You really don’t want to miss this!

Believe.

I have been told and witnessed the truth in the flesh that Scouting For Girls’ have a new single ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’. The single is out on 29 March, just ahead of their new album ‘Everybody Wants to Be On TV’ on 12 April. BOOYA.

If that isn’t enough the guys have also made a series of Scouting for Girls TV ‘webisodes’, where Roy, Greg and Pete give news bulletins on their new single, album and their charity London-Brighton bike ride for WellChild.  It’s fun and will bring a smile to your face.

Check out a couple here:

Episode 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2cl7TySuag

Episode 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzKXSW6cKlI&feature=channel

For the naive, in 2008 Scouting For Girls became the biggest selling new British band of the year. Having toiled for ten years unsigned, the boys sold over 900,000 records of their eponymous number 1 debut album, and were nominated for three Brit Awards (British Breakthrough Act, British Single and British Live Act) to become the UK’s most successful new pop band.

Fronted by exuberant showman Roy Stride, Scouting For Girls quickly became renowned for their contagious piano-led pop songs (She’s So Lovely, Heartbeat, It’s Not About You), that connected with a huge audience and reaped multiple sell-out tours. Those live shows grew as Scouting For Girls mania gripped, buoyed on by huge radio support, and venues were upsized across the country and sold out just as quickly. By the end of 2008, they had performed to hundreds of thousands of fans, and outsold bands twice their size in the live arena.

The initial recordings of their forthcoming second album Everybody Wants To Be On TV were ruthlessly scrapped after the Brit Awards in 2008, when the band decided it needed re-writing and re-shaping. Whole tracks were dropped in Roy Stride’s mission for a collection of perfect pop songs. The resulting album, produced by Andy Green at Helioscentric Studios in East Sussex, is unshakeably bold and confident, a genuine step up in sound that loses none of the band’s early charm but builds and expands upon it as infectiously as only they know how to be.

It is a welcome return by this everyday trio, writing a bright new chapter of British pop for 2010.

www.scoutingforgirls.co.uk

Believe

Know this guy?

Lets indulge if not!

Amar Dehal IS Electric-Press. Based in Newcastle Upon Tyne (near my end of things) he supplies our UK needs by bringing across all those Limited Edish and exclusive brands you’ve seen and “wondered where is that from?”

Most of the items stocked on the site are not readily available in the UK, on the high street or online for that matter. Most of my brands originate from America with a few home grown British ones and a handful from across the Globe. It all started with a desire to see us kids wearing what were missing out on from across the globe. He’s not about the mass produced or plain tees or plain canvases and labels their wearers as vacant as their tees and so goes for the bricks and mortar approach stocking brands such as Terratag, CTRL and Kid Kandi.

We ALL HATE delivery charges don’t we? I see Electric Press as a solution.

We ALL know that “everybody wants what nobody has”

We ALL need to sketch over to Electric Press.

Believe.

…..and say “BRO, Where did you get that from?”

The usual answer is RISE! No lie. I don’t know how many times people have expressed their desire to get the RISE or DIE crew neck sweat but it seems the tradition has no passed over onto our newest selection of tees (if I may humbly say so).

After receiving my 3 personal favourite pre-releases I threw one on my back and the other in my Eastpak and trotted of back to Yorkshire collecting comments from train passengers, shop owners and a guy in the local Chinese. If this was a game, I’d be winning!

(photo courtesy of my twitter @AllThingsCommon …shame plug)

Turkish cotton, sick attention to detail, slim fitting extended length tees with a nice sleeve length….mmm.

I hear were near sold out too…..

SO CAN WE GET UP FOR THIS OR WHAT?

Believe.

Check this out,

Streetwear brands Diamond Supply Co. and Young & Reckless have teamed up for a limited edition collaboration tee. The concept behind the tee is to represent Diamond Supply Co.’s Nick Diamond’s hometown of San Francisco and Young & Reckless’s founder, Drama’s hometown of Akron, OH, who now both reside in Los Angeles. The biker gang logo theme of the shirt represents that no matter where you are from, if you skate you are part of a international union with other skaters. Throw your flags in the air and wear them proud. Skate 2 Death.

ABOUT YOUNG & RECKLESS:
Young & Reckless is a streetwear brand inspired by Drama from MTV’s Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory. Drama created Young & Reckless to unify the new age brash generation under a single brand. He captures what it means to be Young & Reckless through his stunts and adventures in the first two seasons of this reality show.

You know they make sense….

Believe.

