Retroverse by Retroverse

Welcome to Retroverse magazine. Where we are letting you know about cool and small businesses mainly within fashion and music that most people really should know about within the area. We help to promote these businesses by giving you a bit of information and letting you know about amazing events happening near you!

Hare Hou “Hare & Hounds is a local pub and music venue, which has become one of birmingham’s greatest local small music venues. it is seen as a crucial part in nurturing birmingham’s musicial community for over the past thirty years.”

co-owner of the venue, Matt Beck.

and unds 4

and

history What un makes the Hare and Hounds

When established? was the

Hare and hounds

“The building itself dates back to the 1907 the way it is now, well apart from a little décor changes and stages. But I do I think that it dates back even further I think to the 1840’s where it was a public house built by Aaron Payton we believe it was built because of his love and passion of bringing people together.”

unique to other venues?

“ I think it is just the large variety of people and music we have in here that is what gives us a completely different atmosphere and feel to other venues around here.I believe that the old features help us a lot, especially all the art nouveau features around the building it gives us a greater obeisance then the next new slick venue with have more character, history and style. Also we don’t just host wmusic gigs we have gigs on lots of different genres like comedy sketches, work shops for arts and crafts even vintage fairs and that uniqueness attracts more people”

and

Local pub Music venue

which has become on of Birmingham’s greatest local small music venues. it is seen as a crucial part in nurturing Birmingham’s music community for over the past thirty years. I spoke to one of the owners of the venue.

niqness “Great venue, great music, top night out” Abbey smith, 18

and

music Who is your

band

favourite you see play here?

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really have a favourite band I just love all music I think its more about experiences and feelings at a gig I see it more as a lifestyle the hobby or likes and dislikes. But I must say that at this venue Basement Jaxx gigs are amazing, with these guys it music, feel, atmosphere is just out of this world, yeah defiantly one of favorites with the atmospheres they create here. I also

think that local bands are sometimes more of my favorites as they seem to try and engaged the audience in more. I like that I think that is the main part of music to get people to relate to you and understand and a local band that is really good at doing that is Jaws even before they get on stage if people know theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing then atmosphere

will be ecstatic in here. To be honest I do get a little bit excited when I know they are coming in for a gig. For a small band they defiantly blow your mind away.â&#x20AC;?

Who are the most

“LAugh

Roit going worth

“

a - well

John Peterson,18.

ands

famous you Have bands had play here? “Well I wasn’t here at the time when it happen but most people know us for the first gig that UB40 played around the 1980’s I believe. But over the recent years we have had quiet a few bands in some big name ones and some local ones as well such as; Kate Nash, Elle Goulding, Ed Sheeran, Temper Trap. And local bands such as; Layers, shine on and shadow play.”

cxcvx

COW. Defnitely my number 1 of the Digebeth area with reasonably priced clothes and a whole range to choose from in the large warehouselike shop. Definitely a winner. Urban Village. This treasure chest is completely jam packed of clothes from the 80s, 70s and 60s. Feels like a very cool very organised jumble sale, alongside the large record collection downstairs, second on my list. Mr Birds. Considering how early it was in the day I went to visit this shop the staff were so friendly, definitely a bonus! Definitely the most affordable of the three, with its bright and colourful clothes and beautiful fur jackets, gotta be number three.

The invention of the teenager

Back in the 1950’s technology had only just started to develop, children were mini adults – copies of there parents but still young in age. They were deprived from music, fashion and art, that didn’t even exist.

The early 1960’s were a lot like

the 1950’s definitely had more class in its appearance; girls wore dresses to school, but had to wear shorts and long fitted trousers to play. Boys had to wear dress pants and button-down shirts, this was the daily school uniform. The decade swiftly changed through the domination of adolescence, teens were growing up and claimed their own customised appearance.

The late 1960’s went insane with

an outburst of bright exotic colours. The first colour that fashion carried was ‘Purpura’ which is Latin for purple. This colour was found way before the 19th century; it was more expensive than any colour ever to lay hands on in the fashion industry. The colour was produced from a snail called the Murex. The snail leaks a yellow fluid that, when exposed to sunlight becomes a purple dye. The 1950’s were so restrained that in 1960 people embraced tie-dye shirts with bright wild hues that replaced the conservative greys, browns and pastel colours that were worn before the era.

In the past, attire had been

separated into ‘formal’ and casual’ wear; the styles defined the difference between clothing worn by men and women, although the 1960’s de-

‘In the 1950s youthful clothes were non-existent; I used to make my own. At that time if you were on the tube you were expected to wear a pair of gloves...it was all old lady stuff.’ Vanessa Denza (2006).

veloped and created unisex clothing

such as denim jeans to be worn by

evolved much from the past, although there

both genders. The generation was

has been beautiful clothes designed through-

influenced by the first moon landing.

out those years until today. The 20th century

Contemporary materials such as plas-

hasn’t let go of the vintage fashion, however

tic and polyester were very popular

it has kept all the styles made in the past by

throughout the period. Teen fashions

adapting them into new ways of wearing them.

faded and changed very fast due to

After the 1990’s - fashion did not

clothes being discarded more quickly then in the 1950’s.

