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Issue 3
WITH A NATURAL FLAIR Good things come to those who wait - Exclusive interview with Nic Armstrong
MARMALADE
Designer Magda Sokolowska talks fashion and vintage inspiration
THE ORIGINAL MODERNIST
The view from ‘Original Modernist’ Wayne Kirven
THE BRITISH INVASION
The Cavern Club Beatles re-enact The Beatles arrival in the US
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME Get ready for a Summer of Football Fashion!
MORE MADCAP LAUGHS
THE BEAT GOES ON
Updates & track by track with The Last Of The Troubadours
A PINT WITH...
Kevin Stone catches up with author, Paolo Hewitt
Latest styles in stock for 2014 from Madcap England
PLUS...
Walsh Trainers Boating Blazers Ray-Ban Sunglasses and more!
www.AtomRetro.com
2 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
Issue 3 If three really is the magic number then this installment of Up&Atom is gonna be better than a circa 1986 Paul Daniels Magic Set. So, having set out our stall at such a high standard, here’s what we’ve got to offer... We chat with a music legend, Nic Armstrong who kindly takes time out of his busy schedule to tell us about his new EP ‘Pocketless Shirt’, his right regal alliance with Oasis and Paul Weller and discusses the story behind his album, The Greatest White Liar - a true masterpiece! The regular feature ‘A Pint With...’ finds Kevin Stone catching up with top mod author, Paolo Hewitt who talks books, films and fashion, oh and provides a very poetic piece on The Beatles. ...Which takes us to our next feature - We also get the latest from the house band - The Cavern Club Beatles and their recent American invasion. Nice Beatle boots! In a triumphant return to the world of interviewing, Gibson London’s resident super mod, Simon Parr chats to Wayne Kirven, one of the original Stamford Hill Modernists. And as if that’s not enough, we also catch up with The Last of The Troubadours, with Darron giving us his track-by-track insight into the first two TLOTT EP’s and a photo shoot from the band’s very own ‘Mad Day Out’ wearing Madcap England gear. The regular brand features include a peek at Walsh - Made In England sports footwear and key styles for summer from Ray-Ban, as well as a fab interview with Marmalade Dresses designer, Magdalena Sokolowska. Oh and apparently there’s some kind of football tournament this summer, so we’ve got Football fashion fever and tell you how to deck yourselves out in the best footie t-shirts in the pub with our ace range. ...And there you have it! Phase 3 is complete!
In this issue...
Walsh Trainers ......................... Pg. 3 Nic Armstong: With A Natural Pg. 4 Flair ......................................... Top Boating Blazers ................ Pg. 9 Marmalade: Interview with Magdalena Sokolowska ......... Pg. 10 The Last Of The Troubadours .. Pg. 14 More Madcap Laughs ............. Pg. 18 Ray-Ban Sunglasses ............... Pg. 20 Wayne Kirven: The Original Modernist ................................ Pg. 23 The Beautiful Game ................. Pg. 26 A Pint With Paolo Hewitt ......... Pg. 28
Up&Atom is edited by a team of dedicated Mod Kitties
Credits...
Special thanks to... Nic Armstrong, Simon Parr, Wayne Kirven, Paolo Hewitt, Kevin Stone, Magda Sokolowska. Darron Connett, Joel Rodgers and The Last Of The Troubadours, The Cavern Club & The Cavern Club Beatles. Cover picture - Nic Armstrong, used by permission. Written by Alister Poulton, Lindsey Hagston & Kiri Braviner. Additional words by Simon Parr & Kevin Stone.
The British Invasion ................. Pg. 30
All images and text © Atom Retro, Indie Apparel Ltd, 2014 unless otherwise stated. Prices given correct at time of publication. May be subject to change.
...And In The End ..................... Pg. 32
This issue of Up&Atom is dedicated to Lee Harris
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 3
Walsh Trainers Walsh Trainers were established by Norman Walsh in 1961 in Bolton, England. They are still handmade there today, by a team of highly skilled staff - making them Britain’s only wholly owned, designed and manufactured sports footwear range. Norman Walsh’s career started when he was just 14 years old in 1945 as an apprentice at JW Foster, manufacturers of sports shoes. JW Foster was the first company to attach spikes to the soles of their shoes, and Mr Foster was the grandfather of Joe and Jeff Foster, the founders of Reebok. Walsh’s talents were quickly recognised at Fosters and just 2 years later Norman Walsh was chosen to make the shoes for the 1948 British Olympic running team. The result was the ‘JW Foster Deluxe’. In 1961, Walsh branched out on his own and founded Walsh Trainers, creating a diverse collection of different types of sports footwear and catering for rugby, football, wrestling and running, to name just a few. 50 years on, Walsh Trainers are still true to their roots. The Bolton based production warehouse is where each pair of shoes are carefully handmade by only 5 members of skilled staff - a highly complex process which includes back moulding, toe lasting and roughing. These unique trainers are now available at Atom Retro - launching with two classic styles, the Lowstock and the Ensign, with more to arrive later on in the year. The Lowstock Trainer was originally made in 1985. Its name was inspired by the hilly district of Bolton where this trail running shoe was first used. Designed to show both a modern indie flair and incorporate Walsh’s running shoes knowledge, Walsh successfully creates a casual heritage trainer which can easily be worn day to day. Lowstock are available in Navy/Silver and Grey/Green, priced at £90.00. The Ensign Trainers were developed for the Bolton Harriers for the 1981 New York Marathon. These trainers give extra comfort due to an additonal wedge in the mid-sole, designed to give the heel more cushioning. Walsh also developed varied speed lacing system and an added an external stability heel cup for durabilty, making the Ensign the ultimate running shoe. Available in White/Grey and Blue/White and also priced at £90.00 See the whole range at www.atomretro.com/walsh_trainers
4 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
With A
I can’t quite believe it’s been ten years since we first picked up Nic Armstrong’s debut album, The Greatest White Liar. In fact, you have to go back nearly eleven years to the beginning of the story. The date was Saturday 11th October 2003, the venue, The Cockpit in Leeds. Nic was on the bill with Crispian Mill’s The Jeevas that night and it was his live show that really blew us away.
