonfilm, Instagram: @lordlaverty, @christopherlaverty, Facebook: @clothesonfilm.

I enjoy movies, decent TV, clothes, clothes in movies, clothes in decent TV, bourbon, pipe smoking, cigars (preferably Cuban), cocktail making, cycling, running and twirling my moustache.

Thinking back to your childhood, what were your most memorable or favourite clothes?

Honestly, I don’t remember much of my childhood. Controversially I don’t many of us really do, we just piece together memories from what we’re told and photographs. With that in mind, I’ll go to my late teenage years when I first remember becoming interested in clothes. It was the mid-late 1990s so a lot of pale, shapeless denim jeans worn way too long with thick, oversized shirts and suede Kickers. This is probably why I gravitated toward the vintage scene which at this time was big on 1970s retro revival. My favourite buy was a tan leather trench coat, probably from the late 1970s, made in Egypt with a Selfridges label. It was immaculate. I purchased for £25 from Covent Garden market and still have it today. I don’t wear the coat much as it’s a little on the nose these days and verging on dress up, but at least it still fits! I do come from a family interested in clothes, particularly my dad. I was born to older parents (they are in their late eighties now) and with an older brother (now 60) and sister (53). I was spoilt rotten. Apparently, I even had a tailored coat, which to a working-class family is quite a fancy thing. My appreciation of clothes comes from understanding how they are made, their design, influences and appropriateness to the era. This is all born in me I think.

How would you describe your style today, and what are your influences?

It’s one of two things depending on my mood, time of year, facial hair and hairstyle: 1) denim and workwear, Edwardian influenced to 1930s OR 2) 1970s lounge with flared three-piece suits. I like to change things up because I get bored easily. It does have to be a specific look though – I have to feel that it ticks certain boxes, although saying that I do loathe the idea of sticking rigidly to eras or historical accuracy. My main influence for the 70’s is television programmes such as The Persuaders! and The Professionals and films such as Fear is the Key and Carlito’s Way. For workwear, it’s more print-based influences, like old photographs of miners and ranchers, but also films like The First Great Train Robbery and There Will Be Blood. I pull from wherever I like, really. Again, it’s not rigid; I’m not a re-enactor, I’m just someone who enjoys a period-specific feel to their dress.

How do you think others would describe your style and garments, do you get any reaction from friends and random strangers?

Totally, though a lot of that comes from random moustache admirers/hecklers. I don’t mind, so long as it’s polite. People will always point out what is different and, if I’m honest, I get a kick out of it. I think my friends just list random people they consider could be associated with my look – I’ve had everything from Shaft to a Spitfire pilot. It’s all good fun unless you choose to be offended (which I don’t because life is far too short to be cross and moaning all the time).

When looking for clothes, what factors play into your selections?

Need, mainly. I don’t really seek out any clothing unless I’m specifically short on something, like a henley t-shirt or new pair of boots. Most clothes come to me, in that I might stumble across a charity shop find or somebody acquires a shirt or whatever they think I’d like. I don’t really pay full price for anything. For example, I bought some suede chukka boots by Alfred Sargent last year, but only because they were offered to me by a friend who’d found them (in immaculate condition I might add) in a charity shop. I certainly didn’t need the boots but I’ll not turn my nose up at a bargain. I love clothes, though my wardrobe is actually quite capsule. I think there’s nothing worse than just buying willy-nilly and ending up with so much gear you can hardly store it all. This actually diminishes sartorial creativity in my view.

When putting together an outfit combination, do you spend a lot of time considering it?

Not really. I think I know what works and just go with that. I’ll plan more if it’s an occasion outfit but for every day I just grab what I like depending on the weather. Putting together an ensemble can be fun, but I do think if you take too long it becomes fussy and convoluted. If in doubt, take it out.

Most garmsmen will have a few “grail items” in their collection. Not to out you, but if your house is burning, which garments do you grab?

Probably my RM Williams boots. They are Craftsman Yearling, the finest boot RM Williams make in my opinion and they work with almost any outfit. I purchased on eBay nearly a decade ago for about £100. The leather is cracking a tad now but I couldn’t be without them. That said, I wouldn’t burn alive for them either so this better be a fairly mild fire we’re talking about here.

Photo by Ben Bentley

Are you budget-conscious or spendthrift? Are you a single-shot shopper, or go large and buy bulk? Where are you on slow-fashion and buying less?

