EDEN Magazine // The First And Only Issue by Eden van der Moere

Eden Magazine

FILMS // FASHION // MUSIC // LITERATURE

The

first and

only ISSUE

Eden

Magazine FASHION

18 // 19 // Editor’s picks Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Jenny Packham 22 // Style icons Blair Waldorf, Zelda Fitzgerald, Cate Blanchett, Greta de Leeuw 26 // Brilliant Basics The seven key-items of your wardrobe 29 // Zeeuwsche Fashion Week Zeeland’s finest represented 31 // Shopping in Edinburgh Your guide to shop in Scotland’s capital

MUSIC

32 // 33 // Editor’s picks Biffy Clyro, Florence + The Machine, Placebo 36 // Short Reviews Editors, Placebo, London Grammar, Kings of Leon, Lorde, Blaudzun, Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro 38 // Most underestimated artists James Walsh, Fever Ray, Civil Twilight 41 // Pinkpop Festival 2013 Blaudzun, Paramore, Kings of Leon, Andy Burrows, Stereophonics, Kensington 44 // Incoming - New Music CHVRCHES, Imagine Dragons, Tom Odell, Andy Burrows 04 //

FILMS

05 // Editor’s picks Nolan’s Inception, Luhr mann’s T he Great Gatsby, Crowe’s Almost Famous 08 // The Oscar’s renewed B e s t A c t r e s s , B e s t P i c t u r e , Fo r e i g n Language Film, Cinematography 10 // Short reviews Now You See Me, Michael Kohlhaas, Man O f Steel, The Bling Ring, Stoker, Your Sister’s Sister, Warm Bodies, Byzantium 12 // Top three best actresses Saoirse Ronan, Keira Knightley, Maggie Smith 15 // Top three best actors Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Rickman

LITERATURE

46 // 47 // Editor’s picks Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Kerouac’s On The Road, Patti Smith’s Just Kids 50 // City of Books: Edinburgh UNESCO’s first city of literature in the world 53 // Interview with the moon Maan Leo about literature, feminism and success 57 // Short Reviews Shannon’s The Bone Season, McEwan’s Sweet Tooth, Lubach’s Bastaardsuiker, Leo’s Ik Ben Maan 58 // Writer’s workshop Arjen Lubach’s workshop at Film By The Sea 2013

Editorial

“Gloria Swanson”, by Edward Steichen, 1924

“You have to make your reputation on being honest and, uh, you know, unmerciful.” This quote from the film Almost Famous literally changed my life. Lester Bangs, the slightly idiosyncratic rock critic who is responsible for this memorable quote, made me choose my future path and that is to become a journalist, a reporter, a critic myself one day. With this magazine, EDEN, I made the magazine that I wanted to make, because there is no journal that combines all of the four medias with equal measure. That is why EDEN-magazine has four different and distinctive categories: Films, Fashion, Music and Literature.

Of course, I am in love with The Great Magazines of today and of course I have been dreaming of working at these magazines ever since I decided to become a journalist. My aunt Greta brings me Voguemagazines from Britain and every time I am in England myself, I buy the latest issues of film magazine Empire and NME, the journal that is dedicated to music. Why? Because I love films, I love fashion, I love music and I love literature with equal

measure. In EDENmagazine, I combine these four branches of art that are, in my opinion, the most important and powerful in the world.

Journalism it about being honest and unmerciful - and I very much believe that this is necessary. Critics, wether they review films, or fashion shows, or new records or books, should be completely honest in their articles. If they are not, the entire point of journalism vanishes like frost under the morning sun. Journalists give their opinion and the criticism they might give should always be constructive, in my opinion. We publish articles, not because we want to run art into the ground, but because we want to bring art to a higher level. Flawless films or stunning books should be watched and read everywhere and always, but without reviews, they have a smaller audience and so lesser people can enjoy these masterpieces. Art needs criticism to continuously evolve and improve.

To make a short story even shorter: Lester Bangs, you may be slightly idiosyncratic, but in my opinion, you are absolutely right about journalism.

FILMS I N C E P T I O N / / T H E G R E AT G AT S B Y / / A L M O S T F A M O U S

Ever since I discovered the magic of IMDb, I have become a walking and talking film-encyclopaedia, full of numerous facts, release dates, trivia about random films, etc. Yes, even the most useless facts I know, like the actual height of several actors and actresses. Knowledge every other person would have deleted from the hard disk inside of our heads, I have safely and very compactly stored upon my iPhone. This, of course, is like the discovery of heaven for film fanatics like myself. However, I have a slight problem when I happen to have no access to the Internet - for example, when one decides to go camping in Cornwall, this is indeed a very complicated problem. The last time I spent a week without my beloved IMDb, I almost went crazy because I could not remember the name of Michael Caine. As you might be able to understand, this was pure torture for an IMDb-addict. Yes, I confess, I am a serious addict to the online database on my phone and thereby the entire film industry. What is my purpose as a walking and talking film-encyclopedia when I cannot remember the name of the actor who starred in nearly every film Christopher Nolan has ever made? Exactly. None. Therefore, I am extremely grateful for the creators of this application for turning me into a serious IMDb-addict with even more serious rehab-symptoms. Oh, and of course for the massive loud of use less facts and information about every single film and every single actor and actress on the planet. My undying and irreversible love for films has grown even more due to the online database. I have discovered countless new films that I am dying to see and know every trivia there is to find about my favourite films. IMDb, thank you so much.

FILMS INCEPTION

ANNA

The

Editor’s picks

KARENINA

ALMOST

FAMOUS

INCEPTION (2010)

Action//Thriller//Science-fiction

Director: Christopher Nolan Writer: Christopher Nolan Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy.

a l o

s ’ n

Director Christopher Nolan’s Inception has created a divide between critics since its release in 2010. The verdict: either you absolutely love, or absolutely hate the picture. It is crystal clear on which side the Arizona Republic stands: “The stunning visuals are perhaps the most realised of any film. Ever.”. This while Rex Reed from New York Observer was not very thrilled about Inception. He writes he would like to tell us how bad the film really is, but he has no sane description to do so. Did Inception and its critical response amaze us? Mission accomplished.

The film’s architecture After Nolan’s ever successful The Dark Knight, the stakes were high for “Hollywood’s most inventive dreamer”. Nolan has had the idea for Inception for ten years, when in 2009 he decided to seduce Warner Bros. into his ambitious and groundbreaking project. Ten years in the making, Nolan knew what he wanted: mind-bending visual effects and an mostly impressive cast. But Nolan needed more than the usual block-buster recipe and that was an utterly clever story to match the imaginative architecture of his mind. Inception’s story asked for brilliant actors and actresses, and Nolan found them. The story’s narrator, Dom Cobb, is convincingly and surprisingly portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. But just as in the story, Leo cannot succeed on his own. His dream team consists out of breaking Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the very capable Tom Hardy and the brilliant Marion

N O I ! PT

Plot: A skilled extractor is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible.

Cotillard. Besides great performances, the actors compliment the complex story perfectly. DiCaprio dove deep into his character’s mind and found his secret, while Cotillard knew how to use that very secret as a lethal weapon.

Non, je ne regrette rien The casting and their performances are, as expected, flawless, but the visuals are the real treat of Inception. Nolan takes after his great inspiration, M.C. Esher, and builds a complex, intriguing and fascinating architecture of the mind. As Cobb and his team dives deeper and deeper into their minds, so do we dive deeper into the layers of Nolan’s dream. Like his first picture, Memento, Inception scornfully dances alongside the fine line between dreams and reality. The line becomes even more thin, when we count in the film’s soundtrack. Once again, Nolan brought in one of his own when Hans Zimmer started composing Inception’s soundtrack. Like the film itself, its soundtrack is full of clever plots and surprising elements. For example, Edith Piaf ’s Non, je ne regrette rien is one of the film’s major plot lines and makes for a surprising outcome at the end. The film is continuous in it’s mindbending till the very last second, leaving the viewer as 5 surprised as in the beginning.

Luhrmann’s

T H E G R E AT G AT S B Y Roaring Twenties The Great Gatsby is, in theory, perfect. The director, the actors, the story and the music; everything fits like a puzzle in the 2013 production of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece about the Roaring Twenties. The opinions are, however, divided. Or you love the glimmering and dramatic adaption, or you hate everything about it. But the most prominent question is, does the film the novel justice? Rick Groen from The Globe and Mail loved the film. “It’s a terrific adaptation.” He states Baz Luhrmann’s latest masterpiece works as a film, but also as a proof of the novel’s greatness. The stylistic and dramatic approach enriches the film and its famous decade: the Roaring Twenties. Just like in Fitzgerald’s novel, the film follows narrator Nick Carraway with a poetic and imaginative voice. We see how he looks up to the story’s main character: the mysterious Jay Gatsby and how his dark secret slowly unfolds.

The great DiCaprio One of the great challenges of The Great Gatsby is the great man himself. Director Luhrmann knows how to pour his own extravagance into Jay Gatsby, the mysterious neighbour and the main focus in the story. Gatsby lives in a castle, drives a yellow convertible and wears neat suits in questionable colours - Luhrmann’s challenge was to find an actor to pull this off without ruining one of the most important American novels of all time. Luhrmann knew where to find this capacity: in an ancient alliance with the star from his own Romeo + Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio. A great actor for an incredible difficult main characters who happens to be one of the most mysterious fictional figures in modern day literature? Check. DiCaprio clearly did his homework preparing for this role. He takes Gatsby’s insane obsession to a whole new level, by portraying the mystery billionaire as a tortured man trying so hard to live his own dream. There is a certain tenderness DiCaprio brings to Gatsby, which 6 makes the seeming ly untouchable

character extremely vulnerable. A beautiful interpretation of the great Gatsby.

A beautiful little fool Now Luhrmann only had to find an actress to pull off the extravagance of Gatsby’s love interest and lifelong obsession: Daisy Buchanan. After countless additions, one certain British actress finally won the director over and that was Carey Mulligan. A perfect choice, because the actress has this innocence about her, as well as a strength. Daisy Buchanan has this same innocence, only a more melancholic strength. Do we not all remember the infamous quote: “...I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in the world, a beautiful little fool.” Mulligan makes this almost cruel saying come to life in a voice that embodies old money, wealth and hidden sensuality.

Surprising soundtrack The Great Gatsby features one of Luhrmann’s best known trade marks: the film’s soundtrack. Produced by Jay-Z, the official music for the film is nearly as perfect as the picture itself. Jay-Z and Luhrmann managed to combine Charleston-tunes with Hiphopbeats, thereby creating a fun, surprising and smart soundtrack for The Great Gatsby.

! !

THE GREAT GATSBY (2013) Drama // Romance

Director: Baz Luhrmann Writer: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce (screenplay), F. Scott Fitzgerald (novel) Stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clark and Elizabeth Debicki

Plot: A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbour.

Crowe’s

ALMOST FAMOUS How unknown Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous is to the youth of today, how beloved the picture is by the generation of last century. In 2000, Crowe released his autobiographic film about rockstars, journalism and the downside of fame - since then the film has found its way into the hearts of millions of watchers. Robert Horten from Film.com writes to those who have not: “You’ll treasure this movie”, while online reviewers nominate Almost Famous to be “the best film of the 21st Century”.

Smart kid Just like Almost Famous’s main character, William Miller, Cameron Crowe started working as a rock journalist at the age of fifteen. When Crowe thinks back of that time with The Onion A.V. Club, he is still shocked by the dark side of music. “I used to see a lot cocaine. Journalism, artists, they all did it.” In the movie, William Miller is also offered drugs and liquor, but he politely declines. He is innocent, while Crowe just wanted to be a professional writer and not be fired by Rolling Stone. A lot has changed, Crowe says, since the time he worked for the magazine. “They put Keanu Reeves on the cover. Shirtless. It was garbage.” Also music journalism itself has been infiltrated by the “celebrity-plague”. But, as long as there is passion, there is an interesting story to cover.

The eternal music journalist Although Crowe is nowadays known for his direction of films such as Almost Famous, Jerry Maquire and We Bought A Zoo, is was never his intention to switch rock journalism for filming. “It happened by accident, really. I always loved movies, but I never thought I would end up making and writing one.” Crowe did end up in the filming business, but never did he let go of the music. “It starts with the music,” he says. “Always. I hear the movie before I can ever write it.” In Almost Famous especially, the music is the heart of the film. Its soundtrack is almost as famous as the picture itself, with tracks from The Allman Brothers Band to Elton John. “After all,” Crowe smiles. “I’m still a music journalist.”

Times are changing The star of the film, Kate Hudson, solemnly agrees with Crowe. “Music is what the movie’s about.” That, and groupies. In Almost Famous, William Miller joins the upcoming band Stillwater, where he meets the band’s groupies. While nowadays groupies are being downgraded, Hudson states: “It was a totally different time back then. There was a lot of

ALMOST FAMOUS (2000) Drama//Music

Director: Cameron Crowe Writer: Cameron Crowe Stars: Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Patrick Fugit, Anna Pequin, Zooey Deschanel and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Plot: A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies it on their concert tour.

freedom. These girls had a lot of energy and wanted to be part of something great.” That “something great” has definitely changed over time, Hudson and Crowe both agree. The director believes the music world was better back then, because there was less money at stake. Hudson replies: “Nobody’s making good music anymore and the ones that are aren’t selling records.” Also the musicians goal has changed. Nowadays, the most important is to sell records and to be a worldwide phenomena. But Crowe remembers musicians back in the days “being interested in reaching one person. It was all a little more private.” More intimate, but also more innocent and more passionate of a time. “The industries now are horrible,” Hudson says. “I think it’s amazing Cameron (Crowe) had made a film about loving something truly great. It’s a wonderful piece of work.” That indeed, but Hudson herself is also not so bad. Charlotte Observer writes: “Hudson’s character simply lights op every room as soon as she walks in.” Just like Almost Famous lights up 7 the dark of the music world nowadays.

FILMS

The

Oscar’s renewed

BEST ACTRESS // BEST PICTURE // FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM // CINEMATOGRAPHY E v e r y ye a r i n Fe b r u a r y, t h e decadency and the fame of the filmworld reaches it’s summit: it is time for the distribution of the Academy Awards, well-known as the Month of the Oscars. As soon as the nominations are made public, the entire internet buzzes with bets on the highest winner and the first pictures of the most beautiful Red Carpet Dress are taken. Unfortunately, due to the extravagance and the shimmering wealth of the golden spectacle, we almost lose sight of the ultimate goal: who leaves the Dolby Theatre with a golden statue and who does not? The Oscars are distributed. Again.

BEST ACTRESS

BEST PICTURE

Original winner: Jennifer Lawrence // Silver Linings Playbook New winner: Jessica Chastain // Zero Dark Thirty

Original winner: Ben Affleck // Argo New winner: Kathryn Bigelow // Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty has been controversial ever since the press viewing in 2012 and not only because of the topic. The manhunt on Osama Bin Laden is definitely not the only aspect of the film directed by Kathryn Bigelow that is on fire. Next to a strong female director, the other woman on fire is Jessica Chastain. The actress, a fierce and strangely beautiful redhead, portrays the role of a young CIA officer who finds the leading clue to the discovery of Bin Laden’s hiding place. Chastain’s builds an armour around her character, with a determination that is as undeniable as touching.

Not via the playbook There is no doubt about Jennifer Lawrence being an amazing young actress and her performance in Silver Linings Playbook is one of her best yet, but she only rumpled the surface where Chastain dove deep. Chastain’s character is a much more emotional challenge than Lawrence’s, and the redheaded actress proved her credibility as an actress. She is strong and determined, but beneath her character’s surface, we sense a raw pain. This pain is fragile and forms the only tender aspect of Zero Dark Thirty. Chastain is the humanity in a 8 world with no place for sentiment.

Argo was Ben Affleck’s directional debut and it was a smashing one. There is very realistic tension, together with amazing costumes and a well-written script; in short, an award-winning combination. Although Affleck’s debut is mostly impressive and definitely worth the Academy-attention, another film is more worthy of the award and that is Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.

It’s a men’s world When watching Zero Dark Thirty, feminism reaches its summit. Both the female director and her leading lady are a burning and intriguing flame. There is no tenderness in the direction, the writing or the acting, but Bigelow still manages to touch the viewer’s mind - while Argo was more entertaining than interesting. Bigelow shows us a men’s world, where a woman is not easily accepted and tells the story of a fierce female CIA officer who has every right to be. The suspense is killing and is more true than Argo. Although Bigelow’s story holds less humanity, her film comes dangerously close to it. Real and raw emotions are shown, without even a hint of tenderness or exaggeration. The result is Zero Dark Thirty, a film that is so much more than a manhunt: it is the struggle of a determined woman against the rest of the world.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Original winner: Austria // Amour New winner: Denmark // A Royal Affair

Original winner: Ang Lee // Life Of Pi New winner: Joe Wright //Anna Karenina

A Royal Affair begins quietly and beautifully in the tradition of costume dramas such as Pride and Prejudice and The Duchess, introducing a leading lady with fire in her eyes and narrative voice. Alicia Vikander tells the story of a young woman in midst of a terrible marriage and a groundbreaking revolution. The young actress brings tenderness to the harshness of her husband, while in the meantime, her country is torn apart because of her.