In admiration of the English mountaineer George Mallory, a group of men form an exploration party in quest of his camera that is said to be left behind on Mount Everest. Each collection unveils a chapter of this adventure. SS10 sees the men set off to get to the foot of their first mountain…

Designed in Japan by keen mountaineer Mitsuo, very little is known about this label. Available in just a handful of select retailers worldwide, ‘M’ is manufactured using traditional techniques in a small workshop in Japan. Natural dyed cotton is washed in the rivers by the workshop and dried under the sun on the riverbeds before being put into production; this ancient Japanese tradition is used by very few designers today. As well as their beautiful design and construction, garments have an element of purpose to them; the SS10 collection feels just right for a trek in the foothills but equally appropriate for the city too, with integrated backpacks on shirts, heavy cotton shorts and jackets forming the core of the collection.

Seriously, you all need to check out this totally exclusive brand. After popping into Coggles myself and getting the rundown from Mr. Jake Bancroft himself (Men’s buyer) I had to give him the upmost respect for scouting out these beauties. I mean, have you seen the shirts?!?!?! CRAZY.

Check out the Collection at Coggles NOW!

Believe.

It’s not a lie. I love Denim. Exclusively, jeans.
I have dreams about them, not actually dreams, but more future goals as to one day my involvement with something to do with jeans. Who knows? Maybe bring out my own brand or something! However, keeping on the purpose of this lil’ feature, I promised myself that I’d delve into my very narrow perspective in the world of jeans and dig out my top 10 selection that either transcend time, or are generally beautiful ‘garms’ for this new era of 2010 I am privileged to enter into.

Fits I generally go for are slim straight/ or a slim tapered fit and I’m a huge fan of the raw denim scene but i made the effort to slip in some others ranging in the low to mid end price range. I could have included the classics in there…but WHY? Just let this expand your knowledge base a lil so you keep your eyes open for those ‘wonder’ finds like I have and remember, jeans have gotta fit YOU! If they don’t fit well or mold to your shape then you can forget it, they wont work.

In order for masses of people not to bombard our inbox with hate mail towards me on my choices know this.

It’s an opinion, based on fact.

….and I’m bias.

Don’t worry, it’s not a countdown.

(1) Edwin SEN Raw Selvage 10oz Slim Fit Denim Jeans (Bought from ASOS at £38 rrp. £109.99)

One of the most lightweight and beautifully crafted pairs of Raw Selvage jeans I own. Featuring a straight slim fitting leg and high rise, zip fly with contrast orange flash and stitching, cinch back and then the cherry is really the selvage detailing on the coin and rear pockets. mmmmm. Typically there’s the leather patch on the side also with enough showing that if you slapped on a belt, you’d still see the tab…for all those who are truly vain. The denim really does feel lush.

(2) Blue premium raw selvage ‘TOKYO’ slim straight fit jeans by St.George by DUFFER (Bought at Debenhams at £18 rrp. £60)

NOW, these were a FIND! Seriously Debenhams selling Japanese Selvage Denim for £18?! The fit was totally what i was looking for to do some experimenting. Being straight, the leg opening was slightly wide for my liking, so a few adjustments (taking 2″ off the leg opening width and a slight taper from the knee) and they fit and feel like a high quality Raw pair of 501’s! They’ve even been mistaken for a pair. Button fly, rear white duffer leather patch, Selvage detailing on the coin pocket, 5 pockets, purple tartan hemming and pocket linen and I’m laughing! 4 months in and the wear is showing nicely! The photo above is slightly deceiving as the rise is comfortably high and not hugging as it does suggest.

(3) Meltin Pot REDUX Organic Limited Ed. Jeans (Bought from TK MAXX at £8 rrp.120+)

Meltin Pot had a new 15 piece organic collection hitting the shops called Redux in 2009. Each pair of the extremely limited edition jeans are dyed and washed with natural products such as wood, coal, jam, earth and yoghurt. The style of the jeans is inspired by the workwear of the 1930s and also apparently the Bauhaus artistic movement. There’s the ‘gumf’. Another pair of rare beauty. The finish even feels organic due to the most random ingredients used to do so. The thing I love is the super high rise making the crotch sit low (screams ‘ghetto’) AND has original bracer rivets as illustrated above…however i never wear bracers, so they just look cool. The fit is slim with a large taper to the leg so it hugs any hi-top footwear. In fact i doubled the turn ups on them to reveal a nice ’selvage-esque’ light blue edge on the seams. All in all a top 10 favourite find, and I havn’t seen another pair yet.