I’m not spendthrift, even less so if I’m buying for others. If something fits and looks great and I can afford it and need it, I’ll buy it. I do like things that are in a sale or reduced though – it just feels more fun to make that purchase. In this respect, I wish I could support more artisan brands but they are just too rich for my blood. The sad thing is I know that the guys running these places and making these clothes and footwear are just getting by as is. If I was rich I’d probably shop with an eye toward supporting homegrown brands, but as things stand whoever can give me what I want for the best possible price is going to get my money.

Having a large collection of clothes can lead to changing outfit on a daily basis, but if you were going to wear a single outfit the next two weeks, what would it be?

My go to is probably a green ribbed cotton henley (from H&M), Marlboro leather and canvas braces (charity shop), Levi LVC 1878 jeans (eBay) and my RM Williams boots. This outfit suits just about every occasion, unless you want me attending your wedding or something. It’s comfortable to travel, work, socialise and chill in. Simple but effective in my opinion.

What would you never wear?

That’s a tough one. Basically, anything that looks awful on me, so very baggy trousers or jeans (I’m a short-ass), super-tight muscle tees (they are hilarious even if you have the body) and chunky hi-top trainers (love them on other people but I look like a failed hip-hop artist). Oh and baseball caps. Every time I put one on I look like I’m dying of some disease.

Photo by David Wade

What are your best tips for buying?

If you’re talking specifically about buying for my look, either workwear or 70’s inspired, then I’d say eBay, charity shops and vintage fairs. Got to be patient though and realise that, in the main, if you’ve found a bargain, someone else has too. People know their stuff a lot more these days so everyone has their eye out. For basics, I find H&M hard to beat. It’s not the highest quality and sometimes their stores are saturated with desperately on-trend crap, but in general, for easy tees and shirts, they are a goldmine (plus have lots of year-round sales).

Do you have a dream garment you’d love to own?

A few years ago I would have said a Savile Row suit but I think I desired one for the wrong reasons. It was a case of wanting to say I’ve had a suit cut on Savile Row rather than wanting the garment itself. I must admit I have always hankered after a beautifully tailored flared leg suit from the 1970s. I have a couple of off-the-peg examples but I’d love one bespoke. Suits of this era with that distinctive cut, the high waist, flared leg, high double vents and pagoda shoulder are not impossibly hard to find, though ones made from high-quality wool suiting are. Also, I’m a sucker for LVC Levi. I’d buy most of it just to hang on my wall and salivate over.

Anyone that buys clothes will have made mistakes, what is your most memorable bad buy?

Loads! When I used to buy more and think later I grabbed many a mistake. Possibly my worst was a pair of loose Abercrombie & Fitch jeans, from eBay if I remember correctly. Not sure what look I was going for. LA surfer, possibly? Or maybe just asshole. Either way, unsurprisingly, they didn’t work.

Do you have any style icons, historic or current?

Most of the looks I covet are from films so were put together by costume designers rather than the stars in question. Then again, stars and icons had stylists back in the day and they have stylists now. Cary Grant always nailed it. James Coburn could rock the Ivy. Nowadays Sebastian Stan constantly looks interesting without going too bananas (he has a brilliant stylist and an easy to dress bod too, mind). My elderly dad has a wonderfully open love of bright colour, which I admire and is daring for a former market trader from the East End of London. ‘Be more like him’ I often think.

Who are your favourite Instagram profiles?

What you mean apart from @Welldresseddad??? 😉 I like all the sartorial based accounts I follow. Two, in particular, indulge my passion for high-end workwear denim that I can’t afford: @kingchung501 and @vorstenbos. Anyone who doesn’t take it all too seriously, basically.

How do you think trends such as denim and heritage style will evolve and survive? What will be the next big thing?

I think more and more people will get into making their own clothes. We are not there yet, and I certainly don’t presently have the skills, but big picture I feel this will get easier and easier to do in our own home. Sustainability is a big trend and not going anywhere – and really it can’t afford to. Denim especially will go down this route. Like I said we are a way off, but with current textile innovations and online communities, it is coming.

Thank you!

Thank you for your Garmsman Chris!

Photo by David Wade

Did you miss the first Garmsman Dozens?