In 1963 the fashion widely

spread all over the world. But any type of artificial looks were disapproved, such as excessive amounts of makeup and high heels that changes both height and appearance were unnatural for woman of this year.

The 1960’s youth changed the

strict formal wear into what is referred as the ‘hippie’ clothing. The long covered dresses changed into short plastic skirts and revealing attire. The clothing was a lot more casual, comfortable and free. Underwear worn such as ‘corsets’ in the previous years were acutely uncomfortable; the new kinds of undergarments worn were stretchable with no shaping or structure. The teens were allowed express who they were through there

outfits.

tephen Arthu

independent fashion desig what does fashion mean to you? Fashion means, the freedom to create and express yourself for clothing.

When did you realiSe you wanted to become a fashion designer? After I saw my design within the Oxford Street, John Lewis. Great Moment.

What is your favourite thing that you have designed?

My favourite design was my first ever design. It was embellished with so many of sequins, and took months to construct.

What are your best accomplishments as a designer?

Presenting my collection at Sweden Fashion Week. It was a big break through in my career.

How would you describe fashion in Birmingham? And if you could, how would you change it?

Fashion in Birmingham is not very vibrant, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shout different. We need more creative designers to contribute in making Birmingham a iconic city for fashion. This can be done by having a concession store within the centre of Birmingham that promotes young talent.

gner “

My Name is Stephen Arthur and I’m an independent fashion designer based within Birmingham, I run my own fashion company, which has been established for 3 years. I am now 23 years of age and I am currently a part time London fashion student. The age that I became recognised was at 21, when I was discovered by ITV to create a perfect party dress for John Lewis, which was sold nationwide. It then lead me to attend Sweden Fashion Week to promote my collection.

”

Who are your favourite designers and who influences you most? I have so many but the main ones that are big influences is Tom Ford and Alexander Vauthier.

What are your favourite colours and materials to work with and why?

I’m a huge fan of Black, White and Burgundy red (these have always been favourite colours to use) And my materials are Lace, satin, mock fur and mock leather ( i don’t condole in animal cruelty so I don’t use real fur or leather)

What are some of your favourite fashion stores, magazines, websites or books?

I have a subscription with Drapers, which I recommend to all students. The information is invaluable, and when I’m in London, I always pop into Harrods.

What are your short-term and long-term

goals/aspirations? My Short-term goals is to be more established locally and to move into a larger studio space, and my long term goal is to be recognised as an international brand that distribute my garments worldwide

I have heard you are

currently working on your next collection, can you tell us anything about that?

The collection that I am currently creating is a clear reflection of what my brand is all about. You will see very soon.

What motivates you to design, have there been times when you have felt like stopping?

My main love is Art, I love to draw and design things, this motivates me to see what the end product will look like in real life. There have been times when I have felt like giving up but you have to think about how it will impact you and others once its completed.

Was there ever anything

holding you back from going into the fashion industry?

My lack of experience and qualifications within in fashion, I had to re-attend college to study as I felt that no one would take me seriously if I never had the qualifications to back me.

Do you have any advise to give to students currently

studying in the fashion/arts industry?

Enjoy creating and designing, but try and take a course in Business Studies, if you choose to be an independent designer. Not a lot of designers succeed due to the lack of business knowledge.

Which 5 words would you use to describe yourself as a designer? Workaholic, entrepreneur, comedian, optimist, Artist.

how long does it usually take you to design one item? It depends, it could take a day to a whole month dependent on the intricacy of the design.

This hidden gem, also know as The Vintage Salon is a retro salon based in The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham. From the moment you enter the salon you feel as though you have been transported back through time straight into the set of the movie Grease. The distinct checkerboard flooring and sofas shaped like a vintage pink car just set off the whole theme. This salon hosts all kind of events such as hen dos and birthday parties, involving a whole range of activities such as burlesque dancing, fascinator making, photoshoots and afternoon teas. I also had the pleasure of being shown around the treasure trove in the back that holds a whole range of vintage clothes from through the ages, these are all used for the pin up photoshoots and have all been collected and built up through the years. The brain behind this quaint little salon is a lady named Lynsey Le Keux who I had the pleasure to have a chat to about where she got the idea. It all started when she began planning her wedding, realised she wanted a complete vintage theme but found that finding someone to help her plan this wedding was next to impossible. From this she decided to set up her own wedding planning company, however this didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite work out as she found the market for her grand idea was too specific and therefore moved herself onto the beauty side of it. She found that people loved the vintage and burlesque hairstyles and make up so she decided to play on this and set up a pop up â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;salonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Where she would take her team to peoples houses and events to do their hair and make up for them. Finally after all this she decided she wanted her own salon; the vintage salon was born.

