A Special Time Creative

Unlikely – photo challenge

The latest photo challenge of the Daily Post had the topic ‘unlikely’. Quite a broad and versatile topic. It is about something that happened even though it was not expected to happen. This made me think of a trip to Mount Snowdon which was wrapped in clouds when I arrived and didn’t seam to reveal a beautiful view. However, when I arrived at the peak the unexpected happened and the sky cleared. I had the most stunning, breath-taking and gorgeous view, even though it only lasted for a few minutes. It was definitively a special time!

CIMG0693x — Way up to the top of Mount Snowdon

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Lines – photo challenge

Last week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post had the topic ‘lines’, a very broad and versatile topic. There are so many ways in which lines can be captured. Whether they are crafted or form naturally, lines can be found anywhere. As I thought about the topic and what I could chose as pictures for the challenge, the first thing that came onto my mind was the cheese festival in Alkmaar, Netherlands. I remembered that I was always fascinated by the huge neatly lined cheese blogs that were weighted and carried in a traditional way as part of a tourist attraction. The next thing that came onto my mind was way more natural. I was looking at different pictures of flowers and saw their small veins which are the plants’ ‘pipe lines’ to get nourished. Finally, I thought of more through humans created architecture with columns which look like thick lines, connecting and supporting different parts of a building.

However, these are only three examples of many more possible ways to express ‘lines’. Nonetheless, it was a special time taking all the pictures, especially the experience at the cheese market 😉

la susi holland 1112x — Gouda in Alkmaar, Netherlands

CIMG4105x — Beautiful flowers with veins

IMG_8308x — Columns of the St. Paul’s Cathedral, England

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Flight Brigade (2)

A little while ago I went to see Flight Brigade for the second time.

The British indie rock band from London and Hertfordshire, mix grand orchestral sweeps and crunching anthemic guitars which creates an amazing atmospheric vibe and show influences of bands such as Arcade Fire or Of Monsters and Men, or other pop bands who refused to compromise their size for the sake of their sound.

Currently, the septet comprises Oliver Baines (guitar, vocals), his wife Miriam Baines (vocals, keys), her sister Dorry Macaulay (vocals, violin), Thomas Pink (guitar), Neil Blandford (drums), Tom Clay (bass) and Jonny Baker (keys). In 2015 Flight Brigade released their EP “Stealing Fire” (self-released) finished their first full-length album “Our Friends Our Enemies” in 2016 which was released via Rebel Cinema Records. The band wants to create music they love, addressing moving and emotional topics. Especially their mix between hard rough guitar sounds and the classical fragile violin makes every song sound different, as well as it creates a unique atmospheric vibe and a great ambience.

IMG_5619x — Flight Brigade enjoying the stage

IMG_5632x — Flight Brigade having fun on stage

The concert took place at the Borderline, a 300-capacity venue in London. Opening the doors around 7pm to a mixed but rather older audience. Nonetheless, it was a highly energetic crowd who sang and clapped along right from the beginning of Flight Brigade’s set.

First band on the stage was the British duo Sweet Billy Pilgrim who formed in 2003. Previously having been a trio, the band released four albums and two EP’s. However, currently only consisting of, Jana Carpenter (vocals) and Tim Elsenburg (guitar, vocals), the duo wrote a new album called ‘Wapentalk‘ which has a simpler sound and harmonic voices, as well as it has the purpose to bring people together. Even though it was a calm acoustic set, the audience connected with the lyrics and soft melodies which created a nice atmosphere.

With Flight Brigade entering the stage, the energy increased immediately. Their music was perfect for the venue and the crowd clapped and sung along. It felt as if the music was crawling from the stage and wrapping around every person in the room. Especially the violin and keys mixed with the guitars and drums created a special ambience. The set consisted mainly songs of their debut album, but also two new unreleased singles which caught the audience and animated them to sing along.

Both, the light show, and acoustic were on point. Having settle but colourful lights and smog suited the music and helped to create the vibey atmosphere to support the lyrics. I think this kind of music need the space to speak for itself. The people also seemed to relay enjoy it as they sung and clapped or danced along. Unfortunately, there haven’t been that many people but those who have been there seemed to have connected with the music.

All in all, everyone, including the bands and audience, seemed to enjoy the evening and had a special time. It was a great gig with vibey music and a lovely down to earth band who absolutely appreciated the support of their fans!

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Prolific – photo challenge

Last week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post was about something ‘prolific‘ – for me it is about something successful. The first things that came onto my mind were ‘U2’ and ‘Dublin’. Being such a successful band, having fans from all over the world traveling to their hometown to follow the footsteps of music history is definitively showing their success. One of the famous U2-tourist attractions are the Windmill Lane Recording Studios which have been opened in 1978 by producer and music engineer Brian Masterson. Fans from all over the world came to breath in the creative air surrounding the studios and covering the wall in colourful graffiti. However, the walls have been cleaned in 2016, taking all its charme and live away.

