THE JOURNAL
February Issue 3
HAM & FRIENDS
NORSE
LIVE AT LEEDS
After the ‘All The Trimmings’ pop-up at Christmas, work has begun on getting Ham & Friends shipshape for a spring launch.
One of our favourite restaurants kickstarts a new era. We wish it well and are pleased to be alongside for the journey!
The eleventh festival sees Academy-sized bands playing intimate stages.
Live at Leeds
EDITOR'S NOTE Welcome to The Journal, an informed look at some interesting stories from our clients. Issue 3 focuses on Ham & Friends, Norse, Live at Leeds Festival and beer canning, plus we say hello to Opal Video
Design by Oslo Agency
Become a stockist hello@ilikepress.com
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Cover by Ben Bentley
HAM & FRIEND
COVER STORY: A POP-UP RE
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W
e’ve watched award-winning charcuterie bar Friends of Ham grow and flourish. Now we eagerly await the Spring opening of their latest venture and new concept, Ham & Friends. The festive pop up ‘All The Trimmings’ gave us a glimpse of what’s to come in the stunning space that they’ve snagged in the Grand Arcade. We saw lazy jazz afternoons, and workshops ranging from wreath making to macramé to our personal favourite, Winema – wine and cinema pairings!
We can expect more of the same when it launches officially with regular tasting events, classes, product samplings and supplier events throughout the year in the bar, retail space and private dining room. This all ties in beautifully with the Ham & Friends vision of enabling their customers to better understand where their food and drink comes from.
and drinks products which celebrate provenance and quality. The restaurant will serve an ever-changing menu using ingredients from their Food Hall alongside locally-sourced, seasonal supplies. It will also provide a new home for the Yorkshire Wine School and bring renowned local cheesemongers, George & Joseph, into the city centre. Spring can’t come soon enough!
The Ham & Friends Food Hall will stock a carefullyselected range of food
DS
hamandfriends.com @hamandfriends
EADY TO LAUNCH 3
NORSE
You have to admire the determination of a restaurant that announces that they’re not just planning on moving, but are going to make it happen by crowdfunding. That’s exactly what casual fine dining stars, Norse, are doing. As they say themselves,
“CROWDFUNDING CAN BE AN AMAZING WAY TO RAISE THE MONEY YOU NEED TO GET A PROJECT OFF THE GROUND BUT IT’S A NERVY PROCESS –
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Baltzersen’s in Harrogate but this means that chefs have to prep downstairs during the day before carrying the food and equipment up to the kitchen for service.
IT REALLY IS A CASE OF LAYING YOUR REPUTATION ON THE
The Kickstarter launched on Feb 5th and, fingers crossed, its success could see Norse in a new home by late Spring/ early Summer. A new space will allow them to serve lunch for the first time, and facilitate the development of new dishes.
LINE AND SEEING IF THE PEOPLE THAT UNDERSTAND YOU AND
Having sampled Norse’s stunning food at last year’s Leeds Indie Food (food which has already landed them in the Michelin and Good Food Guides), we’re wishing them all the luck with the Kickstarter, mostly because we want to eat there more often!
YOUR BUSINESS ARE WILLING TO BACK YOU WITH THEIR HARDEARNED CASH.”
norserestaurant.co.uk
Norse currently acts as an after-hours pop-up at the Scandi-inspired café
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L
"THIS NEXT FE
ooking for a festival to discover the very best in new musical acts? Live at Leeds is striving to take that mantle and become known for finding the next big stars first, as the North’s leading metropolitan new music festival.
