This week, we choose Subculture at Birmingham’s O2. The weekly residency is one of the biggest Rock and Alternative music nights in the country, playing everything from Lamb Of God to Whitesnake, drinks promo’s and usually some sort of female based nudity live on stage. If you have never been before, here are some ideas about what you could wear…

Ghost Dance Top

Supernature Tee

Like always,these are just suggestions…there are plenty of different combinations from our new Spring/Summer Collection….we advise anything with dark colors and skulls are a bonus…get on over to our Online Store today and check it out….

]]> http://www.fly53.com/weekend-style-guide-2/feed/ 0 http://www.fly53.com/ss10-future-sport/ http://www.fly53.com/ss10-future-sport/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:12 +0000 Matt Wurmli http://www.fly53.com/?p=5135 No…We aint talkin’ Bout ‘Tron’

Like we said, although Future Sport conjures up images of weird cult films like Tron or even Running Man (classic Arnie) the Future Sport that inspired items in our collection is a little different! As we all know, every sport has a certain look, and some of these have made the crossover into mainstream society, influencing fashion on a global scale.

FLY53 have identified traits from some of the biggest sporting and sports crossover looks, and these subtle references can be seen in our new Spring/Summer ‘10 campaign

Rump Steak Jacket

Bodywork Polo

The full Spring/Summer collection is now available at www.FLY53store.com where the Future Sport influence, as well as the others we have mentioned can be seen throughout the range. Get over to the Online Store today and get your fresh look for the Summer courtesy of FLY53.

This week, Four new releases to keep your ears open for….Gorillaz long awaited new album, another release from Jimi Hendrix (isn’t he dead?!), the experiment that is Broken Bells and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club..

Jimi Hendrix ‘Valleys Of Neptune’

Firstly, like our Cash review last week….lets get one thing straight from the start. Hendrix is a god…No question about it, a musical god and would show most of these so called ‘pop stars’ a thing or two about musicianship these days (keep ranting eh grandad!). This new album release worries us however…i mean how many more albums can a deceased rock god make?! Well the answer is no more…this is just a collection of studio warm ups and some covers…at best. There are no vocals present on some of the tracks which is disappointing to say the least, and many of these unreleased gems are just Hendrix toying with ideas….showing the reason why they were not released. This is a message (a pleading) to the Hendrix estate….please let him remain a legend and finally rest…(we would not be surprised if they dug up his skeleton and made it into a robot so it could perform for new distribution masters Sony!)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ‘Beat The Devils Tattoo’

Following mixed responses to their previous two outings, the band have attempted to return to the sound of their 2005 album Howl, in part by returning to the Philadelphia studio where Howl was recorded. The problem is, B.R.M.C seemed to be a very mixed up band….a good sound but with many different directions. The album is a muddle of all these different ideas, that doesn’t really work together. Tracks like Long Way Down and The Toll are completely out of place in a record that has songs such as Mama Taught Me Better. It’s true that good albums show an artists range, but why they didn’t show these with more songs like Sweet Feeling is where the confusion stems from…come back B.R.M.C all is forgiven.

Gorillaz ‘Plastic Beach’

Last week, Stylo was one of our must listen too tracks, in part due to the amazing video Albarn and co. came up with…so how about the rest of the album laden with guest appearances? This album is basically all over the shop…in the best way. From what could be confused as a straight hip-hop record on Welcome to the world of the Plastic Beach feat Snoop Dogg to the title track feat Mick Jones and Paul Simonon…the depth and range of this album is what sets it apart from anything else in the industry right now. It helps that the band is fronted by cartoon characters, which almost gives them an artistic license to transcend genres, especially on the strength and range of their debut album. This is an awesome album and everyone that likes their music eclectic should listen to it at least once.

Broken Bells ‘Broken Bells’

On paper, the debut album from partnership James Mercer from the Shins and producer Brian Burton aka Dangermouse should not work. Why should it, it is totally random. But somehow it manages to flip the bird to anyone who said ‘Whaaaa?’ when they heard it by delivering an album that can be described with one word. Layers. The production on this album is brilliant, and at no point does it sound like a Shins record with Dangermouse beats or vice versa. These two work well together, after planning on working together since 2004 there are already another 10 songs ready to rock for their next album..and we cant wait. Broken Bells are here to stay, and we can’t be happier about it!