Nonetheless, I was lucky enough to get to this iconic venue before all the memories have been erased and it definitely was a special time. Even though, I was just standing in front of the building I felt the prolific vibe that must have been a great inspiration for many musicians of the modern age.

CIMG7397x — Graffiti covering the walls of the Windmill Lane Studios

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Holding Absence – Boston Music Room, London

Not so long ago I went to the Boston Music Room to see Holding Absence.

After a few changes in the past and their reformation in 2016, the melodic hardcore quintet from Cardiff (Wales) now comprises vocalist Lucas Woodland, drummer Ashley Green, bassist James Joseph, as well as the two guitarists Feisal El-Khazragi and Giorgio Cantarutti. So far, they released the four singles ‘Permanent’ (2017, Sharptone Records), ‘Dream Of Me’ (2017, Sharptone Records), ‘Penance’ (2017, Sharptone Records) and ‘Heaven Knows’ (2017, Sharptone Records), as well as their collaborative debut EP ‘This Is As One’ (2018, Sharptone Records) which they co-released together with Loathe. Musically, Holding Absence show influences of melodic hardcore with elements of post-hardcore, combined with post-rock atmospheric. A major element of their music are the emotional and deep carried through Lucas’s clean and roughly screamed vocals.

The sold-out 250-capacity venue, which was the iconic Boston Music Room in London where legendary post punk bands of the 80s and 90s started, opened the doors around 7.30 pm to a rather young but excited audience. First band on the stage was the British masked and anonymous melodic post-rock band Sleep Token who mix soulful strong vocals with melodic but heavy guitars and create a ghostlike ambience. Their sound was very unique and seemed to be from another world slowly crawling from the stage, filling the room just like fog starting to build a veil blocking someone’s sight and senses. So far, the band released two EP’s which are ‘One’ (2016, self-released) and ‘Two’ (2017, Basick Records). Unfortunately, there is no information about the band themselves to be found which makes them even more special and creates a mystic appearance. Nonetheless, the crowd really enjoyed their set and seemed to be excited about both the music and the visual show.

Following Sleep Token, Holding Absence entered the stage and the crowd was absolutely amazed. While Sleep Token created a very dark, emotive and melancholic but calm ambience, Holding Absence’s set was filled with loads of energy and emotions. The crowd went mental, jumped around, danced and screamed the lyrics of every song back to the band who was deeply honoured and humbled. Opening the set with ‘Permanent’, they continued with ‘Saint Cecilia’, ‘Perish’ (new, unrecorded), ‘Everything’, ‘Heaven Knows’, ‘Dream Of Me’ and finished off with ‘Penance’. They couldn’t thank the crowd enough and seemed to enjoy the show as much as their audience did. Sadly letting Holding Absence leave the stage, the crowd welcomed Loathe with the same level of energy as the had before.

Loathe, comprising vocalist Kadeem France, guitarist Eric Bickerstaffe, bassist Shayne Smith, drummer Sean Radcliffe and guitarist Connor Sweeney, is an in 2017 formed metalcore band from Liverpool (UK) who mix different genres such as progressive metal, nu-metal, experimental metal and metalcore. So far, they released an EP ‘Prepare Consume Proceed’ (2016, Sharptone Records), a full-length album titled ‘The Cold Sun’ (2017, Sharptone Records) and the co-released EP ‘This Is As One’ (2018, Sharptone Records) together with Holding Absence. Musically, they provide a complex sonic creation showing elements of post-punk, hardcore, deathcore, djent and heavy electronics, paired with hints of prog-rock. They are influenced by bands such as Korn, Deftones or Slipknot, and mix heavy guitars with mainly screamed vocals.

The energy they create on stage with their music and performance directly cached the crowd and was much appreciated. Everyone engaged and screamed along, run around in mosh pits and jumped, setting all the remaining energy free. Loathe played a good mix of both older and newer songs which was highly appreciated by their fanbase. At the end Kadeem jumped off the stage and joined the pit in the crowd.

Not only the performances of the bands and their artistic as well as musical skills were on point, but also the acoustic and tight show was provided pleasantly. The lights were kept quite dark and simple on a rather cold colour scheme which suited all three sets and created a dark, mystic as well as cosy vibe. Holding absence additionally used four incense stick which were installed in front of some mirrors at the back of the stage. The vocals and instruments were mixed well which increased the listening experience.