ANNOUNCEMEN
INCLUDES SOM
HOTLY TIPPED
The award-winning Live at Leeds announced a host of new names for their 2017 festival at the end of January. Leading the THAT WE’VE SE announcement was BRIT’S Critic Choice Award winner & BBC Sound Of 2017 runner up Rag’n’Bone Man, whose astounding FROM STRENGT voice and soulful music are winning him countless fans and accolades. Joining the London soul singer is Southend alternative STRENGTH " rock quartet Nothing But Thieves, and Australian trio DMA’s who return to Live at Leeds after a huge performance at last year’s festival. Also announced are indie stars The Andy Smith, Head Booker for Live at L Hunna, folk-pop singer-songwriter turned full-fledged popstar Gabrielle Aplin and Temples, who will be “The reaction to the festival bill has b following up their beloved 2013 debut album ‘Sun this year, so we’re looking forward to Structures’ this year with the hotly anticipated - rest of the lineup out there. We annou ‘Volcano’ on Heavenly Recordings. week that Future Islands will open pro on the Friday, a show I personally can Live at Leeds has previously hosted the very best in and a great way to start the weekend new talent – five years ago, Ed Sheeran played in front festival announcement includes some of a crowd of only 100 people at Leeds’ Cockpit, and tipped artists that we’ve seen go from just three years ago Sam Smith played in the Holy strength over the last year or so, inclu Trinity Church. The festival was also the first place to Critics Winner Rag’n’Bone Man, The H feature Mumford & Sons, Clean Bandit, Bastille, The Grennan, Fickle Friends and DMA’s, to 1975 and Rudimental, before they all went on to top a few. the charts. Continuing this tradition, Live at Leeds has filled their roster with the most exciting new bands Established artists like Nothing But Th around, including the best of new music from Leeds, Gabrielle Aplin and Temples all return like the psychedelic madmen of FLING, Dead Naked it’s great to see some strong new loca Hippies with their ‘pretty but gritty’ post-punk and the breaking through. Centre Stage Winn riff-toting Furr. The Golden Age of TV and Dance to t and compilation artists Fling, Lamia, D They join the previously announced raucous punk duo Hippies & The Tiny Minds all have gre Slaves, Leeds’ adopted sons Wild Beasts, Australian We will be announcing our finale show psych-indie/dance band Jagwar Ma, London gloomor so ffor the Sunday, then we will com rockers White Lies, and indie-poppers Teleman. festival line-up towards the end of Feb Also playing are Leeds indie legends The Pigeon Detectives, Norwich-based psychedelic teenagers I’d say it’s our best bill since we starte Let’s Eat Grandma, and Brighton’s dark & shoe-gazey future stars further down the bill so m Black Honey and poppy The Magic Gang, amongst take a listen to the ones you may not many others. of yet.”
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ME REALLY
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LIVE AT LEEDS FESTIVAL
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been fantastic getting the unced last oceedings n’t wait to see d. This next e really hotlym strength to uding, Brits Hunna, Tom o name but
hieves, n and al bands ners Faux Pas, the Radio, Dead Naked eat potential. ws in a week mplete the bruary.
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INTRODUCIN OPAL T his month we take a closer look at the video production company Opal, set up in 2015 by Zoe East. Zoe has had a bright start and works closely with us across a range of different clients. We asked her a few questions to get under her skin and figure out if video was always in her blood. It was at a meeting between Zoe and Simon Fogal in early 2016 that a great friendship was formed, and the rest, as they say, is history. Zoe began working across most of the I Like Press clients, from the early days of Leeds Indie Food to the more recent Bundobust city videos and the very recent Norse Kickstarter video. “I don’t think I ever had much of a plan. I wanted
to be a firefighter at one point”. Zoe East could have been saving the people of Leeds - but now she aims to inspire people by capturing footage:
“I LOVE THE FACT THAT WHAT I DO CAPTURES SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NEVER HAVE SEEN, OR MIGHT NEVER SEE AGAIN, AND IT CAPTURES IT FOREVER 8
FOR PEOPLE
TO LOOK BACK ON.”
Zoe enjoys the research element of her work and getting to know the project: “I love documenting processes and watching something come to life. Speaking to an artist or maker about what they do and spending time with them learning about their process while filming with them is something I’ll always love. My favourite projects involve getting to know a client and building a relationship so I really understand the project and can create an ace video for them!”