Jon from Great Britain

Shaun from Scotland

Klaus from Germany

Roland from Italy

Daniel from Sweden

Enoch from the USA

Even from Norway

Kris from Belgium

Michael from Great Britain

Liam from Great Britain

Lee from Great Britain

Iain from Great Britain

Michael from Italy

PS: If you have suggestions for participants, let me know. Or have your mother suggest you, if you’re a bit keen to suggest yourself. My email is WellDressedDad (@) gmail.com

The Garmsman Dozen #14: Chris from Great Britain Welcome to the 13th instalment of the "Garmsman Dozen" question and answer session. The response so far has been tremendous.

#christopher laverty #Denim #film costumes #garmsman dozen #men&039;s style #mens fashion #menswear #workwear

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bughead-fic-request · 7 years ago

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I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @aisforr work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

On AO3.

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m in my early 20’s, from the UK. I’m doing a Master’s in business and marketing, which is not exciting. But I do also have an undergraduate degree in product design, which is slightly more interesting when you bring it up in conversation. I really enjoy singing but I’m tone deaf so tend to keep it for long drives, where I can screech to my heart’s content. Pineapples and mushrooms are my most hated foods.

3. What do you never leave home without?

A jacket because I’m always cold and living in the UK the weather is really unpredictable.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I wake up early, but don’t expect much in the way of me functioning like an actual human until you get to about midday.

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

Probably something like Harry Potter.

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

I shared an elevator with Les Dennis once. But unless you’re from the UK, you probably don’t know who that is.

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

I really like Marvel films. Arthur Christmas is always my pick to watch in December. Riverdale, Gilmore Girls and Grey’s Anatomy, which I still watch but it was better before Cristina left. Justified and Mr Robot are also great. I’ve seen Friends a million times and I recently watched Brooklyn Nine Nine, which is now in the love for all of eternity pile.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Adele, Paramore, Fall Out Boy are all classics. Also enjoy a bit of Deaf Havana, The Smiths, The Courteeners and Oasis. On the flip side of that, I’m a huge fan of musicals and nothing gets me pumped to do work like Defying Gravity from Wicked.

9. Favorite Books?

Harry Potter which I’m sure is on everyone’s list. Dystopian fiction e.g. Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Handmaid’s Tale. Also I’d put The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter into the mix which is not everyone’s cup of tea but makes for a pretty interesting read.

10. Favorite Food?

Pasta, endless possibilities of what you can make.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

People who don’t have manners. A please and thank you doesn’t take a lot of time.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I wanted to be a singer, but as previously stated I am awful and my mother kindly put me out of my misery before the dream got too big. As for now, I’m still waiting for my epiphany or if all else fails maybe I could go back to the singing idea and they could just auto tune the hell out of me.

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

People in costumes/masks.

14. When you are on your deathbed, what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

Don’t regret your past, learn from it.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

“Scottish at Heart”, definitely. It was my first multi-chapter fic and it got such a great response.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Probably “On Borrowed Time”, because it has a plot that deals with sensitive things that happen to real people and it’s important to be aware of that and write accordingly.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

The short piece I did called “You Were Supposed To Be Different” was based on a scene from Grey’s Anatomy. But generally, I use personal experience to shape my fics e.g. my time at University. Then just a lot of brainstorming, thinking what was good about that time, what was bad, what was funny and see how I can work that into a story. I like writing in a setting that I’m familiar with, hence why all my writing tends to be based in the UK. I often think of phrases while taking a shower or doing housework and I’ll just put it into a word document for when I come to writing the bulk of the chapter. I get the best ideas whilst doing mundane tasks.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I’m not sure but I suppose I gravitate towards AU, because there’s so many aspects you can play with. If you don’t like a personality trait a character has, you can change it. If you don’t want an event to take place, you can take it out. I have a lot of appreciation for people who write fics that focus on what’s canon and get everything spot on because there’s a lot of you out there.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Probably the conflict between Jughead and Veronica in Scottish at Heart. Not the argument itself, but I toyed a lot with how best to resolve it without making it seem everything always ends up hunky dory in the end because that's not real life.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

I'm really enjoying writing the friendship between Archie, Betty and Jughead in On Borrowed Time. I’ve particularly enjoyed injecting the flashbacks to their childhood. I was concerned it would take away from the main plot but it seems to have turned out well.

21.Favorite character to write?

I’d say Jughead, he’s often the easiest to write for me.

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

The sarcastic rapport Jughead and Veronica had going on throughout “Scottish At Heart” made for some of my favourite dialogue.

