Skavoovie, chink-ka or skat skat skat, they all bring us down to SKA

Last Saturday, the 15th of June, I went to a concert in Camden. Nothing fancy so far, as you can go to gigs in Camden every single weekend. But, this time, I came out of my comfort zone and experienced a genre of music than I know quite poorly: Ska!

If you’re a novice, you might first wonder “What’s that name?!” Well, the name and the music have quite a blurry history. There are different stories about where the name “ska” is coming from but it all seems to evolve around Ernest Ranglin (Jamaican guitarist and composer) and Byron Lee (Jamaican musician, record producer and entrepreneur). Ranglin says that the term was invented by musicians, referring to the scratching guitar strum that sounds like “skat, skat, skat”. Ernest also made a distinction between R&B and Ska saying that the first is “ka-chink” while the second is “chink-ka”.

Another theory claims that it could come from the expression “Skavoovie” used by Cluett Johnson (Jamaican double bassist, leader of the band “Clue J & his Blues Blasters”) to greet his friends. Byron Lee is claimed to have introduced the name “ska” to name a rhythm that musicians were calling “Staya Staya”. In the end, “ska” seems to be coming from the sound that a guitar or a piano makes.

Originally from Jamaica, Ska was born in the fifties and was a foretaste of rocksteady and reggae. It is easily recognisable because of its walking bass line accentuated with an upbeat rythm. In a word, it swings!

The band that was playing Saturday is named “The Intensified”. The atmosphere was friendly and the band happily chatted to the audience. It was a very intimate yet professional concert. The band was relaxed and gave a great performance that got the whole room to dance and wiggle. The sax player was truly amazing and had an impressive touch that raised the sound of his instrument to another level! The compositions were original and the trumpet player even composed a song moments before the concert.

A bit later, they welcomed Dave Barker on stage. Famous ska and rocksteady singer, he interpreted his biggest hits, “Double Barrel” and “Monkey Spanner”. Dave and his warm voice got the whole audience dancing and cheering.

For more than an hour, the band and Dave made their fans travelled back to the past and to the seventies and gave us a hint of summer and sunshine (much needed in this depressing weather!). In a few words: a fantastic gig in the heart of Camden.

Just a bit of advice: don’t miss “The Intensified” next time they’re in concert!

Miss DiversiT

A bit of art and antiques can’t be bad

Last Thursday, I went to the International Art and Antiques Fair at the Olympia. “How did you end up there?” you might ask. Well, a friend of a friend had a stand so I got an invitation and decided to make the most of it: spend a nice time with a friend, have a pizza, have a courtesy glass of wine, looking at antique pieces of art pretending not to be poor and immerge myself in a new world (also, take it as an opportunity to write an article!).

Being the 41^st edition, the fair is a well-known event that gathers all the amateurs of fine furniture and of arts and objects ranging from prehistoric fossils to the newest pieces of contemporary art.  It also welcomes newbies like my friend and I: they organise conferences, talks and tours, all held by experts and specialists but they also provide a personal shopper that will help you buy your first antiques (only if you want to, of course).

Just wandering around the stands was amazing. The variety and the wide range of items is incredible: jewellery, antique furniture, 20^th century furniture, fine arts and prints, silver, art deco, lighting, carpets and textiles, ceramics, glass, etc. The prices vary between £100 to £1million. Many glamorous celebrities have attended the past fairs (and maybe this one, but I’m not aware of it): Oprah Winfrey, Dustin Hoffman, Jemima Khan, Mick Jagger and Eddie “Les Mis” Redmayne.

Let me give you 5 fun facts from this 41^st edition:

-       It sells the most “out of this world” item: a lunar meteorite

-       Number of diamonds exposed: over 1 million!

-       The further distance travelled by an exhibitor: 5980 miles (South Africa – London)

-       Age of the Olympia Exhibition Centre: 126; it was opened in December 1886

-       To help think of a royal christening present, here’s a good idea exposed at the fair: a Cartier nappy pin.