Not every book is sufficient to adapt to the big screen, agrees Empire. But even the seemingly most insufficient novels can be turned into a film, experience has thought us - also Yann Martel’s Life Of Pi and Tolstoi’s Anna Karenina have survived the journey to the cinemas and the Academy Awards. Both adaptations of loved and known novels, both directed by mostly creative and experienced men. Ang Lee left the Academy Awards with four Oscars, but Joe Wright should have.

The downfall of an empire Vikander, who recently starred alongside Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina, plays the part of Caroline Mathilde, who is married of to the young and mentally unstable King Christian VII of Denmark. She is unhappy and afraid of her husband, for she seeks solace in her books, trying to avoid the King at all times. This until Doctor Struensee arrives at court. He gains the King’s trust and together they introduce the Enlightenment to D e n m a rk . T h ey a re successful, until Caroline and Struensee fall in love. A royal affair follows, together with the downfall of a young woman and her empire.

A political tragedy... A Royal Affair is an original and gripping film about a struggling country we have not seen struggling on the big screen before. Little did I know about the Enlightenment in Denmark, neither about the mental illness of King Christian - and how fascinated and moved I was after I had seen this film. My love and devotion for costume drama’s has grown since A Royal Affair, together with my interest in historical politics. This is a film for people who love a good, romantic tragedy and the political background of the story.

... with a heart Amour was a good and interesting film, but it missed a heart. A Royal Affair is a clear story with an relatively unknown background and utterly historic fascinating characters being brought to life by superb actors.

Russian Gossip Girl Joe Wright knew what he was doing when he started on the adaption of Tolstoi’s peek into Imperial Russia and her high society. Before Gossip Girl’s it-girl Serena van der Woodsen, there was Anna Karenina, the most beloved a n d re s p e c t e d w i f e o f g o v e r n m e n t o f fi c i a l Karenin. Their marriage lacks of the one thing Anna craves for; passion. This she finds in Count Vronsky and their rulebreaking affaire. But with Anna’s love for Vronsky, her downfall in society begins.

Russian theatre Directer Wright has found the key to successful adaptations: his own directional talents and his muse, Keira Knightley. Nothing but praise for her, but complete amazement and awe to the cinematography of Anna Karenina. The story is literally set in the background; imperial Russia. Wright compared that society with a theatre play and staged the film as if it were a play. The whole film, including the train station and Russian palaces, are crammed into a theatre and this compliments the society-as-a-play-theme. The characters are stuck in the theatre, in their lives and Anna tries to break free.

Russian caviar Wright is known for his brilliant adaptations, such as Pride and Prejudice, but his latest work is the absolute caviar on the table. Anna Karenina is as brilliant as its leading lady. Astonishing cinematography, breathtaking costumes and stunning performances by Knightley and new-comer Alicia Vikander. 9

FILMS

short Reviews

NOW YOU SEE ME // MAN OF STEEL // MICHAEL KOHLHAAS // THE BLING RING Now You See Me is a film about a group of magicians, called “The Four Horsemen”, who rob banks during their shows and donate this money to the audience - until the police is alerted and a staggering man-hunt is put in motion.

Delight without a heart The film is a thriller with not much heart, but a lot of mind and a cast to envy. Although the story misses a clear core and emotional support, the visuals and the humour lift up its spirits. Jesse Eisenberg is - again - an arrogant ass and does this well, while Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine meet - again - after having worked together in Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Supported by actors such as Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent and Isla Fisher, Now You See Me is a delight to watch when you are not looking for a dramatic and deep picture.

The prestige is missing Now You See Me succeeds as a exciting and surprising thriller, but as a magic trick, it misses out on the prestige. Magic tricks need a certain logic to be successful and Now You See Me misses that needed logic.

Mads Mikkelsen is back! The Danish actor stars in Michael Kohlhaas. Directed by director Arnaud des Pallières, the film centres around a poor tradesman who is treated unjustly and now seeks revenge. The result is a beautiful, emotionally 10 gripping masterpiece.

Man Of Steel is a film of brilliant collaborations. Director Zack Snyder teams up with Inception’s Christopher Nolan in this thrilling action film with amazing visuals, while Henry Cavill bonds with spandex. The result is a not very original, but still very much entertaining action-film.

Sofia Coppola directs The Bling Ring, an unbelievable story about five teenagers robbing the Hills of Hollywood. Numerous celebrities, such as Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom, are the victims of these fame-obsessed teens and their crave for glitters and leopard prints. Funny, yet shocking film.

Stoker is a dark, provocative and fascinating fairy tale that lingers for weeks after I had seen director ChanWook Park’s first English-language film. Starring Nicole Kidman, steady and yet fascinating as the unstable mother and newcomer Mia Wasikowska performing nearly flawlessly.

The dark side of innocence With the sudden and mysterious death of her father, India’s uncle moves in with her and her mentally unstable mother Eve. The arrival of Uncle Charlie sets a chain of events in move that uncovers some terrifying family secrets - as well as India’s true nature. As the clever and sinister tagline predicts, Stoker is a beautifully styled fairy tale about the dark side of innocence.

Promising and interesting A lot of this praise depends on the main star of this film, the young Mia Wasikowska. I first saw her in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and, to be honest, was not blown away by her talent as much by her innocent voice and looks. In Stoker, she proved to be a promising young actress with a talent for psychological challenging roles. Together with perfectly pitched writing and faultless styling, Stoker is a gripping and very much interesting piece of cinema.

Your Sister’s Sister proves once again that one does need much to make a clever and moving film, just three splendid actors, a cottage in the middle of nowhere and some family issues that need to be sorted out. Funny, heart-warming and frustrating, Your Sister’s Sister is amazing in all it’s simplicity.

Disappointing. Boring. Not spontaneous or surprising. Awful writing. The only aspect I did like about Warm Bodies, was the acting. Nicholas Hoult clearly did everything in his power to not look ridiculous, while John Malkovich is rather serious for a change. Not impressed.

Neil Burger retur ns to his expertise with goth fairytale Byzantium. Like a witch’s poison, the director perfectly mixed not only Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, but also vampirism and dark secrets into a beautiful, intriguing and fascinating 11 story. A must see.

FILMS

TOP THREE Best Actresses

SAOIRSE RONAN // KEIRA KNIGHTLEY // MAGGIE SMITH SAOIRSE RONAN (aged 19)

Filmography: Atonement (2007) // Death Defying Acts (2007) // City of Amber (2008) // The Lovely Bones (2009) // The Way Back (2010) // Hanna (2011) // Violet & Daisy (2011) // Byzantium (2012) // The Host (2013) // How I Live Now (2013)

Wins and nominations: Oscar Nominee for Best Perfomance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Atonement) // IFTA Award for Best Actress - Film (Hanna)

Great for Ireland Saoirse Ronan was never one for blockbusters. No explosions, no hot-and-heavy make-out scenes with eligible bachelors and thank God, no hysterical shout-outs à la Lily Collins. “It’s more about the thought and the stillness and what comes out through your eyes,” she says in an interview with The Telegraph. She sounds stunningly mature for an eighteen-year old actress on the roll, but then again, growing up fast was mandatory for Ronan. “I don’t like being treated like a child, and Joe (Wright) just treated me like a human being.” It’s a little habit of Ronan, to name some of the most important figures of the film industry by their first name. “He’s just fantastic,” she says about Joe Wright while he directed in Atonement, the film that lead to an Oscar nomination at the age of thirteen. Impressive, as you and I would say, but Ronan said she “never expected this in a million years to happen”. Also, it was truly great for Ireland.

It’s all so innocent Four years after Atonement, Ronan starred in Wright’s Hanna. A knock-out team, according to Peter Travers from Rolling Stone. “Ronan is an acting sorceress.” Acting sorceress and ninja. For her role in Hanna, Ronan had to train full-time for two months, where she was taught how to kick butt and throw knives. “It was rigorous, but it was great,” the actress told MTV. “I felt strong.” After the action-packed Hanna, Ronan worked on the fairytale coming-of-age story Violet and Daisy. Together with Alexis Bledel, she plays a young assassin, who murders in order to pay for pretty clothes. It sounds superficial, but Ronan says “It’s all so innocent, the reasoning behind it, something about it is so innocent and childish in a way,

SAOIRSE

RONAN but that’s what’s so great about it.” Two young hit women murdering to pay for a dress... Oh, so innocent.

Interview with the vampire In 2012 Ronan stars alongside Gemma Arterton in Byzantium, a film about two vampire women in an sleepy English coastal town. Directed by Neil Jordan, who returned to the vampires after his successful Interview With The Vampire, had wanted to work with Ronan for a long time. “She’s one of the best actresses in the world, I think.” Neil Jordan is a fan, but Ronan claims it is because of time we are living in. “It’s an interesting time to be an actress,” she says. She believes it is good to in the company with actresses like Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone, young women who “don’t want to sexualise themselves or objectify themselves.” Inspired by strong women, “like Susan Sarandon and Rachel Weisz and Cate Blanchett, who are smart and funny and good actresses and mothers and all this kind of stuff,” Ronan is only ever interested in good characters and real people. And vampires.

KEIRA

KNIGHTLEY

“Carey Mulligan is such a brilliant crier,” Keira Knightley laughs when talking about the film Never Let Me Go with The Guardian. “It’s astonishing. I love it. I got such a kick out of it.” One hell of a kick, apparently. After leaving school when she was only sixteen years old, Knightley dedicated herself with heart and soul to her acting. Despite the tremendous success, Knightley does look back on the drastic decision. “I felt like I had to prove myself.”

Queen of the costume dramas And so she did. After more than a decade of filming, Knightley is now crowned as the “Queen of the costume dramas”. Although she broke through worldwidely with the Pirates of the Caribbean-franchise, the actress has switched to her absolute expertise; the classic adaptations. Director Joe Wright, with whom Knightley has worked on Pride and Prejudice and Atonement and the astonishing Anna Karenina, tells BANG Showbiz the actress is so much more than just a muse. ‘She brings intelligence, energy, vitality, passion and beauty to the set.” The King and Queen of costumes met when Knightley was only eighteen years old. The actress fell in love with costume dramas immediately and the director with Knightley. He says he and his muse understand each other’s creative visions perfectly. “Keira and I know each other so well in terms of our craft I’m not quite sure which are my ideas and which are hers!”

Tragic “It-girl” After having worked solidly from the age of sixteen, Knightley decided she needed a break. She was twenty two when she took a year off - just after she

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY (aged 28)

Filmography: Bend It Like Beckham (2002) // Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) // Love Actually (2003) // King Arthur (2004) // Pride and Prejudice (2005) // Domino (2005) // Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) // Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) // Atonement (2007) // Silk (2007) // The Edge of Love (2008) // The Duchess (2008) // Never Let Me Go (2010) // Last Night (2010) // London Boulevard (2010) // A Dangerous Method (2011) // Anna Karenina (2012)

Wins and nominations: Oscar Nominee for Best Actress (Pride and Prejudice) // Empire Award Best Actress (Atonement) // Golden Globes Nominee (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) // BAFTA Nominee - Best Actress (Atonement)

had finished Atonement. Joe Wright remembers the actress having “an anger deep inside of her, a fire”. The fire did not burn for one year, before Knightley returned in the film The Duchess, about Georgiana Spencer, known to be the original “It-girl”. The critics loved Knightley’s growth in costume films. Chicago Sun-Times compares it to Knightley’s earlier work, by writing: “The Duchess is not of one those delightful movies based on a Jane Austen-novel. It is about hard realist, constrained in a stifling system and using whatever weapons they can use”. With Knightley being an “It-girl” herself, she felt empathy for the Duchess. “I think the paparazzi broke something in me,” she tells The Telegraph. “Celebrity is meant to be everything. But it’s 13 bollocks.”.

MAGGIE S M I T H MAGGIE SMITH (aged 78)

Filmography: Sister Act (1992) // Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) // Gosford Park (2001) // Becoming Jane (2007) // The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) // Downton Abbey (2013)

Wins and nominations: Oscar Winner for Best Perfomance by an Actress in a Leading Role (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) // Evening Standard Winner for Best Actress (Quartet) // Golden Globe for Best Performance Supporting Actress (Downton Abbey)

Dame Maggie Smith is nowadays known for her onscreen personality the Dowager Duchess of Grantham. Her role in the hit series Downton Abbey has gained the Dame worldwide fame at the age of 78. But does she even think of slowing down? The answer: not in the very least. Dame Smith says in a rare interview with 60 Minutes she needs the acting. “It fills a void left in her life.” Consider the void filled.

Lonely Dame The actress states growing older is not easy; not in every-day life and not in her career. When asked if the Dame is lonely, she replies: “It all seems a bit pointless. Going on one’s own and not having someone to share it with.”. Since the death of the love of her life, the playwright Beverley Cross, Dame Smith does not. But when she is asked wether she would have any interest in finding someone new to share her success with, the actress is unyielding. “Absolutely not. No way.”. Nevertheless, the Dame has a ever loyal and loving crowd. Half her co-actors from Downton Abbey are most happy about working with Smith. In an interview with Daily Mail, Dan Stevens recalls having to re-shoot a scene because he did not stand up when Dame Smith’s character entered the room. Zoe Boyle, however, says Smith is to be hilarious. “She has us all in stitches.”.

All about acting Besides her role in Downton Abbey, the Dame is also known as one of Hogwarts’ professors in the Harry Potter-series. Dame Smith had always been the fan’s first choice when it came down to the casting of professor McGonagall and these rumours were all over the internet. The actress herself, knew nothing of these speculations. “I don’t know 14

how to use that Internet-thingy and I never read the press about me,” she says in an interview with The Telegraph. She says she it shocked by the press in the filming industry nowadays. “When I started acting, almost fifty years ago, it wasn’t about fame. It was about acting!” Acting it is! Dame Smith prefers “to be someone else”, by acting. She finds herself a bit odd and therefor loves to become an entirely different person by portraying a character. Although acting is her source of life, it never even occurred to the Dame to move to the capital of films: Los Angeles. “You don’t see old people there.”. With her 78 years, the actress is old. But that does not mean she lessens her work load. With Harry Potter finished and Downton Abbey still up and running, she also stars in two films this year: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet. Her co-actors says the Dame is to be the funniest on set and in her films, she is exactly that. Ella Taylor from NPR writes: “Personally speaking, I’d show up for Maggie Smith if she were guesting on Sesame Street”.

No rest for the wicked Since the Dowager Duchess of Grantham is not likely to die anytime soon, Dame Smith has her hands full on the Downton-series. She has signed up for at least a fourth and fifth season and features in a new picture, My Old Lady, which will be released in 2014. The actress starts as “the old lady” in a Parisian apartment and scorns at its new residents. The word “retirement” does not even feature in the Dame’s dictionary. “The date for retiring has gone by a long time ago,” the actress tells The Daily Mail. She is not done with acting, although she mourns the fact she will possibly never work in the theatre anymore: “It makes me truly, truly sad.” But the Dame does not give up. “I’ll keep going on with Downton and whatever old biddy comes along.”

FILMS

TOP THREE Best Actors

T O M H O L L A N D / / B E N E D I C T C U M B E R B AT C H / / A L A N R I C K M A N Impossible “The most important thing, in anything you do, is always trying your hardest, because even if you try your hardest and it's not as good as you'd hoped, you still have that sense of not letting yourself down,” advices Tom Holland younger actors in his interview with Teen Vogue. The seventeen year old British actor is no longer the stunningly mature boy we met in his debut The Impossible. The much-talkedabout film is about the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, with heart-breaking performances from both Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, as the third lead Holland. Empire believes Holland to be “a remarkable discovery” and his debut performance to be “heart-breaking”. Holland agrees about The Impossible being a physically but also mentally tiring journey. “The emotional side of The Impossible was something I hadn't really ever experienced before so that was a real dive in to unknown territory.”

Steepest learning curve Although it was Naomi Watts who who received a nomination for an Academy Award, many believe it should have been Holland. The Examiner writes: “His pain and fear seems so horrifically real that is is easy to forget that Holland’s just acting.” Also co-star Ewan McGregor was very much impressed by Holland. They met at the beginning of shooting The Impossible, when Holland was only thirteen years old, and McGregor recalls: “Tom was just unbelievably professional. He’s very disciplined. I felt very fortunate of working with him.” Holland also holds dear memories of his time on set of The Impossible. Especially with his on-screen mother Watts, he felt a real connection. “She was like a mother figure both on the set and off the set and she taught me a lot,” the actor tells Indie London. “I went on the steepest learning curve that anyone could come up with.”

TOM HOLLAND (aged 17)

! !

Filmography: The Impossible (2012) // How I Live Now (2013) Wins and nominations: Empire Award Winner Best Male Newcomer (The Impossible) // ALFS Award Winner - Young British Performer of the Year (The Impossible) // NBR Award Winner Breakthrough Performance Male (The Impossible)

TOM

HOLLAND

How he lives now After “the most incredible experience” of his life, Holland went back to being an ordinary British school boy. As a student of the prestigious Brit School in London, his main focus is his eduction, rather than his film career. In late 2012, the actor has no future projects. “I'm just reading scripts, meeting directors, auditioning and just waiting for the right projects to come in,” he tells Teen Vogue. Now, fall 2013, it seems Holland has found the right film. Alongside actress Saoirse Ronan, Holland stars in the adaption of Meg Rosoff ’s How I Live Now. The story is about Ronan’s character Daisy, who is staying with her English relatives when World War III breaks out. About the project, Holland is particularly thrilled about working with director Kevin Macdonald. “Working with Kevin is great,” he tells Collider.com. “I’m really excited about how the film is going to turn out.” The actor is very curious about the fan’s reactions to the film. “It’s terrifying,” he 15 grins. “It seriously freaks me out.”