Read More about Zoe East online – ilikepress.co.uk opalvideo.co.uk
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TRAVEL BLOG
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Top Left: City of Cake - LIF Credit: Mark Butler Bottom Left: Leeds Indie Food Credit: Jessie Leong Top Right: Pop Up and Play at LIF Credit: Tom Joy Bottom Right: Leeds Indie Food Credit: Tom Joy
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Bundobust Manchester
Bundobust Manchester
NEWS FUTURE TALES AND TRIBULATIONS
Cult Leeds record label Dance To The Radio is back with the return of their 4x12” vinyl compilation series, just in time for Record Store day. Look out for the first instalment featuring four Yorkshire artists – Dead Naked Hippies, Fling, Lamia and Tiny Minds.
Headrow House have updated their much loved and Instagrammed neon art by the talented Richard Wheater up on the roof terrace. Back last year they held a competition for suitable song lyrics to replace the iconic ‘…this one goes out to the one I love…’ and we’ve been dying to know what the winning lyrics were. Well now we do.
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You loved Friends of Ham's festive pop-up ‘All The Trimmings’, & so did we. Luckily for all of you cheese & wine lovers out there (& who isn't one, right?), Ham & Friends will be re-opening in Spring with the Yorkshire Wine School, & cheese maestros, George & Joseph, will be coming to the city centre to enjoy a permanent new home within Ham & Friends.
Leeds has won Purple Flag status which is pretty much the same as a beach winning a Blue Flag, except it's for being good at a night out. In particular, it’s for demonstrating an impressive range of entertainment, food, drink and culture between the hours of 5pm and 5am. We might need a night out in Leeds to celebrate this!
200 Degrees has arrived in Leeds. The Nottinghambased roasters set up after not being able to find their perfect coffee blend. They started blending their own, and now bring their caffeine & cake fix to town. What sets them apart though is their upstairs room, dedicated to tastings, classes and barista training. It doubles as a meeting space with its own dedicated barista.
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We’ve moved offices! Albeit only across the hall, we’ve swapped our wall view for one of the Leeds city skyline, and we now have space to grow (and breathe!). It’s all macramé plant holders and airy spaces – we’ve even treated ourselves to a new record player. You can expect plenty of sunset shots of Leeds when the grey skies finally go.
THE CRAFT CAN
B
eer cans have been going from strength to strength in the craft beer world, especially over the past year. We’ve been watching this all develop from the sidelines, both as keen beer geeks and whilst watching our clients go through the process. Cans make common sense from both an environmental point of view and a consumer one (though you could argue that those should be the same thing!) with cans being the fresher & more convenient way to enjoy that hoppy IPA. Plus, let’s not forget that, contrary to what to what everyone used to believe, your beer is going to keep better in a can as you don’t have the risk of light strike anymore. Small craft brewers are focusing on cans, and quicker than many of the larger breweries. Many of them are opting to use mobile canning
services and others, like Ilkley Brewery, are taking advantage of using the state-of-the-art canning lines already installed in other established bigger breweries, like Brewdog, and ‘cuckoo canning’ there. Luke Raven of Ilkley Brewery has written a fair bit on canning himself (head over to the Ilkley Brewery website to read his well-considered thoughts on this and more), and had this to say: “It’s been an exciting journey to get to this point. We have for a long time seen the benefits of cans, but wanted to ensure that every step of the process was done right. From a sales point of view there are more and more opportunities for cans, where an expensive draught install, or just the safety aspect of glass means doors would otherwise be closed. Cans open that door: beers in the park, at a gig venue, train beers. We are focused on quality
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too, and knew that
IF WE WERE GOING TO PUT OUR GREAT BEER IN CANS, IT HAD TO BE USING THE BEST EQUIPMENT & TECHNIQUES, & IN THE BEST LOOKING CAN WE COULD IMAGINE. Grab one and see what the fuss is all about!” We hear that in the USA, craft breweries will now opt to install canning lines rather than investing in a bottling line, which considering the changing perception of cans is pretty much a no brainer.
N (R)EVOLUTION Bottles are still currently outselling cans, but the percentage of can sales has continued to rise and shows no sign of stopping. The interesting thing here is that the increase of can sales isn’t at the cost of bottle sales, but instead is simply because the increase in craft can sales has been faster than the increase in bottle sales.
excitement you had when you first peeled back a Northern Monk Patrons can label. Make no mistake, it’s what inside that really counts but we’ve been watching the craft canning evolution turn into a revolution and taking notes.