My friend’s friend, Esther Fitzgerald, was exposing and selling what you call “rare textiles” coming from all around the world. She’s been conserving, exhibiting, researching and photographing textiles for about 30 years. Her collections have been placed in many famous museums such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the National Museum of Tokyo and the Chicago Art Institute. She has a great knowledge and will happily tell you all she knows about those fabrics from another age.

To be honest, this was a fun evening: my friend and I looked around and decided to pretend that we could afford anything. We saw majestic pieces of furniture, sparkling silver items, fantastic real-life paintings, magnificent sculptures and jewellery that made us drool in envy. We also got given 10 tips for investing in art and antiques. Want to hear about it?

1. Always buy from a dealer that’s member of either the BADA (British Antique Dealer’s Association) or the LAPADA (Association of Art and Antiques Dealers).
2. Buy an item that doesn’t look like it’s been repaired or had some of its key parts replaced.
3. Check the authenticity of the piece you’d like to buy.
4. Have an eye for something quirky and original.
5. Furniture is a great investment, although you can also go for scientific instruments and weapons.
6. If you invest in silver, make sure it’s in perfect condition and keep it that way.
7. Pottery and porcelain from the 19^th century is a good investment as well.
8. Vanessa Curry, art advisor, says that it’s always good to buy paintings made by the close circle of friends of a famous painter. With time, their notoriety increases.
9. Lalique is a safe investment: make sure the piece is pre-war (meaning it’s been designed by André Lalique himself) and that it hasn’t been over-polished or damaged (that will decrease its value).
10. Invest in glass: from the 18^th century until right before the World War 2.

There you go!

Sadly, the fair is closing its doors tonight.

But it’s back again in November for its winter edition. It will be held at the Olympia, from the 4^th until the 10^th of the month. Be sure to come and have a look around, it is a lot of fun and you will see marvellous items you’d never have expected to see.

Miss DiversiT

List of annoying people that you can encounter in every sort of event

 I guess you’ve all experienced going to the movies, to a concert, to any kind of fun event and meeting that (group of) annoying person(s) that will break your patience down and make you want to become a murderer!

It happened to me as well and even more lately, which is why I’m writing it down in the utopic goal of easing my annoyance at that breed of people.

Here is a non-exhaustive list (feel free to suggest more!):

-       The whispering/talking/shouting one

There is always someone, no mater where you go, that will talk and ruin your moment. Let’s make an abusive use of examples! I went to a TV show recording last week. I was thrilled, excited for many reasons: I belong to the media and being in touch with that world felt like coming home and being in the right place (though very frustrating to see these people do a job I’m so willing to do but can’t get to…yet!) and there were celebrities, we were going to be on TV (yes, I fangirled a bit, I’m not pretending to be above that!). We were asked to dance our ass off, to clap, cheer and react to what was happening on the set. Well, believe it or not, there were a bunch of girls, talking casually, like they were in front of their telly! I mean, you’re supposed to be rather quiet during a recording and, if you want to comment, it can either wait for after the recording or for when the show is broadcasted. It was so annoying and rude. And, cherry on top of the cake, they were pushing around to be as close to the set as possible, chatting away and –I’m speaking the truth- never stopping!

You also have the whispering one, who’s just as annoying. Imagine you’re in a cinema theatre, ready to watch a movie and BAM!, for the whole screening there is going to be someone right behind you, whispering comments not so discreetly as you can hear what they say. Or, if you can’t understand, it’s going to feel just like a beeping noise in your ear that you cannot shut down…just as great.

Final addition to this category, we have the loud shouting one. Often drunk, he thinks he’s funny (careful, they can actually BE funny!) and that he’s entertaining the room. But, shouting and yelling while others are trying to listen to the artist on stage is a terrible idea. Choose the appropriate time to shout and it can pass for heavy cheering, which is fine!

