And here we are again in the middle of our week. So there ain’t no better time to showcase a little bit of America’s indiest girl band, WARPAINT. Spoil your ears with a listen to their widely acclaimed and favourited single, Undertow.
I had the pleasure of seeing WARPAINT live in Dublin when they toured here in May, 2011. In the small-ish, intimate venue that Tripod (RIP) provided, the four women mastered a dominant and gripping atmosphere which never faltered in holding the room throughout. At the time, it was unlike any other gig I’d ever been to. Between the overuse of stage smoke and a general quirky, hushed stage presence, WARPAINT certainly lived up to their admired live reputation. The whole performance felt like a trance. The guitar strokes were effortly majestic and the vocals were simply harmonious. I left wanting more.
2014 marks the ten year anniversary of WARPAINT. As well as their music, the girls are known for their unique and effortless style. None of the four are the typical LA glam that the media is saturated with. And because they’re not, it caused confusion for some poor fans. One actually posted a Yahoo question, ‘Which Warpaint member is a lesbian?’.
*facepalm*
But as bass player Jenny Lindberg explained, ‘I actually think overalls are really sexy on a girl, but I’m a bit of a tomboy. I like it when girls are more in touch with their boyish nature. It doesn’t mean you have to be a lesbian, or a dyke, or wanna be a boy. I just think it’s cool to be in touch with both sides.’
Well said Jenny! Plenty of depth to this group. Do yourself a favour and tune in.
After the bank holiday weekend just gone, this song seems perfectly appropriate. ‘Recover’ is this week’s tune choice from Scottish electronic band, CHVRCHES.
A relatively ‘new’ band, CHVRCHES formed back in 2011 and have since released 3 EPs and one studio album which reached number 9 in the UK charts. It’s hard to box this band into a genre. While the music has a synthetic electronic sound, it’s also quite folksy and mellow – a mix which has them rapidly conquering fans worldwide. Lead singer Lauren Mayberry is a petite and seemingly timid character, a stark contrast to the power and impact of the music they make. Along with fellow band members Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, they have managed to create a truly unique sound and songs that catch on after just one single play. The first time I heard ‘The Mother we Share’ I was in love after the first minute. I played that tune on repeat for a whole week.
Coming to you in your mid-week time of need, is this week’s selected tune from none other than Miley Cyrus. ‘FU’ is taken from her fourth studio album ‘BANGERZ’, and it is one hell of a belter. Get yourself riled up, think of something verrry angry, and blast this out yo speakers. It’s therapy, really.
Love her or loathe her, you can’t deny that Miley has taken the world by storm. Born into music thanks to her Achey Breaky father, Miley grew up in America’s country music haven of Nashville. Sure enough, she showcased her musical talent from a young age, and landed the famous acting/singing role of Hanna Montanta when she was just 14. Then followed 5 years of Disney, teen idol stardom. She sold out tours to teenie bopper fans. She had huge global musical success. She earned herself some serious cash. And then, she grew up. ‘OH HELLZ NO’, the world cried. She can’t do that! Hellz. No.
I remember the first controversy, if you will. That Annie Leibovitz photoshoot for Vanity Fair. A 15 year old Miley posed ‘topless’ with a big ole sheet covering pretty much everything but her back. I actually sigh at the memory of the kerfuffle it caused. Was it genuinely the content that caused the reaction? I mean the world had seen worse. John Lennon barely covered himself with a Yoko Ono and the world simply melted. Leibovitz later told Time magazine that Miley ‘was ready to take that picture. It’s just that her audience wasn’t ready’. True that Annie. The pictures caused a shit storm and undoubtedly sparked the beginning of Miley’s well documented transition to what we know her for today.
And what do we know her for today? Music? Acting? Alas, many people only know her for the media frenzy that enshrouds her life. At 21 years of age, Miley is living the best years of her life in constant media scrutiny. I recently saw pictures of her walking through a supposedly ‘private’ airport security check in casual travelling clothes. Media did not like that. ‘BREAKING NEWS: Miley wears oversized sweatpants while travelling.’ Say wuuuut?! The people who wear the exact same clothes, are judging her for not doing something different. I guarantee that if she strolled through that airport in Chanel couture, media would not like that either. ‘BREAKING NEWS: Miley overdresses for flight.’ There’s just no winning.
