DON'T CARE IF THEY'RE BEING SUED - I WANT IT

Get it while you can, 'cos Chanel have thrown a hissy fit over this Ghostbusters sweat. I want it. 

What About Yves sweater, $82

BAGS FOR PEOPLE WHOSE DAYS GET RUINED BY SQUASHED SANDWICHES

Now, I love food. I love food so much. It's what takes up 99% of my brain space and if I'm not eating a meal, I'm planning a meal. Or fishing some sort of snack out of the depths of my bag. Fluff-covered honey cashews? Yummmmmeh!

So when I've gone to the effort of making a badass sandwich ('cos no offence Pret but I ain't paying £4 on the reg for your dry baguette no matter how artisan it is) and find it either squashed due to the fragile caress of tinfoil or fallen apart thanks to ill-fitting plastic containers then I get sad. Real sad. But it looks like those days are numbered because LOOK AT THIS!

The Compleat sandwich bag rolls down to keep any size sarnie snug and then rolls away when you're done so you don't have that annoying thing of transporting empty containers across London. Plus it's BPA free (so you don't get all poisoned and that) and dishwasher safe (which won't affect you 'cos no-one I know has a dishwasher).

Only thing - not sure about the colours. Colour can really mess with your food and wreak havoc with your eyeball/tastebud relationship. (Just think about that cup of tea you got served up in a black mug. Tasted like shit didn't it?) I think I'd err towards the blue but would it make my avo sandwich look a little ill? Would my sriracha stain it? Would I have instant regretsy and wish I'd got the mustard? I JUST DON'T KNOW. GIVE ME THEM ALL.

If, like me, this shit has made your day then you can get your very own here. The makers also claim it makes a great make-up bag but don't do that 'cos that's fucking weird. 

SPLINTER

JOSEF SALVAT - IN YOUR PRIME (EP)

Now, this man can normally do no wrong in my eyes ears. And for the most part, his debut EP In Your Prime continues along this theme. Open Season, This Life and Shoot and Run have their usual effect (let's call it Salvat Syndrome) of making me feel happy and sad in equal parts, with a sprinkling of hope.

It's the type of music that you need to play when you're at a turning point in your life. It's travelling music. Ever woken up alone on an aeroplane to find everyone else is asleep? A plane that you're not convinced you should have stepped on? It's the loneliest feeling in the world. And the perfect time to whack on something like opening track, Open Season. Salvat's voice is perma-gloomy enough for a catharsis of misery, yet the chorus kicks in with enough bounce to give a glimmer of euphoria and lift you into the realms of hopefulness. (Hopeful that you made the right decision getting on the plane, which it always is - nothing good came from sticking to your comfort zones, or so an inspirational quote on Instagram once told me).




However, after three such tracks, the EP takes a sinister turn. A Rihanna cover. Yup. Rihanna. Diamonds. Nothing wrong with Rihanna but to go from three soulfully euphoric pop nuggets to something that would be more at home on a Radio 1 Live Lounge album is a little deflating. Then you're left with that burst balloon feeling as this is the last track on the EP. And the only one I don't sing along to. (My housemates will be able to verify this. They'll probably also tell you that Shoot and Run gets the best performance but that I need to work on my vibrato.)

I'm not saying it's a bad cover - he makes it his own with a stripped back piano-led performance - it's just not my bag. Explaining the choice, he said, "The song itself is such a beautiful moment, finding refuge in another person and submitting together. It's something I've experienced a lot in my life and I try to write about it often." Which makes me understand the track more, but still doesn't give me stirrings in my heart for it. I guess he should just take that as more of a compliment for his original work. If a cover of a Sia-penned pop song is a letdown to your own material, you're doing pretty good.

In Your Prime is out now. A full album is expected early 2015.

GAMES FOR GIRLS

Daniel Radcliffe talks to me

‘HEY! Nice to meet you, I hope my breath doesn’t smell, let’s get in bed.’

LONG STORY but back in 2012 I was flown over to Dublin for BLISS mag to do a set visit on What If which is out today. It was my first time in Ireland and it rained. I was very cold. But I got to watch Rafe Spall pretend to punch Daniel Radcliffe over and over (and over and over). This bit's in the trailer - how exciting! BLISS is now dead so the film's publicist asked me to get this placed somewhere. Sadly he gave me very little notice at a time where I was working 8 days out of 7 (work it out). Mission: failed.

However, I went to the bother of transcribing it so it's being placed....ON MY BLOG. I've taken out all the boring questions and left the important ones. I hope I don't get in trouble for this ABSOLUTELY STONKING GREAT WORLD EXCLUSIVE ON MY BLOG WHICH HAS NO READERS. 

Hi Daniel. This is a very important question. Onset catering – nice or nasty?

“Generally very very nice but I am also guilty of sometimes skipping the lunch and having KFC or something like that which is the beSt thing in the world. I only had KFC for the first time this year. I have not stopped since discovering it. It’s the best thing in the world. It’s amazing!”

As teens, me and my friends used to go in and be like, ‘Can we just have the skin?”