Ever since that day we have tried our best to keep in tune with the latest Nic Armstrong news and releases. Nic Armstrong - sometimes also known as Nic Armstrong & The Thieves, and less occasionally as The IV Thieves, hails from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. He counts Miles Kane, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller amongst his fans (and has toured supporting the latter two at various times). Now based in Austin, Texas, Nic’s latest record, the excellent Pocketless Shirt EP is out now and he’s is currently working on a follow up EP and an album. He’s a busy man! Up&Atom caught up with Nic, who kindly took time out of his hectic schedule to chat with us. Up&Atom - How old were you when you first wrap up around eight. We would then go out picked up a guitar? What made you want to and get absolutely ragged on drink around East play? London. There’s a memory of dining this 16ft cardboard tube in the street and mounting Nic Armstrong - I was a young lad, picked up some mannequin’s head or clown mask on it. In the guitar to beat agoraphobia or some the studio it was all business and a million cups massive form of anxiety in public. of tea. U&A - The Greatest White Liar is a brilliant One Little Indian [Nic’s record label] asked how album. We’ve listened I wanted to record. I told to it so many times them I’d play all the that we could write parts except for the a thesis on it, but drums. I’d spotted a I just buzzed off that’s not the same fantastic drummer as hearing the story Jonny Aitken - in him. I used to from the man Nottingham a couple listen to him all the h i m s e l f . Te l l u s of weeks earlier and time... It made me about the album he was onboard to think, ‘Fuck, I and recording it. p l a y. T h e n i g h t wanna do tunes a bit Oh, and just who is before we were due like that.’ that lying son of a in Toe Rag Studios, gun you refer to in my best mate Sam - Miles Kane the title? picked us up in his car. We loaded up all NA - Thank you. Still t h i s r e a l l y s h i t t y, so grateful for the opportunity to make The wrecked equipment - knackered guitars, half a Greatest White Liar. We really had a great time sitar, broken percussion, my sister’s plastic making it. We didn’t really do any pre- keyboard and headed to London. All these things were used in the studio - for example, production. the answering ‘na-na na-na’ on She Changes I remember it was a hot summer in London. We Like The Weather is that funny keyboard. had two weeks to record. Liam [Watson, record producer who has also worked with The White Ah, the lying son of a gun, eh? Never handled a Stripes and The Zutons] would come round in gun in the UK, honest guv...! Texas is a different the morning and pick us up. We would start kettle of fish. We’ve shot AK47’s, rifles, pistols, early, record, have great lunches, resume, then uzis..!
Photograph by Matt Lankes
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Natural Flair
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U&A - You’ve shared the bill with the likes of Paul Weller and Oasis. Tell us what memories you have of this time? NA - Great times! What a buzz hearing the news that Paul Weller wanted me to open for him on his European tour. It was a big level up. It was an honour. I remember walking out into the vast music hall on the first night with just an acoustic. The lights down, the bubbling murmur of a thousand people dying into a hush; what a strange feeling walking across the stage - the way time changed, slowed through that hush. Flicked the amp’s standby switch. Not a sound. Terror. Panic. The hush is still there. First night gremlins chewing at the guitar cords turned into a second night. Finally, finally, the guitar started up and the tour was underway! Later, we were invited back with the whole band for Weller’s UK tour. Loved playing two nights at Newcastle City Hall, a massive gig for a Geordie. The UK tour wrapped up with three nights in London at the Hammersmith Apollo, then straight off to America. Amazing good fun and this is where we secured the Oasis tour later that year. My memories of the Oasis shows include missing the second night after getting the whole band locked up at the US-Canadian border; rolling around chain smoking in the tunnels around Madison Square Garden and our crew setting off fireworks backstage in the dressing rooms. On the final night, most of the band has a bona fide fist fight in front of the Oasis buses as they were leaving the venue! They had us back in the UK for their Noise & Confusion event at Cardiff Millennium Stadium (couldn’t afford to take the full UK tour - Boo! Hiss!) After that gig, after playing to 60,000 folks, we rolled all our equipment through Cardiff city centre, through the sea of Saturday drinkers, to the fire station where we slept on the floor in the temporary morgue! U&A - You’ve got a new EP out now called Pocketless Shirt. Tell us about it. What was the inspiration behind the songs? NA - Self-releasing Pocketless Shirt EP is all about breaking the seal on the material I have been hoarding since my unplanned emigration to the US.
Image by Colin Gardipee
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 7
Recorded at Cacophony in Austin, TX with Erik Wofford. It’s a catchy, six track EP that is picking up some great organic buzz in the States. Major-key tracks bookend four minor-key songs; I like the concept of the ‘audio product’ - a considered flow for a listening experience. Subject matter covers observations of this current US existence: travel, transition, anxiety, getting naughty, witchcraft. I’m a foreign alien now. My eye still scans the horizon. It’s a fun challenge maintaining a British sound when your based in the US. Check it out!
miss? Playing UK shows, 2am curries, family, friends, Jesmond Dene in Newcastle and the memory of favourite spots along the Northumberland coast. Definitely love the wall of Texas heat though! U&A - What current projects are you working on or is that top secret? NA - Where do I start?! Life is all about getting all this lost music found: recorded and released. We’re working on securing partnerships and licensing funds which will go straight back into recording costs. The plan is to have another EP out soon, then work will begin on the LP.