Overall, it was an amazing evening with three very talented upcoming artist who keep the scene alive. Both, the bands and the audience, had a lot of fun and a great time. The crowd was very energetic, jumping and moshing around, as well as there were a lot of crowd surfers which was highly appreciated by the bands who gave their best on stage. It was a special time for everyone and I am looking forward to hearing new music from all of the bands in the future.

Awakening – photo challenge

This week’s photo challenge is about ‘awakening’. With Spring around the corner, the world slowly begins to awake from hibernation and the flora starts to bloom again which is always exciting and a special time of the year 🙂

I love seeing how the world comes back to life after a long winter, listening to the lovely melodies of the birds and seeing the bright colours of the blooming flowers.

CIMG5769x — Christmas Rose (Helleborus Niger)

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Smile – photo challenge

Last week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post had the topic ‘smile’ 🙂

As I currently attended a guided street art tour with Shoreditch Street Art Tours I got some inspiration for the challenge seeing all these amazing pieces of art. With the information we got during the three and a half hours walk through the streets, I now look at things way differently and pay a lot more attention to very small details 😉 There are so many different art styles, trying to bring a message across or just display a gorgeous piece of art. It was a special time and a great experience with a friendly tour guide who had a huge breath of knowledge!

However, regarding the topic of the photo challenge, there are many different ways to smile. Some people smile to keep up their facade but are crying on the inside, others are smiling of joy, or a funny face makes someone else smile as well…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Forced smile – Wall with many different pieces of art by various artists.

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Rise / Set – photo challenge

Last week’s photo challenge covered one of my absolute favourite topics – ‘Sunset’ 🙂

Watching a day go by sitting at the beach with a lovely sunset is always a special time. No sunset looks the same in my opinion and it is just impressive seeing the big fire ball at the horizon vanish, turning the world into a black and dark bubble. Especially the burning orange and golden tones turn the nature in the most beautiful thing just before the blackness seams to burry everything underneath a dark velvety coat. Watching a sunset and seeing the colourful day turning into a dark and cold place has something fascinating. Everything looks different.

I absolutely love catching a sunset and taking the time to watch the sun vanish behind the horizon!

CIMG6714x — Sunset at the beach in Zeeland – Netherlands

CIMG6882x — Golden hour – Zeeland, Netherlands

CIMG6898x — Burning sky – Zeeland, Netherlands

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Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

Even though I know that Easter is a religious Christian tradition, I always wondered how colourful eggs rabbits and sweets became the main Easter symbols and traditions nowadays of the holiday, as well as what’s the story behind them.

Easter is traditionally the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The exact origins of the mystical mammal are still unclear. However, rabbits and eggs are an ancient symbol for fertility, birth and new life. Children place small baskets outside where the rabbit can hide some of the coloured eggs in them for the children to search for. The tradition of the coloured eggs can be dated back to the 13^th century as part of a pagan tradition and festival to celebrate spring. As it Easter Sunday further marks the end of the period of penance and fasting. Therefore, people were allowed to indulge again and eat all the food they restricted during the period before.

It is always interesting to see where traditions came from and how they developed over the years. Even though not everyone is celebrating Easter, and not everyone hast the same reasons for celebrating it, it is a special time of the year to gather with the family and to enjoy a relaxing weekend.

Unbenannt-1x — Easter Eggs in Covent Garden, London

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Favourite Place

I again run a little bit behind with last weeks photo challenge of the Daily Post, so apologies for that! Nonetheless, I still wanted to share it with you anyway, so here we go…

The topic for the challenge was ‘favourite place’ which instantly made me think of Camden in London 🙂 I absolutely love this place and it is definitely one of my favourites with lots of great memories and where I’ll always have a special time!

Camden is located in North-West London and was founded in 1965. Named after Charles Pratt, the first Earl of Camden in 1795, Camden Town offers a mix of markets, cuisines and live music venues. Having many of the legendary clubs, pubs and venues such as the KOKO, Electric Ballroom, Underworld or Camden Assembly, it is a hub for London’s alternative music scene. Different markets such as the Camden Lock and Stable market are located next to the Regent Canal and the railway system which was turned into a vivid and lively part of London. The area being the fourth most popular visitor attraction in London doesn’t only attract around 100.000 visitors and tourists per week but also serves as a home for stars such as Amy Winehouse. Beginning as a small crafts market in 1974, the market now turned into a complex labyrinth of open air stalls and shops, offering different culinary foods, crafts, jewellery, books, arts, second-hand articles and clothing.

It is a lovely place with all its diverse, cultural, vivid and colourful charm, as well as the alternative scene, and definitively is one of my favourite places to be along with Carnaby Street!

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