The Siren, Issue 12, Volume 24

College Tribune Entertainment Supplement 20.04.2011

Music

Beady Eye Live Review Page 2

fashion

Be Festival Fashion Fit Page 8

Fashion

Campus Style Examines UCD Fashion Page 7

ALternative Summer

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Music

The Siren 20.04.11

Beady Eye

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Olympia Theatre, April 14th/15th 2011 - Ciarán Leinster _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I went to this pair of Beady Eye gigs with extreme trepidation. While thinking the debut album (Different Gear, Still Speeding) from Liam Gallagher’s post-Oasis band was pretty decent, I wondered how well it would translate to a live setting like the Olympia. Would I be presented with just a cartoon cut-out of a previously great rock God, or had Gallagher reinvented himself beyond all recognition? The answer was neither.

Sure, it was all there; the swagger, the gruff “nice one” or “cheers” he barked out between songs, the iconic singing pose, the wanders near the front of the crowd during solos. But there was a difference about him too. He didn’t seem to possess the aimless, Wayne Rooneystyle aggression that was the hallmark of much of his time onstage with Noel. It’s probably fanciful to suggest he’s found inner peace now he doesn’t have his big brother onstage with him, but there was a defi nite change in attitude.

But enough of all the amateur psychology, now onto the important stuff: were the tunes any good? Well, surprisingly, the answer is yes. From start to fi nish, this was a blast of straight-up, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll. There was barely time to catch your breath between each song,

almost all of which were plucked from their only album to date. The exceptions were “Man of Misery”, dedicated to everyone wearing Liam’s clothing line, Pretty Green, and a cover of the World of Twist’s “Sons of Stage”.

They burst on stage surprisingly punctual both nights, after the crowd was assaulted with impressive support band Cheap Freaks, as well as classics by Primal Scream, Iggy Pop, the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, the Stone Roses, the Rolling Stones and more, were played on the P.A. Undoubtedly, they knew exactly what the crowd wanted. “Four Letter Word”, a song that sums up rock ‘n’ roll in just over four minutes, was the opener, and new single “Millionaire”, as well as “The Roller”.

“Beatles And Stones”, “Bring The Light”, “Standing On The Edge Of The Noise”, “Three Ring Circus” and “Wind

Up Dream” were other high points, epitomising Gallagher’s musical tastes, and attitudes.

I was fortunate enough to see Beady Eye on both nights at the Olympia, and, in all honesty, there was only one differ-

ence between the two shows: Gallagher claimed that the fi rst gig was the best he had ever done, an admission I highly expected to be repeated the second night.

He could have had a point about the

fi rst night in comparison to the second, because from where I was standing, way up the top, it did seem like people at the front on the fi rst night were far more, to quote from the Gallagher Brother’s Bible of Rock ‘n’ Roll, “madferit”.

When talking about Beady Eye, and maybe this isn’t entirely fair, one cannot help but compare them to Oasis. While their album is obviously nowhere near as good as Defi nitely Maybe or (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, the prospect of Beady Eye being a live draw to threaten Oasis is not as absurd as it may seem. Oasis spent the last ten years or more of their career as a stadium rock band, playing to massive venues, and hundreds of thousands of fans. Beady Eye are unlikely to ever achieve such heights, but huge stadia aren’t the best place to see an archetypal rock ‘n’ roll band. Smaller, sweaty venues, which are

closer and tighter are the natural habitat of bands like Beady Eye, and, arguably, Oasis. That’s why I’m glad I saw them in the Olympia, and not at any of the several festivals they’re playing this summer (including Oxegen). The most intriguing aspect of seeing Beady Eye was undoubtedly Gallagher’s voice. While he sounded superb on the album (mainly due to a different technique in singing he began to use, ironically after Oasis had fi nished), he is always capable of sounding like a live lawnmower with a cat stuck in it. Luckily, these were two of his better nights, as he growled his way through the likes of “Four Letter Word” and “Bring The Light”, and sweetly crooned his way through songs such as “For Anyone” and “Kill For A Dream”.

In all, spectators had two superb evenings. There were no frills, but instead it was straightforward, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll. If one complaint was to be made though, it was actually due to something that occurred (or rather, didn’t) before the band even came on. Recently, Gallagher claimed that listening to Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” gets him pumped before gigs. If only he could have shared that wonderful tune with the rest of us.

Primal Scream, Screamdelica

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Ciarán Leinster _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Primal Scream are, in many ways, the luckiest band there’s ever been. In February 1990, after two albums that charted poorly, Bobby Gillespie must have been wondering why he left the Jesus & Mary Chain, by then an established international band, to sing with Primal Scream.