BENEDICT

CUMBERBATCH production of Mary Shelley’s classic Goth novel Frankenstein. Together with colleague Johnny Lee Miller, they switch the parts of the Creature and the Doctor every other night. Charles Spencer from The Telegraph states Frankenstein as “the most viscerally exciting and visually stunning show in town.”.

B E N E D I C T C U M B E R B AT C H (aged 37)

Filmography: Hawking (2004) // Starter for 10 (2006) // Atonement (2007) // The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) // The Whistleblower (2010) // Sherlock (2010) // National Theatre Live Frankenstein (2011) // Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) // War Horse (2011) // The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey (2012) // Parade’s End (2012) // Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) // The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Wins and nominations: Golden Globe Nominee Best Perfomance by an Actor in a Mini-series (Sherlock) // COFCA Award Winner - Best Ensemble (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

One of the leading actors in the world “Cumberbatch - it sounds like a fart in a bath, doesn't it? What a fluffy old name. I can never say it on a Monday morning. When I became an actor, Mum wasn't keen on me keeping it.” Altus Benedict Cumberbatch on his unusual name. His mother was not keen on him keeping it, but his unforgettable name surely did not withheld Cumberbatch from becoming “one of the leading actors in the world.” These kind words are from no less a person then director Danny Boyle, who worked 16 together with Cumberbatch on the stage

The UK is Cumberbatched The beautiful response to Frankenstein from critics and audience alike is, however, nothing compared to the fame Cumberbatch has obtained because of his performance as the unorthodox detective Sherlock Holmes in the BBC-series Sherlock. Modest as the British actor is, Cumberbatch says he is very flattered by the love and devotion of the Sherlockians - as the fans of the show call themselves. “Apparently, I have also become a verb as in ‘I have Cumberbatched the UK audience’,” he yokes. Not just the UK audience has been Cumberbatched, also Sherlock-producer Steven Moffat had no other choice when it came down to the casting of the infamous detective. “I mean, look at him!” Moffat shouts in an interview with Den of Geek. “There's only so many people who can play Sherlock Holmes in a generation and look it.” Co-producer and co-actor Mark Gatiss confirms this in the BBC-book Sherlock: The Casebook. “Benedict Cumberbatch was our first and only choice.”

The final frontier While we Sherlockians are still in anticipation of the fourth season, Cumberbatch went from one fandom to the other. With his role as the evil Kahn in the Star Trek-sequel Into Darkness, he is now a most welcome member of the Trekkies. After the notification of Cumberbatch’s casting in the sequel of The Hobbit, the Ringers and Sherlockians were overwhelmed with joy. The actor will impersonate the dragon Smaug, opposite co-Sherlock cast member Martin Freeman. Unfortunately for the Trekkies and the Ringers, Cumberbatch shall leave the fandom shortly, to star in the film The Fifth Estate. Directed by Bill Condon, the man responsible for Dream Girls as well as the latest Twilight-film, the biopic tells the story about Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks and, by their statement, “the most dangerous website in the world”. The film is completed and shall be released by the end of 2013. But when the actor is asked about future projects, Cumberbatch is reserved - and a little bit vague. “Oh, you know, if Spielberg doesn’t call then, I’m going to go on a holiday.” A very well deserved holiday, that is.

ALAN

RICKMAN The perfect voice Alan Rickman, better known by his nickname Professor Severus Snape, is more easily recognised by his famously distinctive voice than by his face. Although not everyone agrees on that: “My voice teacher said, ‘You sound as if your voice is coming out of the back end of a drainpipe.’”. In an interview with New York Times, Rickman tells about the rather unexpected troubles that come with having an unusual voice. He says his unique voice caused a lot of complaints when in drama school. “I had big problems”. How seemingly discontented Rickman sounds, how fascinated the rest of the world is. Not only film fanatics, but also scientist are stricken by Rickman’s timbre. In 2008, researchers claim to have developed a mathematical formula to find the perfect human voice. Surprisingly, Rickman’s voice, together with co-actor Jeremy Irons, forms the perfect male voice. Test persons reacted most positively to Rickman’s deep and slow voice and the leading professor stated the voice as “trust inspiring”.

The ultimate villain Although scientists find Rickman’s voice very trustworthy, masses believe otherwise. Rickman is best known to the greater public for his role as Professor Snape in the book adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter-series. Severus Snape is the evil, yet awkwardly funny, teacher of Potions at Hogwarts - but more importantly, a mysterious shadow that no one seems to get a hold off. Rickman laughs in an interview with Total Stars that only J.K. Rowling truly knows Snape and his true motivations. But Rickman believes Snape to be a very insecure person who is “always longing to be something else”.

ALAN RICKMAN (aged 67)

Filmography: Sense & Sensibility (1995) // Harry Potter Series (2011 - 2010) // Love Actually (2003) // The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (2005) // Snow Cake (2006) // Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (2006) // Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) // Alice in Wonderland (2010) // The Butler (2013) // A Little Chaos (2014)

Wins and nominations: BAFTA Film Award Nominee - Best Perfomance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Sense & Sensibility) // Saturn Award Nominee - Best Supporting Actor (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2)

Behind the camera Most people know Rickman because of his work in front of the camera, but the actor also loves to direct. In 1998, he directed the film The Winter Guest, starring Emma Thompson. About the switch from acting to directing, he states: “I simply wanted to write for once.”. Rickman’s feisty little outing was awarded with the People’s Choice award in Brussels and positive criticism. Jay Carr from The Boston Globe, says The Winter Guest to be “a beautiful, emotionally generous film”. Clearly, it left Rickman wanting more. Now, in 2013, Rickman will be in front and behind the camera in A Little Chaos. Starring Kate Winslet, the film tells the story of two gardeners who must compete to own the right to design a fountain in Versailles. Rickman does not only direct his own picture, he will also star as King Louis XIV. The film will be released next year, while in the meantime Rickman pays visits to Wimbledon. The Royal 17 Box, that is.

FASHION SAINT LAURENT // VIVIENNE WESTWOOD // JENNY PACKHAM

Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It's movement, design and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we'd like to be, says fashion icon Blair Waldorf from the hit series Gossip Girl about the love of her life: fashion. And I agree with her, fully. Fashion might not be the most beautiful or moving or breathtaking art in the world, it is the most powerful one. With our choice of fashion, we take a stand. By not wearing fur you can be politically active, by wearing band-shirts you support art and by wearing “green fashion” you fight for a green environment. Fashion sends a message about who you are and who you want to be. Confident, beautiful, funny or original; you can shout your personality out loud via your clothes. Fashion is a powerful tool, but you must learn how to use it. Numerous iconic men and women have gone before us and we can draw inspiration from them and their image. My personal style icons are a combination of classic and contemporary icons, but also one very personal icon. My aunt Greta is my ultimate fashion icon. Everything I know about fashion I have learned from her and basically half of the pieces in my closet once belonged to Greta. My aunt is beautiful and dresses herself with confidence and elegance; my perfect fashion icon. My obsession with little black dresses and the colour black in general originates in Greta’s signature style and colour. No Karen Millen is left unvisited in the Benelux or the United Kingdom and a separate room is transformed into a walk-in closet. Everything, of course, perfectly organised by fashion item. Black leather jackets by black leather jackets, pencil skirts by pencil skirts and Swarovski necklace by Swarovski necklace. My aunt Greta is my style icon.

EDITOR’S PICKS // STYLE ICONS // BRILLIANT BASICS // GOES MODESTAD // SHOPPING GUIDE TO EDINBURGH

FASHION Editor’s picks The

S A I N T L A U R E N T / / V I V I E N N E W E S T W O O D / / J E N N Y PA C K H A M It’s a men’s world Saint Laurent started out as the designer of the socalled Beatnik-uniform: black jacket, black tight pants and black boots. In short, Saint Laurent loves black. With the creation of the tuxedo suit for women, Le Smoking, Saint Laurent became an established name in the worldwide fashion industry. With Le Smoking, women could be androgynous and feminine at the same time. Fashion photographer Helmut Newton, is famous for his photo of a smoking woman in Paris, wearing a classic suit and sleek hair. It inspired a generation. Nowadays the Saint Laurent-masterpiece features in numerous fashion photography and in daily life. Woman use the suit as a weapon, to show their own influence and power by wearing “men’s clothes”.

A pay back with the same coin “In understand, that the most important encounter in life, is the encounter with oneself,” the master, Yves Saint Laurent, said in a press conference for his label. And he was right. With his original, feminine and stubborn designs, Saint Laurent made sure thousands of people, all around of the world, had this encounter with themselves. For example, the French president Sarkozy, states Saint Laurent to be “a creative genius” and colleague-designer Christian Lacroix thinks his works is “Extraordinary”. Saint Laurent has come a long way since these compliments. The now legendary designer was not that legendary at his school, because of his sexuality. Saint Laurent found solace in fashion and started designing dresses for his mother and his sisters. As a young designer, he was fascinated by his great example: Christian Dior. “It fascinated me,” Saint Laurent recalls. “He taught me the basis of my art.” Unfortunately, the designer was fired from Dior and he did not agree with this decision. Saint Laurent sued his former fashion house and won. Together with life-long partner, Pierre Bergé, Saint Laurent started his own label and introduced the world to Le Smoking. Talking about a pay back with the same coin.

SAINT

LAURENT Thrilling and scandalising After the creation of Le Smoking, the fashion label has had some loyal followers. His first muse was French actress Catherine Deneuve, who is now listed as one of the fifty best-dressed women by The Guardian. Saint Laurent’s androgynous look is still a red-carpet favourite. Super starts such as Angelina Jolie and Kristin Scott Thomas are hooked on the power look. Jolie is a loyal supporter of Saint Laurent, even when the last collection has not been received that well. Hedi Slimane, the new designer of the label, has created collections that “have thrilled and scandalised in equal measure”, according to Nathan Heller of Vogue. Heller also emphasises how this divided reactions were exactly the ones the master would have wanted. Since Yves Saint Laurent’s death in 2008, his label has created sexy, stubborn, classy and controversial pieces of art. 19

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Vivienne Westwood, brilliant fashion designer, businesswoman and Queen of Punk. Her fashion label, Vivienne Westwood, is known for its references to the punk-era of the 1970’s and for its shock-factor. Vivienne Westwood first attracted attention to her style and her fashion label when she started designing clothes for punk-boutique “SEX” in the King’s Road in London. Through this boutique, the punk-scene in the United Kingdom obtained a clear face and style: Scottish tartans, dramatic makeup and fishnet-stockings. Vivienne Westwood has always said she was inspired by the shock-factor of punk and wanted to have this same affect with her style and her clothes.

issue was published. On the cover, Vivienne Westwood wears the suit that Thatcher had ordered - and this sent a message. Vivienne Westwood has been a long-standing supporter of the Labour Party, while Thatcher was the leader of the Conservative Party. Thatcher was, as reported, not amused with Vivienne Westwood’s appearance.

But in 2007, Vivienne Westwood stated on national television that after years of support, she no longer considered herself a supporter of the Labour Party. She said she had transferred herself to the opposite Conservative Party, because she could not agree with the ideas of the Labour Party over civil liberties and human rights. Shocking, indeed.

Punk vs. Jane Austen The designs of the Vivienne Westwood-label bring 1970’s punk to modern fashion. This style characterizes itself by loads of leather, BDSM-inspired fashion pieces and a very enthusiastic use of safety pins. Vivienne Westwood has used the shock-factor of these elements, together with historical elements from the 17th and 18th Century. This would be like Jane Austen wearing leather corsets and safety pins instead of ribbons. Vivienne Westwood combines punk-elements with dress-cuts from the Jane Austen-era. This was done with a reason and that is, again, “to shock”.

Sex And The City Vivienne Westwood has designed the most talked about wedding dress before Kate Middleton - the dress Carrie Bradshaw wears in the Sex And The Cityfilm. Although her dress was named one of the highlights of film, Dame Westwood walked out of the film’s premiere after 10 minutes, stating the styling further styling of the film was frumpy and boring.

Let’s talk politics Apart from being a shock-fashion designer and hugely successful businesswoman, Vivienne Westwood has also been very politically involved. In April 1989, Vivienne Westwood featured on the cover of the British magazine Tatler. She was dressed like the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who held this position when this 20

Apart from annoying political figures, Vivienne Westwood is also very taken with culture and, especially, the British culture. In the 2011 documentary Vivienne Westwood’s London, the designer declares her love for London. “I love this city,” she says longingly. “I want to encourage people to love art and to believe that culture can save the world.”

Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked At the age of 71, Vivienne Westwood is still not done with provoking and fighting punk’s global image. In an interview with New York Times about the exhibition “Punk: Chaos to Couture”, she says: “I think it’s ridiculous. Every time punk comes up, people think of me as a kind of trophy.” She is, tough, proud of her part in the punk movement and her struggle to maintain it. “The reason I am proud of it, is that I think it really did implant a message. T he hippies told it to me, but punk made it something cool. We don’t b e l i e v e government, we are against it.”

JENNY PACKHAM

My absolute favourite designer of, perhaps, all time, is definitely Jenny Packham. The British designer is best known for her fairytale-like bridal gowns and the dresses that Kate Middleton has worn - think of the blue polkadot dress she wore while presenting her baby son George. The Jenny Packham-label was founded in 1988 and mainly designed wedding dresses. Beautiful, vintage-inspired gowns that nowadays are very much wanted.

Alice in Wonderland Whenever I look at a campaign photo from the Jenny Packham bridal collection, I believe I have fallen through a looking class. Jenny Packham’s campaigns are like a vintage fairytale, with loads of lace and dreamy dresses. Browsing through the website and the bridal collections, is like Alice experiencing Wonderland for the first time. It gets curiouser and curiouser how unearthly beautiful these images are. The models are beautiful, but not a Ralph Laurenkind-of-pretty. It is truly refreshing. The dresses are one of a kind gowns, i n s p i r e d by v i n t a g e designs. No Pnina Torniaglamour, but simple and elegant beauty. Most of her dresses are made of flowing mousseline and are decorated with a small amount of beading and lace.

From duchess to pin-up Jenny Packham’s co-called “Ready to wear” collection is in high demand by everyone. From the Duchess of Cambridge to pin-up Dita Von Teese, the red carpet is crowded with designs from Jenny Packham. Kate Middleton is a known client, as is actresses Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet. An interviewer from the fashion magazine ELLE, asks the British designer wether she thinks Kate Middleton is the ultimate Jenny Packham, on which she answers: “I don’t know, really. I think she wears the coolest things. It’s so exciting when Kate wears our designs”.

Picknick, anyone? The theme for the Spring 2014 bridal campaign was “Glamorous Picknick”. The designer wanted to show that laid-back could also be glamorous. The style shown in the campaign photos is Edwardian classics, combined with 1970’s influences. To me and to many others, these dresses look absolutely perfect - and the message that the dresses carry even more. “I think,” says Jenny Packham. “That the perfect dress makes somebody feel wonderful. If I can get someone to put on a dress, walk in a room, have them feel great, and have everybody think that they look lovely, too - then my job is done.” 21

FASHIONStyle Icons Iconic

BLAIR WALDORF // ZELDA FITZGERALD // CATE BLANCHETT // GRETA DE LEEUW Although Blair Waldorf is a pure fictional character, she has been a very real style icon since the first episode of the popular series Gossip Girl. Blair’s sense of style, snappy remarks, unforgettable fashion tips and trademark looks have made her iconic. In the beginning of the series, the character, brilliantly portrayed by actress Leighton Meester, is the queen of a privileged Upper East Side high school. Blair rules with an iron fist, in person as in fashion. Her style can be characterized as classy, but edgy. She wears fine cuts, made of delicate fabrics, but her outfits always have a little bit of an edge - a style which suits Blair’s persona perfectly. Here are some of Blair’s trademark tools that make her distinctive look:

Statement necklaces Blair’s outfits are always completely finished - there is absolutely nothing bohemian or nonchalant about her. She usually we a r s h e r d re s s e s o r blouses with a statement necklace. This accentuates her neckline and face. For example, I learned to wear a lace skater dress, with a chunky necklace. When the dress or top is monochrome, use a statement necklace.

“Whoever said that money doesn’t buy happiness, clearly didn’t know where to shop.” - Blair Waldorf

Vintage-inspired Just as I do, Blair d re s s e s w i t h ro l e models in mind. Her outfits are always vintageinspired, to honour her own style icons. Her most distinctive hero is Audrey Hepburn and most of her outfits have those same classy and elegant shapes. Clean cut dresses, statement jewelry and, of course, a good dose of wit. Blair is inspired by vintage fashion and she channels this into more modern pieces. For example, Blair wears a lot of lace and vintage prints.

Headbands From the first episode of Gossip Girl, Blair started a fashion revolution. Her character can always be recognised because of her trademark 22

headbands. In high school, Blair wore her headbands preppy, in the colours red and blue. Sometimes she wore them simple, but other times she would upgrade her headbands by adding a bow, beading or crystals. In the later seasons of Gossip Girl, Blair introduced the headband as a non-preppy accessory, that can be worn with every outfit and every occasion.