U&A - How different is the music industry in the States compared to the UK? U&A - What kind of clothing do you like? NA - I do find it really inspiring that there are so many jaw-dropping fantastic musicians in the US! However, it’s not about how different/ similar or what kind of mess the UK and US industries are in - it’s still tough as fuck and harder to make a bean.
NA - I love my jackets! When I first arrived in Texas, I was snookered by the wall of heat. All my leather jackets melted then moulded from sweating in them! My style revolves around making the most of the cooler winter/spring months and making it work in the blazing summer!
I think if you want to make it in the States you have to be U&A - How prepared to slug it would you out, roll up your describe your sleeves and get to ‘style’? i t . I t ’s a b i g country. There may NA - I favour be two days of l o w - k e y , travelling between eccentric, British, your shows. You down-home, have to be on your well-wor n, big game. Eye skies, sparklez. contact and time Some important keeping are good things to practices. After consider: a getting over the martini, good culture shock, shoes, good hair chain smoking and and your partner getting battered all on your arm. the time are frowned upon a U&A - Who or wee bit more in the what are your States by the m u s i c a l business types. In influences? the UK, it may be easier to throw on NA - Coming the latest rags from Newcastle whilst trading out is a major your synth for a i n fl u e n c e . T h e guitar. further and longer than I am away from there, the more aware I am of what it has instilled in U&A - Is there anything you miss about the me. There is something really particular about UK? that place. A strange bubble perhaps? Music, I identify with the things grounded in vibrant, NA - I do miss ol’ Blighty. I never imagined real, instant. that I would live anywhere else. What do I NIC ARMSTRONG &
the
thieves
_ __ __ ___ __ es ___ __ iec e_ ___ _ t p ag __ ____ _ se gu fe i _ __ l n la still oes_ ___ ___ _ d dy rt_ bo it’s a azy shi n___ l a ss as etle oce is c zy pock cifi pa
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POCKETLESS SHIRT
8 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! U&A - Duncan Jones directed the video for Broken Mouth Blues. How did that come about?
versions) Or did you always prefer to concentrate on original material?
U&A - Did you do the covers band thing in the past? (You’ve done some great cover
Twitter - www.twitter.com/NArmstrongMusic
NA - I used to busk around doing doo-wop NA I and vintage rock & roll covers to couldn’t tell make money for rolling you! Ha ha! tobacco and white cider. If they get their But I U&A - Any plans for a tour of remember hair cut, they'll being told the UK or Europe? not to ask be one of the him about NA - We’re working behind biggest bands in his father. the scenes on that right now. [Duncan Keep checking Britain. They're Jones is www.nicarmstrongmusic.com the son of - as soon as we announce pretty special, D a v i d anything, it will be plastered man... Bowie.] It over the website! was my - Noel Gallagher first video Find Nic Armstrong & The shoot - at Thieves at: Shepperton www.nicarmstrongmusic.com Studios - I recall being freaked out at first with so many people milling about. A great Facebook - www.facebook.com/ experience! NicArmstrongMusic
On the download... Pocketless Shirt EP
NIC ARMSTRONG &
the
thieves
__ __ __ __ s_ ____ __ iece e_ ___ __ _ t p ag __ se ngu life ___ ___ la still oes_ ___ ___ _ t_ d dy bo it’s a zy shir n___ la ss a as etle oce is c zy pock cifi pa
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POCKETLESS SHIRT
The latest release from Nic Armstrong & The Thieves, this 6 track EP features all new songs recorded in the USA. Download or bag a limited edition vinyl copy from the Nic Armstrong Music website.
The Greatest White Liar Surely we don’t need to sell this to you any more! One of the best albums of the last 10 years - you can’t be a true music fan if you haven’t got a copy of this in your collection!
Find more at nicarmstrongmusic.com/shop
Live At The BBC EP
3 track EP recorded live for BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe programme at BBC Manchester in 2004. Contains harder to find track, You Can’t E s c a p e M y P r e t t y, which despite the name isn’t included on...
If We Can’t Escape My Pretty
Released under the ‘IV Thieves’ moniker in 2006, this album has a m o re c o n t e m p o r a r y indie rock sound. Catastrophe, Day Is A Downer and Take This Heart all fantastic rock tunes.
Broken Mouth Blues EP
Although last on our list, this is a great ‘introduction’ EP from Greatest White Liar era. Also features cover of Chuck Berry’s I Want To Be Your Driver.
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 9
Top 5 Boating Blazers for Summer 2014! The Boating Blazer is back (did it ever go away?!) as one of this seasons hottest trends. Here’s our top 5 picks for your wardrobe!
Burgundy Stripe Boating Blazer Best for: Subtle mod look in a versatile style. Easy to wear casual or smart. Price: £119.99 Search: 13155
Backbeat Boating Blazer in Red/Navy Best for: Classic mod style in a mod colour way. Price: £99.99 Search: 9247
Backbeat Boating Blazer in Blue/Navy Best for: Classic but smart look, an indie twist on the original. Price: £99.99 Search: 11231
Merc Hemmingway in Beige Best for: Merc fans must have. New colour for 2014. Price: £164.99 Search: 13244
Wonderwall Boating Blazer Cardigan Best for: Casual Mod look without the stuffy structure of a blazer. Price: £49.99 Search: 13162
Psst! Look out for more new styles arriving soon! Search Boating Blazer!