-       The live-blogging one

Well, this one is easy to notice: he is there without really being there. He is holding onto his phone like his life is depending on it. He is on twitter, facebook, tumblr and keeps blogging about the event he’s at; except he doesn’t fully live the moment. And he’s annoying the people around him with his phone’s light…

-       The eating loudly and with an open mouth one

Mostly found in cinema theatres, this specimen is a pro at ruining a film. He usually eats something that, in itself, is noisy like crisps, popcorn, nachos, etc. The packaging makes noise and he is eating like a pig, with a mouth wide open so that everyone can enjoy the soft music of his chewing activities. Sometimes he eats candy and that, when opening your mouth, is dangerous: it gets really noisy! Same with chewing gums! You can eat without needing the whole theatre to know what you’re doing!

-       The smelly one

That is really sad. Because sometimes, it is someone that can’t help it. But, most of thetime, it is just someone who’s living his life, unaware there are things such as showers, deodorant and mints. I remember a while ago, I went to see “Catch me if you can” with my best friend and there was this woman sitting behind us. She was a whisperer and she had terrible breath! To the point that, by the end of the film, we were almost suffocating in that toxic smell. We still laugh about it today, though, at the time, we were not finding it funny at all.

It can also happen to a party: you’re dancing, having fun and, suddenly, someone comes next to you and there is an acidic smell of onion chutney accompanying that person. We’re not talking about sweat, that’s a different odour and we all suffer from it, despite the use of deodorant. I’m mentioning that kind of foody flavour that some people spread around. Ew!

-       The filming one

This one is living the whole event through his phone. He’s different from the live-blogging one because he actually sings along and has fun. But it’s like he’s watching a video on youtube or something. How can you go see an artist in concert and film everything? I mean, filming a bit is ok because it’s creating a memory, it emphasises the fact that you were actually there, living it. But recording a whole concert…I mean, when that one gets home, he must feel like he actually didn’t go but just watched videos on the Internet.

-       The “I am there but will not move a muscle” one

That one is ruining all the fun you might have! He’s just not moving! You’re dancing, you turn around with a big grin on your face and he’s there, looking at you, being totally static. Worse: let’s say you’re at a concert and it’s a very small venue. You can see the artist on stage and he can see you equally. You always have that guy in the first row that is not moving. The singer thinks “ah, a tough one, I’m gonna make him shake his ass!” and he gives everything to this one guy, hoping he’ll get into it and will start to actually physically show his enjoyment. But no…That guy won’t move. I have a good example: one of my friends is actually like that (which remembers me no to go to any kind of fun event with her anymore: drinks will do!). She was there with me at the TV show recording and she wanted to be close to the stage because there was a band that was going to perform. Once there, we were asked to dance and enjoy ourselves in an obvious way. She moved a bit, just to keep her right to be that close to the stage. I was dancing, having fun, thinking I was like an actress or something and when I turned to her…She was looking completely stoic…Shockingly let down by a friend! 

-       The “I am there and I will shake every single one of my limbs”

Danger ahead! Most commonly found in parties and gigs, he’s a very dangerous specimen. He kicks the air with his feet and legs, throws his fists and arms all over the place and wobbles his head around. He’s so into it that he won’t notice how close he is to others and how threatening his dance moves are.

He can also be found in cinema theatres: he’s that annoying guy who’ll kick into your seat for two hours, no matter how many time you’ll turn around to severely look at him...

Miss DiversiT

PRETTY MUSICAL DREAMS IN CAMDEN

7 pm, Thursday 6^th of June 2013, The Barfly, Camden, London, the UK.

A small crowd is gathered; young and old, Londoners or foreigners; they are all here to celebrate the launch of Dave McPherson’s second solo album “Dreamoirs”.

Dave’s fans had to be a bit patient, though, to earn their prize in a very musical and pleasant way as they were offered to listen to two other artists: Hadleigh Ford and David Cavanagh (who came without his band “Anathema”).