“Oh yeah! So good. What is it I get? The boneless banquet or something like that?”

Oh yum. I’m vegetarian and I’m still salivating.

“But you’ll only eat the skin though? You’ll only eat the skin of animals. That’s your thing. [laughs]”

‘Skin only please.’

“Just flay it and give it to me.”

Is it weird when you meet your love interest for the film and you’re like, ‘Oh hey, so we’re going to have sex later, um…”

“Well that’s what’s funny because with Zoe it wasn’t awkward because, well, I don’t want to give anything away but there’s really none of that between me and Zoe for the most part of this film. But it was really awkward, there’s a girl called Amanda Crew who plays a character called [thinks] hold on a second, sorry [thinks] oh God, I can’t remember, she plays the girl who works in my office…LISA!”

Good name…

“There you go!! And the first day I met her, the first scene we did together was getting in bed together. It was like, ‘HEY! Nice to meet you, I hope my breath doesn’t smell, let’s get in bed.’ That’s kind of the extent that went to. But she’s really funny. I kept going up to our screenwriters because I…how many girls do I kiss in this film? I kiss like three or four women and they’re all beautiful and I kept going up to our writer and just saying, ‘Thank you, thank you for writing this script – this is awesome!’

So you’re getting paid to kiss hot girls?

“It’s a tough job.”

You could be a binman.

“Yeah.”

I know it’s been a while but do you ever find yourself looking around for your wizards?

“No, not particularly, no. It’s a different job. Even on Potter, I didn’t particularly but yeah I mean, yeah, no. What’s wonderful about having worked on something as big as Potter is that it’s very rare, it might even be impossible to go onto any other film in Britain or Ireland and not know anyone.”

Do you find it annoying that people (like myself) will always be like, ‘Harry Potter! Let’s talk about Harry Potter!”

“No, no! It’s a fact of my life, there’s nothing to be annoyed about. I might run out of interesting things to say one day but people can ask for as long as they like. As I’ve always said, I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of that and none of the opportunities that I’m now getting would exist if it wasn’t for that so it would be rather ungrateful to turn my back on it.”

What’s the worst thing about filming away from home?

 “No cricket on TV. It’s harder to keep in contact with people. It’s harder to see my parents, to see the dogs.”

What dogs have you got?

“Well my mum and dad have got 3 Border Terriers but one of them I grew up with all my life, I miss him. Oh, here it is – baked beans. Baked beans don’t exist outside of England. Not in the same way. Anywhere else you go to get baked beans it looks like something a cowboy spat on and roasted over a fire! The only good baked beans are in England so consequently breakfast is a lot less fun away from home.”

So are you a big fry-up fan?

“I would have it every day if I could.”

What’s in your ultimate fry-up?

“I actually have an answer for this, like I’ve thought about it quite a lot!! [laughs] Um, 2 fried eggs, baked beans, sausages, bacon and chips.”

Chips?

“Yup, gotta have chips, gotta have breakfast chips.”

Oh okay, what like, the American style home fries or actual chips?

“Oh yeah, actual chips.”

Oh wow.

“And toast, obviously. And Lucky Charms! They would be in my ultimate breakfast.”

Do you pick them up whenever you can?

“Yup, I do, I pick them up from around the world because I refuse to pay £10 in Selfridges.”

Yeah that’s ridiculous.

“That’s…yeah it IS ridiculous! [laughs]

COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO ME AND RON WEASLEY.

MUFF

Hackney Wick // definitely should have been in bed // iPhone // July 2014

SIR SLY - YOU HAUNT ME

Scrolling through Twitter last night and I see Sir Sly are finally back in action, having been squirrelling away working on an album. GOT SO EXCITED I WET THE BED.*

Photo by Nick Walker

Granted, this track doesn't have the intense magic of their older stuff like Ghost, but it's the perfect pop song for freewheeling in the sun on your bike, and offers a nice precursor for what I can only imagine is an incredible album. 

I don't know what it is about these guys but they make music that makes me feel like everything's going to be okay even when all signs point to the fact that it isn't. On this note, I just found this quote from singer Landon Jacobs who says of the song, "Growing up, there were a few songs that made me feel okay about all the anxiety and self-doubt I had...There were a few songs that taught me that moving on is possible even though forgetting the past isn't. I hope this can be that kind of song for people."

That, my friends, is very powerful. Keep on keeping on. 

Album You Haunt Me is out 16th Sep. (Pre-order and get the title track plus four others. WICK.)

*Definitely didn't

LUVBUG FEAT TALAY RILEY - RESONANCE (VIDEO)

An e-mail dropped into my inbox the other day declaring that ex-JLSter Marvin Humes was releasing on his new project Luvbug, also featuring producer The White N3rd and producer/songwriter JKay but I'm not cool enough to know who these people are. Apparently they've been working together for the past 18 months and have been DJing all over the show.

As an ex-teen mag journo (BIG UP BLISS MAG!), I spent much time listening/dramatically lip synching at my computer to JLS' music but let's just say it wasn't the stuff I'd choose to play at home. Bar that one time I was 'DJing' at a club and decided I wanted a slow song at the end so played Love You More. That didn't go down well.

