A.J. Holmes And The Hackney Empire
I joined A.J. Holmes & the Hackney Empire at the launch party for their debut album Wedding at the Victoria, Dalston on 26th January 2013. I have seen the band live a few times before and have always had a fantastic time. The first time I saw them I ended up doing the conga train around their stage at Hyde Park! This concert was no exception, the venue was completely packed and filled with a real party atmosphere.
As well as photographing the band onstage, I was also lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview singer/guitarist/songwriter A.J. Holmes, who was lively, articulate and really great company. We discussed filming their recent music video with Billy Bragg, the creative process, and what plans the Hackney Empire have for the near future.
How the band formed: I gave a CD of my music to the then booker of the Royal Festival Hall, Glenn Max, and I didn’t think anything more of it really, I just thought it was a bit of a long shot in a way, so I gave him a CD that I’d titled A.J Holmes & the Hackney Empire and didn’t hear anything back for 3 months…
…And then Glenn contacted me and said “I’ve got a gig for you with David Byrne! so bring the Hackney Empire”. Well there was no Hackney Empire at this point! So I had to quickly form a band. So within 1 week I had formed a band and it was great experience.
Performing: The funny thing is I never originally wanted to be a singer. I wanted to be a guitar player. That was where my passion was, but I could never find anyone to sing my songs the way I felt they should be sung. So I had to do it myself, it was by default. Then I learnt to really enjoy singing and I thought, right lets have some fun with it.
Songwriting: We have only recently begun to write together. When the band first formed our material was all my songs, but then the band progressed and now we write a little bit more organically…
…The guitarist, Martyn, might come up with a riff that might inspire me to write a song, or drummer, Gedman, might have some ideas for a drum pattern, so the band give me a lot of ideas now…
…The songwriting doesn’t really come out of jam sessions though, that doesn’t work for us. What seems to work is demos. We tend to make demos of our ideas, for example bass player Abi might send us a more or less fully formed musical idea or sketch, and I’ll process it and turn it into a song structure.
Highlights from 2012: It was a very productive year. We recorded our second album which we plan to release later this year. Another of the main highlights from 2012 was filming our music video for A13 Trunk Road To The Sea with Billy Bragg…
Working with Billy Bragg: We approached him to be in our music video for A13 Trunk Road To The Sea; I pretty much wrote him a begging letter! I know that people who are famous are extremely busy but he just managed to squeeze us in. I think that as we are both born in the same town in Barking, he had a bit of a soft spot for that. Also the fact that we’d covered one of his songs of course gave us a road in.
…It was a really pleasant experience {filming the video}. Billy Bragg was very civil & very authoritative. He was like an Uncle. He was very stern, but he had a great sense of humour. He was as I had expected him to be so he made us feel quite relaxed. I was quite nervous about working with him because I admire the guy so much.
Plans for 2013: Initially we are going to release a couple of singles. We are mixing the next album now and so we will trickle out a few singles and probably put out our second album by the end of the year. It’s all recorded so it’s just got to be produced and mixed. We’ve produced and mixed two tracks already with our friend EKO. We also want to do a tour to promote our Wedding album.
Next Album: We will play 2 new songs from our next album at this evenings gig to provide a sneak preview. I have a working title for the next album which is Soft Power. I don’t think the band know that yet though so that’s an exclusive!
Stage Outfits: I gave the initial idea to an amazing designer called Iman Ogoo. I gave her some reference points of pearly kings and Congolese Sapeurs, she created ideas from there. We all bought our own stage clothes and then Iman Ogoo put her designs on them.