To make things even worse, he then gave one of the song’s from their second, self-titled album, to journalist Andrew Weatherall to remix, and the rest is history. Weatherall remixed “I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have” into “Loaded”, which became a huge dance hit, and launched the band into the world of ecstasy and acid house. The culmination of this scene came in September 1991, with Screamdelica, the fi rst stone-cold classic of the 90s.

Although they have moved on from this sound since, and made many great and varying records, anything by the Scream will instantly be compared to Screamdelica. Such is its importance, that the band are currently on a world tour, playing the album in its entirety. The fact that they’re playing Glastonbury, Oxegen and many other festivals, highlights this album’s enduring quality and popularity.

Yet, for an album that is classed as a “dance” album, oddly enough, the most

well-known track is probably “Movin’ On Up”, produced by Jimmy Miller (of Rolling Stones) fame. An ode to ecstasy itself (“I was blind, no I can see/You made a believer out of me”), there’s a heavy gospel element to it, complete with backing choir. “Damaged”, a textbook Bobby Gillespie ballad, is the only other song not inextricably linked with the acid house music of the time.

But this album is all about the dance tunes. “Loaded” and “Come Together” are two lengthy, sprawling, brilliant songs, which, presumably, sound even better when you’re off your mash. They are the two songs which really defi ne this album, and, not coincidentally, they’re placed one after the other in the track-listing.

For such an archetypal frontman, the

diminished role that Gillespie has on Screamdelica is quite confusing. He forgoes singing on several tracks, with Denise Johnson guesting on, amongst others, “Don’t Fight It, Feel It”. This situation effectively confi nes Gillespie to the ‘Bez’ role during live performances, as he

mostly just gives the occasional whoop of “Aww yeaah!”, as well as expertly-timed

hand-claps.

This led Alan McGee, the owner of the band’s label, Creation Records, to insist on putting out “Higher Than The Sun” as a single in June 1991. Although probably the highlight of Screamdelica, “Higher Than The Sun” is patently not suited to being a single, and this was reflected in its chart performance; it came in at 40, a disappointment after “Loaded” and “Come Together” hit 16 and 26, respectively.

“Higher Than The Sun” is another ode to drugs, which is pretty clear when you consider the lyrics: “My brightest star’s my inner light, let it guide me/Experience and innocence bleed inside me/ Hallucinogens can open me or untie me... I’ve glimpsed, I have tasted, fantastical places/My soul’s

an oasis, higher than the sun”. Drugs, and in particular ecstasy, are the common theme to Screamdelica, to such an extent that this year the “NME” named it ‘The Druggiest Album Ever.’

Despite the very clear contemporary influence on the album, one of the highlights of Screamdelica is “Slip Inside This House”, a cover of a song by American 1960’s psychedelic band the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. However, it’s totally divorced from the original, even changing the chorus from “slip” to “trip inside this house”, yet another drug reference.

The last part of the record tales off, in a way, in that there are no stand-out singles, but it’s almost like the slow comedown after the massive high. “I’m Comin’ Down”, a re-work of “Higher Than The Sun”, and, fi nally, “Shine Like Stars”, give a mellow end to an album of ferocious energy and creativity.

Screamdelica was hailed as a masterpiece when released, winning the inaugural Mercury Music Prize in 1992 (in which famously, the band lost the £20,000 winners cheque before leaving the hotel), and reaching number eight in the charts, an impressive showing at the time for an indie band. 20 years on, the love for this album is still apparent, and rightfully so.

The Siren 20.04.11

Guillemots Walk The River Ciarán Leinster AAAAAAAccc Guillemots’ third album may be over two years in the making, but that doesn’t make it the overanticipated let-down it could well have been.

The fi rst hint of optimism came with the lead single, “The Basket.” A song that bristles with energy and excitement, and isn’t so pretentious to appal those who prefer rock ‘n’ roll, it is probably safe enough to also please cardigan-wearing indie fans also.

For a band once touted as having an exciting future, underlined by their 2006 Mercury Prize nomination, the Guillemots have gone about their business in a surprisingly quiet way. Despite slots supporting R.E.M, Morrissey, Snow Patrol, Damien Rice and Beck, their career has not fully taken off just yet. However, excitement has been building around Walk The River, and rightly so. This release could well see them return to the Top Ten, years after their last album, Red, peaked at number nine.

The title track is a mellow, pleasant song, which was released last month as a teaser to the album. However, it’s probably a bit too long, and not the catchiest choice of song to whet people’s appetites. A song such as the melancholic, if self-pitying, “I Don’t Feel Amazing Now” would have been far better suited to a prior release, as would stand-out track, “Vermillion”, a catchy, folksy song. But don’t be alarmed at the word “folksy” as this is nothing like Mumford & Sons.

It’s far better.