10 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
Marmalade-Shop Dresses were some of the first dresses ever stocked by Atom Retro. The collection is the vision of designer, Magdalena Sokolowska. Magda opened her first boutique in Toronto, Canada in 2001. Thirteen years on, and the unique mod Sixties inspired dresses are available in selected boutiques world wide. We caught up with Magda to get her insight into the world of retro mod fashion. U&A - What’s the story behind the Marmalade collection? Magdalena Sokolowska - As an avid collector of vintage furnishings, fabrics and fashion and having my first boutique to keep stocked, I was finding it difficult to source interesting selections of good quality vintage pieces. I had access to the used clothing mills whose inventory would be touch and go. When I did find labels of interest or unique cuts, they would either fly off the rack within the first day, or I would fall in love with them and end up keeping them for myself! Having hangers free of threads, I acted on a nagging interest to d e s i g n a n d p ro d u c e a n d b e g a n illustrating and drafting patterns for some simple A-line and shift dresses. Encouragingly my efforts were well received by customers, and confirmed my decision to keep Marmalade as a permanent in-house label.
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 11
U&A - What what the first item of clothing that you made? MS - I had a sewing class and brought in a pattern. I think this was the first and only followed a commercial pattern. The end being of a questionable purple fabric that saw the light of day!
sixties time I result never
U&A - Most, if not all, of your dresses are quite mod, sixties and vintage influenced. Where do you get your inspiration from? MS - My dresses are certainly evident of my interest in sixties and mod culture. I like formfitting, colour and interesting shape. The sixties were abundant with design going against the grain in all fields, everything from architecture to kitchen utensils. I don’t really have a default go-to inspiration in my designs but I could be inspired by a good film, a character, an advertisement or respectfully, other designers of past eras. I collect magazines and books which help but truthfully, most of the time the final design comes from crossing out and editing a sketch from an idea and doing so until I am happy with it. U&A - When did you first realise you wanted to pursue fashion designing as a career? MS - I really do love designing clothes. The career choice progressed naturally from my enjoyment in the field and I can’t really picture myself doing anything else. Apart from an initial sewing course and a crash course in pattern making, most of the know-how stems from hands on experience. I experiment and ask questions from those with more knowledge and pick up the odd tip here or there from seasoned seamstresses or tailors I have met along the way. I studied business at university in Canada and England, but in hindsight, I would have probably been better off learning the ropes of a clothing label.
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U&A - When you’re not busy designing fantastic dresses, what else do you like to do? MS - Running the label certainly takes up a lot of time! Production time is really demanding and so stealing a walk in the park becomes essential. I really enjoy traveling. We can often work remotely and this has allowed us to move around a bit. We’re currently living and working in Paris, where there are loads of fantastic flea markets I love to explore. I enjoy a good film or an engaging show, the company of my boyfriend and partner in Marmalade, Jake, or a catch-up with my family. The simple stuff scored of course by a good soundtrack. U&A - If you could choose one person who is (or was) in the limelight to dress, who would it be and why? MS - I don’t think I could put a face to a name in celebrity culture. I always see some re a l l y s t y l i s h e v e r y d a y people just going about their business, which I admire as standing out now, is rare. I wouldn’t say no to one of the starlets of the silver screen wearing Marmalade-Shop though, Felicity Jones always looks really cool in character. U&A - If you step in a time machine and go back to any date you wanted, where would you go and why? MS - It would have to be the height of the 1960s in Britain. I would open a shop in London as commercial leases now determine such a thing to only exist in daydreams. U&A - What’s next for the Marmalade collection? MS - We have the new collections coming out for Autumn/Winter 2014 and Spring/Summer 2015, which I’m really excited about. We are introducing a few new products into the brand and keeping within our intentions of making our mod influenced styles, universally wearable to girls who simply like a good cut, a good fit and a bright colour. U&A - And finally, three quick fire questions! What book, film and band/singer are your all time faves? MS - Quiet Days In Clichy [by Henry Miller], A Clockwork Orange and Stone Roses.
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 13
From Drawing Board to Dress... All of these gorgeous dresses are part of Marmalade’s Summer 2014 collection, available at Atom Retro at www.atomretro.com/ marmalade. This seasons collection concentrates on classic sixties mod style, including a smart mod 60s inspired tie dress and 60s ‘space age’ dress in yellow/ off white (both pictured on previous pages), 60s mod dress with circle pocket (left page) - which will also have a matching coat for an ultimate retro 60s look. Another highlight is this scallop collar fitted dress, (pictured right) which is finished with a cute pink mini bow! Magda’s original line drawings are also pictured so you can s e e t h e p ro g re s s i o n f ro m drawing to dress!
Images and drawings used by permission. © Magdalena Sokolowska, Marmalade-Shop. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced elsewhere without permission.
