Touring radiation fallout zones or secretive communist states isn’t what most people would think of as a holiday. But Dylan Harris enjoys taking people out of their comfort zones. Dylan, nicknamed “Wolf” by friends, used his gonzo backpacking expertise to found Wigan-based tour company Lupine Travel in 2007. He arranges tours to places that [...]
Like its central character, Walt Disney, Philip Glass’ new opera is flawed. Despite a good premise, an imaginative set that works around a strict ban on Disney imagery, and a solid-as-ever score from Glass, The Perfect American – on at the Coliseum in London until the 28th June – is a bit of a disappointment. [...]
Our regular arts writer Philomena Epps decided to check out some key art shows whilst on a trip to Japan. Here’s the second of her reports on the JR Exhibition – Could Art Change The World at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art. This is the first international retrospective of the French artist JR’s work. The [...]
Aspiring film makers need grit, determination, buckets of imagination but above all they need that one big first break. This is exactly what the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series: Film competition sets out to do. Backed by the much respected Tribeca Film Festival it allows film makers to get those creative juices flowing all based around [...]
Our regular arts writer Philomena Epps decided to check out some key art shows whilst on a trip to Japan. Here’s the first of her reports on the All You Need is Love: from Chagall to Kusama and Hatsune Miku exhibition at the Mori Art Museum. All You Need is Love: from Chagall to Kusama [...]
Following the release of their debut single ‘I Watch You’ last October, Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs have become one of the most highly anticipated new bands of the past few years. A label the new music press loves to throw at new artists, tainting many a band’s debut. A scary prospect for Charlie Boyer [...]
Leaving behind their DIY electro-pop-rock roots of 2011’s ‘Native To’ for the finely tuned, shimmering productions of ‘I’m Leaving’, sees trio Is Tropical throw everything they have at a mainstream audience whilst trying to keep their underground aesthetics intact. ‘I’m Leaving’ opens with the distinct anthem guitar slinging and chiming tones of ‘Lovers Cave’ found [...]
Once upon a time, my social media feed was a delightful mix of cat photos, baby photos, and witty status updates. These were the halcyon days – the days before Facebook and the like became little more than a means to batter people over the head with smug updates about what you eat, where you [...]
‘I wanna scream and shout…’ Composer, arranger, performer, social media maestro and cook Nico Muhly is a force of nature. Whilst David Lang’s claim that ‘He’s the missing link between all the kinds of the music in the world’ might be an exaggeration, he certainly has friends in exciting places. Muhly’s allies – including former [...]
On the 23rd of May, the exhibition Cacotopia started at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester. Inspired by the term “cacotopia” that Burgess introduced in a discussion of George Orwell’s fiction work Nineteen Eighty Four (1949), the curator Laura Mansfield has brought together materials from the foundation’s archive and contemporary artists’ works that relate [...]
In this new fashion photography series by CHRISTOPH KÖSTLIN, the inspiration comes from the isolated heights of the Himalayas and the vibrancy of Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Flags that represent luck, happiness, longevity and prosperity. There are few things more beautiful than colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind – sometimes waving gently, sometimes raging; a dance of [...]
Anyone with nyctophobia (otherwise known as a fear of the dark) would not fare well in Brighton Festival’s Ring. Set in Brighton’s The Basement, with its strange warehouse-esque atmosphere and abundant exposed brickwork, even stranger things were at play once the audience were summoned into the performance room. As the lights descended initially, [...]
Bedwyr Williams, Wales in Venice representative at the 2013 Venice Biennale, on Colin Farrell, Comedy and Clarkes shoes. “Sorry I missed your call,” says Bedwyr Williams, picking me up from Bangor station like an art taxi service, “I was on the other phone arguing with a woman from Clark’s shoes. I told her: ‘Go to [...]
Start with a spirit of Ibiza’s 1960s hippy roots, mix with exceptional food and fine wine, shake up with a view to die for on the beaches of the island’s Ses Salinas national reserve, and you have the very fine cocktail that is Experimental Beach Ibiza. Opening last week with a “grand sunset barbecue soirée” [...]
On the 6th May, The Arts Santa Mònica, Barcelona, saw a radical development in the world of gastronomy. The Roca Brothers – owners of El Celler de Can Roca (the North-Eastern Catalonian restaurant recently voted into the ever-coveted top slot of the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards list) – premiered their new and exciting [...]
When it comes to ambient post-rock, you seem to hear the same few names bandied around time after time. Sigur Rós. Mogwai. God is an Astronaut. So what happens when you come across something a little bit different? It would seemingly be all too easy to smite them down with accusations of copying the heavyweights [...]
Launching this evening at London’s ARTECO Gallery, photographer Daniele Tamagni’s ‘Global STYLE Battles’ takes us into the colourful and achingly hip worlds of ‘The Flying Cholitas’, ‘Playboys of Bacongo’, ‘Havana Glam’, ‘Afrometal’ and the original Django, spanning African hell riders and duelling Bolivian women. If you are in London, get down to ARTECO. But for [...]