Music

Paul Simon So Beautiful or So What Sinéad Williams AAAAAAAAcc At nearly 70 years of age, Paul (but you can call him Al) Simon is still going strong. Most famous for his involvement in the duo Simon and Garfunkel, he has been making a name for himself in folk music since 1965. It’s been five years since his last release, “Surprise”, which got good, if not glowing, reviews from the music industry.

His latest offering, “So Beautiful or So What”, is his best work in 20 years according to the man himself. Simon’s twelfth studio album has been well received by critics, who seem to agree with the artist’s sentiments. Elvis Costello has praised it, saying that it “deserves to be recognized as among Paul Simon’s very fi nest achievements”. The album is a spiritual reflection on life, death and god, though the mood of the record never gets weighed down by these musings.

“Getting Ready for Christmas Day” juxtaposes Simon’s masterful lyrics with a recording of a sermon by Rev. J.M. Gates. The result is a curiously intriguing song. “The Afterlife” is a tongue-in-cheek look at life after death, in which the main character fi lls in a form to get into heaven and hits on a random girl while he’s waiting in line. “Amulet”, while a nice gentle melody, seems to be instrumental fi ller.

Simon picks up the tempo on the title track, reminding listeners “you know life is what you make of it/So beautiful or so what”. While none of the songs have the cross-generational appeal of “You Can Call Me Al”, “So Beautiful or So What” showcases Simon’s ability to combine storytelling with catchy melodies. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it won’t be dragging people to the dance floor in nightclubs anytime soon.

Jamie Woon Spirits

Loser Like Me Cast of Glee I thought it might be fun to actually listen to my fi rst ever “Glee” song, given that this is our last issue of the year.

How wrong was I? When I listened to this, I became amazed that Rebecca Black has come in for so much flack, while these guys have a hit TV show and have outsold the Beatles in America. Expect to like this if you’re a tasteless, grotesquely ugly 8-year-old girl.

Alice Gold Runaway Love Yet another female solo singer, I wasn’t expecting a whole lost from Alice Gold, but this is far more interesting than what many of Gold’s contemporaries are churning out these days. Sinister, yet sweet at the same time, this second single could herald the start of something very big.

The Streets OMG The Streets? Weren’t they (or is it just “him”) supposed to have fi nished. Not yet, apparently. This track, hopefully the last Streets single, just goes to show that Mike Skinner has hardly changed in the 7 years since his biggest hit, “Dry Your Eyes”. The only way you could tell that this wasn’t from any of his previous albums is the fact that this is about Facebook, and includes the gem of a line, “Now, if you look at my status, you’ll see I’m in a relationship too/ With you”. Good riddance.

Twenty Twenty Love to Life

Daniel Nolan AAAAAAAccc

Jamie Woon has entered the UK music scene on the same wave that brought James Blake to our prominence. Both artists have supposedly emerged from the dubstep genre, that began to move overground with Burial’s acclaimed albums from a few years back. It’s a little unfortunate for both Woon and Blake that they continue to be linked like this with their forerunners, as by now neither artist has all that much in common with their highly distinguished leaders in the music industry.

Woon has also had to deal with considerable hype in the wake of his inclusion in the BBC’s ‘Sounds of 2011’ list, as well as general media excitement. It is into this environment that his album Mirrorwriting has been released. The record displays an impressive ability to combine elements from several areas of music to craft what are essentially pop songs, rather than the kind of sonic experiments some press coverage might have lead us to believe. Woon’s vocals are clear and prominent throughout the album and there are a decent amount of well-crafted hooks and choruses placed in amongst the more esoteric work. ‘Spiral’,

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coming towards the end of the record, is a fi ne example of Woon’s knack for combining hooks with experimentation, and also of his ability to use space within the songs. ‘Spirits’ is equally impressive, matching an excellent vocal to a well-constructed musical backdrop.

However on certain tracks, such as the most middle-of-the road offering, ‘Lady Luck,’ he overcrowds them and leaves them sounding a little too pristine and lacking in heart. Second track ‘Street’ also misses its target a bit, and winds up sounding slightly bland. Woon is far better when delivering more focused, soulful efforts such as ‘Gravity,’ which takes a relatively basic template aided by one of Woon’s best lyrics to fashion one of the album’s key tracks. His vocal delivery is one of the album’s key elements, and the diversity displayed throughout is impressive. One of his fi nest vocals is one the album’s emotive closers, ‘Waterfront.’

There are versions of several of these tracks around the Internet featuring only Woon and his acoustic guitar, which underlines the albums key strength. While he tries, and often succeeds, in making something vital and original, he still makes sure to build most of these songs on strong and well-structured foundations that still work when stripped of everything but their central elements.

Twenty Twenty are yet boy band, complete with “the hair”, who think that by playing their instruments, they’re a credible band. So, basically, they’re Busted/McFly for the noughties. While this tune is pure drivel, there’s something about them that makes it hard for me to despise them as much as I’d like to. This shouldn’t be a problem in the future if they keep making muck like this.