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ms, song gigs, tours, albuDarron and Joel ith W . ur do ba ou ith being a Tr r interview w It’s a busy lifetim flies. Following ouguys sent us these fantastic st ju e e th .. e ) th ature writing. e 2 of Up & Atom , plus a special fe (published in issu, wearing Madcap England gear se was in store for the pictures of them over!) We asked Darron what el from Darron (see band this year...
g new songs in rit w , er nk bu e th in sy bu e rs ar The Last Of The Tillrobeubadanoualbum for this year, and to freshen upay. the set. for what we hope neww songs] at the Modfest in Brighton this M We’ll be debuting [the
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P E r e t t e B e h T r e n o o S ? The 1. Who’s Gonna Love Us Now
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4. Control The Feeling
what you’re doing. to s on ti ac re e rs ve ad h it w deal in for slagging us This one is about how yowuant to punch your head Basically - Fuck you! I we control it ‘cause you off behind our backs be ain’t worth it.
Don’t Stand On Shadows EP
1. Tonight
and see the o G . ly al re s ic it cr r ai ch m It’s about ar your doubts will end real thing and alpll ay, film, band, whatever whether it’s a until you’ve seen it first hand. don’t knock it
2. Never Forgive You
ything, put your er ev d ce ifi cr sa e v u’ yo n he the bargain. lationship, w I guess it’s about a anfadilethd eyre turn round and don’t hold up their end of cards on the table s ’s about artists it lly ca ri ly t bu e, 3. Don’t Stand On Shade ow m ga a g title whilst playin n stamp on it. Ultimately they’re fakes th m hi ve ga er ht ug da s ’ el Jo put their ow r ve ne d an s st ti ar r he ot who copy s. but believe they’re the Don on’t 4. Shame On You em in controlling situations; this one being ea ofmanit. who w People with little seiplfulatesteive women and loses family & friends becaus s a lot of messages in ha stand up to a man it ss ue G . ly al re e on is ot sure about th 5. One To Blame Nthere. Hope, moving forward, etc. Download both of these EPs from iTunes, or find the band on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-of-the-Troubadours/231392100220545?fref=ts
18 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
More Madcap Laughs
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It would be fair to say that The Last Of The Troubadours are Madcap England fans. Above are the bands latest picks from the Madcap England range - so here’s a snap shot of what else is in stock for this season...
Townshend Union Blazer - Classic 60s Jack ‘W
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20 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
Ray-Ban, arguably the most famous name in style. The Olympian arrived in 1965 and was sunglasses and innovator of iconic styles worn by Peter Fonda in Easy Rider in 1969. such as the Aviator, Wayfarer and Clubmaster. The Balorama - black plastic framed sunglasses came out in 1968 and were The Aviator was the first sunglasses style famously worn by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty created by Ray-Ban for pilots in the US Harry films in the seventies. military over 75 years ago. Called the ‘Antiglare’ back then, the style was developed to More movie appearances during the 1980s help pilots cut out the glare without losing any brought the Wayfarer back to the fore when vision. The Aviator first went on sale to the Tom Cruise wore them in Risky Business and public in 1937, in its instantly iconic green The Blues Brothers movie confirmed its place G-15 lens and gold frame. The following year as the coolest sunglasses around. (This look it was rebranded as the Ray-Ban Aviator. was originally copied from blues singer, John Lee Hooker’s look and style). In 1938 the Shooter and then in 1939 the Outdoorsman, with unique ‘sweat bar’ were A new style for the 80s were the Cats 1000 - a premiered as a follow on from the Aviator. more rounded frame Aviator style. This During the 1940s Ray-Ban turned their focus enduring style was re-imagined in 2000s as to the Cockpit style and brought out the first the Cats 5000. ever gradient mirror lens for this style. The Clubmaster style arrived in the 1980s too, In 1952 the Wayfarer arrived. The plastic retro looking browline sunglasses based on framed black sunglasses were worn by James Ray-Ban’s earlier browline styles. The Dean in Rebel Without A Cause in 1955, and Clubmaster was worn by Denzel Washington the Ray-Ban Wayfarer quickly became an in- in the film, Malcolm X and by Tim Roth in demand, must-have accessory. It’s appeal Reservoir Dogs. has never diminished. The look also took on a Today Ray-Ban continues to lead the market unisex appeal when stars like Kim Novak and with new colours, styles and innovative Marilyn Monroe picked the Wayfarer up. eyewear technology being developed every The Ray-Ban Caravan style first appeared in season. Here’s some of the key looks from 1957, then during the sixties Ray-Ban Ray-Ban for summer 2014. introduced more variations on the Aviator
Aviator
The Ray-Ban original is always a classic look which suits most people. Pictured here with the classic brown B-15 lens and gold frame, original colours also include green lens with gold frame, mirror lens with silver frame and green lens with gunmetal frame. Priced from £119.99
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Cats 5000
Two new designs in the Cats style for summer 2014. Rather 70s looking Cats Aviator Matte with coloured mirror lenses in either blue or orange and fantastic white translucent frames. The ultimate in cool. Priced from £134.99
Clubmaster
Clubmaster have been on trend for a couple of seasons now and these colour flash styles are in demand! Classic colours in black and havana brown are also available and also a more ‘squared Clubmaster’ for a really retro look. Priced from £124.99
Folding Ray-Ban
A style originally premiered for Ray-Ban’s 7 5 t h a n n i v e r s a r y, u n i q u e f o l d i n g sunglasses are available in the classic Aviator and, as pictured, Wayfarer styles. Designed to fold away into a neat little box, these sunglasses are perfect for carrying around and taking on holiday. Priced from £124.99
Jackie Ohh
Classic women’s retro Sunglasses from RayBan include the gorgeous Jackie Ohh style, very on trend for this season. This fabulous feminine rounded version of the classic Wayfarer is currently available in black or plum and guaranteed to add some vintage silver screen glamour to any outfit. Priced from £122.99
22 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
Wayfarer
The Wayfarer is such a key look for Summer 2014, we had to dedicate a whole page to the fantastic range of different Ray-Ban Wayfarer styles available now. Here’s your classic Wayfarer for the purists! The original design Wayfarer Sunglasses, available in black or havana brown and priced from £119.99.