Hair and make-up Apart from a very distinctive fashion style, Blair also has a very characteristic hair- and make-up style. Blair wears her hair either in loose curls or in a romantic, classic up-do. Before I dramatically cut my hair, I used to inspire my hairdo’s by Blair. Nowadays, I am mainly inspired by Blair’s iconic fashion style. Although she is not a real, living person, Blair is a true icon of fashion. Her style is confident, romantic and strong.

ZELDA

FITZGERALD Zelda Fitzgerald is one of the reasons I cut my hair a little while ago. Although her husband, F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favourite writers, I have always preferred Zelda over Scott. In my opinion, Zelda Fitzgerald symbolises an era in which women’s fashion dramatically changed - and Zelda was the front runner.

Flappers F. Scott Fitzgerald called his wife the first flapper, a new generation of young women. Zelda wore short skirts, bobbed her hair, listened to jazz and flew through the Parisian society of the 1920’s like a butterfly. Nowadays, she still is the image o f t h e fl a p p e r women, of the Roaring Twenties and a style icon for those who love this fascinating era. “All I want to be is very young always and very irresponsible and to feel that my life is my own-to live and be happy and die in my own way to please myself,” Zelda once said.

Social butterfly The style of Zelda Fitzgerald and the flapper women, is a very distinctive one and definitely my favourite of historical fashion styles. I love how Zelda went against every fashion-moral and developed her own style. She wore headbands embedded with beadings and diamonds in her blond bobbed hair, which fell in loose curls around her head. When I first started researching Zelda and the Roaring Twenties, I immediately fell in love with the images of the flapper women and how confident and extraordinary they looked. Their style is simple, yet provoking and fun. Zelda did not really care for fashion rules or morals, so she wore her skirts shorter than was accepted or wore feathers in her hair. She is an inspiration to me and I very much like to copy iconic pieces of her outfits. For example, the Mary Jane heels in black leather, the beaded headbands and, of course, the flapper dress.

Fabulous and comfortable Zelda and the flappers proved that looking fabulous did not need to be uncomfortable. Flapper dresses are very loose and very comfortable to wear, while they still look great! Although the dresses are not tight-fitted or low-cut, they still look very feminine and mysterious. 23

C A T E BLANCHETT Cate Blanchett is known for three things: her phenomenal acting, her intelligent, yet witty image and her undeniable sense of style. The last thing is the subject of this article, because if I had to write about all those three things, it would definitely be over 500 words. Cate Blanchett is an amazing role-model, because she is intelligent, out-of-the-box and confident. The beauty of her fashion is, that her clothes represent these qualities.

Intelligent “Things present themselves to you, and it's how you choose to deal with them that reveals who you are. We all say a lot of things, don't we, about who we are and how we think. But in the end it's your actions, how you respond to circumstance that reveals your character.” Cate Blanchett is smart and that is how she dresses. She is my first example when it comes down to suits and she is an endless source of inspiration for officeapproved outfits. Looking intelligent, but not stiff, are key words if one were to describe Cate’s intelligent style. On red carpets or public events or fashion shoots, the actress often wears a suits, but not your everyday suit. She combines classic textures and lines, with, for example, a lace collar or a waistcoat that is just out of the ordinary, like the outfit shown on the big picture right.

Out of the box Let’s all think back of the red carpet show of the Oscar’s 2011, the year that meant the most unappreciated dresses by yours truly, but also the year that showed the world to appreciate the Art of Fashion. Blanchett wore a beautiful, soft pink gown by Givenchy. Many loved the dress, but there were also fashion bloggers who literally hated the dress. The shoulder pads were too 70’s, the colour too corny and the beading too kitschy. Of course, not everyone can appreciate the Art of Fashion the way Blanchett appreciates it, but the actress does support original and out-of-thebox designers by wearing their creations to public events. Blanchett wears daring shape in rich textures and simple, elegant colours. Although she wears a lot of avant-garde gowns, she always finds a way to maintain her look, by using very natural make-up and soft hair. She wears the extraordinary gowns and not the other way around. 24

Confident Cate Blanchett wears her out-of-the-box designs with intelligence and confidence, looking utterly professional. At public events, she is always a bit reserved, but very kind and professional. This is what she channels through her clothing: a high level of professional confidence with an edge. Blanchett does not use many accessories, but she does not need them, because the shapes are already drawing attention. This way, she looks confident and amazing.

G R E TA

De Leeuw There are these fashion icons that are every girl’s icon: Alexa Chung, Coco Chanel or Marilyn Monroe. But there is one icon that belongs just to me and that is my aunt, Greta. She is my ultimate style icon and my personal tutor when it comes down to the Knowledge of Fashion. I was just a little girl when Greta brought me British magazines, like the Vogue, and my studies could begin.

A wardrobe to Narnia My walk-in closet smells like Chanel, like my aunt Greta. Half of the pieces of clothing that I own, were once Greta’s. From black tuxedo jackets, to black high heels and from little black dresses to perfect fitting jeans. Every once in a while, Greta drops by with this bag full of clothes, or shoes, or make-up that do not fit into her walk-in closet anymore, so she donates them to my younger sister and me. Luckily, my sister does not appreciate fashion the way my aunt and I do, so I keep most the clothes Greta gives us. It truly is a miracle, because Greta and I, we do not only have the same taste in shoes, but also the same size. Like, exactly the same size. So every piece of clothing that is in the bag Greta brings around, fits magically.

Every once in a while, I get to visit the Holy Wardrobe myself. Greta has dedicated an entire spare room to fashion. From the floor to the ceiling; it is full with the most beautiful black dresses, handbags and shoes - and every single item would fit me. The beauty of the Holy Wardrobe is, that Greta does not have a stylist of a personal shopper, like so many other style icons. Greta has her own style and over the years, she has filled her walk-in closet with her very own and distinctive style.

! !

Where to shop My aunt could write a book about the best places to shop, from Belgium to Scotland. It takes years and years of experience to gather the amount of knowledge about shopping Greta has. My aunt takes me on shopping trips to Antwerp, where she leads the way to the best addresses. Dresses and skirts are bought at Karen Millen's, I have a jeans jacket from Princess, Zara for the high street necessities, Swarovski is the place to be for jewelry and Mango for the white blouses and cigarette trousers.

Next to shopping-trip favourite Antwerp, there is always London. The list of shopping addresses is endless: Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Lipsy London, Harrods… My aunt and uncle usually go to London once a year: my aunt for the shopping, of course, and my uncle for the soccer games. The one travel tip that I will probably never forget, is to pack your suitcase only half full when you go on a shopping trip, because you will buy the other half on your trip. All these tips and amazing pieces of clothing make my aunt Greta my perfect style icon. 25

FASHIONBASICS brilliant

JACKET // TRENCH-COAT // MARINE SWEATER // TANK-TOP // LBD // JEANS // LEATHER JACKET

SUIT UP // the jacket Unmissable in every professional women’s wardrobe; a nice suit jacket. Why? Because it looks smart and feminine. Smart during work or a business meeting. Feminine during the day or a night out. Conclusion: the suit jacket is compatible with pretty much anything. With slim trousers, a fitted pair of jeans or a black pencil skirt you will always create a style that is yours. Want to you how to really make your suit jacket unique? Wear it with a other-coloured belt around your waist or with a loose white blouse for a simple and yet sophisticated look. Be sure not to want to add to much femininity by wearing your suit jacket with a mini skirt. This way you will lose your intended goal: to look smart and feminine. Too much shoulder padding is never a good idea, so leave that to David Bowie and Madonna they know how to pull ridiculousness off. Yves Saint Laurent is the absolute god of the suit jackets. He “invented” the feminine jacket by having models wearing it with only a bra. Now I understand that this has not the intended effect of looking smart and professional, so I suggest to wear your jacket with a infallible white shirt and a pair of jeans. This way your look is smart, feminine and comfortable!

ARMY STYLE // the trench-coat The First World War has given us many things, such as human exterminators and new-developed weaponry - but is has also inspired fashion. Burberry has designed the first trench coats for the British soldiers, but is also the leading brand of the coats nowadays. Many have gone before us and very well succeeded. Prince has his signature purple example and almost every character in science-fiction films owns a leather version. Luckily there also stylish examples of the trench-coat: Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl is regularly spot in one and also Vogue-editor Anna Wintour owns a couple. Examples enough, but how does the common citizen wear a trench-coat? The trick is not to make it look like you just came from the trenches, but like you own the piece. For example, try to make it look more casual, by rolling up the sleeves or by tying the belt loosely. This way you create a sophisticated and casual look for your army coat. Also very convenient about the trenchcoat: you can wear it with everything to every occasion. Wear it with jeans or neat trousers to work and with a black dress when you are on a night out. But, be sure not to wear your trench-coat with a long skirt or dress. This will only make you look shorter, while the coat is supposed to make you look taller - like Benedict 26 Cumberbatch has taught us so.

COMFY CHIC // the sweater Of course, we do not want to play dress up every single day although some of us definitely do - but we do want to look wellclothed on our day off. No pajamas and no ugly baggy shirts: choose wisely and choose comfy. A neat and good-coloured sweater can save your lazy day. For extra comfort, choose a sweater with an incredibly soft texture. Wear your sweater with flat shoes and comfy jeans for an easy cool look and with high heels for a night out. Add a couple of eye-catching bracelets for a little bling and you are good to go. There is always a way to wear your sweater, especially when you choose an easy compatible colour, like black or marine blue. This way you will never have a fashion blunder, except for when you decide to wear your marine sweater with a yellow piece of clothing. You definitely do not want to look like a certain furniture store.

CLASSY // the LBD The LBD is famous. Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, vintage stores and high street labels have manufactured the little black dress. Over the years the piece has become an icon of style on its own. Like Coco Chanel has taught us: “is it a sort of uniform for all women of taste”. Completely true, because the LBD is for everyone and every style. Wether you go for classy and elegant or edgy and sexy: the LBD is for every woman. But what is the secret of the little black dress? Is it the fact that it is little? Or is it the colour? Or is it Edith Piaf ? Or Coco Chanel or the twenties style? I simply have no idea why the LBD is absolutely unmissable in your wardrobe, but maybe it is because of it’s elegance and simplicity. The dress is plain black, with sometimes little details or colours on it, and has a simple cut. Straight or fitted, everything goes. Curious how to turn your LBD into a film star look? Wear it with a enormous black sun hat, black flats and a simple pair of sunglasses for a sophisticated and a little mysterious, summer look. Good thing about the LBD is that you can wear it all year around. For a more winter-proof look, you can wear it with thick tights and a jacket. That way you will be classy and warm.

CONVENIENT // the tank-top Rule number one of wearing tank-tops: the top has a supporting role. You wear it to support your outfit and should never lead the outfit. For example, wear it with a bold printed skirt, with a statement necklace or with jacket. The attention is supposed to go to the bold printed skirt, the statement necklace or the jacket - never the tank-top. The top is there to support your look, remember that. The colour is also very important when it comes down to tank-tops. Try to keep it as simple as possible: black, grey, white and navy-blue. You should avoid colours that are supposed to be fashionable, such as green or red, they draw too much attention, while the tank-top is meant to be supporting. Nude-coloured tanktops are absolutely forbidden: looking nude definitely draws attention from the rest of your outfit. 27

CASUAL // the jeans Jeans are one of the most worn fashion pieces in the world. They go with anything, they are sold everywhere and they come in every thinkable colour and model. Light blue, dark blue, black, white, purple - jeans are sold in every colour. Then there is always the thousands of different models: baggy, boyfriend, skinny, straight. Not every colour or model fits you and the difficult part of wearing jeans - possibly the only difficulty - is deciding which colour and which model fits you best. The classic, straight model in a dark blue colour is possibly the best for everyone. The model slims your legs and makes you appear longer, which is always a nice plus. A dark blue colour also slims and can be worn with most other colours. These jeans are timeless and classic: the perfect choice. And, you can never go wrong with these kind of jeans. Skinny jeans, for example, are dangerous. They look great on models with skinny, endless legs, but horrible on persons with shorter and more curvier legs. A straight cut makes your legs look taller and your hips look slimmer. Apart from a straight jeans, you should also have at least one black jeans. They look a little bit more sophisticated than blue jeans and can be worn with, for example, a white shirt and a blazer to create an office-look. White jeans are also a must-have. In the summer, you can wear them with a striped shirt or tank-top and in in wintertime, you can wear them with a navy-blue sweater and black flat shoes. Even for a night out you can wear white jeans, with a silvery glitter blazer you have the perfect film-star-look.

TOUGH // the leather jacket Leather jackets have been the favourite fashion piece of motorcyclists, tough-guys and, of course, fashionistas. The Vampire Diaries’ tough-vampire Damon Salvatore is not complete without his leather jacket, as is Sherlock’s John Watson or Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft. On men, the leather jacket looks tough and strong, while in woman it looks confident and sexy. This fashion piece is ideal to save a safe or old-fashioned outfit. You can make an instant fashion statement by combining the leather jacket with the right items. For example, wear your black leather jacket with a cute, chiffon dress in sweet rosy colour. This way, you look sweet and sexy. Do you want to be truly unconventional? Wear your leather jacket with a pearl necklace to clash styles in the best way. L e at h e r j a c k e t s c a n b e wo r n i n summertime and in wintertime. During festival season, the leather jacket is a returning guest on the shoulders of Kate Moss, the perfect example of the perfect festival look. In wintertime, you can wear your leather jacket like you would wear a blazer. For example, wear a v-neck jumper with a leather jacket. Be careful with your leather enthusiasm and do not wear your leather jacket with leather motor-boots. It is too much and you lose the whole effect of the jacket. 28

The best way to wear your leather jacket, is the worn-out way. But how do you get your brand-new leather jacket to look worn-out? You can stuff the jacket beneath your mattress and sleep a few nights on it, this wrinkles the leather. An easier way is to just buy the leather jacket in a secondhand store, this way your jacket is already genuinely wrinkled.

FASHIONMODESTAD Goes

T H U R S D AY 2 6 T H / S U N D AY 2 9 T H S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3

Goes Modestad Forget about Paris, London and Milan: there is a new fashionable town on the runway and that is the town of Goes. From Thursday the 26th till Sunday the 29th of September 2013, the town of Goes will be full of fashionista’s, runway-shows and of course, shopaholics. Goes is located in the centre of the province of Zeeland and known for it’s weekly town-markets, busy town-centre and the Grand Church. This gothic building is the main location during “Goes Modestad” and hosts fashion-shows, parties and live music. I will attend the “ZeeuwDesign and Partywear-show” at Friday the 27th of September in the Grand Church of Goes.

Part one: ZeeuwDesign The show consists out of two parts and this first part is all about Zeeuws design. Numerous designers from Zeeuwsche soil present their collection in the Grand Church in Goes. The show is presented by the shock-artist Tinkebell, who originates from Goes.

Floor Hermes and Ineke Otte Two ex p re s s i ve artists were inspired by the Zeeuwsche landscape and have channeled this into imaginative and creative fashion-pieces. Floor Hermes has designed the outfits, with natural colours and flowing silhouettes, while Ineke Otte has made the jewelry out of unusual objects, such as Zeeuwsche mussels, little dolls and plastic mice.

Art of Mook and HatArt One of my personal favourites were the collections of hats, made by Monique Dommanschet from “Art of Mook” and Wil van Weele from “HatArt”. Both designer present their collection of hats inspired by Zeeland en the 1930’s. The Art of Mook’s collection is original and wellcrafted, but the outfits that the mannequins wear during the fashion-show, are very unflattering and distract the public from the hats. Her design features shapes that are characteristic for Zeeland: the regional costumes. The hats are embellished with lace and there is even one in the shape of a Zeeuwsche button! The hats designed by HatArt are true pieces of hatart and beautiful head accessories. Inspired by The Great Gatsby-style, the hats are definitely flapperworthy. Decorated with flowers and lace, the hats are more sophisticated that those of Mook’s. 29

Sebastiaan den Herder The designs from Sebastiaan den Herder are a breath of fresh air in the Grand Church of Goes. His fashion is different and special, with the use of bold colours and clean lines. Inspired by vintage clothing, his designs are simple, but unique. It is a pity tough, that Sebastiaan den Herder’s collection was smaller than some other designers, while his definitely were one of the best and original collections.

ACAG Fashion The designer of this stunning and feminine collection is Aglaya Charis, former model and stylist, but now fashion designer. Her collection is beautiful, with eye for detail. There are sparkles, soft and feminine colours and classic silhouettes. Together with flowery lace and simple lines, Charis’ evening dresses are one of the highlights of the night.

Part Two: Partywear The second part of tonight’s show is all about the upcoming December-festivities. Several local shops and merchandisers show off their party collection for this winter. But… what is with all the monks?

Van de Reepe The show-opener is the men’s store Van de Reepe -and what a kick-off is this! Dark and cinematic music echoes through the church and a dozen of monks start walking the runway. Spectators exchange curious looks, before the monks take off their capes and suddenly are dressed in just jeans and fancy shoes! Effective, sure, but a little bit shocking for the eldery visitors.

Belladonna The clothing is simply awful, but the purses the models are carrying are beautiful. I suggest to have the models wear monk-outfits and to just show off the purses!

Simon and La Ligna Two of the most notable lingerie-stores show off their new collection. Simon dresses up its models elegant and desirable to show its beautiful lingerie. There is a lot of lace and soft-coloured fabrics, all designs I did not know Simon sells. A good show that leaves a good impression behind. La Ligna does things a little differently. Instead of the elegant and simple style Simon uses, this store uses big accessories. and extravagant dressing-up. This draws the attention from the lingerie, which was more glamorous and classy than Simon’s. La Ligna sells lingerie with patterns and rich textures and shows this off effectively at tonight’s show.