Anyway, I wasn't expecting much from this. BUT OH HELLO, HOW I LOVE TO BE PROVED WRONG. Talay Riley's voice is uh-mazing as per, and he sounds all mellow and Bipolar Sunshiney at the beginning. Subliiiiiiime. Got a feeling this will be one of my songs of the summer.

Just one (of many) question(s) about the video though - where has tattooed bum girl walked from? They're in the middle of nowhere. IS SHE JESUS?

Resonance is out 28th September

BROODS - MOTHER AND FATHER (VIDEO)

This song gave me so many feels that watching the video's kind of ruined it for me with its awkward dancing and general vanilla vibe. One New Zealand publication described it as 'hypnotising' which is just proof that they've never been hypnotised.

Who am I kidding? I still love the song, but I was expecting more from the brother/sister Kiwi duo in terms of visuals. Though I guess that opens the whole debate on music videos - why should artists be judged on what is essentially a promo tool and not their area of expertise? GOD MAN, LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M TIRED.

Mother and Father is out now.

BON IVER - HEAVENLY FATHER

Justin Vernon is back with his first new material under his Bon Iver moniker since 2011, written for Zach Braff's latest indie offering (interestingly funded by Kickstarter), Wish I Was Here. I was cooking my dinner feeling pretty melancholy when Zane Lowe gave it the first spin on his Radio One show on Tuesday and the song matched my mood perfectly. In fact, I'm pretty sure my Italian beanballs came out better for it. Preeeeeetty sure.

It's easy to imagine this sitting nicely during a seminal moment in a Zach Braff film - the latest soundtrack features The Shins (why of course), Hozier and a collab between Cat Power and Coldplay. The trailer isn't exactly whetting my appetite but then neither did Garden State's and watching that felt like someone reaching in, tearing out my heart, wrestling with it a bit, then dumping it back in. Wet eyes man, wet eyes.

Also, I'd never been on the Bon Iver site before. It's really great.

Wish I Was Here has a UK release of 18th July. 
The soundtrack is released 15th July.

CRYSTAL FIGHTERS - LOVE ALIGHT (VIDEO)

These guys. THESE GUUUUUUUUUYS. Never has a band upped the serotonin in my brain at the rate they do. Anyone who knows me will have heard me gush about how amazing they were at Reading last year - I spent the entire set dancing on my own in a bubble of pure joy.

p.s. I've noticed that the band have 5th September free in their diary so if Bestival feel like booking them, that would be a (desert island disco) dream...

Love Alight is out now.

VALENTINO PRE-SS15 COLLECTION

Now, I'm not what you'd call a dedicated follower of fashion, and I still get disconcerted by Summer gear being paraded about when we're about to head into hibernation, but after seeing this Valentino pre-collection pop up on my feed (and a swift Google of what a 'pre-collection' was) I fell a little bit in love. What a lovely way to shoot the array of colours, no? And may I say, how very Elmer.

  


    

    

    


Photos nicked from Vogue. Click here to see the rest of the collection.

BACK ONCE AGAIN WITH THE ACTUALLY QUITE HEALTHY BEHAVIOUR

OH HAIIIIIIIIII!

It's been almost 6 months since I abandoned the blog ship without a raft and almost drowned in the murky seas of life. (I started a new job and went from working from home 3 days a week to working in an office far away 5 days a week, which, to not be dramatic at all, almost finished me off. I gained a coffee addiction, childlike grumpiness and eye bags, and lost my mid-week social life.)

But now the summer's here, I've ditched my SAD and replaced it with morning sunlight, Bikram yoga and mindfulness meditation. Ommmmmmmm.  This combo has given me the motivation to make the most of my little free time, and getting back into this blog is a product of that.

Oh, and I also reek of hemp now. (Kidding.)

LOLAWOLF - WHAT LOVE IS

'I wanna know what love is/I really hope that it's not you'

Chin up Zo, we've all been there. Absolutely love the simplicity of this video, with wee Miss Kravitz (yes, Lenny's daughter) musing life and love over cigarettes and peanut butter. 

So, so excited about Lolawolf. Here's the tracklisting for their upcoming EP:

1. Drive (Los Angeles)

2. What Love Is

3. Too Lovely

4. Chainz

5. Wanna Have Fun

Lolawolf's EP is out 3rd February.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB - LUNA

This needs a few listens. Also, I was a bit 'meh' at first about the video (as much as I am fascinated by and have heaps of admiration for synchronized swimmers) but then the amazing underwater photography and super slow motion blended with the melody and I was transfixed, like a child entering a theme park for the first time.

I know I say this on every new music post but...IMAGINE HEARING THIS AT A FESTIVAL. The sun is setting, you're surrounded by your favourite people, you have a drink in hand and you have no cares in the world...oh bliss, utter, utter bliss.

p.s. Can someone do a remix of Carry Me with Union J's Carry You?

Bombay Bicycle Club's latest album So Long, See You Tomorrow is out 4th February.