Hadleigh Ford was a real treat and a great discovery. He had the tough job of breaking the ice and warming up a rather distracted audience. He started by telling us about Dave being his best man at his wedding and how their friendship was one of a kind. He then sang “Sounds like a Sunday” which caught the attention of the whole room. He got us all tangled with “My own worst enemy” and “Butterfly”. But it was really “My Biology” that left a mark in people’s mind: it is well written, catchy and the lyrics, which may appear light, hold a delightful second degree.

After assuring us that he would be “the drunk guy clapping and shouting at Dave in the corner of the room”, Hadleigh left the stage to Danny Cavanagh. He gave us an impressive reprise of the Pink Floyd’s famous track “Another Brick in the Wall”. The audience could not help but be impressed by the fantastic guitar solo of “Deep”. After a cover of “Big Love”, a song from the well-known rock band Fleetwood Mac, Cavanagh ended his performance with “Untouchable” getting us to sing and clap in time with him in some sort of warming up communion.

Then started what seemed to be a long waiting. The room was buzzing, the last spaces available filling in, the crowd slightly pushing to get closer to the stage, the Star Wars’ theme building even more the anticipation. At 9:30, casually arriving on the James Bond’s theme – “That wasn’t planned!” chuckled Dave – the InMe’s front man made his appearance! What I should let you know by now, and to give you a good idea of the atmosphere in the Barfly is that there was a drunk guy, randomly shouting. It was funny but could have become annoying if McPherson did not play the game.

After a great start to the gig with “Snowball”, a very rocky and touching ballad that satisfied the hungry audience’s appetite, our drunken friend started yelling again. Dave funnily complained about those “random noises” and our much-imbibed pal replicated “loud noises!” a reference to the comedy “The Anchorman” that made the whole room laughed warmly.

Ice broken, audience ravished and ready to give a great performance, McPherson accompanied by his band sang “Relics of Don Quichotte” and “Lady Luck”, one of my favourite songs from “Dreamoirs”. It goes about juggling between two different lives: being on tour and being home, being a much-acclaimed solo artist and a regular guy.

“Last year” is a song from Dave’s first solo album released in 2011, “The Hardship Diaries”. As a first solo record, it was mainly a break-up CD. Maybe that is why McPherson was a bit reluctant to play this song and we had to thank his band mates for pushing him to sing it again for us.

Wearing a colourful unicorn and rainbow t-shirt, InMe’s front man introduced his next song “Winter: Hibernation” by telling us it is about how he likes travelling, exploring new places, going to the beach, the countryside and walking in fields, adding that, because he doesn’t have a dog, he probably looks like a killer in the project.

Then came “The Wilderness” which is the first single of “Dreamoirs” that will be released soon. It is a very delicate ballad with a good rhythm and great drums. Definitely a good choice for a first single, if you ask me.

McPherson got us all dancing with “Before I even had you”, a song from his past solo record. He did bet that only ladies would move to this track but was wrong as we were all wobbling our heads, shifting weight from one leg to another in rhythm and shaking our behinds.

My ultimate favourite song from “Dreamoirs” was next! With some sort of counter time and very melodic changes, this tune definitely creates some sort of tsunami in my body. “Ambivert Melanconnoisseur” is about redemption and space travels, being some sort of musical U.F.O. And I suspect the author to be really proud of its weirdness.

Speaking of favourites, Dave’s own little personal pet of this album is “I’m Possible”. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful, telling us how it is like to see someone you really love and care about making mistakes in their life.

At this point, the band left: we gave Mike Curtis – Bassist, as tiny as a smurf (just quoting McPherson here!) -, Simon Taylor – Drummer, thanked by Dave for sticking around for so many years, which is quite rare- and Gary Marlow – guitarist and back singer – a round of applause for giving us such a thrilling evening.

It was just Dave left on stage. He got the crowd singing with “Love Rats”, a song he described to us like this: “first verse is about a girl that cheats on a guy, second verse is on a guy that cheats on a girl and the chorus gets a bit mixed up, we don’t know who cheats oh who!”

Finally, as a goodbye gift, InMe’s front man offered us a reprise of the famous nineties rap, “Boom shake the room”. Can I say that this last song was hysterical? It was a very special experience, very funny yet impressive that got the audience tangled and in need of more. Sadly, it had to end!