Steutel While watching expensive and e l e g a n t m e n’s s h o e s I a m wondering about two things: “Why do all male models take their shirts off tonight?” and “Why does Steutel not sell any women’s suits?”

The venue The venue of tonight’s show is the Grand Church, situated in the centre of Goes. The gothic building is beautifully lit on the outside, which gives the church a sophisticated and glamorous charisma. The inside of the Grand Church is decorated with golden chandeliers and a icy white runway that runs through the building. It looks it is full night, with a very diverse crowd. From children to some elder public; all of Goes attends the fashion-show of ZeeuwDesign!

FASHIONEDINBURGH Shopping in

YOUR

GUIDE

SHOP IN

SCOTLANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

CAPITAL

Guide to shop Edinburgh is as diverse a town as Scotland itself and definitely worth visiting. From the crowded Princess Street to the endless chain of souvenir-shops on the Royal Mile, there is something for everyone. On this page, you will find little maps accompanied by tips and tricks of the three main areas. Stockbridge is a neighborhood more north of the town centre and is the Notting Hill of Edinburgh, while the New Town is the place to be for people on shopping trips. The big fashion stores, but also the National Gallery of Scotland are located in this area. The final area is the Old Town, with the oldest parts of Edinburgh. Unfortunately, the souvenir shops have taken over the historic Royal Mile, but fortunately, the people from Mercat Tours give historical tours through the Old Town, away from the tourist shops and stuffed Nessies. To make a long story short: there is something for everyone in Edinburgh.

Stockbridge For those who do not care for busy streets, high-street-brands and department stores, there is the area of Stockbridge. With its old buildings, its little common gardens and antique stores, Stockbridge is like a village just north of the city centre of Edinburgh. No touristic attractions or Primark-crazy shopaholics in Stockbridge. Only serenity and loads of little bars and restaurants. In case you would like take a refreshing walk after all the shopping or eating, you can walk along the river Dean, which runs from the north of Edinburgh, trough Stockbridge and ends in Dean Village.

The New Town For the shopaholics, the Primarkcrazies and the Starbucksobsessed, there is the New Town of Edinburgh. The most interesting streets are Princess Streets, with the big fashion labels such as Primark and Topshop, George Street for the Hard Rock CafĂŠ and the Waterstones, and finally Rose Street, because of the marvelous Fopp-store. The Old Town For a little souvenir-shopping, one must visit the Royal Mile. This street packed with shops and small restaurants runs from the Palace of Holyrood House to the Edinburgh Castle. When you are looking for a quilt - a fashionable one or not - the Royal Mile is the place to be!

MUSIC B I F F Y C LY R O / / F L O R E N C E + T H E M A C H I N E / / P L A C E B O

I remember when my father asked me what my favourite record was and the eight-year old me answered with: “The black Cd with the white letters.” Back then, I did not care for the name of bands, or the lyrics, or the album title. It was just the music I cared for. The album in question was Keane’s debut album Hopes And Fears. It was released in 2004 and that same year meant my own personal discovery of music. My parents are definitely to blame for my obsession with music. My mother listened to Prince, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, while my father loved bands such as Muse, Editors and Queens of the Stone Age. Unfortunately, the Queens never really got passed on, but the love for concerts and festivals did. When I was only eleven years old, my father took me to the Pinkpop festivals and I instantly fell in love with the orderly chaos, the thousands and thousands of pop-up tents and great music from dawn to dark. My parents still take me and my younger sister to concerts and every two year we go to the Pinkpop festival together. Thanks to them, I am able to visit this strange, chaotic and amazing world every once in a while. From little venues to stadiums, together with my family, we travel through the country to live the music for a night. I love how the music moves people, how thousands of people can sing along to the same song and feel the same thing while singing. Or how I can talk to people at festivals who love the same bands as I do or people who have been to the same concerts as me. Even when I have never seen these people before, I do have an instant Connection with them, because we love the same thing. Music connects people, in the mosh-pit or at the festival facilities. Everywhere, always.

EDITOR’S PICKS // SHORT REVIEWS // INCOMING // MOST UNDERESTIMATED ARTISTS // PINKPOP FESTIVAL 2013

MUSIC Editor’s picks The

B I F F Y C LY R O / / K I N G S O F L E O N / / P L A C E B O

BIFFY CLYRO

Cliffy Biros Ayr, Scotland appears to be the most boring place in world. Alas according to leading man Simon Neil. When asked the origin of his band name, he blames his hometown. Neil says it is because of the terrible weather in Ayr, he and twins Ben and James Johnston came up with the name “Biffy Clyro”. In an interview with Spin, Neil explains: “There’s a famous British musician called Cliff Richard.”

B I F F Y C LY R O Alternative Rock // Indie-rock // Post-Grunge !Blackened Sky (2002) // Beggars Banquet 27 // Justboy // 57 !The Vertigo of Bliss (2003) // Beggars Banquet

The Ideal Height // Questions And Answers // Eridicate The Doubt

Infinity Land (2004) // Beggars Banquet There’s No Such Thing As a Jaggy Snake // Glitter And Trauma // My Recovery Injection // Only One World Comes To Mind

Puzzle (2007) // 14th Floor Semi-Mental // Saturday Superhouse // Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies // Folding Stars // Machines // Who’s Got A Match?

Only Revolutions (2009) // 14th Floor Mountains // That Golden Rule // The Captain // Many of Horror // Bubbles // God And Satan

Opposites (2013) // 14th Floor Black Chandelier // Biblical // Opposite

Thirteen-year old Neil and Johnston would think up imaginary Cliff Richard merchandise, like Cliff Richard coat hangers and Cliff Hangers Jesus dolls but also the Cliffy Biros. A Biro pen is the origin of one of Scotland’s biggest band’s name. “Bizarrely, we weren’t high at that time,” Neil laughs. Bizarre, indeed.

Opposites With the release of their sixth studio album, Biffy Clyro finally obtained the recognition they have been fighting for since the beginning of the century. “Opposites is a conceptual double album,” thus The Guardian. It consists out of two parts with two different titles. The first, “The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones”, is about the band’s issues as they gained fame and fortune. A dark and melancholic, strangled with complex emotions and solid poetic nonsense, piece of art is the result. In their single Opposite, Neil sings You are the loneliest person that I’ve ever known, thereby aiming at himself. In an open and honest interview with 3FM Radio, Neil explains that the band had struggled with serious issues during their journey to the top. “Opposite is kind of a conversation with myself, I think. There’s was just a lot of sadness.”

The second part of the album, “The Land At The End Of Our Toes”, focuses on the opposite of that very sadness. The three Scotsman fight their demons in masterpiece Victory Over The Sun and promise each other to stay together in the album’s prestige Picture A Knife Fight. “We got to stick together.” And so they will. 33

FLORENCE + THE

MACHINE Indie-pop // Art rock // Soul !Lungs (2009) // Island Records

Kiss With A Fist // Dog Days Are Over // Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) // Drumming Song // You’ve Got The Love // Cosmic Love

Ceremonials (2011) // Island Records What The Water Gave Me // Shake It Out // No Light, No Light // Never Let Me Go // Spectrum (Say My Name) // Lover To Lover

Florence Welch used to hang out at cemeteries and she is not afraid to say so. In an honest interview with Your Life And Style, the tall and beautiful front woman of Florence + The Machine opens up about her struggles with fame and fortune. “It was literally like Pandora’s box. I was literally like ‘get it back in, I’m not ready for this – I’m not ready for this…’ it was horrible…so much was happening.”

Never a tracksuit-wearer Countless nominations, awards, fashion spreads and two albums later, Welch realises what a long way she has come. The red-haired singer grew up in London, with a mother fascinated by Renaissance art and a father listening to music like The Velvet Underground and The Smiths. “Listening to music on car journeys with my dad, I think, is probably why I love music,” Welch smiles. “I always wanted to be a singer, I just didn’t know how.” As a teenager, Welch struggled with being an artist and building her own brand. But in 2009, she debuted with her first

record, Lungs. Florence and her machine wrote the album in the wake of Welch’s failed relationship, full of raw and emotional songs. It was on this heartfelt record, the world first encountered Welch’s unique and distinctive sound. It gained her fans across the globe, the critic’s respect and the love of Karl Lagerfeld. The singer collaborated with the head of fashion house Chanel both musically and artistically. About her fascination for fashion, Welch laughs: “I don’t know. I’ve just never been a tracksuit-wearer.”

Two broke girls Florence + The Machine was found after Welch was heartbroken and found solitude by producer Isabel Summers, the machine of the band. Both girls were young and “been messed around by boys” and they started recording songs over anger and alcohol. The songs that were written, proved to be life-changing for both Welch and Summers. With the feisty Kiss With A Fist and the ballad Dog Days Are Over, they gained fame. Their album, Lungs, was a major success, sold well and topped on various music charts. The critics were fiercely devoted to Welch and her talented album, but they wondered wether the singer could manage to deliver a second time. Two years later, Ceremonials was released.

Happily ever after On writing Ceremonials, Welch admits she felt the pressure of the world’s expectations about her second album. “I’ve been given such amazing opportunities. And it can feel like I’m definitely gonna manage to completely fuck it up.” However, she did not. “I’m still nervous, tough,” Welch says about Ceremonials. “You’re never completely happy, otherwise you wouldn’t ever make a next album.”. Lungs might have been a break-up album, but not long after the release of the first album, Welch and her boyfriend made up. Ceremonials was Welch’s happily-ever-after second album.

P L A C E B O Alternative Rock !Placebo (1996) // Virgin

Bruise Pristine // Come Home // 36 Degrees // Teenage Angst // Nancy Boy

Without You I’m Nothing (1998) // Virgin Pure Morning // You Don’t Care About Us // Every You, Every Me // Without You I’m Nothing

Black Market Music (2000) // Virgin Taste In Men // Slave To The Wage // Special K // Black-Eyed

Sleeping With Ghosts (2003) // Virgin The Bitter End // This Picture // Special Needs // English Summer Rain

Meds (2006) // Virgin Because I Want You // Song To Say Goodbye // Infra-Red // Meds

Battle For The Sun (2009) // PIAS, Vagrant For What It’s Worth // The Never-Ending Why // Ashtray Heart // Bright Lights

PLACEBO There is no band that is more controversial, more stubborn and more unique than Placebo. Ever since it’s founding in 1996, Brian Molko and his black leather entourage has ruled the underground scene of the music industry. Loved by those who can look further than the androgynous outfits and dark makeup, but feared by those who cannot, Placebo has somehow managed to built it’s own unique empire and style.

Slightly more schizo Placebo is known for their androgynous style, otherworldly lyrics and their unique and different style. They are alternative, even for the alternative genre, and somehow they have always belonged here. But for their seventh studio album, Molko and his men decided to evolve. “Loud Like Love is slightly more schizo and takes a few more risks,” says Molko to Gigwise. “Also, the writing is more direct and much more vulnerable, than we’ve ever been before.” Placebo’s honesty and heart-felt has certainly paid off, writes All Music Guide. “The album is among the group’s most accessible material, even if their tendency toward goth romance and arch fantasy are still very much intact.” Molko agrees, saying: “A lot of people have said to us ‘you write songs about drugs’ and ‘you write songs about sex’, but I really don’t think that’s true.” For this record, Molko really experimented with the lyrical writing

Loud Like Love (2013) // Universal B3 // Too Many Friends // Loud Like Love

process. “I think we’ve either written about ourselves or we’ve written about characters in relationships to sex or drugs or whatever.”

His computer thinks he’s gay On Loud Like Love, Molko and his men wanted to make music about love, and do this in a loudly manner. “Even the absence of love is quite loud...,” Molko says in an interview with Pure Volume. “The sound of silence, of your own breathing... That is also a loud kind of love.” Except for love, Molko believes his seventh album is also very much about bravery. After twenty years of being controversial, openly sexual and a very dedicated fan of leather, Molko was wondering wether he still had the bravery to be that person and to have that image. In the album’s first single, Too Many Friends, the band opens with the line “My computer thinks I’m gay”, and Molko says: “I really wondered wether I had to courage to do this, but at the end of the day, I feel that fortune favours the brave, and I mustered up the courage to just go for it.”

Holding on Placebo did go for it and their bravery has inspired millions of fans all over the world. After twenty years of touring, releasing edgy albums and daring to be different, Molko and his men 35 have hold on to their identity and image.

MUSIC

SHORT REVIEWS

EDITORS // PLACEBO // LONDON GRAMMAR // KINGS OF LEON // LORDE

Editors // The Weight Of Your Love The fourth studio album is a real piece of work. In the midst of the writing process, Editors drastically decided to remove one of the most defining band member and a heart-felt, honest and tender album is the final result. Instead of the thrilling synths that overshadowed the third, this album is full with heavy guitars and soft piano tunes. The new sound is yet again accompanied by beautiful lyrics and the dark voice of Tom Smith.

London Grammar // If You Wait This upcoming band from Nottingham won the Mercury Price - even before their debut album If You Wait was released. Nevertheless, London Grammar deserved the price, because of their simple, yet clever and melancholic songs.

Placebo // Loud Like Love Placebo is the only band in the world who has never been disappointing. Every album Brian Molko and his men deliver, is a creative, provocative and instant masterpiece. Their seventh album is no exception and perhaps the summit of this rule. Loud Like Love is clever and daring with catchy singles Too Many Friends and Rob The Bank, but also tender and small in the ballads Scene Of The Crime and A Million Little Pieces. Simply beautiful.

Kings of Leon // Mechanic Bull These four sun-kissed cowboys have got a reputation to live up to and the question is, if they do. Mechanical Bull has no real stadium potential, but the beautiful ballad Wait For Me and the jazzy Family Tree would make for a great road-trip.

Lorde // Pure Heroine The sixteen year old Lorde has created a beautiful, hip, creative and honest album, named Pure Heroine. She sings about first loves, leaving her home town and touring the world. Intimate beats and synths support Lordeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fresh and pure voice.

Blaudzun // Heavy Flowers Blaudzun started out as a ambitious project of whom everyone thought it was too ambitious. Now Blaudzun is a bold and brave musical collective, travelling the globe and its festivals. Their third studio album, Heavy Flowers, is the most beautiful yet. The Dutch singersong-writer Johannes Sigmond knows how to create tender, layered and interesting indie songs. Not always that easy to understand its meaning, Blaudzun takes its listeners on a journey across universes. The singles Elephants and Who Took The Wheel are festival favourites, because they are so fast-paced and vivid, while the unknown songs are the true pearls. The songs Heavy Flowers and Another Ghost Rocket are the true masterpieces of a treasure.

Arctic Monkeys // AM Alex Turner and his entourage have moved from rainy London to sunny Los Angeles to reinvent their sound and they have succeeded in the best way possible. With AM, the lads from Leeds have matured to leather jacket artists with sexy beats, intriguing lyrics and lazy guitar solos. There is even some experimenting with R&B-raps on One For The Road and a little DavidBowie-ballad on No. 1 Party Anthem. It results in a diverse, laid-back album with great potential.

Biffy Clyro // Opposites Easy is underestimated, when writing about the recording process of Opposites, the sixth album of Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. Personal issues, family trouble and alcohol addiction colour this honest and heart-breaking first Cd of the double record. Heavy rock-ballads and confusing lyrics show ambition and the strength to fight on, which reaches its summit on the second Cd. With absolute masterpiece Victory Over The Sun, Simon Neil and the Johnsontwins show us once and for all, that they are not done fighting. 37

MUSIC JAMES

WALSH

FEVER

MOST UNDERESTIMATED ARTISTS

R AY

CIVIL

TWILIGHT

After four successful albums, the English alternative rock band Starsailor decided to split up by the end of 2009. The four band members each went their own way to immerse themselves into solo projects. Three of these projects failed into the unknown, but Starsailor’s lead singer and main writer managed to built a new musical career, under his own name James Walsh. Since 2009, he has released a beautiful EP, Live at the Top of the World and has worked on several song writing projects for film soundtracks. Walsh has worked with Eliza Doolittle and our very own Ilse de Lange. Together with the Dutch artist, Walsh has written songs for her albums Next To Me and Eye Of The Hurricane. Except for Isle, Walsh has more Dutch connections. At the Vestrock Festival, he and actress/musician Carice van Houten performed Broken Shells.

Freedom... “It’s been going really well,” Walsh tells The Anfield Wrap. The songwriter has been touring without his starsailing entourage all around the world, but has recently kept himself busy with songwriting for other artists and for soundtracks. But for critics and fans alike, his EP is his absolute masterpiece. On the EP, Walsh decided to work acoustically, with an orchestra to accompany him. As a solo artist, Walsh enjoys the freedom the most. “I am kind of my own boss right now, whereas in a band you have to consider other people’s opinions and tastes. Now I can kind of go in any direction I want to really.” Wether that direction is always depressing, asks many reporter. Walsh laughs and says: “I’m a pretty happy guy, tough. I think I’m just a big worrier - it might be going great now, but what about the future? I don’t want to top the list of the most miserable men in music.” Perhaps that is why Walsh decided to go for more sunnier and laid-back songs on his EP Time Is Nigh. Walsh has gone a little funkier, a bit more upbeat, writer Daily Express. The new EP is a folkier kind of instrumental rock, with

J A M E S WA L S H Rock // Indie !Live At The End Of The World EP (2010) Man On The Hill !Time Is Nigh (2013) Time Is Nigh

JAMES

WALSH pace and melodic ease. This while Walsh so very distinctive voice and his beautiful songwriting remains intact.