Ke$ha Blow Sounding vaguely like a hybrid of 2 of my least favourite people in the world, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, even I was surprised just how much I disliked this tune. Vapid, awful, ear-bleedingly bad, with as much Auto-Tune to make Rebecca Black sound like Adele.

by Ciarán Leinster

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Music

The Siren 20.04.11

The Alternative Summer

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With Oxegen & Electric Picnic the regular destination for thousands, The Siren’s writers show that there’s more going on in for young Irish people in Europe than just these two highly priced festivals

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Primavera

London Feis

The Primavera Sound festival takes place over four from May 25th to 29th days in two Barcelona venues, Parc Del Forum and Poble Espanyol.

As well as that favourable setting, this year’s festival boasts an excellent line-up.

It was tempting, when starting this preview, to simply type out the entire line up of London Feis and leave it at that, satisfied that the interest of many readers of The Siren had been piqued. Picking up where organiser Vince Power’s ‘Finsbury Park Fleadh’ festivals left off in 2004, the same location will play host to this welcome addition to London’s summer festival schedule on the 18th and 19th of June.

Rather than camping, those going to the festival must book accommodation in the vicinity of the festival venues.

While this might seem inconvenient, to anyone who’s woken up hungover in a tent in a muddy field, it sounds pretty idyllic.

The line-up includes both established acts and up-and-coming young artists. The fi rst category includes such heavy hitters as Animal Collective, The National, Flaming Lips and Sufjan Stevens. Like a lot of festivals in mainland Europe, the festival’s line-up is also an interesting blend of acts from both sides of the Atlantic. Recent American revelations such as Fleet Foxes and Ariel Pink sit side-by-side with UK acts such as Belle & Sebastian and Gold Panda.

In terms of exciting new acts, the festival line-up includes acts such as James Blake, Avi Buff alo, Yuck and a host of other new acts that will be seeking to make an impression.

The recent trend of acts performing classic albums in their entirety is also continued by Mercury Rev and Echo and The Bunnymen, who will perform their albums ‘Deserter’s Songs’ and ‘Ocean Rain’ respectively.

One of the areas in which the festival may lack is in the alternative entertainment aside from the music. It has become common over recent years for festivals such as Electric Picnic to offer other forms of entertainment for those who want a break from live music. However, some festival purists may see this as an advantage.

Over all, considering its location and line-up, Primavera Sound looks likely to be one of the highlights of this year’s festival season.

Daniel Nolan

Describing itself as “Irish in fl avour, international in reach”, the inaugural festival boasts a startlingly high profi le list of acts, including The Cranberries, The Waterboys, The Gaslight Anthem, Thin Lizzy, The Undertones, Horslips, Christy Moore and Foy Vance to compliment the biggest and hittiest of headliners: Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.

To have assembled such a wide array of artists for a fi rst time festival is a startling achievement and testament to the work of Power and his team. With Hard Rock Calling, London’s fl agship summer festival, held a week later and still yet to announce large parts of its line-up, London Feis is shaping up to be an unexpected highlight of the South East’s calendar.

As with any festival held within city limits, there is a strict ban on camping and the site has to be cleared by 11PM each night. This means fi nding accommodation in one of the most expensive cities in Europe at the height of the summer tourist season which, combined with fl ights and the eye-watering ticket price of £120 (€136) for the single stage on both days means Feis is not for the light of pocket.

However, with the acts as good as they are, and a weekend in London to boot, the Feis is certainly a tempting alternative for those unenthused by the prospect of shelling out for bands like Coldplay and The Black Eyed Peas. With great transport links to Central London, the early end to the event can be an excuse to experience the vibrant, if overpriced, nightlife and if the opening acts don’t appeal then there’s hardly a shortage of diversions in the tourist saturated city centre. Weather in early June is usually warm and sunny but with no drowned camp-site to return to even Glastonbury-like monsoons should not dampen the mood of the fi rst of, hopefully, many instalments of London Feis.

Matt Costello

Sziget

Sziget is situated right in the heart of Budapest on a little island on the Danube. Ferries are offered by the festival to shuttle punters from downtown Budapest the short 20min cruise up the river to the festival.

Since its inception in the mid 90’s Sziget has become one of the biggest festivals in the world, Sziget 09 attracted 390,000 punters.

Old memories of mud treks around festival campsites of Ireland will slowly be erased and replaced by images of this sun drenched paradise.

Depending on the hour of the day the festival island can look either like the Garden of Eden or the last days of Rome. The festival was started as a European answer to the Burning Man Festival in Nevada, although has become more commercialised over the years but still retains some of that alternative vibe.