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

I don’t want to name names, because I’m sure I’ll forget someone unintentionally. But they’ve all been amazing and it truly a pleasure to write my stories for the people who choose to read them. In particular, I’ve had a really emotive response to On Borrowed Time which was unexpected but so incredible. I’m a true believer in replying to people who comment, even if they said a simple “I loved this chapter.” It really does just give you such an uplifting feeling.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

Not yet had any. Everyone’s been wonderful. But I would say constructive criticism is welcome, being rude isn’t.

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

Having the balls to write some smut. It’s something I’m trying to aim for in On Borrowed Time.

26. Do you have an editing process or any traditions you stick to while writing?

Music is always involved in the writing and editing process. I always give things a day, if I write a piece of dialogue today and then tomorrow I’m not sure about it, it’s gone or changed. Always be confident in your work.

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

I’m not currently reading a book. I think the last book I did read was non-fiction about anthropometric data, which is not at all interesting. As for fanfiction, there’s a lot of amazing stories to be read and I’m keeping my eye on them for when I have the time to sit down and do some reading. It’s a great group of writers, with amazing imaginations.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

Don’t hesitate, just post little fic you’ve got saved on your laptop. You never know what will happen until you do. Don’t compare yourself to others and don’t put pressure on yourself, at the end of the day it’s for fun and enjoyment.

#bughead author spotlight #fan fiction #fan fiction writers #Bughead #bughead fanfiction #ao3 #betty cooper #jughead jones #jughead x betty #betty x jughead #riverdale #aisfor #on borrowed time #scottish at heart #you were supposed to be different

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privatebartenderhire-blog · 5 years ago

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Things To Do In Self-Isolation Covid-19 Times | Mobile Bar Hire

Things to do in self isolating ? With the current climate as it stands, we ask ourselves- As a Mobile Bar Hire company read what things can you do to at home.

Things to do in self-isolation

Things to do in self isolating ? With the current climate as it stands, we ask ourselves- As a Mobile Bar Hire company what things can you do to keep yourself occupied during this self-isolation period? Due to the seriousness & severity of this pandemic , it has been with a heavy heart and much thought, that we have decided to stop all of our activities. We are now currently working from home and will have a live video tutorial up soon, to show our followers how to make delicious cocktails. With the schools across the UK currently closed, in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

I'm sure parents and carers, will no doubt be at a loss of what to do. Trying to keep your children entertained, whilst keeping yourself sane- is no easy task! New routines for both parents & children will soon become very apparent. We've put down a list of things that you can do at home, whilst you self isolate. For many, self-isolation can be a disorientating experience. The adjustment to suddenly being confined indoors, may prove difficult for many- especially for those of us who are use to spending 80% of our time outside of the house! It's important to try turn this period of uncertainty, into something positive and try to channel our energy into some productive activities. After all, our mental health is especially important in times like these.

Do it yourself (DIY) self - isolating

How many of us have often looked around the home and thought 'That needs doing' or 'I'll get to that at some point' but we never do? This is now the perfect opportunity, to get those things done- no excuses! Take a look around the house and see what chores need doing. Or what needs fixing. As your time at home increases, the more you will come to realise how much work there is to be done! Perhaps there's a wall that needs a new lick of paint, or the shower head in the bathroom needs a good clean out. This new found time on your hands, will have your house looking spotless!

Get Green in Self-isolating times

The garden, can sometimes give us that dreaded feeling of 'Once you start, you have to finish it' The bushes and grass have long grown and you've been meaning to tackle the job- but you just haven't had the time. If the weather allows, this is the ideal time to get your garden gloves on! This is a great activity, to get the children involved in. Let them get their hands dirty, by getting them to plant some vegetables, or pull out some weeds! The fresh air will do them good, especially if you're restricted to life inside the home. It's a safe place to be, without the fear of contact from people outside. Keeping yourself safe.

Learn about cocktails during this covid-19 times

Learning about cocktails during this COVID-19 time, can also ignite and inspire new ideas on how to make your favourite all time cocktails. From the classic cocktails such as Cosmopolitan, Margarita or Tequila Sunrise to the most fashionable and popular Mojito or Espresso Martini, experiment with new ingredients to give these classics a new twist! This is a great way to learn some history as well as educating yourselves. You never know, once the coronavirus situation has passed, you may become the new bartender in your town!