To be honest, I didn’t know much about Dave McPherson before getting the album and going to his concert. But he got me in!

Listening to the album is a totally different experience than seeing him live. The record makes it more personal and let you pay more attention to the beautiful lyrics and their meaning while the live performance carries you away with a more intense insight on the music itself. Dave McPherson is very laid-back and warm with his audience, talking about his life; giving away anecdotes and making the gig feel like an intimate reunion.

“Dreamoirs” is a very well dreamt and build album, giving food for thoughts, ballads for the heart, music to dance and many subjects to reflect on. Like a dream, this album will take you to unsuspected lands and to weird situations. You’ll wish you’d never wake up from “Dreamoirs”.

 Miss DiversiT

Do You Hear Miss DiversiT sing, singing a song of angry men

Hello lovelies,

Maybe you recognised the song and, therefore, know already what I'm going to sing about... Yes, you're right, my friend, I'll sing you a song about "Les Miserables"!

What you have to know, before paying £10 and buying your popcorn is that, they do sing. A lot. A hell of a lot! Every single sentence is sung. Every. Single. One!

Sorry about the emphasis. Understand me well: I LOVE musicals. I adore "Mamma Mia", "Hairspray", "Chicago" and even "High School Musical" (yes, all three of them)! But, this was too much!

A musical is a film when people talk and, then, suddenly, start singing about their feelings or their actions. Then, there's more talking and more singing. But there is some sort of balance between the blabla's and the lala's.

There is no such thing in "Les Mis". And, in all honesty, it gets quite boring after an hour. And the movie lasts 2 hours and a half...

When I got to the loo before hopping back on the tube to go home, I felt like singing: "Girls, I am peeing and the toilet paper is running looooow". I was mostly feeling a bit drunk from all the singing!

Anyways, when it comes to the cast, I have to say that Anne Hathaway blew my mind. She was amazing in the role of Fantine. Which I can quite relate to: she loses her job, has to send money to the people looking after her daughter so she sells everything she has (hair, teeth and, yes, her body). Ok, I'm not quite there yet. I don't even have a kid but still, times are hard, as hard as in "Les Mis"!

She goes to heaven quite fast; still, she delivered an amazing performance.

Hugh Jackman is great, playing Jean Val Jean. But, he's not the sexy, manly Wolverine. Which is not the point in this case. What I mean is that his physical transformation is overwhelming and a bit scary.

On the downside, I thought that Eddie Redmayne was a bit behind the others in terms of singing (remember that they sing all the time!): it felt like his voice was forced and that he was in pain whilst performing.

When it comes to songs, my mind caught two: the unforgetable - thanks to Susan Boyle - "I dreamed a dream" (song that I've promised myself to learn, just in case I have kids someday and they ask me why I look sad! Ha!) and "Do you hear the people sing?" because it's catchy and it makes me want to raise and rebel myself.

So, to conclude (and I would gladly sing it for you but I don't want you to go away forever, so I won't), it was a good film, with a great cast and a very effective scenery...but way too much singing; way too much! Now, you can't say you weren't warned ;-)

Miss DiversiT

Will you have a Bugg for Jake?

I heard about Jake Bugg just a couple of weeks ago. Story is: I had just gone to an Ed Sheeran concert and I was telling my friend how good it was and how I was impressed by how talented he was, despite his young age. She then told me about Jake, saying that he was just 18 and “talented as fuck” (just quoting her!).

Thing is, although I’m sure we all have a favourite musical genre, I think we should open our minds to any kind of music. I’m going to steal Morrissey’s answer when, during an interview, he was asked if he had a message for his fans: “Yes, don’t be a musical snob! Just because you like The Smiths music doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try listening to classical music or even heavy metal. The only way to build up your preferences is by listening to anything and everything. Don’t be narrow-minded and don’t listen to things just to be trendy. Hopefully you’ll remain loyal Smiths fans - but you’ll also gain a bit more musical knowledge”.

