Ear Food : Alfred Hall & Banks

Having not done a post on anything music related for quite some time (or on anything at all for that matter) I thought it was about time I got round to sharing some of the loveliness my ears have been enjoying lately.

This track, by the gorgeous Norwegian Alfred Hall, is a blissful concoction of harmonic loveliness. Rocking a mild dose of falsetto, this dreampop duo are sure to appeal to fans of Ben Howard and Bon Iver, whilst also retaining an air of cool they definitely wish they had. Divine.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs has worked his production magic on this beautiful track by Banks. Etherial, yet haunting vocals and gorgeous laid back vibes, with a stunning video to boot. It's really rather terrific.

Mini Adventures

These shots are from a lovely day we had in Leeds not so long ago. We went to a café we'd not been to before, and there just so happened to be a photographic exhibition of a music photographer's Foo Fighters prints next door so that all worked out rather well indeed!

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This day, we took a little trip to Sheffield after a lunch in Leeds with friends. Nowhere in Leeds was showing To The Wonder so we popped along to the Showroom in Sheffield to catch it, whilst managing to sneak in a few cheeky pints and some vintage shopping along the way!

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These are some shots from a little restaurant we visited after some friends gave us some vouchers for  Christmas. I had the most glorious pumpkin pisto to eat. Delicious!

Jennie x

Pottering Around

A few weekends ago we had a bit of a quiet one, just staying around Leeds and spending very little money. These are a few photos I took from then, of nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

You'd think I liked rings or something?

Joe got me a 3D cat card for Valentine's day. Mr Cat has a small card in his mouth which you can slip out; oh the joy! (I may well have stared at him in gleeful awe for around half an hour). Oh cats <3 p="">

The newly discovered (and now well loved) Outlaw's Yacht Club near the centre of Leeds.

Joe loves it when they put his beer in the right glass.

Red lighting always makes for funny shots. This is one Joe took of me.

The lovely bar.

I'm a little too fond of these shoes.

Quite often, Joe and I will have weekends like this just seeing friends and having some drinks and just generally pottering around all our favourite spots in our beloved city of Leeds.

Jennie x

Liverpool

A long overdue visit to Liverpool was paid last weekend to see my Dad's side of the family, who I sincerely wish that we saw more often. We had a lovely time drinking far too much wine and eating too many peanuts. 

The only time I whipped out my SLR was when we popped over to see a big old Navy boat thing. I've no idea what it was called, but hellicopters and things can land on it. And it's grey. That's all I've got! 

Me and my lovely Joe, by the water.

This is my Dad, staring rather intently at his beautiful sister (the blonde hair seen here on the left).

This is my wonderful uncle, Tim, and my lovely Grandfather in the background. Tim is just such a joy to be around!

Freddie, my brother, fellow ambassador of team Nikon.

Big building...?

CHEESE!

I shout "pose" and they both instantly go all 'catalogue' and lean on railings and things. Wonderful.

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We all had such a wonderful time, and there was so much laughter. I hope it's not so long before we all see eachother again!

Jennie x

Pinterest: Fuelling My Recent Obsessions

I'm a self-confessed Pinterest addict. I just love how inspiring it can be, and how beautiful some of the images circulating on the site really are. Here are a few photographs I've 'pinned' lately:

Oh kittens, you little bundles of joy, you. I cannot get enough of cats at the moment and thought I'd brighten your day with this little guy. I actually love him.

Big on the love list lately is Sofia Coppola. Her films get a lot of stick but I personally adore them, but maybe that's because they appeal to the photographer in me. If you pause Marie Antoinette at any point it would make a beautiful photograph you'd happily frame and pop onto your wall.

I love Linda McCartney's photography, and this shot is just so lovely.

My favourite style blogger is undoubtedly Natalie Suarez from Natalie Off Duty, for the reasons displayed above. Divine.

I'm a huge film fan, partially as a result of a long term relationship with an obsessive film graduate turned film critic (his reviews really are wonderful: Joe McDonagh Film). I'm also a big fan of early Tarantino (and oh BOY do I love his soundtracks). Django Unchained seriously did not disappoint. The soundtrack has been playing on repeat in our house ever since and it still gives me chills. This shot is from such an intense scene in the film; DiCaprio's performance is absolutely ace.