(4) LEVI’s DNA Seasonal Slim Tapered Hot Road Red Tab Jeans (Bought from End Clothing at £89 rrp. £115.00)

When these first were unveiled I knew I ‘needed’ a pair. Through some strange circumstances I actually got to try on a test pair and loved the feel in them and the pre-worn (GASPS) look worked perfectly. A year passed and I didn’t see them anywhere. Then I moved to the North East and something happened. I don’t know what happened exactly but I found them and I couldn’t let the moment pass without leaving with a pair. There is a few alternatives in the DNA range but the Seasonal Hot Road slim and the straight leg alternative are personal favourites. Denim history is apparently what you’re investing in. Levi’s went the full way to remake the classic Levis Red models with exaggerated features on stitching, oversized pockets and detailing, tags and buttons.

The wash is dark and also slightly fades to your natural contours after extensive wear as the bluevine was highlights fading areas like the knees. Again, definitely a pair to invest in if you admire the unique look and don’t want to be caught wearing the same pair as someone else.

Leg openings on the Seasonal’s are the widest in my top 10 collection, sitting nicely over a pair of all stars (covering the top 2 eyelets on a pair of 9’s) and hug nicely on the calf and side of the thighs when the weight is on the hips and not the waist. If you ever see them definitely have a try.

(5) Humor Santiago Jeans (Bought at £45…can’t remember where.. rrp.£95)

DEFINITELY, a favourite when it comes to the (currently ‘in’) carrot shaped jeans. No one does it better!

I first noticed Humor on a trip to Holland years ago and then Denmark almost 2 years ago when I saw a trend of brightly coloured tees with the classic headphone symbol slammed on the shoulder. Scene kids with the Santiago’s and Hummel Stadil Kicks and I thought, “this is so gonna catch in the UK”

Oh and it has! Humor have a mega exciting range coming to shops like Ark (Leeds),Yakuza (Sunderland) and UNION (Newcastle) and I salute them for embracing the Danish influx of influence upon the UK fashion scene.
Raw washed denim jeans from Humor with a rounded carrot leg shape. These cool new jeans feature a contrasting seam throughout with a button fly and panel crotch. I love how the button fly is half covered showing part of the contrasting white buttons and the glorious top button logo. The front of the jeans feature two pockets with one hidden coin pocket whilst the back of the jeans feature two large u shaped pockets. The classic Humor logo is embroidered on the rear waistline in the form of a patch. It is also embossed onto the buttons of the fly, eyelets at the back and a logo tag is attached to the rear right pocket. White eyelets also feature at the jean pockets. They’re intended to gather slightly at the top of a pair of hi-tops and for the crotch to sit real low. Nice.

If you’re interested they’re currently on sale at XILE

(6) Nudie Thin Finn Dry Organic Ecru Embo jeans (Bought at £42.50 rrp. £110)

The thing with Nudie jeans however is they really employ the ‘each to his/her own’ philosophy and so my opinion on this matter really is mine…based on fact. For the fit, I prefer these than the silver detailed Nudie Jeans Co Lab Bengt 16 Dry Indigo (avg. £140) or the Nudie 14oz Masa ‘made in Japan’ jeans (avg. £140) as a Nudie style (both currently sold at Oi Polloi). 10.75 oz denim from Turkey is a light but acceptable weight, especially when summer comes round, heavy weights can become a chore rather than a ‘wearing in’ pleasurable experiment. I had some major disappointment in acquiring these from Coggles, but i found it in my heart to forgive them (seeing as how there store is beautiful and their Marketing Director Rob is a quality guy) and got my hand on a pair. Worth it? Always.

Info?
Mid rise anti-fit five pocket organic cotton jeans in dark dry stretch denim (so 2% lycra is in there). Low yoke with skinny leg cut. Contrast stitching and white embroidery at back patch pockets instead of the classic contrast stitching. Signature logo leather patch at back. Zip fly.

(7) DR.DENIM Raw Selvage ‘Terrance’ 14oz Jeans (Bought at JOY Leeds at £18 rrp. £90)

Ok so if you don’t know, nor have ever heard of Dr.Denim firstly go over and check out Darryl de Necker’s Blog.

That should tell you all there is to know about the European gang.

These are most likely to be my most underrated jeans that i own. Premium Selvage denim that molds beautifully to the wearer and keeps some weight behind it. The ‘Terrance’ is my favourite fit, simple in design, ergonomically sound, weighty and bearing a deep indigo shade that many of my others are not close to. And for only £18 at joy, again, sever lol’ing was had as they feel more expensive, look more expensive, boy even taste more expensive than most.