So, following these words of wisdom, I gave Jake a shot…

First, I wanted to find out more about him. It’s always good to have some background and it sometimes add more sense to the artist’s music. Jake Bugg is, indeed, 18 (or 19, there is no precise DOB given).

His interest in music blossomed when he was 12: he heard a song on “The Simpson’s” and started learning the guitar – I don’t know about you, but this kid is already growing on me! - He also began writing lyrics and developing his singing. He is British, from Nottingham to be precise. His career started when he was chosen by the BBC to perform at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. At only 17, he sang in front of the crowd as an “Introducing stage” act. And that is how he was discovered and signed by Mercury. His first eponym album was released just two weeks ago.

Now, I feel like I know enough about this enigmatic singer/songwriter/musician to actually listen to his album. His songs definitely are from another era: it seems like he is some sort of reincarnation of Bob Dylan! His voice is deep and warm and his music sounds like it’s been recorded 45 years ago…

I have a few favourites though: “Two Fingers” is a very catchy tune with a Sixties feeling. “Broken” makes me think of a sad love song; it’s quiet and a bit depressing (not too high on a scale from “Apologise” by One Republic to Adele’s “Someone like you”). Then, there is “Note To Self”, which is just amazing: very catchy, great lyrics and, again, that Sixties vibe. “Seen it All” is more of a rock and roll song, with fantastic drumming and a very-easily-stuck-in-your-head chorus. Finally, I’ll mention “Someone Told Me” because it’s exactly the kind of song I adore: it gives me that warm feeling in my belly and that sort of overwhelming emotional wave (does that make sense to you as well?!).

In the end, I’m really glad I got to listen to Jake Bugg’s “Jake Bugg”. His music has a Sixties vibe, his voice is incredibly deep for an 18 year old lad and the lyrics are very good, just like Jake had lived ten other lives before this one! He is a true artist who gives himself totally into his music. If you’re just a tad bit curious, go and listen to his album!

Finally, if I had to resume this record with one sentence, I’d say that it makes me want to book a flight to California and take a road trip all the way to New York. Hope you’ll get that same vibe!

Miss DiversiT

Miss DiversiT having a Calimero day

I guess you all know Calimero, that little black chicken wearing a broken egg shell as a hat and who keeps saying "That is so unfair" in a tiny voice.

Well, I'm having a Calimero day. I had a conversation about work with a friend a few days ago. I'm still haunted by the story she told me: she has two master's degrees and got offered a three months job as an exhibition watcher (you know, those poor people who are in the rooms of an exhibition and make sure you don't put your dirty fingers on the paintings; those people who might just die out of boredom!). Cherry on top of the scandalous cake, the lady from the museum said she read her CV with a great attention...

And then, you know, I thought about me...I have a master's degree in journalism. I got out of school five years ago (what? five? already? I thought it was just two!) and never got to work as a journalist! If it weren’t for that blog, I wouldn't be writing at all...

Still, I have worked as an administrative assistant and, now, I feel stuck in that kind of job because that's the only real professional experience that I have. And that's where I'm saying: "It is so unfair"!

Because, I was told when I was little that having a diploma would allow me to have a good job and, therefore, a decent and happy life!

Because, I want to be a journalist, not an administrative assistant, and I like people to consider that before telling me "ah, that's a shame you don't have any professional experience as a journalist". Still, I have a degree and a passion for this job...

Because, it feels like we're going to be the first generation to have a life worse than our parents'. The whole point is to have a better situation than your ancestors, to evolve towards a higher quality of life. But, I think I'll never have the chance to have a better life than my parents...

Because, I have no idea how to change this situation, how to make it better...

Because, I'm really worried about my future (and I'm taking immediate future, not like "far away" future).

For my friend, for me, for all of us who are struggling and who don't understand why their situation is so shitty and what they're doing wrong, I'm going to say: "That is so unfair"!

On that happy note, I'll leave you to your thoughts...

Miss DiversiT aka Miss Calimero