One you get to Budapest things are relatively cheap compared to Ireland,

The Siren 20.04.11

so you can eat and drink without breaking the bank. A cold pint on the island will set you back around €1.50.

The festival has a distinctly international feel, more than half of the festivals punters come from outside of Hungary.

The festival run party trains from all over the continent so you’re as likely to bump into French, Dutch of German punters as you are native Hungarians. The Hungarians are a great bunch of lads, friendly and ready to go mad once the festival rolls around, so make sure to mix with the locals.

As ever you will run into a bunch of Irish as well, probably while seeking shade from the early afternoon sun.

The action never stops over Sziget’s five night stand each summer. Acts vary from chart topping pop to heavy metal. The 2011 lineup is shaping up nicely with Pulp, The Chemical Brothers, The National, Kid Cudi and Bloody Beetroots all coming to the island.

Early bird 5 day camping tickets are available until April 30th at €170, going up to €200 from the start of May onwards.

Joseph Conroy

Music

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Forbidden Fruit Festival

Melt!

A newcomer on the Irish festival circuit, Dublin’s own Forbidden Fruit takes place on the 4/5th of June on the grounds of the Royal hospital, Kilmainham. The line-up boasts one of the fi nest and most eclectic of what the summer has to offer, with avant-garde cornerstones The Flaming Lips rubbing shoulders with Indie stalwarts Yo La Tengo as headliners, whereas those looking to put their dancing shoes on will be more than satisfied with Erol Alkan, Aeroplane and the continuously brilliant forward thinking dubstep/post-dubstep/whateveryou-want-to-call-it-step of Jamie XX. As far as homegrown has to offer, the best of Irish is to be put on show at Forbidden Fruit, Ham Sandwich and Jape being the more familiar names to Irish music fans, with Bipolar Empire and Kid Karate set to perform what will undoubtedly be one of their biggest gigs to date (save the latter’s Fade Street appearance of course).

Those looking for a more rounded cultural experience, a lá Electric Picnic, should look elsewhere however, this is a purely musical feast stripped of the camping site novelty. Instead it is designed purely for those with a musical taste that deviates sharply from the mainstream, there’ll be no sign of The Saturdays sharing the stage with Battles, you can be rest assured of that.

Early bird tickets have already sold out, such is the excitement surrounding this addition to the festival calendar, but day and weekend tickets come in at €49.50 and €90 respectively, a steal compared to your other, more high profi le options (Hey, save yourself another tenner and you’ll have another reason not to go to the UCD Ball).

If there is to be one major appearance that’ll draw in the crowds, it will be the godfather of modern electronic music, Richard James, aka Aphex Twin. I, for one, look forward to nothing more than listening to some mind bending electronica with a cold Bulmers™ in hand come the June bank holiday weekend.

Located a bit over 100km from Berlin, Melt! Is one of Europe’s hottest smaller festivals. The fi rst thing that will strike anyone who visits Melt! Is its location. The stages are constructed on the site of a museum for disused industrial equipment from the 20th century, used for everything from ship building to mining. The site looks amazing and provides a unique backdrop to the weekend’s music. At night the whole site is illuminated by a light and laser show. By day the site looks like something out of Waterworld, but by night it feels more like you’re lost on the set of Blade Runner.

Aonghus McGarry

The festival is a favorite for all der Berliner coole kids so there’s a nice vibe and some great people watching to be done. The lineup is indie meets electro, not dissimilar to Electric Picnics ethos but with more of a focus on electronics.

Music programs run from around 3 in the afternoon to about 8 in the morning which can be a real stamina tester because chances are there will be acts you’ll want to catch throughout the whole program.

The campsite is situated on a massive lake which is perfect for some afternoon abit’a r and r after a night of heavy beats. Last year afternoon temperatures hovered around the 30 mark for the whole festival.

This year’s lineup is looking tasty, it reads bit like a Pitchfork end of year best artist poll, on the electro side there’s Crystal Castles, Cut Copy, Nicholas Jaar, Boys Noize, Apparat and Rusko on the more indie and rock end of things there’s Beady Eye, Iron and Wine, Les Savy Fab, Noah and the Whale, Cold War Kids, Robyn, The Drums and the omnipresent Pulp. 3 day camping tickets are still on-sale for just €104.

Joseph Conroy

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Music

The Siren 20.04.11

UCD’s Top Model From behind the scenes of the search for UCD’S Next Top Model, Izabelle Balikoev observes For the contestants of UCD’s Top Model, it all began on September 11th 2010. The girls turned up in their masses, all hoping to get noticed and earn the coveted call-back. The competition was tough, and places to go through to the next stage of the competition were limited.

Over one hundred girls hoped for the best, but only ten pretty ladies got the privilege to enter further into the competition.