Miley brought her BANGERZ tour to Dublin this month, and I was probably more excited than half the teenagers there. When the album was released in October last year, I went straight onto iTunes and got myself a copy. Ain’t no shame. And I gotta say, there’s not a single track on there that I want to skip when it shuffles on. I can’t think of any other albums where the same applies. Even Yonce gets a skip when ‘Mine’ comes out to play. Ugh, nexxxxt. So knowing all the words, and loving every song, I was v happy about this concert. Now I’d seen the images of Miley groping herself on stage in thong bodysuits, dancing with a teeny tiny Britney Spears. I really thought I knew what to expect and then, BAM. Out she slides onto stage from a gigantic tongue. From then on I was enthrawlled. The whole concert (well, show really) lasted just over two hours, and she was bloody brilliant. We witnessed dancing bears, giant bed orgys, some serious twerking for 23, and a giant flying hotdog. ‘The louder you cheer, the higher I’ll go. And y’all know how high I like to get’. Yes Miley, thanks to several Instagram pics and a pretty controversial MTV awards acceptance speech in Amsterdam, we certainly do.
All I kept thinking during the night was, ‘good God I want to party with her.’ She just oozes the essence of a great time. And that’s exactly what she wants. She’s quite smart actually. In her interview with Rolling Stone last year, Cyrus explained, ‘I want to be the cool chick that everyone wants to be friends with. I want the people who
watch my shows or watch my videos to be like, “She looks like the most fun person to hang out with ever. I want to be that girl’s best friend. I want to party with her.”
Oh Miley, I adore you. Pun entirely intended.
Dig up the memory of your English class and sit yourself back in that desk. Look around you. Who’s the nerd? How about the idiot? I’m sure you remember that girl who kissed one person too many at the recent local disco? Yep. She’s the easy one. As the word itself means, a stereotype is an oversimplification of a particular type of person. All other attributes are hammered down to one simple, summed up description.
I was once asked why there were only three types of lesbians. No joke. My inquisitive acquaintance defined his three types to me; the butch, the femme and the inbetween. He then went on to try and explain his justification of coming to this conclusion. In his three decades of experience, he was almost amused at how all lesbians and gay men fitted one of the pre-defined moulds. It was as if he believed we had to choose which one to slot into when we all came out. Hmmm, I’m not a fan of dresses, so I’ll be a butch lesbian. Here’s your license, now on your way. Ugh, facepalm.
What my pal didn’t seem to understand, was when I turned his view around on him. Straight guys, I told him, are either jocks, stoners or geeks, right? Straight girls, I added, are either gold diggers, narcissists or nerds. ‘But – but – but I’m not any of them’, he proclaimed. I was overwhelmingly satisfied watching the enlightenment resonate over his face. No one fits entirely into a stereotype, so why are the LGBT community any different? Too often, a stiletto wearing lesbian arouses surprise among her straight peers. A professional gay rugby player doesn’t fit the usual mold. Oh, you drive a motorbike? Dyke.
There are spectrums. Great big spectrums. (Youtuber Ashley Mardell has done a vlog on them that you should check out). Basically, there are an infinite number of identities that people can relate to. Sorry to disappoint, but not everyone will fit your pre-determined idea of what an LGBT person should look/act like. Open your mind, I say! Hell, I’ll wear heels one day and chinos the next. I challenge you to try and stereotype me 😉
That luminous orange mesh tank top at the back of your drawer. Cut it up to avoid a marine disaster, and throw that hideous thing away.
The keffiyeh scarf. You had one. I had one. We all had one. Was yours white and black check? Mine too! This conversation ends here.
Striped arm…warmers? Once the staple clothing piece for a Pink or Paramore concert (they just GET me, you know?) these should now be removed from your arm and buried deep in your wardrobe until Halloween invites them out to play.
Your mood ring. Seriously?
The studded belt you wore every day, despite losing almost a stud a week. Let it go. Let it gooooo.
Your rainbow eyebrow piercing bar. Technically not a clothing item, but the importance of it’s removal is just that vital, we had to include it.
Scene Designs 