WE'RE SUPPORTING

London-based indie-prog group Klaxons take their name from the Greek word ‘to shriek’. We interviewed vocalist and keyboardist, Jamie Righton, and asked him why, unlike many of their contemporaries, none of them grew up to become great footballers: ‘Me and Simon are from Stratford-upon-Avon and the only famous footballer to ever come from there is Gary Barnett! Jamie’s from Bournemouth and there are even less from there. I was asked to play for the Tottenham Hotspur Legends and Celebrities team in a new Sky TV programme but it clashes with our US tour. Gutted’. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Man, Texas gets a bad wrap. What with Austin being the new hipster hangout, and Dallas attracting all the young Republicans, you’d think the State would cut a break. But no. These dolls are downright nasty. Fun, though, right? Read more

I spent the formative first six years of my life in Wellington, New Zealand, a beautiful windswept city framed by a magnificent harbour in one direction and a stunning collection of green, rolling hills in the other. It was here, on a return visit many years later and deep amongst the clipped accents and ruddy faces of the weather-beaten locals, that I stumbled upon the vast catalogue of the then Dunedin based record label Flying Nun. And what a roster of acts they housed — The Chills, The Bats, The Clean, Tall Dwarfs, The Verlaines, and my favourite guitar-pop band, Straitjacket Fits. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

I almost had a heart attack the first time I entered Published Art. And I’m not even an architecture and design nut. This place is the shiz. As the name of the store suggests, Published Art is art published in book form. Their spectacular array of art, design and architecture books will bring a tear to the eye of any admirer of beauty. For Published Art, less is more. They make sure that they only keep the latest titles in stock so that every single one of their gorgeous hardcover books can be viewed from any part of the store. Read more

WE'RE READING

Designer Haik Avanian has set up a website through which you can send an old sweater for his mom to reknit into a new item. Seeing as he only has one mom, not all orders can be filled, but you can keep trying.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

So much of the Baltimore scene seems geared towards day-glo-clad party people, so it’s nice that introspective, country-tinged folk is also well represented here in the form of Noble Lake, a Wye Oak-related project fronted by James Sarsgaard, who I hope won’t mind me calling the second coming of Townes Van Zandt.

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WE'RE WEARING

The original Lomography Sidekick bag has had a revamp. Though it still maintains its 2-in-1 design, it now houses a smaller section to comfortably hold compact cameras, and a larger compartment for all the other things you need. It also fits your laptops. Oh, and the exterior is made from 100% water-resistant TPE. Fun!