The rest of the competition consisted of three different photo shoots. The fi rst of which was a natural shot of the ten chosen fi nalists. To get their true, raw beauty the girls were stripped of all make-up and photographed au natural. I think everyone will agree with me when i say well done, that takes some confidence.

The second shoot was totally different. Our ten model hopefuls were dressed up in clothes from American Apparel and photographed around Trinity College Green.

I was lucky enough to be given an

all access view of their third and last photo shoot of the competition. This took place around the UCD grounds.

The theme for the photo shoot was Disney Princesses.

The models were transformed into our childhood favourites, such as Snow White, Tinkerbell and Jasmin.

These creations required a couple of hours in hair and make-up. After much hairspray, glitter, safety pins, crazy, gorgeous make-up and unique costume design , the princesses were escorted one by one to their locations on campus to take their photos.

The atmosphere behind the scenes, during the prep time was creative and fun. There was no rivalry or claws out. The team worked together so harmoniously to create their masterpieces. I was amazed at the beautiful creations.

It was inspiring to see that none of the people involved in this project are professionals, they are all U.C.D students from all different courses and walks of life. However the results

of their combined efforts looked fantastic, hopefully it translated to the photographs.

One of the models, Stella Temiraeva said “It was so exciting to participate in a competition like this! This will defi nitely be one of my memorable experiences from my time in U.C.D. The girls are all so lovely and gorgeous. I wish everyone the best of luck! ” All that’s left for them to do now is to wait. The agency “Rogue” will pick the winner and runner up of UCD’s Top Model from the ten fi nalists.

The winner will receive a one year contract with the agency and the runner up will receive half year contract.

The photographs swill be posted on the Fashion Society’s Facebook page in the next following week, so keep an eye out for them.

Best of luck to the contestants. May the best model win!

The Trend Everyone’s Going Bananas Over Kellie Nwaokorie tells us how to channel the fruit trend this summer

It might have started off with a mere charm on our bracelet, and then the acquisition of a cheeky graphic tee, but now our fruit fashion obsession is full-blown, and our browsers are strewn with enough cherries, bananas, apples, and pears to concoct a virtual fruit salad.

Fruit accessories and clothes are kitsch, without being obnoxiousjust the kind of vibe we’re feeling to complement our colorful springtime wardrobe. This trend bares a Club Tropicana feel - Fruity exotic prints and acid bright exotic colours bring the tropics home. This is ‘Hawaii Five O’ with luxury languid liquid-like fabrics of silk and satin.

Miuccia Prada and Stella McCartney were both inspired by the produce department for spring, but they stand on opposite sides of the aisle. Prada showed bold banana prints, while McCartney opted for a citrus mix: lemons, oranges, limes and grapefruit.

Closely allied to this trend, is the dominance of cork, raffia, tie dye, coloured beading, fringe and leather mixtures or trimmings.

Such fruit prints are particularly tricky to pull off. As a rule, wearing anything that could be described as “fun” is a bad idea. “Fun” is novelty

ties and slogan T-shirts. The closest fun ever gets to chic is Katy Perry, which isn’t very close. In fashion, “fun” is used primarily as a witheringly backhanded compliment. So when Stella McCartney put the fruit prints all over her collection, alarm bells started ringing.

An easy to way to channel the quirkiness of the fruit trend in a springfriendly way is to just delve into a veritable fruit bowl of inspiration – retro banana, orange, lemon and pineapple prints make the coolest fi nish to this spring’s dresses and short-sleeved shirts. But if you are cautious of looking like a fully blown fruitcake, be careful not to go overboard with prints, opt for one fruity item of clothing and then style it up with some fruity accessories. High street shops are honing in on this trend, especially the likes of Topshop, who currently stock an adorable range of fruit inspired jewellery. If you’re creative, try and make your own with Elle’s guide to making Prada style banana earrings online, saving you over a hundred and fi fty euro and plus they’ll be mistaken for Prada on a daily basis. For this trend, always think Pina Colada ambience in fabric print and you can’t go wrong!

The Siren 20.04.11

Fashion

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Courtney Loves Couture, But Not as Much as Me

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Marguerite Murphy discusses the beauty and ease of all eBay has to offer _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Previously, the smell of desperation has lingered through the D-Z list celebrities who have found themselves cashing in on their heyday, with costumes at extortionate rates on online auction sites a la Jordan, Lindsay Lohan, Tori Spelling, Oprah and Kim Kardashian. New to the mob is none other than Courtney Love.

Unabashed by her highly criticised style blog, ‘What Courtney Wore Today’, Love has created the slightly evasively named ‘Courtney Love Couture’ store on eBay. Alas, Love’s own creations are not up for bidding, but one lucky customer can expect a couture gown that the punk singer was once photographed in. The auction features pieces from Vivienne Westwood, Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs amongst others with prices starting from $200 for Louboutin pumps and highest selling item peaked at $3000 for a Gucci gown. The independent re-

ported that ‘around a third of the shop’s items hadn’t been bid on at all after three days of hitting the web’. Ouch.