The New Wayfarer
A modern update to the classic Wayfarer Sunglasses, the Ray-Ban New Wayfarer contains all the original design aspects of the original Wayfarer but with a smaller sized lens in a slightly softer eye shape and less of inwards angle to the front found on the original style. Available in black or havana brown and priced from £104.99
Two Tone New Wayfarer
Our bestseller for 2013 and still going strong in 2014, these two tone updates to the classic Wayfarer are simple, stylish and devastatingly cool. Available in black/beige, havana/beige and new colour plum/ transparent currently, but look out for new colours in the future too. Priced from £114.99
Widescreen Wayfarer
A new trend from Ray-Ban are what we’re calling Widescreen Wayfarers. With a more rectangular eye shape, this style is a combination of the classic Wayfarer and styles like Balorama with a modern twist. The ‘Convex Widescreen Wayfarer’ pictured is priced at £108.00 so a great price for a Ray-Ban to boot! See the whole range at www.atomreto.com/ray-ban
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The
Original
Modernist
Wayne Kirven doesn’t like to use the word ‘Mod’. He prefers ‘Modernist’. He’s one of the original Modernists - there right at the beginning in the late fifties and early sixties with the Stamford Hill mods. Stamford Hill in Hackney was where the ‘mod’ movement started in London, but back then they were ‘modernists.’ Wayne says, ‘If somebody said “I like that shirt,” you’d say, “Yeah, it’s modern,” hence the word ‘Modernist’, hence it was shortened to ‘Mod’... the word ‘mod’ came later. They were ‘Faces’ - or at least they liked to think they were!’ Wayne remembers the influx of the ‘Mod’ scene - via music, films and fashion. ‘My cousin took me to a club in Hackney, called ‘Barry’s’. I think the year was 1959,’ Wayne says. ‘Every other word was ‘modernist’. [We were] very influenced by the look and style of Modernism. Spring and Summer ’59. I was very young, but I [was attracted to] the way they dressed and their attitudes. And, by the way, it was the first time I saw a scooter!’ Young Italians were arriving in Soho and zipping over to Barry’s club on their scooters. Wayne was captivated. Barry’s, like other early mod and R&B clubs played the latest sounds from America soul, R&B and blues records which otherwise didn’t get an awful lot of airplay in the UK. Wayne remembers, ‘Barry’s played American R&B. I think probably Ray Charles was the hero we worshipped at the time. There was nothing on the radio. There was Pick Of The Pops which only played the top 30, and Saturday Club which only really played show-business acts. We went through the back catalogues. You had to have the import. The British issue was no good. [The
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people at Barry’s club] were all very good dancers. They would always be up dancing as long as they played R&B - Shirley and Lee, Ray Charles.’ Wayne found his import records at a record shop called ‘Paul’s’ in Whitechapel, London. He tells us, ‘I used to earn money by taking the records over to the West London boys who were a bit behind us. I used to sell the records and buy clothes with the money.’ Wayne remembers it was French and Italian culture which first inspired the mod style, and it was this European look which became so important. He says ‘Pierre Cardin was my idol. Anything by Cardin influenced me. I always thought he was the original modernist.’ The late fifties and into the sixties was a fantastic time for fashion. Previously, fashion hadn’t changed by very much. Young people had only a small amount of choice when it came to clothes - styles were what their parents, and in some cases, grandparents wore. Colours would be equally drab - black, grey and navy were the order of the day. The fashion revolution of the Sixties came at just the right time for the modernists. Wayne says, ‘[When] Cardin came out originally, Yves St. Laurent and when Armani and Ralph Lauren came out. All these were memorable times.’ Wayne remembers his first item of ‘mod’ clothing - a cotton roll neck jumper. ‘I saw it in a shop called ‘Nick’s’ in Fouberts Place, near Carnaby Street. I wanted a roll neck because it emphasised this kind of French-ness and jazz club feel, instead of a dance hall feel. It was completely different to what we’d been wearing.’ The cinema, particularly the cool style encapsulated by the films of the French New Wave, was also important. ‘Another influence was cinema,’ says Wayne, ‘French and Italian cinema. Cinema was where we copied our clothes from.’ Another of the Stamford Hill modernists was a young 15 year old lad called Marc Feld, later to change his name to Marc Bolan and his fashion to something a lot more ‘glam’. Wayne remembers, ‘Marc really wanted to be like us. He was much younger than us and younger than the kind of guys he hung around with. All he wanted to be was 18 when he was really only 15.’ The Stamford Hill modernists were famously captured by Town Magazine in 1962 as an example
25 of ‘Mod’, this new breed of image conscious, clothes obsessed youth, calling them ‘Faces Without Shadows.’ Wayne remembers, ‘I was asked to be on the shoot for Town Magazine with the boys, but unfortunately the company I was working for wouldn’t let me go. I knew all the locations. I was on one which was in an amusement arcade in Stamford Hill. I was photographed there, but I was cut out because I wasn’t interviewed for the final shoot.’ Never mind Wayne - legend has it that Bolan wasn’t all that happy with the article; it came out six months after the photo shoot and the interview, and as Bolan said, ‘During that time a Face’s wardrobe would have been completely transformed - several times over!’. In the early sixties, Wayne was a DJ at the legendary London R&B club, The Scene. They say that everyone remembers where they were when Kennedy was shot. Wayne certainly does - or at least where he was meant to be. Wayne says, ‘I worked at The Scene club in Soho, London on Tuesdays, but I did go in for a stint before Georgie Fame came on, on that famous night Kennedy was shot. Unfortunately Georgie didn’t come, and neither did the Scene open that evening.’ It was a logical step for Wayne to set up his own menswear shop - Firma Menswear in Queen’s Road, Buckhurst Hill. What does Wayne think of today’s fashion? He says, ‘I’m getting on a bit, but probably in my way of thinking Thom Browne would be the person I would say is current. Every seven years someone changes. Cardin, St. Laurent, Armani. At the moment I like the modern interpretation of Ivy League by Thom Browne.’