... But friends About his past with Starsailor, Walsh says: “I think in the early days, we were of a bit of a phenomena. People were just going nuts as soon as we walked on stage.” Nothing could touch them. “It was like being catapulted into a world of madness. We were totally unprepared when the digs started coming.” The digs came shortly after the release of Starsailor’s fourth album All The Plans. Since their first album, they have been compared to Coldplay, who eventually won the battle. The critics outdated the band and so they their media exposure was not enough for them to hold their heads above water. In 2009, Starsailor fell apart. When Time Out Dubai asks Walsh about his relationship with his former band mates, he says: “I speak to them all the time! We’re just trying to find the right time to get back together. The longer we’re away, the more important it is to the timing right and to come back with music people will take notice of.”

F E V E R R AY Fever Ray gained fame since her featuring in the soundtrack of Red Riding Hood, a dark and thrilling film by Catherine Hardwicke. The particular song, The Wolf, fitted that tightly into the scene, that many assumed it was just soundtrack music. Not long after the film’s release, the world discovered the song was especially written for the film by this unknown Swedish woman calling herself Fever Ray. From that moment on, the underground music scene has been fascinated by the strange rhythms and mesmerising synths.

The visual heart Not only her music is theatrical and cinematic, also her stage performance is as dark and thrilling. In an interview with Aufgemischt, the Swedish musician says: “We really try to work with the visual heart of the live performance.” At concerts of Fever Ray, the audience is exposed to every dark corner of the music. With smoke, smells and the audio, Fever Ray tries to capture her audience.

O r d i n a r y woman Fever Ray wears scary, hairy costumes on stage, has the most unorthodox and strange music videos and yet, the only frontwoman claims to be an ordinary mother. “I’m like all parents,” she says. “I leave my kids at kindergarten and go to work. In my case I just wear costumes when I do.” When the interviewer asks wether children have ever visited one their mother’s performances, Fever Ray laughs. “My oldest daughter has and no, she was not scared. She’s used to me wearing costumes.” That does not mean they have the same taste of music, tough. “My daughter loves rock music. My music is too vague for her.”

A bizarre cocktail Fever Ray is experimental in all it’s ways and sounds. It’s thrilling and exciting, as much as it is written like an epic film soundtrack. The same-called debut album begins very dark, with nearly terrifying echoes and deep synths and slowly builds its suspension towards the sad and melancholic Keep The Streets Empty For Me. I believe this song to be the climax of the album and thereby of the dark fairytale Fever Ray tells. It’s a soundtrack to a story about loneliness and estrangement, because people do not understand you and thereby not e x c e p t i n g yo u . Fever Ray dives into this heartache and magnifies this by translating its depths into hollow drums and otherworldly synths. To g e t h e r w i t h a hypnotic voice and lyrics, it makes a bizarre cocktail that is too underestimated by the rest of the world.

Unfinished experiment We are constantly looking for talent with all our shows and programs, while we ignore the amazing and unique talent that is right in front of us. Fever Ray is, in that way, an unfinished experiment.

F E V E R R AY Electronic // Experimental // Indie

Fever Ray (2009) // Rabid Records If I Had A Heart // When I Grow Up // Triangle Walks // Seven // Stranger Than Kindness // Keep The Streets Empty For Me // Mercy Street 39

CIVIL

TWILIGHT Usually I do not linger in the cinema hall after the film has ended, but one time I did. It was not the best movie I had ever seen - far from that - but the credits were one of the best. One particular song from an unknown band echoed through the hall that day and since that moment I can truly say that Civil Twilight is one of the most underestimated bands of this time. I am not the only one. Since the release of I Am Number Four and in particular it’s credits, the world has become aware of this upcoming band from South-Africa. Numerous comparisons ran across the Internet, from U2 and Radiohead to more modern bands like Muse and Keane. Civil Twilight reminds the fans of bands they love, but why have they not caught the attention of the world?

Naivety and dreams Perhaps the band is to blame. “In the beginning, we had no idea what we were doing,” says Andrew McKellar to Consequence of Sound. Instead of jumping into the more accessible UK market, the three South-Africans went to Los Angeles. “Well, we had American passports, it was cheaper and it was near the beach.” Now, two years and two records later, McKellar regrets their naivety in the early days. “We just didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. The first thing we did was go to a drive-thru Burger King. We were utterly overwhelmed.” The tree band-members spent their childhood together, dreaming of the day they would travel the world as Civil Twlight. “America and the UK were the dream places,” McKellar says. “We spent our whole childhood listening to music from the US and the UK.” Perhaps that is where the comparisons come from. McKellar tells: “My brother and I grew up with opera, jazz and blues around 40

C I V I L TWILIGHT Indie // Indie-Rock // Alternative Rock

Civil Twilight (2009) // Wind-Up Quiet In My Town // Letters From The Sky // Anybody Out There // Next To Me

Holy Weather (2012) // Wind-Up Fire Escape // River

we listened to a lot of folk, like Simon and Garfunkel.” But it was the British punk phase that defines the sound Civil Twilight these days. “We really got into British rock, like Oasis and Blur. Although Radiohead was our favourite.” But the most important influence is the singer Jeff Buckley, according to McKellar. “The first time I heard him sing, I was about seventeen years old, and that was when I knew I wanted to be a musician. Music was exactly what I wanted to do.”

Robert... Who? Apart from musical comparisons, frontman Steven McKellar happens to bear a striking resemblance to Twilight-actor Robert Pattinson. When asked wether people are aware of this fact, the musician laughs: “Every. Night. Every single night, man. I’m trying to disguise myself so people will stop making that connection. And the fact that we’re named Civil Twilight doesn’t help much.” Perhaps featuring on a Twilight-soundtrack will bring this band fame.

MUSIC

SUMMER PINKPOP FESTIVAL â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13

4 4 T H P I N K P O P F E S T I VA L / / 1 4 , 1 5 , 1 6 T H O F J U N E The 44th edition of the annual Pinkpop Festival starts at Friday the 14th of June 2013 and the greatness will last to that same Sunday the 16th. Three days of great music, relatively good food and awesome people - and I would not miss it for the world. I share this experience with a good 50.000 people, who are all standing in line Friday afternoon, waiting to run down the stairs of the Megaland terrain and to enjoy three days of music. The weather is fine, all three stages are ready to be violated by forty artists from across the world and Dutch band Handsome Poets declare the festival opened.

FRIDAY 14TH OF JUNE Andy Burrows Andy Burrows is one of the first to kick-off this 44th edition and he does this with grace and a flowery shirt. With up-tempo songs like Keep On Moving On and Because I Know That I Can, the Brit gets the crowd in the Brandbier Stage moving. But with the slow Hometown, he even makes my neighbouring festival visitor cry. An emotional kick-off, but Andy Burrows sets the right tone of this edition of Pinkpop Festival; a laid-back and easy festival. Paramore Paramore has been on the Pinkpop-wish-list since 2005 and now, only eight years later, the American punk bands finally storms the main stage. Hayley Williams, the fiery and feisty front-woman of the band, proves once and for all that women do rock. She is supported by three broad-shouldered men, but her presence on stage and her phenomenal voice carry the entire show. Williams entertains her crowd with hits like Misery Business and Now, but above all, she thanks her fans and the people who believe in music. Paramore rocks! The Killers The last time The Killers paid a visit to Pinkpop Festival was in 2009, when they kicked-off the weekend with flair and fun. But four years later, the four men are ready for the real deal: head-lining the festival. The Killers makes the entire festival crowd to instant hits Somebody Told Me and When You Were Young, but they score with their fireworks finale Mr. Brightside. Although their latest album, Battle Born, is rather sad, the band gives Pinkpop Festival the perfect first night. 41

SATURDAY 15TH OF JUNE Passenger His ballad Let Her Go was an instant and welldeserved hit, but the question wether Passenger is main-stage-material remained. His beautiful album All The Lights consists out of ballads and folky indies-songs, no stadium-anthems. But this funkyhaired singer-songwriter does not need stadiumanthems! With just his guitar, his checkered blouse and a few lights, Passenger climbs up the main stage on a sunny afternoon and amazes the entire crowd. He proves to be excellent main-stage material, although he says he feels better being a street musician and promises he will return for the real street experience later on in the Kalm-Aan-Laan. The Laan has never been that un-calm before. Miles Kane The entire performance of Miles Kane can be described in one word: loud. The Brit and his Beatlesque entourage do not care they play the smallest stage on the festival; they just turn up the volume. Unfortunately, this does not work out the way the Brits hoped it would. By the fourth song, half of the crowd haves ear damage and so they leave Miles Kane and their amps. Fortunately for the leaving crowd, outside the tent, Miles Kane sounded less loud and much better. Ellie Goulding Although Ellie Goulding is huge in Great Britain, she is only known by her hit Lights in the Netherlands. But the festival crowd does believe in Ellie and the tent is fuller than full by the time the first synths start to pound. During her performance, she proves to be more than a one-hit-wonder. Her band plays the songs flawlessly, but Ellieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice is sometimes off and unfortunately, she does not seem to reach her own high notes. A point lost on a otherwise perfectly entertaining performance. Kings of Leon It has been only two years since the last time Kings of Leon headlined the main stage. In 2011, the Tennessee rock group burned down Megaland. This while they did not play as tight and focused as this year, in 2013. While Kings of Leon is known for their drunken outbursts and snappy moods, the Followills clearly matured in the past two years. For the first time, I see frontman Caleb Followill actually having fun at stage, smiling and mumbling how he is not much of talker, so he will just play some songs That is a good decision, because as soon as the first Southern guitar riffs echo through the speakers, the crowd goes wild. With singles Use Somebody and Sex On Fire, the men please the festival crowd, but they do not forget their loyal fans. Especially for us, Kings of Leon plays some songs from their upcoming album, Mechanical Bull. The crowd is never uneasy when the then still unknown riffs of Supersoaker are played. Quite the contrary, the crowd dances and sings along like it has been a single for years. But their performance is only complete after the classic Black Thumbnail.

SUNDAY 16TH OF JUNE Stereophonics The British indie-rock band Stereophonics has been a very welcome festival performance, but at the Pinkpop Festival of 2013, they seem a little off. After more than a decade of touring, the four men sound tired and unfocused. It is not necessarily a bad performance, not in the very least, but there is no enthusiasm of freshness in their music. This is a pity, because Stereophonics has got quite a crowd to please and they do not succeed. Not even hits like Dakota or Maybe Tomorrow strike the right chord. The food cart is much more interesting, unfortunately. Blaudzun Blaudzun is one of Holland’s finest artist and he proves to be just that during his enchanting, mesmerising and nearly flawless performance. Nearly flawless, because halfway the performance the guitar’s cable breaks and so Blaudzun’s ensemble has to play without guitar. But they solve this quite easily, but working with the remaining orchestra of instruments. Blaudzun started out as an Arcade Fire-hobby project, with leading man Johannes Sigmond gathering talented artists and creating elegant, touching and magical songs. The guitar is not even missed, during Elephants or Flame On My Head. But for me, the absolute highlight of the performance was a beautiful, slow and touching version of Heavy Flowers. Not just a highlight of Blaudzun’s performance, but of the whole festival. Triggerfinger This Belgium trio has rocked festivals all across the world and they manage to make every crowd go wild. Nico Dijkshoorn blames the looks of Triggerfinger’s frontman, I blame a magic formula of clever, edgy guitar riffs, blasting vocals and pounding drums. Triggerfinger is more than just a mosh-pit, it is a cunning ensemble with strength and style. Chapeau! Kensington It is truly unbelievable how this alternative band from Utrecht has grown over the past year. Kensington’s second album, Vultures, was a smashing success and this had lead to a headlining performance on Pinkpop Sunday. Although critics had their concerns about Kensington being mature enough to handle the main stage, they performed with the ease, the enthusiasm and the tightness of a world-class band. It is crystal clear that these four men from Utrecht are on a mission to take over the world - and they are well on their way.

MUSIC

INCOMING DISCOVER NEW MUSIC

CHVRCHES // IMAGINE DRAGONS // ANDY BURROWS // LORDE

CHVRCHES Electronic // Indie-pop // Synth !Recover EP (2013) // Virgin

Lies // The Mother We Share // Recover

By accident I have discovered this synth-trio from Glasgow, Scotland - while watching the 3FM programme “Live Request”. This show broadcasts live recordings by request, which means you send something in and they show it to you, together with the rest of the Netherlands.   How very fortunate is was when one decided to request a live recording of this unknown band from Scotland, performing at Lowlands Festival a few years ago. I did not know what to think when I saw a petite girl looking like Bambi standing behind the microphone, accompanied by two broadshouldered guys with beards - probably not the

IMAGINE DRAGONS In d i e - R o c k / / I n d i e - P o p Alternative Rock

Synth

Night Visions (2012) // Interscope It’s Time // Radioactive

Since their hit-single, Radioactive, features in every advertisement and pounds through every speaker, the four-piece from Las Vegas are officially a part of the world-wide music scene. Imagine Dragons is a fresh sound in a tired scene, with dreamy lyrics, steamy beats and arty music videos. These four men want to do it differently, staying true to themselves as they make their way to the top. From performances at Lowlands Festival and a nomination for the MTV EMA’s, the response to Imagine Dragons has been nothing but positive. Critics even call the band the new The Killers. Both from Las Vegas, both more British than American and both a fresh mixture of synths, indie-lyrics and popbeats. The Killers, move over, because Metacritic 44 calls Imagine

bombastic and energetic synths that thundered through my living room that night. CHVRCHES, a name chosen to narrow down the search results at Google, and their single Lies are fresh, young and eager to win over the world beyond Scotland - and I do not see why they should not succeed in this holy quest. I believe the world to be ready for new electronic music and this time it will be songs with a heart and brains. Front-woman Lauren Mayberry (who certainly has the brains, since she has a degree in Law and Journalism) and her men have the beats, the synths and the hipster outfits to become a success with the modern generation.

Dragons “the best thing that has happened to the alternative music scene for a while”. Apart from the unbelievably successful first single, their first album, Night Visions, is as surprising as their success. True stadium-material, with bombastic sounds and sing-a-long-lyrics. Songs like It’s Time and On Top Of The World are already hits, but the ballads on the album are the true gems. Demons is a little brother to Radioactive, but equally brilliant. Bleeding Out, with the sensitive lyrics and lazy synths, reminds us of the Meteora-record of Linkin Park. The stadium-material together with the sensitive yet epic ballads, make Imagine Dragons one of the most promising bands of this year,

LORDE Art Pop // Electronic

Pure Heroine (2013) // Universal Royals // Tennis Court // Team

Sixteen year old Elle Yelich-O’Conner is from NewZealand, but in only a year time, she had taken over the world. With her single, Royals, she is the first artist from New Zealand to have a number one song in the United States. Now, her single is in numerous commercials and her videoclip has had over 52 million hits. Lorde is a hit and so is her debut album Pure Heroine. The singer-songwriter is compared to similar artists, such as Lana Del Rey and Florence + The Machine, but this sixteen year old has been much more creative and authentic with one single than Lana and Florence in one album. Although Lorde is world-widely known by her tunes, the artist herself is much more fascinated with

her lyrics. In an interview with Vevo Lifts, she explains: “I have always been fascinated by words and I love to read. I believe everyone who reads, finally becomes a writer.”. Lorde blames her mother, who is a poet and taught her daughter about the power of words. Success or no success, the young star grows up fast, perhaps too fast. On her album, Pure Heroine, the singer writes about leaving her home town to tour the world and the life she has left behind. She misses her friends and struggles with her worldwide fame. But beneath those tender and heartfelt lyrics, there is a strength. A pure heroine.

Andy Burrows is not exactly new in the music scene - on the contrary, he as been around since 2004, when he joined Razorlight. Although he mainly stayed out of the spotlights, Burrows was the brain behind the success of Razorlight. The bands trade mark, the single America, was written by Burrows - a fact not a lot of people are aware of. Unfortunately for Razorlight, Burrows left the band in March 2009, due to “personal reasons”. His leaving inevitably lead to the downfall of Razorlight, but also meant the rise of Burrows’ solo career. After several collaborations with We Are Scientists and Tom Smith from Editors, Burrows finally decided to pursue his chosen path: the bumpy road that has led to

many, many epic failures, but also the road that leads to Burrows’ solo-album Company. This beautifully written, tender and occasionally feisty record is the prove of Burrows’ unmistakable capability to write pop songs with a heart. The singles Because I Know That I Can and Keep Moving On are combinations of heart-felt lyrics with bright guitar riffs and soft drums, while songs like If I Had A Heart and Hometown are heavier, with true emotions and a real story. Burrow’s excellent lyrical writing skills and sense of melody stand out best in these two songs, my personal favourites of a beautiful and heart-felt debut-album.