But don’t let this put you off, eBay is a melting pot of vintage, retro and costume jewellery fi nds for purse friendly prices. Often people fi nd online shopping, and particularly auctions like

in my Ebay’. Make note of when the auction is ending, and nearing to the final hours, enter the highest amount you can bear to part with for these one of a kind brogues/sapphire brooch/Broderie Anglaise blouse. Then, it’s a case of letting the magic happen. On occasion you do lose out to a higher bidder, but

eBay, daunting- but it couldn’t be easier.

Once you have your account set up, start browsing the fashion categories, entering detailed descriptions of the items you want into the search bar. Found something you like? Check the price, including delivery, and hit ‘watch this item

the more you play around with eBay the better you can master your auctioning techniques and realise that the timing of your bid is essential.

One of the best things about eBay is that it allows access to small independent shops worldwide, and as sellers do

Campus

Emer Igbokwe (21) 3rd Arts (Classics/Philosophy) Favourite Shop: Wild Child Style Icon: Coco from ‘I Blame Coco’

not have to fork out the funds necessary for running a normal store, they are able to maintain a buyer friendly retail price all year round. Incidentally, you can fi nd a whole number of independent designers who are only able to sustain their creative hobby through eBay, meaning you get a one off creation in exchange for fund maintenance of an artistic pursuit. Stylish and conscientious, no?

Even better, eBay is the best way to make a quick buck, and it couldn’t be simpler. It’s granted that readers of this article are not Hollywood wannabes, so any ridicule is spared if you plan to sell your wardrobe (sorry Courtney). First, gather everything that just isn‘t being worn anymore, give it a sprucing with an iron, and fi nd a well lit room to hang the items against a wall to take snapshots of. Take one shot from the front, the back and then zoom to highlight specific

Style

Aylin Barry (20) 3rd Arts Favourite Shop: Topshop Style Icon: Cool Philosophy Students

detailing on the item you are selling.

Alternatively, get a friend drunk and convince them they’d make a great mannequin. Organization is key here, so ensure that you keep all items together and in the same sequence as the photos so you don’t get mixed up. Upload shots to eBay, enter item description, and give it a fair price. Insertion fees are tiny and occasionally non existent depending on the category the item fits into, so don’t be put off by them. Handy hint: start bidding low, as the price will be more likely to attract a number of bargain bidders who will have to wage a bid war against each other, raising the selling price for you.

Et voila, with your winter wardrobe shipped out to the far seas, there is plenty of room in there for those one off eBay treasures to bring in the Summer season.

Delish.

By Danny Lambert

Ronan O’Connor (21) 3rd Arts Favourite Shop: Lifestyle Sports Style Icon: Marlon Brando

8

Fashion

The Siren 20.04.11

B.F.F.F. (Be Festival Fashion Fit)

chic

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With the impending doom of exams upon us Aoifa Smyth attempts to avert your attention towards the joys of dressing for this summer’s music festivals ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Forbidden Fruit, Oxegen, Life Festival, Body and Soul, Electric Picnic; whatever your poison, poise yourself in style. Don’t let your festival dressing be a trial and error session, make sure you’re prepared before you embark on your weekend of fun, so you don’t end up miserable, while parting with money for over priced items down there.

Wellies; the functional footwear we love to hate. Skulls, stars, spots, stripes are all a no, to avoid looking like you just stepped out of a Pennies catalogue.

Go for classic green or black farmer style or Hunters, for some label lust.

Always bring spare plastic bags to cover over the tops of the Wellingtons at night time when they have to be left outside the tent, to deter creepy crawlies, rain water and tricksters. Hiking boots are a nice alternative to wellies and can look good with the right outfit, especially with some thick wool socks.

Avoid gladiator sandals at all costs, unless you’re headed for Benicassim or a Kate Moss wannabe, who desires wet tootsies.

The summer maxi should never be seen

gracing the muddy banks of any festival, as you’ll end up being trampled on and fed up. The festival is all about the mini: mini dresses, mini skirts or mini shorts, they’re a wonder when you’re dancing at the front row, getting sweaty to your favourite band. The beauty of these babies is that with the simple addition of tights or leggings, they can be worn day or night.

Pack one or two short dresses (in a material which doesn’t crease for compact storage), a pair of shorts (denim Levis are favourite), two blouses or t-shirts (preferably not white, for multi use), as many pairs of tights as you can get your grubby paws on, and the

crème de la crème; slipper socks! Plaid shirts, denim jackets and hoodies are all great for comfort and warmth, and can be layered up at the 5am rave in the forest. An absolute festival essential comes in the form of a pack-a-mac, rain proof jacket. It doesn’t matter how ugly they are, you’ll be glad of it at during the likely event of rain. Barbours are a nice functional, yet cool item- but will set you back a couple of hundred. Fur gillets or beaded jackets are a nice touch for adding glamour, but are weather permitting.