Furthermore, we’re now seeing the move of bars like Leeds party favourites, Mojo, to no longer selling bottled beer, moving exclusively to cans, citing both customer safety and ease of storage as crucial reasons not far from Luke’s, from a brewery point of view, too. Cans are much easier to stack, leading to lower transport costs for the breweries and more efficient use of space in bars. We selfishly hope this means bigger ranges of craft beer in these bars! From a marketer’s point of view, it’s also worth noting that there’s more prime real estate on a can versus a bottle. Just think of the
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MUSIC THIS SOME MUSIC RELEASES
Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Team Picture - Back To Bay Six Leeds singles club Come Play With Me’s latest single features this track by Team Picture and looks set to continue the precedent it has set of highlighting the awesome diversity of great music coming out of the area.
Morta Skuld - Wounds Deeper Than Time Reinvigorated US death metal maestros Morta Skuld return with Wounds Deeper Than Time, their first full-length release since the Surface album in 1997 on Peaceville Records.
COME PLAY WITH ME
TEAM PICTURE CPWM006
A limited edition picture disc vinyl of Darkthrone's classic 'A Blaze in the Northern Sky' released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of both the band and the Peaceville label. Featuring one of the most iconic cover album covers in black metal.
BACK TO BAY SIX
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MONTH Telepathy - Tempest Tempest is the long awaited sophomore full-length from U K instrumetal titans, Telepathy. Recorded, mixed and mastered at London’s Orgone Studios by lauded producer /engineer Jaime Gomez Arellano ( Ghost, Opeth, Paradise Lost, Altar of Plagues, Cathedral ).
Katatonia - The Great Cold
Post War Glamour Girls - Swan Songs
Distance The ten year anniversary reissue from Sweden’s much loved architects of dark progressive rock/ metal. They’ll also be touring the UK in May.
Third album from Leeds’ much loved post-punk quartet Post War Glamour Girls. Swan Songs is musically reminiscent of The Pixies and Wild Beasts, with vocals evocative of Nick Cave crossed with Mark E. Smith.
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YOU NEE
OUR MONTHLY TUMMY BURSTING TIPS ON WHAT TO EAT
Bahji Butty - Bundobust
Brunch – Ox Club
Say hello to your new favourite butty (yes, possibly even usurping the bacon variety). Simply replace smoke & grease with spice & crunch all wrapped up in a brioche bun. Get your chops around this one before it goes, as it’s one of the Bundobust seasonal specials.
Fluffy ricotta blueberry pancakes, K cauliflower shawarma or just a fry up next level, all served till 3pm on a we what makes Ox Club’s brunch menu perfect remedy for fixing the wrong or setting you up for the day.
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ED TO TASTE THIS
AT
Korean fried chicken, p but taken to the eekend – this is u a no-brainer and a gs of the night before
Everything – Norse Relaxed fine dining? Yes, we’re fans. Scandi influence with a focus on fresh, seasonal and local is enhanced by techniques like curing, pickling, fermenting and dehydrating. This allows chefs to capture and develop flavours that will have even the most jaded foodie coming back for more. Head for Harrogate for fun, flavour and innovation!
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YOU NEED TO THIS
INSIDER KNOWELDGE WITH O
GUEST TIPPLE PICKERS
Roosters Baby-Faced Assassin 6.1% ABV
Northern Monk Patrons Northern Tropics Passion Fruit Lassi IPA 7.4% A
In celebration of the Chinese Year Of The Rooster, we grabbed a can of this having heard a fair bit of buzz around this brew in particular & boy is it well deserved. The Citra hops hit you smack in the face with tropical juicy bitterness. Don’t let the drinkability fool you though, this IPA packs a punch. Eyes Brewing Bitter Weisse 4.5% ABV Look out for this new-to-Leeds microbrewery, the UK’s first & only wheat brewer. This is a best bitter with a - biscuity, malty backbone that balances beautifully against the bitterness. We’re looking forward to tasting what these lads brew next.