ANDY BURROWS Acoustic // Pop // Indie !Company (2012) // PIAS UK

Because I Know That I Can // Keep On Moving On // Hometown // If I Had A Heart 45

LITERATURE

T H E G R E AT G AT S B Y / / O N T H E R O A D / / J U S T K I D S

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” One of the great things about writers, is that they write the greatest truths about literature. For example, the quote above is from American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and he, ever so beautifully, points out that literature connects as much as it amazes. Perfect strangers bond over shared words, like Summer Finn of 500 Days of Summer meets her husband over Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Or like millions of readers bond over Sherlock Holmes whatnots. The overwhelming feeling when you hear someone say: “The game, my dear Watson, is on!” and you suddenly feel like you know that person, simply because they love the same words as you do. Literature connects and amazes. Not a day goes by without me reading a sentence written by an amazing writer, that is just brilliant. Today, for example, I was completely in love with Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth: “Arguing with a dead man in a lavatory is a claustrophobic experience.” I have never had a conversation, let alone an argument, with a dead man in lavatory - but after reading this sentence, I knew what it would feel like. Claustrophobic. And that is, for me, the beauty of literature: I can experience things I have never experienced before, I see things that I never imagined seeing and I feel things I was not even aware of. By reading a book, I can travel to a different world, a different country and a different time. The America of the Beat Generation, the New York City of F. Scott Fitzgerald or the misty mountains of J.R.R. Tolkien. Whenever I want to escape the daily routines, I open a book and I am gone.

EDITOR’S PICKS // CITY OF BOOKS // INTERVIEW WITH THE MOON // SHORT REVIEWS // WRITER’S WORKSHOP

LITERATUREEditor’s picks T H E G R E AT G AT S B Y / / O N T H E R O A D / / J U S T K I D S

The whole truth The Great Gatsby takes place during the long, hot summer of 1922, when the narrator Nick Carraway meets the mysterious billionaire Jay Gatsby at one of his extravagant parties. Nick is immediately fascinated by Gatsby and his life of mystery and decadency, but soon Nick starts to discover the truth about his neighbour Gatsby. The whole truth. It appears that the billionaire only throws his over-thetop parties for one reason: Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is now the wife of a rich’s sportsman, but she used the be Gatsby’s great love. With the encouraging of Gatsby himself, Nick decides to reunite the two former lovers - but their secret affair sets a chain of events in motion. A chain that reveals Gatsby’s darkest secrets and leads right to the tragic end of The Great Gatsby.

“Something new—something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned.” In 1923, American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald had the idea to write a novel about the frivolity, the decadency and the mystery of the Roaring Twenties. He and his wife Zelda lived and wrote during the infamous Jazz Age, the Interbellum between the two World Wars that changed everything. The parties were bigger, the morals looser and the dresses shorter - after World War I had ended, the “Crazy years” began. Fitzgerald attended many parties during these years and he wanted to write a story about the mansions, the illegal liquor and the flapper-culture. The Great Gatsby is about the excesses of the rich, the recklessness of the youth and the darker side of this fascinating era.

The Great Fitzgerald  Although The Great Gatsby is a now considered to be one of the greatest works of American literature, is was not when it was released in early 1925. Fitzgerald had thought this novel would be a great commercial success and would so write history. Unfortunately, The Great Gatsby received very mixed reviews from literary critics. A reporter from the Los Angeles Times praised the book as “a revelation of life” and “a true work of art”. However, some critics believed The Great Gatsby would mean the end of Fitzgerald’s success as a writer. “One finishes the novel with a feeling of regret, not for the fate of the people in the book, but for Mr. Fitzgerald,” wrote a reporter from The Dallas Morning News.

A true masterpiece It would appear this reporter had nothing to fear, because nowadays The Great Gatsby is a contender for the title “Great American Novel”. And it should be. Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is a true masterpiece, because of its style, it’s intelligence, its never-ceasing eye for details and its surprising tenderness. The Great Gatsby is about a man with a dream as yearning as the “American Dream” and a secret as dark as the Great Depression that would embark the end of the Roaring Twenties. A true masterpiece and one that will be for years to come. 47

O N

T H E

Jack Kerouac always had one very particular talent, one that would define not only his childhood, but the rest of his life. Kerouac was good with people and he was always busy forging strong friendships with people that were, in his opinion, important and could be useful later on. Years later, when Kerouac lived in New York City, struggling to write and pay the bills, he made one friendship that would mean everything. The entire Beat Generation, Kerouac’s hugely succesful novel On The Road and the cultural heritage of the Beats - none of it would have happened, if Jack Kerouac would not have met Neal Cassady.

Dean Moriarty Neal Cassady was, just like Jack Kerouac, a struggling artist in New York City, constantly on the search for “it”. Cassady was probably the most wild and outgoing and boundless character of the Beat Generation, but it was this fearless freedom that made him famous. Kerouac based his famous ch a r a c t e r D e a n Moriarty, from the novel One The Road, on the wildwestern-cowboy Neal Cassady.

Always on the road Nowadays, Dean Moriarty represents the entire soul of the Beat Generation and the magnum opus of this movement, On The Road. Absolute freedom, boundless traveling, sexual liberty and a taste for drugs - Jack Kerouac and his friends of the Beat Generation did it all and he recorded his travels around the United States in the 1950’s in his novel On The Road. Kerouac’s prose is like the road itself; constantly changing, continuously surprising, spontaneous and above all, perfectly boundless. The Beat poets and writers, of which Kerouac was the unwanted frontman, were not bound to any rules, or heroes or icons. They simply wrote down what they saw and experienced, and they wrote it down fast. Like a train of thoughts, Kerouac’s writing is as confusing as it is fascinating. 48

R O A D Misfits on the loose “On the Road is a great book because its rebellion is not only hot-wired to a moment of social change but also hastens that change. Its style embodies both the tender effulgence of youth and the solid reality of a passing landscape. But the lives, especially those of Kerouac and Cassady, those poor, bright, sad lives that ended too early and too much in anger, may, in fact, have been impossible. Not only impossible to live but bad to dream,” writes Andrew O’Hagan in New York Times. As much as the Beat Generation is admired nowadays, in the 1950’s, they were everything but accepted. Their rebellion, their desire to travel and their sexual liberty were seen as indecent and so the Beats became the misfits of American society - a part they were happy to play. Some critics consider the works of the Beat Generation, such as On The Road, not as pieces of art, but instruments to provoke society and its restrictions. In my opinion, they w e r e m i s fi t s , forever searching for freedom and ways to give use to their lives. On The Road beautifully captures this search.

JUST KIDS

Since American artist Robert Mapplethorpe has shot the iconic album cover of Horses, Patti Smith is a famous women. She is an artistic chameleon: composer, poet, writer, artist. Together with soulmate, best friend and former lover Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti Smith ruled the New York art scene of the 1970’s. Horses, her debut album and in particular the album cover, are iconic. Everything seemed to fit; the simplicity contrasts with the provoking expression on her face, saying everything there is to say about Patti Smith’s personality. Now she has written a book about herself, her life in New York in the seventies and her longtime relationship with Mapplethor pe, called Just Kids.

Just a poem “Patti Smith has honoured us with master piece. A exceptional and privileged invitation to open a treasure chest that has never been unlocked before,” writer actor Johnny Depp on the back cover of Just Kids. Patti Smith writes about a immensely interesting time in our history and, according to numerous papers and reviewers, is one of the first to do this properly. “Just Kids is the most spellbinding and diverting portrait of funky-but-chic New York in the late ’60s and early ’70s that any alumnus has committed to print,” reviews Tom Carson, from the New York Times. Patti Smith writes her novels, and especially Just Kids, like one who write a poem.

The words need to rhyme to make the poem whole. In Just Kids, every word rhymes. I imagined myself as Frida to Diego, both muse and maker. I dreamed of meeting an artist to love and support and work with side by side, is a line from Patti Smith’s novel. Her style is beautiful and her prose echoes intelligence and a great, imaginative mind. Although Just Kids is said to be an ode to Robert Mapplethorpe, who died of AIDS in 1989, but truly, it is an ode to all of Patti Smith’s heroes.

More than just friends “What will happen to us?" I asked. "There will always be us," he answered.” In the autobiographic novel and in real life, Patti meets Robert when she arrived in New York City. She needed a place to stay, he needed a companion. The two young artist share a love for controversial art, drugs and poetry. Patti encouraged Robert to experiment with photography, while he encouraged her to write. The relationship between these two is pure and real, as real as Patti Smith’s hurting as she writes about her passed-away friend. She sounds sad, but unbelievably passionate about Robert and everything they stood for. Patti Smith writes about the innocent, bohemian beginning of their lives together in cheap apartments, scattered with pieces of art. There is a beautiful nostalgia in these stories she tells and as a reader, you feel privileged to be a part of them. Although Patti and Robert went from lovers to friends when he started experimenting with photography and gay models, they stayed true to each other as friends and artists and that love is what you read about in Just Kids.

LITERATURECity of Books U N E S C O ’ S F I R S T C I T Y O F L I T E R AT U R E I N T H E W O R L D There are several reasons why Edinburgh is my favourite city in the world, but one of them is because of a title Scotland’s capital city obtained in 2004: “City of Literature”. Unesco, the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation that has given Edinburgh this title and thereby crowning her the first city of literature in the world, supports its mission by developing the world’s cultural heritage - especially the legacy of the written word.

Seven reasons why UNESCO has given seven reasons for Edinburgh’s coronation in 2004, but mainly it is because of the city’s rich literal history. Edinburgh has been a birthplace and home to many g reat writers, from Robert Burns to J.K. Rowling. During a “Book L o v e r ’ s To u r ” through the historic pages of the city, many tour guides will tell you that Edinburgh has been built on books. U N E S C O a g re e d with them on this page, but there are seven more chapters to discover.

C h a p t e r 1 : S c o t l a n d ’s contribution to world literature Scotland’s capital has been the birthplace of writers and characters for centuries and especially the birthplace of detectives. Late 19th Century writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and UK’s best selling crime writer Ian Rankin are soul-mates by all means. Conan Doyle invented his infamous character Sherlock Holmes while living in Edinburgh, although they had moved to London by the time they gained readers. Rankin’s detectives are more present in the world’s first city of literature, therefore defying Scotland’s contribution to world literature. The love for stories is fundamental for a writer, such as his love for the city. Rankin said about Edinburgh: “I started writing novels while an undergraduate student, in an attempt to make sense of the city of Edinburgh, using a detective as my protagonist. Each book 50

hopefully adds another piece to the jigsaw that is modern Scotland, asking questions about the nation’s politics, economy, psyche and history. . . and perhaps pointing towards its possible future.” A fitting ode to the city of mystique and rich history, but mostly of literature.

Chapter 2: The Scottish Enlightenment Most people think of the French when they hear the word “Enlightenment”, while the start of this very movement actually holds ground in Scotland. Numerous French Enlightenment writers and philosophers were inspired by the works of the Scots. For example, educational systems that believe in the Liberal Arts and Sciences philosophy, are to thank the Scottish philosophers of the eighteenth century fo r c re at i n g t h e “Social sciences”. In our modern day education, many of us study psychology or history or economics, without being aware that these sciences were founded in Scotland. UNESCO therefore believed that Scotland’s, and in p a r t i c u l a rl y E d i n bu r g h ’s, achievements in philosophy in the eighteenth century, is one of the great intellectual and educational contributions to the world culture.

Chapter 3: Edinburgh as a centre of publishing The diffusion of ideological and philosophical ideas could never have happened, if it were not for Edinburgh’s publishing industry. Thanks to the city’s innovations in publishing, many great minds could publish their works and flourish all over the world much easier and faster. This way, the ideas of the Scottish Enlightenments, could be read in countries such as France and Germany. It was because of the innovative printing and publishing, the Enlightenment in France was able to gain strength.

cheap and many students came from working backgrounds. It was not just the high class that enjoyed education; lectures were open to the public an d en joyed by th e wo rk in g townspeople. The love for reading was the source for the collective interest in education. In the twenty-first Century, reading is still very much beloved by the Scots. Data from a 1996 literacy survey concluded that roughly half of the entire Scottish population reads book every week. The Scots are proud of these numbers and they do whatever it takes to increase these numbers in the future. J.K. Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter-series, wrote the first novel at a small pub in Edinburgh and she is still very taken with the literacy of Scotland. “It is the simplest and most magical thing to turn a page and be transported to a whole new world; see things through someone else’s eyes; and learn something you could not find out any other way.”

! Not only ideologies and philosophies were diffused from Edinburgh; a great deal of literature was printed and published in this city. John Murray Ltd. was one of the leading publishing houses in the United Kingdom, with its birthplace in Edinburgh. Murray’s house is known for its impressive list of published greatnesses, such as Pride and Prejudicewriter Jane Austen and revolutionist Charles Darwin. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change,” thus Darwin, who hereby explains why Edinburgh has been able to flourish as the capital city of literature since the eighteenth century. The Scots innovated and adapted their ways, and so survived.

Chapter 5: Scotland’s unique languages In Scotland, there are two unique languages: Scottish and Gaelic. Intellect, stoicism and a fiery imagination; the Scottish tongue characterizes a nation. Although you do not hear Gaelic very frequently, a small fraction of the Scottish population still speaks this very influent tongue. Gaelic has contributed to the Scottish cultural history in the form of songs, dance, poetry and storytelling. Because Gaelic is a language spoken by a majority, Scotland tries to preserve this history by building public awareness and appreciation.

Chapter 4: Scotland - a literate nation with a love of books It seems visitors are constantly surprised by the residents of Edinburgh. In the twenty-first century, Beyoncé calls Edinburgh “a classy city”, but in the eighteenth Century, visitors were very much surprised by the level of literacy of the Scots. Servant girls read poems by Robert Burns, rich tradesmen started collecting rare books and libraries loaned their books to bakers, blacksmiths and farmers. Almost every citizen of Edinburgh was able to read, regardless of gender, status or location. This high level of literacy also meant better eduction in Edinburgh. In the eighteenth and nineteenth Century, an increasing number of people received secondary education and 1 in 1000 even attended University. Back then, University was

Chapter 6: Edinburgh - a city of inspiration Edinburgh is a true city of literature. No city in the world dedicated itself to literature as the Scottish capital did and nowadays still does. Monuments, museums, bookstores and libraries; they are all there to remind us of Edinburgh’s literary history. For example, Edinburgh is the hometown of the largest monument to a literary figure in the world. The Sir Walter Scott Monuments is 60 metres high and towers over one of the busiest streets of Edinburgh: Princess Street. The nearby train station, Waverley Station, is named after a famous Scottish novel and the Canongate Graveyard honors those literary heroes that are long gone, such as Robert Burns and Adam Smith. Edinburgh has inspired writers for centuries. The colorful inhabitants, the urban landscapes and the cultural history are an inexhaustible source for writers. Edinburgh has been the setting of numerous novels by writes such as Arthur Conan Doyle to Mary Shelley. Her Frankenstein is set in the very heart of the city of literature and David Nicholls’ One Day begins and ends here.

Writers listened Listened here are a few of the named books and writers that are named in this article:

Chapter 7 - Edinburgh’s international literary profile Scottish literature is enjoyed all over the world and in order to pursuit this goal, literature needs to be translated. BOSLIT, the Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation, has recorded 20.000 Scottish literary works to over 100 languages worldwide! This way, everyone can enjoy Scottish literature and so the literary image of Scotland thrives. Publishers and translators diffuse Scottish literature all over the world, but they also try to attract visitors to visit Scotland. For example, the Edinburgh International Book Festival attracts authors and readers from over 20 countries.

J.K. Rowling Author of the Harry Potter-series.

Robert Burns One of Scotland’s most famous writers. “Auld Lang Syne”, sung during every Hogmanay’s in Scotland, is probably his most notable work.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle World famous author of the Sherlock Holmes-series. The detective’s adventures originate in Edinburgh, before Doyle moved him to 221B Baker Street in London.

Ian Rankin Scottish author of many crime novels, such as his Inspector Rebus-series. Most of his crimes take place in the Scottish capital.

Mary Shelley Writer of the world famous goth novel Frankenstein, which is set in the heart of Edinburgh. David Nicholls His “modern day classic” One Day starts and ends in this inspirational city of literature.

LITERATURELittle talks

INTERVIEW WITH THE MOON // WRITER MAAN LEO To begin with, do you believe there is to be much difference between experiencing literature both as reader and a writer?

“I think there is a very big difference between both experiences! As a reader, your main goal is to be carried away into another world. For me, that is the test wether I find something a good book or not. The main question I ask myself is: ‚Am I being carried away into this world that the writer has created?’ Whereas I am writing, I am consciously building this world I want my reader to get lost in. Writing is very much like a trade. A trade… as in t-r-a-d-e… I am very much crafting something, like a Swiss clock or something. It needs to work, it needs to function. I am not being carried away as a writer, I feel more like a locks-man or a smith.”

“Writing is fun, but it is also very much work!”

Do you think it is important to read, being a writer? “Very much so! I am a strong believer in writers reading a lot. I find writer who say: ‚I never read anything!’ always kind of…”

! Terrible! !

Middelburg. I am meeting writer Maan Leo on a rainy Tu e s d a y a t h e r a l m a m a t e r , University College Roosevelt. She is as colourful as her writing, as she waves me into the gothic town hall of Middelburg. Her high heels click-clack on the solid tiles as we walk towards her office. Here, two young female writers, are enjoying a extraordinarily huge cup of tea and talk about favourite books, feminism and success. One of us has published her first novel and has another one on the way. Maan Leo is the author of the provocative and enlightening debut novel Ik Ben Maan and in the meantime, one of my literary examples. She was my first choice to interview about literature, writing, success and, of course, favourite books - and now here we are. After a late train, a few technical difficulties and a sightseeing tour of Middelburg, the interview can begin.