If you don't have a Pinterest account already and fancy spending some time doing some serious procrastination, then head on over and pin away. It really can be quite an inspiring place!


Jennie x

Diana Mini Paris

We recently got our Diana Mini film developed after our trip to Paris, and I really like how some of them have turned out. It would seem I am big on the floral/epic architecture double exposures.

The Notre Dame covered in pretty yellow flowers.

Two Eiffel Towers.

The lovely Cafe de Floré.

Overlapping shots of the Eiffel from the Arc de Triomphe with the legendary Shakespeare and Co. book shop.

Eiffel Tower in bloom.

Up the tower.

Looking through them all has made me want to go back so much. It's definitely my favourite city and ohhh what I would give to live there one day!

Jennie x

Radiohead: Live at Manchester Evening News Arena

6.10.12

Radiohead are one of those bands. One so hyped, adored and worshipped beyond all reasonable measures that it is sometimes hard to lose sight of what it is that makes them such a special band. What they have done for popular music as a whole is quite remarkable; constantly pushing boundaries of sound and surprising audiences with every new studio release, they continue to damn well do as they please, even to this day. With this in mind, the prospect of witnessing them live for the first time was quite the exciting one.

My dodgy Instagram shot. But, oh the lights!

From the first pounding moments of 'Lotus Flower' the entire audience was enraptured; gallivanting off to subconscious levels previously unexplored. A personal highlight was 'Myxomatosis'; Thom Yorke's fearless 'dancing' (locked-leg leaping and swinging about would be a more accurate description) was a sight to behold. Their energy and fearless stage show was completely mesmerising. It is normal to assume that an arena gig may be less personal than an Academy or club show, and being positioned anywhere other than in front of the stage would mean you can barely see a thing, but this was not the case with Radiohead. Be it the wonderful colours and lights, the pounding energy of their music (that simply does not accurately translate onto record), or the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd who they have successfully captivated; Radiohead command an arena and each song seemed to enthral and move me more than the last.

Upon reflection, discussing at length with my boyfriend as to just why Radiohead had just blown me away, I could not describe my awe in any means other than to refer to the band as a tree. I think what I was trying to stay, whilst utterly dumbfounded (and concentrating on navigating the M62 at the time), was that Radiohead have a command of their instruments, the stage and music in general which is such a beautifully rare occurrence that witnessing such chemistry leaves you wondering how a band can function with such individualistic flare yet retain such a presence that seems impossible among a group as opposed to one individual. They live and breathe the music in the few hours of their set, and you find yourself living and breathing it right along with them.

Paris: The First Night and Montmartre

These are some snaps I took on the first night of our trip, and in the morning of our first full day when we walked up to Montmartre. The first night we explored the area we were staying in; off Rue Montmartre in the Opera Quarter. We walked for hours just exploring and in awe of everything! There was food and wine too, of course. 

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The next day in the morning we walked up the hills to Montmartre. The steps and the cobbled streets are so beautiful. We were so excited to go to the cafe which Amelie worked in! 

I have an obscene amount of photographs to work through of our little trip to Paris so thought I'd do it in day chunks. The afternoon (well evening really) of the first day we went through to Place de la Concorde and up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe - that post will come next!

Jennie x

Paris Planning

My boyfriend and I are off to Paris on Sunday after an insane, busy and brilliant August celebrating engagements, birthdays and all sorts. We can't wait to experience the city together for the first time - we've been to France together but not to Paris yet. The last time I visited the city was over 6 years ago so I'm beyond excited!

We're doing all of the obvious sights, as well as going to some geeky little film museums, book shops and spotting sights from the likes of Amelie, Before Sunrise and Midnight In Paris. We're nerding out on Hemingway too, so are hunting out his favourite spots.

These are some of the places we are most excited to go. I will be sure to take plenty of shots on our new Diana Mini camera, as well as with the Nikon, to showcase our adventures. SO EXCITED!

Jennie x