Simple in design, and again not a common pair of jeans. you should also check out their website, it’s pretty boss.

(8) Trousers London ‘Trousers 6′ (rrp. £169)

I like our friends over at Trousers London. I like their vibe. I like their ethos. The important thing however is I like their denim.

One of my favourite and consistent brands has (of course for me) hit the nail on the head again with Trousers 6.

‘A sleek and streamlined skinny jean in organic denim with jaunty check lining’ and jaunty of the highest degree it is indeed.

100% Raw Organic Denim, Silver coloured metal-ware bearing the Trousers London motif, slim fitting, limited edition (so limited, each pair carries a unique ID number) jeans that are REAL high quality, so high, I’m not sure I want to wear them but simply frame them. I mean just look at those front pockets son! Maaaaaan. So much indigo I can smell it through the jpg. Nice taper, Nice slim, contour hugging fit, nice contrast stitching, nice seam curvature…just plain nice.

For funsies, the jeans are presented with their own Trousers London cotton carrier bag.

(9) A.P.C New Standards (donated! rrp.£110)

….They win every time…in context of wear that is, not denim comparison.
APC New Standard, a slim, regular-fitting jean. Standard to low rise, narrow hugging leg, very slightly tapered from the knee, giving a fairly narrow hem.

The Facts: Button-fly, 5 pocket style in dry red selvage denim. First button is engraved A.P.C. Paris pres du Luxembourg.

The common knowledge about these bad boys, is that they stretch….significantly. More in width then length. I mean I’m a size 32″-33″ waist standard, yet I slid into a size 30″ and could move. I prefer these over the other models such as New Cure (just didn’t feel right!) and Petite Standards (suffocated my calf’s). They’re a slightly wider cut yet still slim and fitted on me but again, it depends really on how much you size down.

Most of the Raw enthusiasts boast owning a pair….I can see why. However, still broaden your horizons my children.

(10) The Hundreds ‘Curson Denim’ (donated! r.r.p $138.00)

I guess if you really want  a pair you wont see anywhere else go state side. The Hundreds are one of my favourite collaboration brands, yet this pair of their exclusive jeans is a beauty. Ever seen gold and silver selvage lining? Well you have now! A slim fitting cut with silver hardware and gold trimming, a black jags patch on the left waistband (Americans….) and gold and silver signature jags embroidery over the left back pocket. Really I havn’t seen anywhere else boast the same trimmings…unless you want to go really extreme and shell out on a pair of Red Monkey Jeans. I like simplicity and ‘crispness’. These do just that. The size above is slightly big on the model, i prefer to size one down so they hug a little on the leg yet leave breathing space.

Like you care.

So, who’s happy?

BELIEVE.

MY OH MY OH MY

After a day filled with THE most random set of events, meeting the UK distributor of Hummel and sharing in admiration of their up-coming collection for Autumn/Winter 2010 with the guys over at UNION….I came out with this pair of beautifully crafted footwear…

The Hummel Stadil High Top Canvas. Arn’t they delicious?

You know by now that slim fitting, comfy, contrast High Tops are placed in pole position when it comes to my personal selection in footwear, and these are simply perfect. Really. If you’re even in Newcastle, make sure you stop by Newcastle and just slip them onto your feet for a tester…the comfort is incredible!

Ok so enough with the drool over the soft foam interior and onto Hummel itself.

The concept of Character has been instrumental in defining the direction for Hummel since the concept was developed in 2005. The importance of having character saturates the way in which all their products are made. Each product is meant to express its own story and unique character and the same goes for every team and individual player they sponsor around the world. These teams and players are meticulously chosen – not only due to size and worldwide fame but according to uniqueness, character and will to win. As Einstein put it: “Weakness of attitude is weakness of character”. Anyone who’s ever heard of Christian Stadil will know he’s all about the ‘Karma’ and maybe it does rub off on the company as a whole. The stores say they’re one of the nicest and most pleasant brands to deal with, which is a big statement concerning the industry these days.

I know these definitely wont be the only pair in my set.

BELIEVE.

What do Prisoners and MJ have in common…..and no, this isn’t a sick joke…

The 1,500 inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) not only entertained spectators and visitors but have also started gaining worldwide popularity through the Internet.

Mastering at least 10 movements, the “dancing inmates” have attracted fans, including those from international media outlets who have seen them perform on the CPDRC quadrangle at the YouTube website.

oh…..they do Thriller too

not enought? … ok Dangerous too…. I’m totally serious!

BELIEVE.

I really don’t know what else there is to say…

BELIEVE.