If any of you are lucky enough to be in Venice for the 55th Biennale you will be able to visit the Ai Weiwei exhibition ‘Disposition’ a major new solo show curated by Maurizio Bortolotti. It will be presented across 2 locations in the floating city at the Zitelle complex, home of Zuecca Projects and [...]
Vampire Weekend make a break from what originally made them popular, to be replaced with a weird yet accessible record. A record based around mortality, sitting deep within the heart of their American heritage. Regardless of how much distance Vampire Weekend try to put between their previous albums and ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’, [...]
‘When digital technology is no longer novel, when zeroes and ones become ubiquitous in everyday life, what happens to the way people write music?’ This was the question posed at Digital is Dead, a 3-day event in Oxford about ‘post-digital music practice’. At the final concert of the festival, I witnessed three disparate examples of [...]
French duo Daft Punk continue to unite music from the past, present and future for their latest release ‘Random Access Memories’. ‘Random Access Memories’ is Daft Punk’s first studio album in seven years, after devoting the majority of their time to the 2010 film soundtrack ‘Tron: Legacy’.‘Random Access Memories’ draws on their roots of French [...]
I’m going to talk about George A. Romero’s so-called ‘lost classic’, Knightriders, which has recently found its reincarnated form in a new special edition Blu-Ray edition. But before I do that, I need to get something out of the way: the living dead. In a hypothetical game of cinematic word-association, if I were to say “George A. [...]
We do like a good old knees-up here at Flux and the Ray-Ban Envision Tour has all the hallmarks of a great celebration of all things music and design. The Envision tour is about vision, with each event inspired by one of the Ray-Ban lenses’ unique characteristics. The first instalment of this celebration of [...]
Musician, writer, director and all-round renaissance man of horror, Rob Zombie, takes his lifelong love affair with the genre to new heights in his latest offering, The Lords of Salem. A dark tale of satanic ritual and blood sacrifice based around the present day descendants of the Salem witches, the film plays out like a [...]
We do like unique magazine concepts here at Flux and Swallow Magazine is very much in that category. As the name implies it’s all about food but is nothing like your usual mainstream high street title. The magazine was founded in 2009 by James Casey and the love for all things food leaps out at [...]
Stonehenge is known across the world as an icon of Britishness and so a great symbol to represent these isles abroad. But much of the talk surrounding the ancient stone circle can be a bit po-faced – all a bit stiff upper lip and all. So the artist Jeremy Deller set about reintroducing some fun [...]
When reviewing restaurants it’s easy to get carried away with what’s the next big thing and what’s the hottest new opening… not that this isn’t all very well and good (there’s nothing wrong with keeping abreast of current trends), but sometimes it’s good to take stock and visit a long-standing bastion of culinary delight. With [...]
A harpist strums away sweetly and a smartly dressed lady greets us as we enter Jumeirah Carlton Tower’s exquisite Chinoiserie. We’re here in Knightsbridge on this drizzly Saturday afternoon to try the new Fusion afternoon tea as crafted by master patissier and star of Channel 4’s Baking Mad, Eric Lanlard. Opulent doesn’t even begin [...]
We love the atmosphere and dark humour in this imaginative and aptly named beauty shoot from photographer Anna Ciupryk and make up artist Monika Kolodziej. These characters inhabit a dark place but there’s a sense of mischief and fun in the execution giving each look a warped and surreal edge. photography by Anna Ciupryk www.anionam.com [...]
On Tuesday, I spoke with two Matthews. Darbyshire, the artist who will be collaborating with emerging arts students to produce work for his exhibition, ‘Big Dinner’ at Margate’s most edgy and experimental arts’ venue, and de Pulford, one of LIMBO’s directors who, in the final preparation stages will be “running around looking for electric cables [...]
We are living in the age of the Stay-cation. Or at least that’s what I’m led to believe. But despite the persistent rumour that more Brits than ever are shunning the delights of the European beach holiday (can you hear the collective sigh of relief from over the channel?), the idea of a weekend in [...]
Night Engine are getting the old ‘one to watch’ treatment from the national and indie press alike. If that sets your alarm bells ringing I don’t think you need worry as this band really are worth a bit of hype. How well they do depends on so many things but they mean what they play [...]
Coffee shops: the second homes of all writers, from dreamy poets to obsessive bloggers or aspiring novelists alike. Buy a few caffeinated drinks and their tables can be rented out as the creative alternative to an office desk. Although the constant source of caffeine has to be a factor, there must be another reason behind [...]
A battle of wills: a gruelling contest of endurance and sheer determination whose lone victor will finish physically and mentally exhausted, having outlasted all challengers. Defeated rivals will literally stumble away, collapsing into chairs or leaving in a dazed state, some seemingly unaware of where or even who they are. The victor will be too [...]