We know the feeling all too well. The sun comes out, and all you want to do is get those white straws that hang from your shoulders into the sunlight, but there’s a problem. All your Tee’s are faded out from last Summer’s sunshine, and are just plain dated. Well cue the Superman theme tune, cause FLY53 are here to save the proverbial day…

This is a tiny selection of the graphic tee’s we have blessed you with this year, and even these pictured are available in more colors, so wether your skin resembles a ghost or a leather handbag, we are sure to have a color to make it work. The full collection is now ready to go at our Online Store, so visit WWW.FLY53STORE.COM today and pick out the graphic tee’s that are going to shape your summer season.

Great Britian, England, The U.K….no matter what you call our great nation, the fact remains that old blighty has a huge amount of history and therefore heritage. With the country diversifying more every day, its easy to forget the things that made this country great, and the fashion that went along with it!

Bush Fire Jacket

Die Cut Check Shirt

From our Aristocrats, dressed head to toe in tweed blasting away at grouse (Tally-ho!), to our scooter riding Mods on their way to Brighton for a battle with the Rockers, the history of our country has had certain looks that help define it. Our new Spring/Summer ‘10 collection draws many influences from some of the most iconic fashion trends of our heritage…

All of the different influences can be seen throughout our Spring/Summer ‘10 collection and will be featured in our blog….next week Future Sport.

Ooh La La! Bier Keller,Bristol, Sunday 14th

This week we choose the brand spanking new Ooh La La! night in Bristol. Its a 50’s Burlesque/shindig, so if you want to fit in…and have no clue.. Rockesque.here are some ideas!

Take this All Systems Go Long Sleeve Tee, Team it with these Sneaks Connor Wash Jeans, add a high turn up on the jeans, some high top Chuck Taylor’s,Ray Bans,  a quiff in your hair and you can call yourself Chad ’cause your rockin’ that fifties vibe all over…

If the world were a bee hive, Cassell would be a straight up worker bee…..no rest, just work 24/7 to achieve his goal. Since our first feature on one of the UK’s most talented but unknown musicians, Cassell has been flat out, working with Plan B, Akala, Bassistry and The Streets.

Where many musicians would rest following a UK and US tour, such as Cassell recently did with The Streets whose 5th studio album Computers & Blues is released soon (stay on point for tour details), The Beatmaker was straight back on the grind, and shows no sign of slowing down. Plan B’s single ‘Stay Too Long’ was top ten in the charts and his much anticipated album ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’ is released in April…all co-written by Cassell. This would be enough for most, but not this man. His work with AKALA on both his ‘Hip Hop Shakespeare’ project and album Double Think! are already creating a lot of hype, and affirm the depth of talent this musician possesses. Add this to the various other projects he has been working on such as producing funk/soul band Bassistry’s entire album and you start to get a picture of how hard some artists work.

His work with these artists will be supported by various appearances on the Summer festival circuit, by which time we are sure there will be a huge amount more that he will have accomplished….

Roll up, Roll up! Our weekly roundup of all things good in music from albums to singles rolls into town once again, with the audible treats that will have your ears salivating…

Albums..

Groove Armada ‘Black Light’

The new GA album seems to be dividing fans and critics alike, with most claiming there shall be no middle ground as a fan…you will either love it or hate it! One thing we can say, is that this album is genre defying, blurring the lines between dance, electro and indie more than ever heard before. The eleven new tracks take the listener on a wild ride that spans musical time zones and genres and leaves you a bit queasy, hence why some die hard GA fans may not like the change in formula. This may be backed up by the fact that there is not a single track on the album that is just Groove Armada, with each of the eleven tinged with influence from the featuring artists. For most, GA ‘See you baby, shakin that ass’ this album however is a quite serious and at times emotional album filled with vocals carrying serious messages…its great music, but is it GA?