“Impossible! I think it is terrible and it is such a cocky thing to say and untrue! Like, I cannot believe it being true! I think it is so important for a writer to read! To me, if I would not read, I would not have a lot to write about!”

But, do you not think that your writing gets too influenced by the styles you read about?

“Well, I mean, your style and your writing is something you have control over yourself. Like I said, it is not something that sort of falls into your head. It is something that you do, that you work on, that you can also change. It is not an unconscious process. Obviously, you have a certain style that is dear to your heart and works well for you, that is just easy for you. It is something you are good at. But for me, I never fear that my style is too influenced by other people’s writing. I wish by many things I read like: ‚Oh! If only I could have written that!’” 53

Is there any difference between your favourite literary works as a reader and as a writer?

! “Ehm… hmmm….” ! Difficult question… !

„Well, yeah! It is! For me, like I said, I do not see me being a reader different from me being a writer. The books I like to read, are kind of like the w ay I wo u l d l i k e t o w r i t e. Obviously, there are also books that are just nice to read. Guilty pleasures.”

“I read the Fifty Shades of Grey-series with the greatest joy!”

“So, in that sense, I can be really critical, but I can also just turn it off and just enjoy the book. As for some books, they just annoy the hell out of me! Just because I think: ‚Author, you could have done this so much better!’ That is the writer in me, really.”

! Then what are your favorite literary works? !

“Well, there is always the favorite works of All Time and the favorite works of This Year. Wait, let me show you my list of books I read this year!”

! You keep a list?! !

“I keep a list in my diary! It is just nice to see what you have read… Well, there is this German writer and her name is Juli Zeh. Z-e-h. And her style is just very poetic and very rich, with metaphors and musicality. It is wonderful and beyond smart! I am not a stupid person, but my mind is blowing with how smart her books are! I love how her story is being made stronger by the way it is written and that is what I love about literature. But my favorite author of All Time is Virginia Woolf.”

“It is not cool to say, but Woolf is my literary hero. She is just 54 the most amazing writer!”

So, you are officially A Writer now, has this entitlement somehow changed your opinion about literature?

“You get to experience the literary world from a very different perspective. I never thought of how writers make money. For example, when you go to an event and there is a writer performing there, I never thought: ‚Do they actually getting paid for this?’ Well, I can tell you, they are not! So these things really change your perspective on the literary world. You get a very different perspective.”

! Has this been a positive perspective? !

“It is interesting, because there is this world that very few people are aware of. Also, as a debuting writer you are not aware of certain aspects of the literary world and that you are being made aware of. For example, the politics of reviews. What paper gets to review what book? It is also a very complicated world, because there are so many things that you can do wrong, especially as a young writer.”

! Criticism, what do you think of it? !

“It is always hard to deal with. Any author who says: ‚Oh, I never read it! I do not care!’, I just do not believe them. Truly, I do not! Criticism is hard to deal with, although some criticism is harder to deal with then others. For example, when my book just came out, I had a couple of very positive reviews, but also people who wrote: ‚I do not understand this book, but it is very well written. So, there you go.’ And I am totally fine with that! This is criticism that I can deal with. But then there are also the reviews that feel very very personal or just nasty. Not even professionally bad! For example, someone wrote: ‚This is a terrible book, because it is all about herself !’ and I got so angry with it! When men talk about themselves all the time, it speaks to a universal truth, but when women talk about themselves, it is a woman-problem. And that is something that pisses me off tremendously! And I also got reviews and people wrote: ‚I do not like women with big breasts!’ It is just pure evil! I am like: ‚You do not have be this mean!’”

Did you ever think after reading an awful review: “I am never going to write again!”?

“Not really. My book was a very personal one, or at least I made it look like it. So some of the awful reviews felt very personal too. Of course, you have

the professional reviews in newspapers and such, but there are also the reviews on bol.com or geenstijl.nl and those are even less controllable than the official ones. They are just random people who would say anything, wether they have read your book or not.”

“Some of the unofficial reviews were really nasty. Really mean. It is like a public tribunal.”

“It was really intense. I felt as though those people were angry with me, while I did not do anything! I wrote a book, nothing bad! So, I do not question my writing when I read official reviews, but the moment you get into the deep, dark abyss of the Internet, it gets really nasty.”

Let us talk about your writing process: do you do anything special to get the creative juices flowing?

! “Haha!” ! I have thought about this sentence… !

“Clearly! Well, I read a lot. I need to get inspired. In my book, I wrote about specific parties and I really went to those parties. I need to put myself in the situations that I write about. Of course, you can always imagine things, but good literature is in the details. For me, to describe those details the nitty-pretty experience of things, I have to be there. I need to see it, I need to hear, I need to feel it.”

And in the exact moment before you start writing, do you do anything special then?

“I drink a lot of tea. Tea is actually a pretty vital thing. For me, when I sit down and think: ‚I am going to write a novel!’, then nothing happens. It is such a scary thing, writing a novel. When you sit down and think: ‚I am going to write a novel’, it becomes very forced, like: ‚Let’s write a book about the quarter-lifecrisis!’”

Do you have a favorite place in the world and has this place somehow influenced your writing?

“Can I say something really cheesy? It is my house. I am very much like a cat. Obviously, I like people and I like it when they are around, but having my house and my room…”

“‚A room of one’s own’ to quote Virginia Woolf.”

“I can travel all around, to India, to New York, to England, but I can only enjoy that when I know that I am coming home. I am pretty boring in that way. Not hip at all!”

Other than writing, blogging and working, what do you love to do?

“I am a big fan of dressing-up! I am a really, really, really big fan of dressing-up. I take every and any opportunity to dress up and to think about outfits and hair and make-up. I go to parties where you can do that, like burlesque parties. And I am also every much fascinated by historical hair! I love historical hair, I read a lot about historical hair and I do a lot historical hair! A bit of a strange hobby…”

! ! !

Where do you think this fascination comes from?

„I like beautiful things and I like history. History is, very often, the history of men. World Wars, soldiers, admirals, battle fields… but there were women too!”

! Did you always wanted to be a writer? !

“Not necessarily. I mean, I have always been a reader, so I have loved books from on a very young age.”

“I was a very Matilda-kind-of-girl.”

“I always thought writing was a very scary thing to do. Very scary! So I never really had the guts to write anything. But I think that when I met my husband and he had a lot of writer-friends and they introduced me to a very relaxed way of writing, I realized that writing is just a job. A normal day job. And those writer-friends of my husband told me: ‚You should write a book!’ and I was like: ‚Yeah, yeah, what do you know about it?’ They told me some more and some more and I started thinking: ‚Maybe I should!’”

And what really encouraged you to take that step?

“It was very much a practical thing. I just met my husband, who was then my boyfriend-person and he went on a long trip to India to write. We only knew each other for three months or so and I was like: ‚He is definitely going to fall in love with some beautiful Indian woman or a lovely little French backpackergirl and I will lose him forever!’ So I started writing emails to him everyday with all these extravagant stories about myself and my life. And then he came home and he still loved me and loved me even more… But I also had like two months of writing and my husband had some people read it and they said: ‚This is so good!’ So I wrote my first novel around the material that I already had. It was more of a construction process.”

Was it a different process from constructing your first novel to your second?

“Very much so! The first book was more piecing together and with the second novel I really had to start from scratch. It 56

was difficult. I really had to force myself to work. Once I got going to was nice, but it was complicated. Like second novels should be.”

! Is it finished? !

“Yeah! It comes out in August or September next year. So it takes forever! Which is very annoying, but now I do get the time to be involved with the process of designing the cover image, to make a test version of the book to send to newspapers and stuff and that was fun.”

You are known to be a feminist, has this influenced your writing somehow?

“I do not know. I think I am quite critical of, even though I am a feminist, feminist writing. It is super annoying! Like super super super annoying! Virginia Woolf is the one exception, so, no. But I do think than my book can be labeled as „feminist”.

“My writing is very feminine. It is luscious and voluptuous. It sort of echoes a female curve.”

“I have been nominated for the Vrouw en Proza debuut prijs and it is a very feminist prize. And they want me to sit in this panel and talk about how feminist my book is. And I am really torn as to what I am going to say. I do not know wether my book is feminist or not. I really do not know.”

Okay… last question! What does the future behold?

“What does the future behold for me… I do not know. I just switched publishers and this whole new world has opened for me. Last week, I went to my first big event and it was in a club in Amsterdam and this record label was there and they only had rappers!”

Rappers at a book party?!

“Yeah! It was super hip! A lot of „yoyo!” So, I am going to have to find a way to belong there, because I really want to. But I need to find my place in that, because I am not a hip rapper. So I need to find my place in this world. And then my book is going to come out and that is very scary… But it will be exciting too! Interesting, very very interesting…”

SHORT LITERATUREREVIEWS

THE BONE SEASON // SWEET TOOTH // BASTAARDSUIKER // IK BEN MAAN Samantha Shannon was a young, ordinary student who worked on a novel in her spare time, until the British publisher house of Bloomsbury offered her a deal that broke the record that Harry Potter-author J.K. Rowling had established. Of course, the immediate reaction to this was over-hype. Literary critics, Harry Potter-fans and readers in general waited, almost desperately, for Shannonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut The Bone Season. And what a colossal disappointment this book is! The shock of this is almost unbelievable, considering the hype, considering the numerous very positive reviews and considering the rapidly growing fanbase. The Bone Season was supposed to be the best fantasy book of 2013, but in my ranking list, is was the best disappointment of the year. The reason why I am so bitter about this book, is because I simply could not understand it. The story in general is very weak. It starts out in a future London and just when you start figuring out the whole setting of the story, the main character is being kidnapped to Oxford, where a whole other race is introduced! And if this is not enough to confuse you; the many, many characters do not have names, but numbers! Definitely, the most confusing and thereby disappointing book of the year.

In Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan has combined the razor-blade sharpness of a Cold War-thriller with the pleasure of easy reading. S e r e n a Fro m e, a yo u n g mathematician with a preference for English literature, is recruited for MI5 - in ways either she, or the reader could never have imagined.

Bastaardsuiker is a beautiful and surprising story about a young boy who grew up without a father, but with a lot of family secrets. Nostalgic flashbacks that remind me of The Three of Life are alternated with scenes from a second plot line, which gives the book an engaging thriller feature.

Maan Leoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut Ik Ben Maan is a fun, thrilling and heartwar ming roller coaster of emotions, hilarious anecdotes and recognizable encounters. Her prose is rich and intelligent, with a strong and inde pendent feminine touch. 57

LITERATUREArjen Lubach WRITER’S WORKSHOP AT FILM BY THE SEA 2013

The second part of the workshop is more interesting. Lubach gives a writing exercise, based on how he starts writing a novel. “Most of the times, I start with the character,” Lubach tells us, while scrolling on his 17” Macbook Pro. “I need to know why someone says something, to create the feeling, the surroundings.”. Easier said than done. Lubach instructs us to come up with a character and then to simply write about this character. What makes the character’s clock tick?

On Saturday the 21th of September 2013, Dutch author Arjen Lubach travels to the Zeeuwsche filmfestival „Film By The Sea”, where he will give a workshop in writing. Lubach is known for his work on Dutch television, his victory on the show De Slimste Mens and his novels, Bastaardsuiker and IV. Lubach’s novel Magnus has won numerous prizes, such as the Dioraphte Jongerenliteratuur price.

Today the author will give a workshop in writing in the Cine City in Vlissingen. The Glass Room, in which the workshop is given, is already filled with a dozen aspirant-writers, of which 75% is female and over the age of twenty-five, when I arrive. This makes it difficult to really prepare a workshop, says Lubach. And so the workshop is divided into two parts: firstly, there is time to ask questions and secondly, Lubach will give us a writing exercise.

The questions were very diverse, from publishing children’s books to dealing with a writer’s block. Lubach maneuverers easily through these questions, answering them with the ease of a professor who has been answering the same questions for years. He is funny and answers the questions with anecdotes about his own struggles towards his fame. Even when he talks in a light, careless way about his travels to Sweden, I can still hear the writer in his spoken words. “There has to be an urge to write,” Lubach says. “That urge is comparable with the emptiness you feel when you haven’t seen 58 someone you love for two months.”.

CHARACTER Puck was done doing dishes. The soap stung and the machine buzzed - she was completely and utterly done. Since Puck was fifteen years old, she had been in these kitchens every Saturday night instead of in the pub and four years later she still did not know why. No one knew why, when Puck announced she was going to do the dishes in a restaurant on Saturday night and probably would not receive any tips, but would receive babyblue plastic gloves, that would probably give her rash. Three weeks after Puck’s first night of work, she had come to the conclusion that she was allergic to doing the dishes. Milan had been right after all.

After five minutes, Lubach orders us to stop writing and to reread what we have written in our notebooks - but we mustn’t change or stripe a thing! Then Lubach asks if anyone would like to read what they have written aloud. We appear to be a rather shy group of aspirant-writers, because Lubach has to point someone out like a teacher. That someone reads her little piece aloud and Lubach comments on that. After this, Lubach instructs us to write surroundings for our character.

SURROUNDINGS Puck was not used to stinging soap and buzzing machines and shouting chefs. She grew up surrounded by moist wood and sunlight. The smell of fresh-plucked apples had crawled under her skin after all these years. Even now, in the metal city, Puck could smell the apples. Despite the nostalgia hidden beneath her freckles, Puck did not miss it. To her, her youth spent surrounded by trees was like a painting that she had hung up inside of her head and looked at when she felt like it.

Again, Lubach asks us to reread, but not change anything, before asking the crowd for any volunteers. This time some of us have found their confidence and a couple of aspirant-writers read aloud what they have written. I consider raising my hand and claim a little bit of Lubach’s time to comment on my writing, but my inner debating takes too long and Lubach moves on to the final step of his exercise: adding a second character and suspense.

SECOND CHARACTER AND SUSPENSE Milan had been in the painting once. When the first primary colours started to take shape, Milan had been a shadow. There were moments when he had been on the front, but since their last meeting Puck had burned him off the canvas. Milan had always been a trophy in a sea of disposable articles, but he crossed a line that Puck had drawn when he appeared on the painting again. Had he not been the one to laugh the hardest when Puck was accepted the job of dishwasher? Perhaps he was the very reason why she quit.

For the third time this afternoon, I reread what I have quickly written down. I am pleasantly surprised, and surprisingly pleased with the little story scribbled down in my notebook. When Lubach asks for volunteers, I am still in doubt. I had paid for this workshop, hadn’t I? I had paid and carpooled to Vlissingen and for what, to have an inner debate on wether or not I would let Lubach comment my writing? Somewhere between those lasts thoughts, I make the decision to raise my hand. A part of me wants a known and respected writer to be completely blown away by my writing, a story created in less then half-an-hour, while another part of me wants to show the other people in the room that me and my words are capable of doing that - and they are not. Call it a sudden rush of competitive confidence or just the desire to be better than the rest, but it certainly makes my day.

I read my shorter-than-short story aloud and after that, it is quiet. Completely and utterly quiet. You could have heard a pin drop, I guarantee you that. When I look up from my notebook, I can see Lubach sitting in his comfortable chair, nodding his head. My confidence is frozen in time, while I wait for the author to say something. When he does, he says: “Interesting…”

Before Lubach could say anything else, I hear someone in the room whisper: “Gorgeous.” My confidence livens up. “That part about the freckles and the painting,” one of the few men in the room says: “Read that again, please.” I do this and cannot help myself from smiling like the Cheshire Cat, when that same man says “Gorgeous” again. All very well, but now I would like mister Lubach himself to comment on my writing. He does this by saying: “It’s interesting. Beautiful.”

The author gives me a piece of his mind about the piece that I had read aloud and tells me he would like to tell me how he would have written it - but that there is nothing about the piece that he would have improved. Upon hearing these words, I am overwhelmed with one single thought: “Victory!” I have impressed a known writer with some scribbles, not even real pieces that I have really thought about - and suddenly I feel really, really good and confident about my writing.

Then he asks me some general questions about my writing, my ambitions and my inspirations for this particular story. I answer them as correctly as possible - although answering questions at a moment’s notice is not my strong point. Lubach does not seem to mind and, like any good tutor should, encourages me to keep on writing and participating in writing contests.

It turns out the time is running out and Lubach closes off his workshop with a short, final round of questions. Again, they are about publishing and producing manuscripts and again, Lubach answers them patiently and politely. After the final question, Lubach awkwardly declares the workshop finished, but most people stay exactly where they are: in their chairs. The author looks puzzled around the room, as if he is looking for some final words to say, but he does not find anything, so he asks: “I’ve forgotten the autographs, haven’t I?” The women, minus the few men in the room, quickly start digging in their purses and retrieve Lubach’s novels, ready to be autographed. Okay, I confess, I was one of the women who had brought a book to be signed by Lubach. When I hand him my copy of Bastaardsuiker, the author asks me my name and upon hearing it: “That’s a good name for an author.” He signs my copy with the following words: “Eden, thank you for the beautiful painting.”

FASH

FI LIT LM SEden ION

ERA TURE

EDEN MAGAZINE! JANUARY 2014! FIRST ISSUE!

FINAL PAPER OF! EDEN VAN DER MOERE!

VWO! PS! 2013 / 2014

MU SIC