Cleaning in self isolating

It's the dreaded task, no one wants to do. A chore, for most. For the last few weeks or maybe even months, I've been saying to myself that the oven needs a good clean. Today, 24th of March 2020 in this unfortunate circumstance where we have to self-isolate- I decided to give the oven a good scrub! I took a very powerful cleaning product, sprayed the oven and let the chemical sit for about 15-20 minutes. I proceeded with a hard sponge and scrubbed continuously the inside, outside, trays and the metal grills. It took me almost 3hrs to get it nice and clean. I highly recommend to do this, as the oven can become ladened with all sorts, due to daily usage! If you haven't done so by now, get your marigolds on!

Family time in isolation

This is one of my favourite things to do. For me, family time is the most important thing- especially now after my partner gave birth to our little princess Baby Aria, a month ago. Our daily lives, can sometimes get ahead of us. Many lose sight of the things that are important. Taking a positive out of this Self-isolation period, means you get to spend all of your time with your loved ones. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be spending time with my family, during this uncertain Covid-19 time. If I have learnt something from these past few weeks, its life is truly precious and we take it for granted. So I ask the question, what is important to you?

Take some online courses - Cocktail making classes

If you need something to keep your brain stimulated, there are an abundance of online courses you could look into. We will be doing a live demonstration on how to make cocktails at home - stay tuned ! Once the situation with Covid-19 settles a little, we are eager to get our mobile cocktail masterclasses up and running, for both our new and regular clients.

Get your bake on - BANANA CAKE

Self-isolating means that unfortunately you can’t dine at your favourite restaurant. With talk of a lockdown, you might not be able to get food delivered to you either. This is the perfect time to broaden your culinary skills, by practising some recipes! You’ll have plenty of time to perfect your signature dish. Stuck for inspiration? Be sure to check online- BBC Good Food has thousands of great recipes. My favourite is a very simple Banana Loaf Cake. It uses very minimal ingredients, that you can often find lurking in your cupboards. A delicious moist sponge, teamed with a nice cup of tea!

Meditate in self isolating

It’s important to be mindful of your surroundings as well as your well-being whilst in quarantine. Meditation can help you relax your mind and find some inner peace, especially in times of uncertainty. Find a quiet space, light some candles and clear your mind with some therapeutic meditation music or relax with a meditation colouring book.

Practice an instrument

As we prepare to spend a significant amount of time at home, it’s important that we focus on doing things that will enhance our skills and improve productivity. Practising an instrument can be good fun, and it’s also an inventive way to keep yourself entertained, especially when there are slim pickings when it comes to entertainment.

Movie marathon

It’s finally time to start watching Harry Potter from start to finish,- just like you said you would. If you’re in the mood to watch something more action-packed, sit back and relax, whilst watching the many variations of agent 007 – that’ll give you something to do for a day or two.

Time to get active - no gym no problem

We often find excuses, when it comes to keeping active. Time, being the most commonly heard. Grab some comfy footwear and go out for a brisk walk. The fresh air will do you good, as well as the physical benefits. It's a proven fact that excercising, releases those good endorphins that stimulate the 'feel good' factor in the brain. Set yourself a challenge with goals, which will keep you motivated! For times, when weather is not on your side- look online. There are numerous Fitness apps out there, along with live demonstration work outs. Joe Wicks is currently doing one online every morning, to help keep the nation fit during this stay at home period. Keeping active and fit is a great way to promote a healthy mindset- especially if you have little ones around! They love getting involved too!

And last but not least…

Staying at home for a prolonged period of time may prove difficult, but that’s even more of a reason to rise to the challenge. There are plenty of things to do to remain productive, just remember to wash your hands at regular intervals and use anti-bacterial wipes for things that you touch or use often. Take hygiene seriously, ensuring all surfaces and areas are clean! It is a key factor in making sure this virus doesn't spread! Testing times will no doubt be ahead of us, make sure you look after yourselves and stay safe!

For future house parties or events

With existing planned events currently on hold, it can only spell one thing. Having to cancel or rearrange in this specific climate, means that many will reschedule for further down the line. However, this uncertain time, will begin to slowly pass and we will no doubt want something positive to look forward to. Begin to think now about future dates and events you have coming. As the Covid-19 situation starts to settle, think about booking that Cocktail Masterclass or even hosting a party with all of your friends. So, if you're thinking of planning your next party or event, get in touch with us today to see how we can help! For more details please visit our website.

#bar #bartender #barman #event planning #Hire a cocktail maker #Cocktails #ginbar #barmanhire #cocktail classes #mobile bar hire #Weddingmobilebarhire #Mobile Bar London #bartenders #hire a waiter

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