Two Door Cinema Club ‘Tourist History’

The Northern Irish Boys are proving that sometimes the good guys do win…more likely to carry a bug to grassy safety than stomp it, their new album is commanding rave reviews…and we can see why. Tighter than a nuns….ill fitting shoe….their punchy, positive-outlook indie music is basically infectious. Opening track Cigarettes in the Theatre sets the pace for the whole album, from 1-10 the only thing that comes close to a softer,slower song drops early on, called Do You Want It All. The fact that this album maintains its pacing from start to end is a welcome change, and suggests that this band are not trying to cover all bases (such as the mandatory slow/almost ballad etc) and are playing the music they want too…which just happens to be incredibly upbeat. Its clear that their music makes them as happy as the listener will be by the end of their album…and with that kind of contagious optimism there is no way they can fail…

Ellie Goulding ‘Lights’ (Above is Not Album Artwork)

So..lets get this straight…Ellie Goulding won the BBC sound of 2010 poll over Marina and the Diamonds?? We knew this was the wrong decision at the time, and listening to both of their debut albums cemented our view that the immense hype around Ellie Goulding is not justified! Its true that both Ellie and Marina posses voices that you love or hate, with Goulding’s resembling a teen-pop American uber-brat, particularly on ballads (listen to cringey track ‘The Writer’ and its chorus….cue cheese induced vomit). The music is the complete opposite from an album such as TDCC’s (reviewed before this!) where it seems like all bases are trying to be covered for maximum success. It seems if someone has a different voice and teams it over some weird electro-synth driven pop they are then new female music saviour…I’m sure Janis Joplin will be spinning in her grave

Singles

Gorillaz-Stlyo

Mainly because of the video, which was officially released on March 1st and is fucking brilliant…Bruce Willis in a video that couples animation with real life and muscle cars…come on, Albarn your a genius. Granted it eclipses the music and is pretty much a soundtrack to an amazing video…but both together are awesome! Just when we were switching off from the song…Mos Def popped in with a blink-and-you’ll miss it rap, and it drew us right back in…..the new album promises to be interesting to say the least!

Foals-Spanish Sahara

To be honest, Foals have always been a band that have crept under the radar…their music wont be number one in the charts, but that is a good thing. This single, Spanish Sahara is epic, and beautiful….the opening guitar melody WILL draw you in and keep you there, building and building until the drums kick in..it is simply amazing.The track is inspired by Vocalist Yannis seeing a dead dog floating in the sea….well, as nice as that is, at least that dead dog inspired something as good as this single..

RJD2 IS GOD…or at least one of his albums would have you believe. He may not be an actual musical god (thats reserved for the likes of Hendrix, J Dilla etc) but he may not be that far off.

Ramble John Krohn,born in 1976, started as a DJ with turntables brought from a friend He claims his name originates from another friend who referred to him as “Rjd2″ in his raps, and the name stuck. Originally working the role of DJ in the Columbus rap group MHz, he later signed to Bobbito Garcia’s Fondle ‘Em label, releasing the self-proclaimed “mix CD” Your Face or Your Kneecaps. A year later he signed to El-P’s record label Definitive Jux and released his solo debut album Deadringer to much acclaim. Rjd2 later collaborated with Columbus rapper Blueprint under the name Soul Position, releasing Unlimited EP in 2002 and 8 Million Stories in 2003

Countless classic collaborations with prominent musicians such as Aceyalone, MF Doom, Cunninlynguists Radiohead and even the composition of the theme tune for hit TV series Mad Men have confirmed RJD2’s talent to those who didn’t know. After what many consider a slip up in the form of last album The Third Hand which saw RJ sing and play instruments on nearly every track (more of an experiment than a slip up in our opinion) his new album The Colossus is a return to the good ol’ days, with his usual hip-hop/funk feel the theme of the record. Tracks such as Games you can win remind you just how good this guy is, and the whole album is a testament to what he does best. The fact he has still managed to maintain his credibility with the hype and popularity he has gained is a testament to the fact that this guy is a straight up musician, in it for the right reasons, doing it his way, and making people get on board or get out the way. We can only salute that at FLY53