Free shipping on all orders over $50

430 King's Road

Memories of Zanzibar and the nights Iggy Pop and Johnny Thunders left their mark on Fulham

Just as the independent labels and self-published fanzines Paul Gorman chronicles built their own alternative economies outside the mainstream music industry, today's digital subcultures are experimenting with decentralised currencies that move value without banks or borders. Part of that wave has reached the world of sports and casino entertainment, where crypto-friendly wagering has found a particularly enthusiastic audience in Turkey under the name bitcoin bahis —a form of play that lets users stake and cash out with digital coins rather than conventional payment rails. Anyone tempted to try it should treat it strictly as entertainment, stake only money they can afford to lose, and first confirm the platform's licensing as well as the gambling rules in force in their own country.

As demonstrated by my recent post, the west London house of collector/gallerist Jonathan Ross became a hive for the art/boho/punk crowd flooding the capital in the  70s. Among the visitors were Johnny Thunders and Iggy Pop, who both left their marks in different ways. Just as the independent labels and self-published fanzines Paul Gorman chronicles […]

May 10, 2013
430 King's Road

London punk demi-monde Polaroids from Jonathan Ross: The return of Chrissie Hynde + Kate Simon with Tamasin Day-Lewis, Gina Louthan, Ruth Marten, Judy Nylon, Patti Palladin, Jon Savage and…John Betjeman

//All photos (c) Jonathan Ross// Here are more previously unpublished images from London’s punk demi-monde. Coincident to receiving Joe Stevens’ photograph of the pre-Pretenders Chrissie Hynde and photographer Kate Simon in Malcolm McLaren’s Sex Pistols Nude Boy shirts, collector/gallerist/Londoner Jonathan Ross supplied me with this fabulous selection of Polaroids taken at his west London house […]

May 8, 2013
London

The return of Kix: Fu Manchu by The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra ft Bitty McLean

Dave Robinson, one of the British music business’s towering figures, has sent me this lovely pop-reggae tune from Madness man Lee Thompson’s project. It’s great for this sunny Bank Holiday; Bitty McLean is on top vocal form. Fair takes me back to seeing Madness in their North London Invaders incarnation support a jazz-rock trio (!) […]

May 6, 2013
Art

Rescued from a skip on a rainy day in Manchester Square: May 68 print by Paul Wunderlich

//Hipgnosis fashion shoot for Club International, 1972// An antiques restorer friend has pointed out that the early 70s fashion shoot by design studio Hipgnosis I recently featured here calls to mind the preoccupations with the female form of the late German artist Paul Wunderlich. My friend – who wishes to remain anonymous – has offered […]

May 3, 2013
Design

Practical Styling: Previously unpublished photos of the shop of the 80s

These photographs from the archive of artist/set designer Simon Haynes convey the scope and ambition of the great 80s British independent retail outlet Practical Styling, operated by Paul Jones and Tommy Roberts on the ground floor and basement of London’s brutalist CentrePoint building.

April 30, 2013
Events

Talking fashion, style and Bowie at the V&A today

I’m making a presentation on Bowie’s visual style and in particular his relationship with clothing designers as part of the V&A’s Sound & Vision event today. Among those I’m referencing will be the theatrical costume designer Peter J. Hall, who was commissioned to create the stagewear for the 1983 Serious Moonlight tour. I wrote about […]

April 27, 2013
430 King's Road

Rough Kids badge for Kilburn And The High Road (sic)

As an addendum to my recent post about the staging of the very special late night London concert given by Ian Dury’s art-rock ensemble Kilburn & The High Roads in 1974, here’s the badge commissioned by manager the late Tommy Roberts to flag up the concurrent release of the group’s single Rough Kids. Then a […]

April 24, 2013