No festival outfit is complete, without a pair of sunglasses. Not only will they save

you from squinting while watching the bands, they might make the walk of shame the next morning that little bit easier, as you struggle to locate your tent. Forget your Jansport bag; bum-bags are all the rage. If your granny is using hers that weekend, look out in vintage shops for some cool 80’s ones. Otherwise a small cross-over bag is all you need for day time roaming, as it’ll fit under your rain jacket when it pours. Dramatic jewellery, such as big chains and earrings can be purchased cheaply from all high-street shops- plus that way you won’t loose sleep after parting with them to the abyss of mud. Head bands and flowers are a nice touch to dress up an outfit, not forgetting feathers for your hair- if you’re up for the all out festival look.

If you arrange all this adequately, prior to the festival, you’re guaranteed a more enjoyable weekend, without getting frazzled about being too cold, too warm or too under-dressed. Oh and don’t forget the gallon of hand sanitizer!

Fashion Gets Lively

Lady Gaga’s Horns With Gaga donning her horns on the pages of Harpar-Bazaar and while gracing the stage, soon enough they’ll be the latest accessory for a night out on the town.

Katy Perry for GHD David LaChapelle manages to get Ms. Perry-Brand out of those ridiculous PVC dresses for a day to shoot an alluring campaign for GHD.

Blogs No job or J1 planned for the summer? Why not join the ranks of Irish bloggers like the sister run blog: WhatWillIWearToday.ie and start creeping the streets of your village for the next style icons.

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Recognising the style of it-girl Blake Lively, Ashling O’Loughlin pays tribute to the American actress ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Blake Lively is not only the star of America’s hottest teen drama, Gossip Girl, but has also earned herself the status as one of the most influential style icons of our generation. At just 23, Lively’s image is constantly jumping out of magazines, with Anna Wintour describing her as one of her favourite cover girls. With her tall ‘clothes-horse’ figure, there is almost nothing that she can not wear and she has been known to wear looks straight off the runway.

Whether it’s a plunging Grecian gown, or a short mini dress, the Californian knows exactly what to wear to fl aunt her figure and take advantage of her height. Stepping out at the 2009 Angel Ball in New York, Blake looked both sophisticated and fresh in a short black Victoria Beckham number, matched simply with red lipstick. The actresses look always incorporates three factors; comfort, class and youthfulness.

What makes Lively so appealing as a style icon, is that whether she is dressing down in jeans or stepping out in Chanel, she holds herself with such grace and dignity. Her natural charm

and vibrant personality is reflected in what she wears. You won’t catch her stumbling out of nightclubs in her Jimmy Choos. Lively’s squeaky clean image and classy persona has attracted numerous designers to her, including Karl Lagerfeld, who cast her as the new face of the Mademoiselle handbag for Chanel. She describes her own fashion influences as being Audrey Hepburn and Sienna Miller; a combination of sophistication and bohemian youth.

Blake’s recent promotion of her new fi lm, ‘The Green Lantern,’ means we

have been seeing more of her then ever.

She appeared at the CinemaCon fi lm Achievement Awards in Caesers Palace, Las Vegas in not one, but two amazing dresses. Lively worked the carpet in a crimson Marchesa ballerina style dress; striking and unique, she completed the

look with an elegant up do hairstyle.

Later on, the actress emerged in a spring time infused, stunning white D&G dress, with long flowing tresses of her trademark blonde hair.

But it’s not all fi lm premieres and ball gowns. Owning over 50 pairs of jeans, Ms. Lively is known for pulling off the casual look like nobody else. The American themes her denims with striped blazers and silk waistcoats to sharpen her look. A self confessed shopaholic, designer riding boots and huge Chanel handbags are often her accessories of choice in order to smarten up a pair of jeans. Her classy dress sense has clearly been influenced by her role as socialite Serena on Gossip Girl, and this Californian beach babe is now looking every inch the New York It girl.

Lively’s age is questionable when referring to her as a style icon, and many will accuse her of being too young to deserve such a title. But age is only a number, and one that doesn’t count when you are down right fashionable. After all, there aren’t many girls who have had Christian Louboutin name a high heel after them.

Ugg Boots How many times do these monstrosities have to appear on lists like this?

Evidently one more time since UCD students including some men are still sporting them even in the hot weather.

Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister With A&F opening across the road from Trinity and Hollister setting up shop in Dundrum, by next September UCD will be even more awash with faux valley girls than usual.

by Kieran Murphy