Wayne’s modernist night, 16th May 2014 at the Nuffield Health & Fitness, 175 New Road, Chingford. Be there!
26 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
The Beautiful Game It’s a beautiful game. World Cup kick off is on the horizon. Wow, is it as soon as that? Feels like every four years! The Arena Corinthians that skirts the vast metropolis of Sao Paolo is where the action begins as the hosts Brazil take on Croatia. Mark the date in your diary - June 12th 2014. Here at Atom Retro we’re getting into the spirit of World Cup 2014 with a selection of fab football t-shirts. In truth, we know these cool retro tees will get plenty more wear after the tournament finale. They are great examples of retro sports nostalgia, perfect for wearing all year round. Lets kick off with a look at the latest arrivals from COPA’s ‘Captain’ range. Having seen great success with the Maradona-esque ‘Argentina Capitano’ t-shirt, we decided to add to the portfolio for World Cup 2014. Our cosmopolitan approach finds us embracing a whole host of footballing nations. We’ve got Brasil Capitao, Germany Speilfuhrer, Italia Capitano, France Capitaine, Dutch and Belgium Captain to create a real international ambience. Complete with retro print emblems and number to reverse, the COPA t-shirts are a great price at just £29.99.
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 27
Ben Sherman’s injection range hits the back of the net with its homage to vintage footballing themes. Old fashioned boots hanging across the shoulders make a real fashion statement and the classic mod target makes an appearance emblazoned upon a vintage soccer ball. Finally for those who love a game of Fussball, there’s a unique take on a classic 1960s mod Breton stripe t-shirt as miniature footballers are seemingly impaled at intervals, creating t h e ultimate table football graphic.
As we head into extra time, we’ve just got time to reflect upon the happenings in intergalactic football, as Chunk’s latest Star Wars t-shirts embrace the footballing phenomenon. Allstars ’77 find retro soccer stickers of all your fave Rebel Alliance and Empire characters neatly situated across the chest. With Darth Vader and Bobba Fett up front against a rusty looking C-3PO and an aging Yoda, the Empire look like they’ll take the spoils. You might also like the humorous ‘Free Kick’ t-shirt that sees Darth Vader shaping up to curl one round the wall of Stormtroopers into the top corner. That wall’s never 10 yards! So there you have it. A glimpse into the classic, the vintage and the surreal side of football. All under one neat sporting section at Atom Retro. Get your kicks with Atom Retro this summer! See the whole range at www.atomretro.com/retro_football
28 www.AtomRetro.com We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits!
A Pint With... Paolo Hewitt Paolo Hewitt - San Pellegrino limonata per favor. KS - So Paolo, always a busy man. Anything new in the pipeline? PH - Next week sees the release on e-book and Kindle only of my new book, But We All Shine On - The Remarkable Orphans Of Burbank Children’s Home. As many know, I was raised in a children’s home and wrote a book about the experience called The Looked After Kid. This is the follow up where I find four of the guys I was in the home with and see how their lives turned out. Part of the title - We All Shine On - should tell you that even though they had been through harrowing times, they have all emerged intact and smiling. Love and luck saved them. It was beautiful to see and write about. My second project is a film adaptation of my book, The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story. This all began about two years ago so in footballing terms if we began on the halfway line we are just inside the penalty area, waiting for the ball to be crossed so we can put it in the net. I’m very excited about both projects. Hope you all will be when they appear. KS - Paolo, you have written some fantastic books but I want to concentrate on one particular band which I know will be of great interest to our readers - The If you’re a mod, sixties, Britpop or football Beatles. Tell me why you think The Beatles fan, then you should already be familiar with are one of the greatest bands ever. author, Paolo Hewitt’s work. A journalist for NME and Melody Marker in the 70s, Paolo PH - Invention, intelligence, pioneering, barrier Hewitt published his first book in 1983. breaking, handsome, witty, occasionally Steve Marriott, Paul Weller, The Beatles, genius’s, stylish, soulful, above all the band Oasis and Ben Sherman are just a few of whose single, She Loves You helped take me the subjects his prolific pen has turned to from a very difficult world into the heavens over the years. In recent times, Paolo Hewitt above. I was 5 years old and I can still feel the has collaborated with footwear brand, impact upon my very being. Later on in life, Delicious Junction, designing the ‘La The Long And Winding Road had a similar Scarpa’ Loafer with them. Kevin Stone effect. caught up with Paolo for a chat and a quick drink. KS - You’ve got 20+ books under your belt. How easy is it to get a book published these days? Kevin Stone - Hello Paolo. First a little drink, what’s your tipple? PH - Hard. That’s why many are going the self publication route.