A.J. Holmes & the Hackney Empire’s debut album can be purchased through itunes and their record label Moringa Music’s website: http://moringamusic.com/artist/aj-holmes-and-the-hackney-empire
Please check out A.J. Holmes & the Hackney Empire’s website: http://ajholmesandthehackneyempire.co.uk/
You can see the music video for A13 Trunk Road To The Sea (featuring Billy Bragg) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdXsm81FkBo
Many thanks for visiting my photoblog
Samantha x
Beside the Seaside
A Snowy Sunday at Ally Pally
Wrapped up in hat, gloves, scarf, wellies, and as many layers as I could possibly fit under my duvet-style coat, I braved the cold to visit a snow covered Alexandra Palace. I was not alone. The park was packed with people sledging and having snowball fights. Meanwhile the Ally Pally deers gathered together to watch all the snow fuelled mayhem. I hope you enjoy these wintery images from yesterday.
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| Transport difficulties for trains, planes & pedlow swans! |
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| … and dragons! |
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| The snow covered ice rink |
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| The Rose Garden at Winter Time |
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| Ooops! |
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| Alexandra Palace |
Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂
Samantha x
Beside the (Snowy) See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
An 80s Arcade Style Transformation for Truman Brewery, Brick Lane
During a freezing cold Saturday evening, I popped down to Brick Lane to visit Rough Trade Records, and was greeted by an array of 80’s arcade style props in the Truman Brewery! The pixellated installation, which was only there for the duration of 11-13 January, was created by the sculpture Aden Hynes to promote the Disney film Wreck-It Ralph. Sadly I didn’t have my camera with me! Ahhhhh! But I couldn’t resist snapping away on my phone anyway. Here are some of the images of Hynes sculptures, and also of the regular sights you can find at the Truman Brewary.
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
Winter Wonderland
If you are already missing Christmas here are some festive images from Winter Wonderland for you to take a peek at whilst tucking into your Boxing Day turkey sandwiches. If you are trying to recover from a fun but hectic Christmas time – or if like me you are unfortunately just trying to recover from the lurgy 😦 – please sit back, relax and meet the giant Santa, candy floss stalls, and fun fair rides of Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland. I hope you had a smashing Christmas Day, but if you are still craving more Christmas celebrations it’s not too late to pay Winter Wonderland a visit as it’s open till 6th Jan.
Many thanks for visiting my photoblog during 2012. I really do appreciate it. Wishing you a truly fantastic 2013 🙂
Samantha x
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
Christmas Shopping: Spitalfields Market & Independent Record Label Fair
Ahhh, the familiar panic of last minute Christmas shopping! If you’re bored of internet shopping & want to look for more original ideas for Christmas pressys then a market can be a perfect place to start. Especially if the market has an independent record label fair, so you can spoil yourself whilst browsing for gifts for others! 😉
I visited Spitalfields, London’s oldest market, to try to get a head start on my Christmas shopping as I am usually still dashing around on Christmas Eve. I can’t say what I left with as that may give away some surprises! But as Spitalfields has up to 110 stalls there was certainly no shortage of choice. Really great to see the independent record labels attracting so much attention there too. These are just some of the many sights and stalls that caught my eye.
For more information about Spitalfields Market please see: www.spitalfields.co.uk/markets
Many thanks for visiting my blog & happy Christmas shopping!
Samantha
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
St Mary’s Island: Chatham Maritime
Tug boats, yachts, spooky faces in the clouds and a huge rainbow – these were some of the sights that greeted me whilst strolling around St Mary’s Island at Chatham Marina. Situated on the River Medway, St Mary’s Island is a tranquil place to visit (so perfect for when you are trying to escape the general chaos of London life!) These are a few pictures I took during a sunny autumnal afternoon.