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Let’s first start with the can, featurin artwork by I Like Press favourite Dre Millward, plus it gets bonus points f being a tall boy – like all the patrons cans so far, the can is quite somethin Housed inside is a lactic, fruity, swee delight of an IPA. If you loved their mango lassi from way back in summ last year, you’re going to want to get this in you.
O DRINK
OUR
ABV
ng ew for s ng. et
mer t
Ilkley Brewery Lotus IPA 5.9% ABV & Alpha Beta Session IPA 4.5% ABV We feel like proud aunts and uncles now that Ilkley Brewery’s first cans are finally here. Sporting the updated new look from Ilkley Brewery, the cans are available as part of a very smart looking 12-pack. Both beers are absolute corkers, and we couldn’t be happier now that they’re in ever-so-handy can format after only being available in keg until now. Alpha Beta is big and bold with a hoppy American style. Lotus hits you with floral notes on the nose, and pairs very nicely with BBQ – which naturally has us all excited for summer.
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COLLABORA F riends of I Like Press, music promoters Super Friendz, and the people behind the Belgrave Music Hall wanted to celebrate the astounding array of talent in the North along with the rich partnerships that evolve when you put together creative minds that share a forward thinking vision. This thinking has manifested itself in the very exciting Collaborationz project.
How it will work is each month will see a new limited edition product launch, available for one month only, as a result of a pairing between two independents, with a new set of partnerships announced every quarter of 2017. The launch collaboration will be a 16 track mixtape as a result of working together with Leeds label Youth Club Sounds, showcasing a host of Leeds artists including Krrum, Caro, Duhlahli, Galaxians and more. Ben Lewis the Head Booker of Headrow House and Belgrave Music Hall says “Leeds has always had praise heaped on its guitar music, but right now there’s a really exciting scene coming up of producers, multi-instrumentalists and MCs. What
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we’re doing with this mixtape is wanting a light on some of these artists and the thinking, progressive music they’re mak teamed up with Youth Club Sounds to h the tape as they’ve been at the forefron Leeds’ nightlife in the last few months a really nurtured a stable of artists, many be found on this mix.”
After catching Ben’s eye (and ears), Rob of Youth Club Sounds was approached a part of the Collaborationz project. “Ha opportunity to work with Super Friendz immense, as they're always willing to co pushing the Leeds scene, facilitating sh cutting-edge musicians and giving loca stage to cut their teeth on. This release showing the city off, condensing the be new wave onto a nicely packaged casse
Look out for the next Collaborationz lin will feature partnerships from Alphabet and Welcome Skate Store.
ATIONZ
g to shine forwardking. We’ve help curate nt of pushing and have y of whom can
bbie Russell to become aving the z has been ommit to hows with al talent a is about est of Leeds ette tape."
ned up which t Brewing Co
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FOR THE DIA A SHORT GUIDE TO SOME MUST SEE THINGS
Cocktails In The City 6th & 7th April 2017 Leeds Town Hall Cocktails In The City, the nation’s leading cocktail event, is back for all things boozy & fun. Now entering their fifth year of shaking & stirring things up with
a whole host of pop-ups run by Leeds’ best bars, you can expect it to be a celebration of note. As well as this great mix of pioneering mixologists, the event will provide its guests with exciting and exclusive access to The Crypt, the Victorian Prison
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Cells and the Clock Tower, as well as more surprising and unique drinking experiences yet to be unveiled!
ARY Live at Leeds Festival 29th April 2017 Award-winning Live at Leeds’ line-up is stacking up to be one of the most exciting yet! We’ve been wowed by the response to the lineup announcements so far and there’s still more
to come! Live at Leeds have proved themselves to be the festival that has quite the ear for upcoming talent, so keep a look out for what's coming up and don't discount the names you aren't yet familiar with because if there's one thing we've learnt,
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it’s that you’ll be fans of them soon enough!
Leeds Indie Food 11th to 28th May 2017 Prepare for it to be even bigger & better than before! Everything is very tightly under wraps at the moment, but you can be sure it’ll be a flavour discovery and celebration of all things delicious. Now rumoured to be the UK’s third biggest food festival, you’re not going to want to miss out on it and if the past years are anything to go by, be ready to jump on those limited space events quickly!
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Ox Club
Something New