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 27 KS - Whenever we have seen each other you are always impeccably turned out. Can you describe your favourite outfit from the bottom up? PH - Shoes - Loake Loafers. Trousers - Levi’s StaPrest. Shirt/Polo - Hand made by Stuart at Ace Face with a Gibson waistcoat. Knitwear - Gabicci. Jacket - by Mark Powell.
Don’t miss these...! Here’s a quick list of some our fave Paolo books!
The A-Z Of Mod Written with Mark Baxter, this handy sized book is a must-have for all mods! From A Bout de Souffle through to Zoot Money, and with an introduction by Martin Freeman.
KS - I know you’re a big football fan, Paolo and having an Italian mother leads me to think that the opening World Cup game between Italy and England will be on your agenda on the 14th June. Which way do you see the game going? PH - Scusa mio ma, Inglese 0, Italia 2. KS - Mod is a broad church. What does it mean to you? PH - Mumble like De Niro, write like an angel. KS - I know that you’re a voracious reader so can you tell us your 3 all time favourite books and why? PH - Too many to mention but right now the three that have come to mind are Hubert Selby Jnr’s Last Exit To Brooklyn because that had such an impact on me, The Bible and Nick Tosches biography of Dean Martin - Dino! KS - Paolo, thanks for your time. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. One last question from me - any new bands out there our readers should be on the look out for? PH - Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band. Thanks for the drink and the chat. Both refreshing!
Bowie: Album by Album In depth look at David Bowie and his work. Includes some great pictures too.
The Looked After Kid Paolo’s memoir of his harrowing childhood growing up in children’s homes in the 60s and 70s.
My Favourite Shirt: A History of Ben Sherman Style A visual history of Ben Sherman and the original mod shirt
The Jam: A Beat Concerto - The Authorised Biography
Paolo Hewitt was chatting to Kevin Stone
Originally published in 1983, this early Paolo Hewitt book is something of a collectors item now! An early biography of The Jam from someone in the know!
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2014 is the 50 year anniversary of when The Beatles first took America by storm. The Cavern Club, Liverpool sent their house Beatle band to re-enact the scene, exactly 50 years later to the day. Of course they needed some new Beatle Boots for that - and they knew where to come! We caught up with Paul Jones, who plays George in The Cavern Club Beatles for a quick chat. Up&Atom - How did you become - not just a has a genuine love for performing, Liverpool as Beatle - but a Cavern Club Beatle? a city and The Beatles. Paul Jones - Me and some friends started a band in high school, when I was 14, and we decided we’d learn some Beatles songs. The next year, when I was 15 years old, we entered ITV’s ‘Stars In Their Eyes Kids’ and we were successful! So through The Beatles I (very early in life) entered the world of music and performing! From there it just grew from strength to strength to strength. I spent about 4 years playing all over the world on a cruise ship as a ‘John’, then after a while I wanted to come back home. The Cavern Club were auditioning for a ‘George’, so I learned a few songs and went for it and got the gig! This was about 2 years ago, and since then the band is the best thing I’ve been a part of. We’re all great friends who have a good laugh daily, but more to the point everyone is very good at their jobs and
U&A - You recently went to the States to mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles American invasion. What was that like? PJ - Our trip to the USA was amazing. From the moment we arrived at Heathrow on the morning of the flight it was non-stop interviews, media and all sorts of attention! We even spent the whole flight in costume, which the air hostess’ loved! Arriving in the same terminal 50 years later to screaming fans and camera flashes was incredible, and what’s more frightening is what we experienced wasn’t even 1/100th of what The Beatles did! It was humbling because everyone was there to celebrate and just marvel at what The Beatles were. The audience and fans were having just as much fun as we were experiencing the ‘hype’ around us.
We’d do the loop-de-loop in tailored suits! www.AtomRetro.com 31 U&A - Which Beatles era is your favourite to perform? PJ - The best section of the show for me is the Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour section. This reflects the band circa 1967, when they were experimenting a lot in the studio with effects, orchestration, arrangements, lyrics, etc. This is why it’s so good to play live, because essentially some of it is difficult and challenging. The early stuff is great and lively, real rock n roll, but the Pepper stuff is intricate and really takes some time getting right, so when it works it’s great and very rewarding! Catch The Cavern Club Beatles at The Cavern Club, The performances were some of the most important I have ever has the privilege to be Liverpool every Saturday night at 8.00pm part of. Having your name in Times Square was and find them on Facebook at so special and knowing you were on the same www.facebook.com/TheCavernClubBeatles stage, playing the same songs, in the same clothes as they did was just surreal. Cavern City Tours who arranged it all were fantastic. We stayed in a suite in The Plaza, overlooking Central Park. We travelled in limousines, played iconic venues like The Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square (formally The Paramount Theatre), The Deaville Hotel (where the Miami episode of The Ed Sullivan Show was recorded) as well as an open air beach gig! Also supporting us every step of the was was Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister. We would be driving around Miami with her telling us stories about John - very surreal! I’m sure any tribute band will tell you that attention to detail is paramount, and having John’s sister describe you as ‘the best Beatles tribute band’ she’s ever seen is just amazing, and only makes you want to try new things and develop the show. Looking back, it couldn’t have gone any better. We loved the excitement when we were there, but now a few weeks have passed and we’ve seen all the coverage I think we’ve all realised how lucky and fortunate we were to be part of such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime anniversary! U&A - What’s been your most memorable moment as a Cavern Beatle? PJ - America was such an amazing trip. Me, Tony Coburn [who plays Paul in The Cavern Club Beatles] and Paul Laverick (our keyboard player) all got our first tattoos in South Beach, Miami at 4am to remember the occasion!
20 ...And in the end...
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