FRIENDS | Fly53

After another weekly rummage through our wealth of golden oldies from back in the day and we stumbled across this little beauty from Fly53 HQ.

We probably don’t need to explain whose in this one as it’s more than likely you’ve seen Ilirjana Alushaj around. Often described as a, ‘one girl revolution,’ not only is she a regular fashion blogger, she also runs her own magazine, record label and still finds the time to be a member of three (yes three) different bands (and we thought we were busy).

Beautiful, tall, commanding and powerful this woman is a striking Australian-raised, Brooklyn-based creative powerhouse who boasts the most exotic name in indie music. And hurr she is Rocking Fly53 threads (we’re calling our mothers to tell them we’ve made it).

To top it all off, take a peek at who took the photo.

Posted on: November 27, 2012

Maximo Park – The Thinking Man’s Band

Top 20 hits, Gold albums, sold out tours, and Mercury Prize nominations are all par for the course for Newcastle’s favourite sons Maxïmo Park. Now the band’s back to do it all over again with the release of their fourth album ‘The National Health.’

We met in a dark warehouse, echoing, empty, and vast. No frills which is fitting really, Maxïmo Park are smart cookies, thinkers, led by the thinker’s thinker, Paul Smith. Some folks like to dance, others to paint, Paul likes to think. He does it a lot. So I know that there are a set of floodgates waiting to open, that given the right stimulus Paul will burst out and fill the place with erudition. So we decide to make Paul wait a bit and direct the first question to Lukas…

How important are clothes to your on-stage personas?

Clothes, according to me, maketh the man.

I think that when you go on-stage they’re important, they’re part of putting on the persona that you have on-stage, because, lets be honest it’s not a normal place to be.

There’s so much you do on-stage you wouldn’t normally do, gestures and running about. When you’re there you’re trying to convey the energy and emotions of the songs to people who are a long way away. So what you wear is part of that. It helps you go into ‘show mode’ a little bit.

Check out the Full and exclusive interview in Fly53 Fanzine #13 available at selected retailers.

Posted on: November 25, 2012

When it comes to music theres not many brands out there that can rival our rich and extensive history of working with the most credible artists on the music scene (even if we do say so ourselves). Which is why, much like a proud father sharing photographs of his son we’re decided to share our Plethora of coolness with you, right here, every week.

This week, we didn’t have to look far to come across yet another exciting name we swapped clothes for free beats with back in the day. Recognise these faces?

Of course you do. LA born rock band – 30 Seconds to Mars aka Jared, Shannon, Tomo remain way up there on our list of favourite bands over the years and heres why.

Describing their vibe is a pretty hefty challenge purely because it’s so experimental and so diverse it almost needs a new category all of it’s own. Associated mostly with neo-prog, progressive metal and post-grunge, over the years the guys have also been known for including elements of emo, screamo, space rock and even synthrock into their music, earning them comparisons to the likes of Pink Floyd (who infamously influenced their work) and Tool (because of their use of philosophical lyrics in a variety of experimental music).

All round rockers, not only is their music utterly unique their really nice guys too which is always a bonus. Who wants to share a beer with a wanker right?

Posted on: November 22, 2012

We’re been rifling through the deep dark depths of our computer and look what we found: Brummy Indie Rock Band formed in 2001, The Twang rocking our threads back in the day.

Made up of Phil Etheridge, Jon Watkins, Martin Saunders, Stu Hartland and Matty Clinton, these guys first hit our radar back in March of 2007 with their debut single, “Wide Awake’ shortly followed by the album, ‘Love It When I Feel Like This’ reaching #3 in the UK charts.

Their second album, ‘Jewellery Quarter,’ iconically named after the area of Birmingham in which the band had finally settled was released two years later, produced by Neil Claxton and written (pretty randomly) half on the Isle Anglesey where the band shut themselves away in a private cottage, and half in Granada, Spain.

This year saw the release of their third album 10:20 with a new guitarist and drummer (after he stole over £10,000 of studio equipment – smooth) and a bucket load of fresh material.

Posted on: November 15, 2012

It’s fair to say that experimental multi genre music producer Steven Ellison aka Flying Lotus (or FlyLo if you’re into that new abbreviate every word craze – we aren’t) has musical talent running through his veins and is widely considered one of the most forward thinking producers in electronic music today.

