WE'RE SUPPORTING

Philip Hall studied illustration at Central Saint Martins, where he would often do very quick pictures in the space of minutes. Of his work, he says: ‘I work in a low tech way, which is when I realized that play within my work was very important to me. It’s often the catalyst for me, I find it inspiring, the possibility of what could be. More recently, I have started to do more detailed drawings, as I would like to sharpen my observation skills’. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

This is the mob scene that was outside the Ugg Boot store on Mercer Street, Soho, yesterday as I made my way through the harping hustle and flow of the downtown post-Christmas shopping crowds. And it’s a pretty familiar sight during winter in New York, with long queues invariably gathered along this stretch of road, waiting impatiently for their own little piece of Down Under warmth. Having never worn Ugg boots, I can’t attest for their ability to keep out the icy chill of a 3pm breeze. But surely the well worn feet of a stampede of New Yorkers can’t be wrong? Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Australian-born creative, Marc Newson, is considered to be one of the most influential designers of the past few decades. Having originally studied jewellery and sculpture at Sydney College of the Arts, ‘he started experimenting with furniture design as a student and, after graduating in 1984, was awarded a grant from the Australian Crafts Council, and staged an exhibition — featuring the Lockheed Lounge — at the Roslyn Oxley Gallery in Sydney’. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

No I don’t dance. But heck I was tempted the other night. I was at a Foo Fighters gig, deep amongst the sweat-ridden bowels of a 20,000 strong crowd, with a mind-blowing laser show flashing above me and a band on stage so in the zone it was mesmerising. Read more

WE'RE READING

DM Stith recently signed to Asthmatic Kitty, the same label as Sufjan Stevens, and has a new EP out this week titled Curtain Speech, featuring contributions from Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Rafter, Sebastian Krueger and the string quartet Osso. Think Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear meets Arthur Russell. We got the rundown from him on his eight favourite songs right now and he kicked off with The Shangri-Las’ Out In The Streets [listen below]: ‘1:22 – 1:43 is a miracle. I’ve never been so obsessed with twenty seconds of high-hat and high school girl shrieks: it’s a raging teenage fantasy that all the composition notebooks in all the lockers of 1965 couldn’t write better. That the singers have managed to preserve their naivety perfectly in this three minute song may be the reason I feel recording pop music is worthwhile’. Read the rest of DM Stith’s Secret Playlist.

I don’t care if Jimmy Hendrix was dragged kicking and screaming from where he lies, put through a torrid round of detox, and handed an invisible guitar – a Flying V carved out of the bones of Robert Johnson. It would still pale in comparison to this. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

They’re touring with Kimya Dawson; have Karen O and Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing on their record and have already been remixed by Brazilian powerhouse, CSS. And that’s not all. They are a two piece, and one of them is 11 and the other 13! They’re called Tiny Masters of Today. The Ramones would approve.