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| Somewhere under the rainbow |
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| The ‘Kent’ tug boat moored at St Mary’s Island |
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| Yachts in Chatham Maritime Marina |
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| The ‘Vic 96’ |
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| Kingsnorth Power Station viewed from St Mary’s Island |
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| The ‘Mariners’ Sculpture by Sam Holland |
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| The River Medway |
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| Oooo! A face in the clouds appears to be hovering above the boats! |
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| View of Port Werburgh from St Mary’s Island |
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| Medway Yacht Club at Upnor |
Cheers for taking the time to look at my blog
Samantha x
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
Field of Remembrance: Westminster Abbey
The Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey pays tribute to the brave Service men and women who have served in the Armed Forces since World War I. The first Field of Remembrance appeared in the grounds of the Abbey in November 1928. That year only two Remembrance Crosses were planted. The tradition has grown and this year an estimated 115,000 crosses were planted in 370 plots. Each plot represents different regiments in the Army, Air Force and Navy, and each cross carries a personal message to someone who lost his or her life in the Service of our country. The Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey is open until Sunday 18 November. Wear your poppy with pride and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Thank you for visiting my blog
Samantha x
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
Remember, Remember the 4th November: Richmond Fireworks
It’s no secret that I can’t stand Autumn and Winter time. Although both seasons are aesthetically beautiful, I really struggle with the lack of daylight and the bitterly cold temperatures, and consequently I spend most of the time looking forward to the start of Spring. Thankfully there are lots of events during this time that I absolutely love – otherwise I really would insist on hibernating! And firework night is definitely one of them (or firework ‘long weekend’ to be more precise!) Wrapped up in hat, gloves, scarf and boots, whilst carrying mulled wine in one hand and my camera in the other, I had a fantastic evening at the Richmond firework display on Sunday 4th November. Richmond Athletics Ground was the ideal venue for us all to enjoy some stunning fireworks and a colourful funfair. Here are some pictures of the firework night festivities.
Thanks for popping by
Samantha x
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
Music & Melodies in Muswell Hill: St James Church
As a Muswell Hillbilly & a music lover, I believe the monthly music concerts at St James Church to be a perfect way to spend a Saturday lunchtime. 🙂 Beautiful music, stunning setting, and its free! I highly recommend it. The quality of musicianship is excellent. Here are some photographs I took at yesterdays show.
For details about future concerts and events at St James Church please see: http://www.st-james.org.uk/major-events.php
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| A sunny Saturday lunchtime in Muswell Hill |
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| St James Church |
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| The quiet before the storm. Pre-show time |
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| First performer, organist Chris George |
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| The Wilton Quartet |
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| Performing Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op 18 No 1 |
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| Some Elvis tunes |
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| Emily Bleakley (vocals), Charlie Hulme (guitar), Amber Salladin (piano) |
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| Alan Cooper (baritone), Trine Pearse (soprano) |
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| Amber Salladin, pianist & Minister of Classical Music |
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| Take a bow |
Many thanks for visiting my photoblog
Samantha x
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
Punch & Judy and Piggery Jokery at the Canterbury Festival
There was a colourful start to the Canterbury Festival on 13th October with a Parade which celebrated 350 Years of Mr Punch. The parade was led by huge Punch and Judy characters and featured many other East Kent Giants as well as bands and other performers. In addition to the parade there were also pop up Punch & Judy stands and theatricalities from the Hand to Mouth Theatre Group with their Piggery Jokery show.
Canterbury is one of my favourite cities. I have many fond memories of studying art history at Kent University and it was great to visit Canterbury again. However, as well as catching some interesting performances whilst back in Kent I also caught the flu! 😦 Which is why this blog is a tad late. Still, just sorting the photographs from this exuberant day has made me feel a bit brighter 🙂
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| The happy family |
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| The Festival Parade marches through Canterbury High Street |
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| Mr Punch poses for the camera |
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| Hand to Mouth Theatre |
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| The Green Man |
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| The Piggery Jokery Show |
Described as “A whimsical perambulation through the seasons, touching on the circular nature of time, as told by the Green Man and his hurdy-gurdy playing Droning Crone and their troupe of rag-bag characters”.
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| Waiting for Punch to take to the stage |
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| Showtime |
For more information about the 350 years of Punch celebrations: http://www.thebiggrin350.com/Welcome.html
For further details about the Hand to Mouth Theatre Group: http://www.handtomouth.co.uk/
To see my previous blog about the 350 year Mr Punch celebrations at Covent Garden: http://besidetheseeside.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/happy-350th-birthday-mr-punch.html
Thank you for visiting my blog
Samantha x
Beside the See Side
All photographs © Samantha Edgley. All rights reserved
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