Influenced by jazz, hip hop, electronica and classic warp artists like Aphex Twin and Autectre, Flying Lotus has a great passion for the weird, the warped and the wonderful which is demonstrated in his own musical productions. His sound provides a rich and intensely satisfying experience, which he describes as a “collage of mystical states, dreams, sleeps and lullabies.”

His first three albums were a beautiful fusion of his history of inspirations, and the fourth, ‘Until the Quiet’ released on the 1st of October, an even more complicated affair. An undulating, euphoric experience rushing you back and forth through the mind and emotions of its creator, his dreams, nightmares, addictions, fascinations, successes, fears and failures. It’s venerable, raw and intelligent but in being so is also enticing and excitingly open to interpretation.

Posted on: November 7, 2012

This week we’ve had a little riffle through the deep dark depths of our computers and amongst plethora of others we found this little beauty from back in the day.

Canadian Electronic Music duo MSTRKRFT formed in 2005 by Jesse Keeler and Al-P have not only had massive success as a partnership but have also been commissioned to remix songs with everyone from Kylie Minogue to Bloc Party to Wolfmother to Katy Perry and thats the just tip of the iceberg, the entire list is astonishingly impressive.

Check them our reppin’ our threads over a pint, naturally.

Posted on: October 25, 2012

If we told you his real name we’d have to kill you, but the chaos he causes, now that we have to spread the word about. This bundle of trouble has been throwing interview questions at some of the biggest names in music for some time now, and oddly enough his unique style seems to get them talking.

As a massive fan of Fly53 we sent a few tee’s his way to see what naughty tricks he might get up to in our threads, and needless to say we didn’t have to wait long…

This week he hooked up with none other than Foreign Beggars to slip some Gin and Juice down their throats and sing some questions their way in the only way he knows how.

It’s definitely had us giggling away this week at work and is well worth a look, we’re hooked. Check it out, right here, right now.

Posted on: October 17, 2012

This week we caught up with a long time friend of ours and fan of all things Fly53 Tom Bronowski.

An insanely talented photographer Tom first caught our eye after he spent the night with one of our favourite bands, Gallows at a gig they played in Warsaw this September. His amazing style of live shooting is captivating and in each of his photographs he manages to portray the energy of the performance. It’s like we’re right there, and we can’t quite believe he does this all as a hobby.

As massive fans of his work we decided to have a catch up, and swing a few questions his way. So here goes:

Who’s the coolest band/musician you’ve ever photographed and why?

Well ….. hard to say. As I’m not professional photographer, what I mean it’s not my daily job, actually it’s not my job at all, I choose bands/musicians I want to take photos of. My photo shooting offer is rejected very often, so I would say the coolest are those with attitude like ‘ sure, why not’ or ‘hell yeah, let’s do it’. And why? I really appreciate these few minutes we can hang out together.

If you could spend a day photographing anyone in the world who would it be?

Dave Grohl

Where do you look for inspiration for shoots?

Mostly in people I meet, the places I visit, the books I read and music I listen to.

Who would win in a fight between superman and batman?

As for a fight, I think Superman would win. Come on with all those laser eyes, X-ray vision, superhuman strength etc. What Batman has against that?

You’re invisible for the day – what do you do/ who do you photograph?

Don’t even want to think about it. Soooo many “bad” things could happen.

Heres the man himself repping our Fly53 Zastee Tee from our latest collection to drop. If you haven’t already get over to his website and check it out. We predict seriously big things to come.

www.tombronowski.com

Posted on: October 11, 2012

Truth or Dare, based on Winchester High Street has been named our regional retailer of the week this week. It is an independent urban store with the aim of ‘providing great quality, affordable and downright eye-popping clothing’. Only sourcing niche brands who have their finger on the pulse, Fly53 fits right in and is selling extremely well.

Recommended lunch spot is Cafe Monde. The atmosphere is cheerful and its a great place to be when the sun comes out, and not to mention does a fantastic breakfast. We will be sure to give it a try next time we’re over there.

Winchester has been recognised recently for most improved night out. Populated with a lot of pubs, you can’t really go wrong when out for a casual drink around these areas, The Hyde Tavern is a good choice. Enjoy.

Posted on: October 26, 2011