Named after Barcelona’s most acclaimed food market, Boqueria is a tapas restaurant with swagger. There’s a menu which goes from comrade’s canteen to ambassador’s residence, a wine list with its own cava and sherry annexe, and a battalion of knowledgeable waiting staff, all of which make for some beating. The decor, so breathtakingly neutral to [...]
The near legendary Pere Ubu are out on tour backed by the rather special Variety Lights. So when you combine the two together you’re in for rather a fine night out we reckon (well we’ll be there at the Manchester date at least). See more on Pere Ubu below and listen to a track from [...]
For the uninitiated, luxury beauty brand AERIN was launched by Estee Lauder’s grandaughter, Aerin Lauder, who is the brand’s Founder and Creative Director for autumn 2012. And now looking to the summer season, the brand launches its Shell Color collection – a subtle, relaxed collection with an ‘at ease on the beach’ feeling. The Shell [...]
Geoffrey Farmer’s The Surgeon and the Photographer is being shown in its completed form for the first time in the UK at the Barbican’s Curve gallery. The Curve is a unique 90-metre exhibition space that wraps around the back of the Barbican concert hall. Open since 2006, contemporary artists have been commissioned to respond to [...]
I’m halfway through my vegetarian month and as things stand I have eaten enough cheese to glue the Grand Canyon back together. Gone are any illusions that this venture would make me healthier. Even though I can’t blame this on vegetarianism in itself as the culpability more obviously lies in my mad desire to “meat [...]
It seems that what could be construed as two artistically distinct domains are in fact more closely related and compatible than we can imagine… Ryoji Ikeda, on the 27th and 28th March, demonstrated the extraordinary unity of science and art in his recent UK premiere of Superposition at the Barbican, through a stunning and thought-provoking [...]
Thuy Duong Nguyen - Vietnamese designer of London based fashion label Thu Thu – is clearly one very busy lady. Having waited through the chaos of the last London fashion week, plus its aftermath, Claire Hazelton spoke to her about Thu Thu’s colourful, cheerful yet elegant and pattern-dense SS13 line, a collection inspired by artist Gerhard Richter and [...]
The latest on-ear headphones from Skullcandy, the long awaited Navigator, hit all good retailers this month. The headphones are a perfect blend of style and cutting edge technology and the compact size and wearability make a force to be reckoned with fashion conscious consumers who are after that high quality music experience. Headphones [...]
Jim Morrall talks to Berliner Julia Heuse about her AW13 collection, inspired by Duchamp’s objets trouvés. Flaking paint, decomposing surfaces and trash are Julia’s objets trouvés of choice. Translating an unrecognised beauty in the banal into a line of menswear and womenswear, the Berlin fashion designer has created a collection that is surprisingly accessible. Her aesthetic [...]
This is a polite warning. You don’t want to mess with these fashionistas. Great shoot carried out with great finesse and passion by photographer Leonardo V – a favourite of ours here at Flux. Photography: Leonardo V Assistant: Ilan Wagner & Elia Spielberg Styling: Nichelle Cole Production and Art Direction: Enok Groven@LeonardoV studio All clothes by [...]
I had not heard of the stylishly attired Monsieur Hulot until I delved a bit more into the inspiration behind M. Hulot, the British accessories label making leather bags in honour of the fictional Frenchman. It turns out the character invented and played by comedian Jacques Tati is a bit of a cult phenomena. With [...]
Colin Leslie does a great line in thoughtfully created, eco-friendly glasses and sunglasses that are catching the eye of discerning shoppers and celebrities alike. As a brand it has only been going for 4 years but has already built up a great reputation and is sold online and in stores internationally enjoying popularity in countries [...]
Musician and composer John Parish, best known for his work with PJ Harvey, is, on the 16th April, releasing Screenplay, an album of a selection of his film music. Feature writer, Claire Hazelton, had a chat with John to find out more about the album and his involvement with the Filmic 2013 Festival in Bristol, [...]
“The order so often heard – ‘Be a man’ – implies that it does not go without saying that manliness may not be as natural as one would think… Being a man implies a labour, an effort that does not seem to be demanded of women. It is rare to hear the words ‘be a [...]
Combining form, function and food, designer Joseph Hartley has the recipe for success – he was the winner of the British Design Centre’s New Designer of the Year award at New Designers 2012, just after graduating from his 3D Design degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. Hartley’s nickname, “Butcher, Baker, Designer, Maker”, reflects his experience of [...]
There are a couple of things worth considering on outings such as this. Firstly- attire. Stretchy, forgiving, and sensibly coloured is the connoisseur’s outfit of choice. And secondly – lunch. In so much as arriving at what can most aptly be described as London’s newest den of gluttony- MEAT:mission – on a full stomach, is [...]
Our favourite new sneakers from fashion to sportsfield!