6 years later with a business stronger than ever, this self-taught entrepreneur has now opened a male salon, ‘the man cave’, which is a slightly more ‘rock and roll’ version of The Vintage Salon, with its black and red theme, pool table and soon to feature a bar. Here she and her team of ‘pin up ladies’ are able to do traditional wet shaves, beard maintaining and skin treatments for her clients. She is also expanding on her business by opening a second salon in Leeds, before we know it this unique little salon will be all found all over the Britain. Both the women’s salon and the men’s barbers are open Wednesday through until Saturday, obviously there busiest day being the Saturday where at the Vintage Salon you would find groups of hen dos or parties having afternoon teas, treatments and photoshoots. The weekdays however are a lot quieter with only a few groups or people coming in for individual treatments. Everything in the salon looks and feels authentically vintage from the clothes to the chairs or even the hairdryers so if you ever find yourself wondering around The Custard Factory or even around Birmingham I highly recommend you popping down to the Vintage Salon, the ladies are all very welcoming and more than happy to let you pop in and have a look around. Definitely worth a visit.

MANICURES

Le Keux Vintage Barbers

cut throat wet shaves

traditional

BEARD TRIM

TRADITIONALman cave

cut throat wet shaves man cave BEARD TRIM

TRADITIONALcut throat wet shaves

Trim and Wax Manicures

traditional BEARD TRIM Trim and Wax MANICURES

cut throat wet shaves

Le Keux Vintage Barbers, Custard Factory, Birmingham. 0121 224 7377

“Musically Friendly Eviroment”

Jimmy Shannon (left), Morris Hunter (centre), Liam Scully (right)

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Once upon a time, The Diskery, a desirable vintage Once upon a time, The themed record shop, used Diskery, a desirable vintage to live a record mere shop, stones throw themed used to live away from what is now a mere stones throw away from called the “Bullring”. Over what is now called the “Bullring”. Over the60 lastyears 60 years record the last thethe record shop has twice to wind shop hasmoved moved twice to up where it is today. In 1973 the wind up where it is today. shop took the form of converted In 1973 the shop took the Victorian terrace house, three to form of converted Victorian be accurate, located on the corterrace house, three be it ner of Bromsgrove Roadto where accurate, on the meets Bristollocated Street, Birmingham. corner of Bromsgrove Road What I found most enchanting about the store was the layout where it meets Bristol Street,

“We have always stocked alternative fringe music that the main shops would never do.” - Jimmy Shannon

and obvious love for music, from all the collected posters taped to the walls and even the ceiling as well as all the memorabilia lining the windows and counters. During my investigation into this timely and beloved shop I met with Jimmy Shannon and Liam Scully, who work in the shop and kindly offered to answer a few questions and gave me a few hours of their time. Between them they had worked there for over forty years and have very much enjoyed there time there. I learnt a lot about the history of the shop as well as an idea into how music was before the internet came along. It was originally owned by Morris Hunter, who

started the business in 1952 through his love of blues and jazz. He used to bring a lot of his music back over from America and distributed it, which led him to start his own record store. When asked what made their store different from main contenders such as HMV and online music stores, Jimmy answered; “We have always stocked alternative fringe music that the main shops would never do.” something, which I believe, music has always intended to do. Music is there to fuel the need for something different. It is always changing with the people and influences of the time.

We now live in a time where music can be sold in many genres, easily and cheaply online. Shops like The Diskery will always struggle to compete with the online world, but online shopping will never have the same customer repertoire with a real down to earth shop that cares about the music. To people who care about music, vinyl will always be better then the mainstream source of music such as CDs and compressed music files, not because of it’s links to the true new age in music culture but because it is analogue rather then digital.

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Analogue records the whole sound wave without compression (a reason why records are so large), while digital will literally cut corners with the sound recording in order to take up less data. It creates a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Warmer Soundâ&#x20AC;? to quote Jimmy Shannon. With big brands like HMV or a buying online, there is no or little interaction with the workers. I found myself talking to Jimmy and Liam for a good 3 hours as they dealt with regular customers in and out of questions and was pleasantly surprised by my time there. The first half and hour or so, Jade South and I explored the many secret rooms of the converted terrace shop. Records lined almost every wall, posters of Elvis and B.King lined the walls. Even a few posters of Marina and the Diamonds made an appearance.

26 1

“There isn’t a barrier that we won’t stock” -Liam Scully.

The clientèle were definitely the most interesting, as one lad entered asking for directions. At first I thought he was a regular to the shop with the way he spoke, bringing up relatives and suggesting bands to play. He started talking to me, talking about a random friends love life all very spontaneously and off point. After Jimmy showed him the way he said; “Steven Spielberg could direct a film based on the people who pass through this shop.” It was later asked, who the most famous person who entered the shop was. Birmingham has always had great ties to music such as artists including Ozzy Osborne, Black Sabbath, Duran Duran, and half of Led Zepplin, but even so I was amazed to hear numerous run ins with great musicians, such as Frank Sinatra Jr, Tom Jones,

numerous members of UB40 and Robert Planked. Several years a go Steve Winwood from Traffic visited The Diskery to meet their friend who was working there. Everyone within the shop was amazed. Jimmy was delighted when Shaka Caan entered the store with her husband and cousin. He was so happy, he even kissed her on the cheek! During our time there we met with a regular client of the shop. Emma Geddes is a young school teacher who teaches music and has her own record collection. She was inspired by her father’s record collection, which included Jimmy Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. She prefers something physical like a record compared to MP3 files.

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“There are real gems that you stumble across!” - Emma Geddes I asked how she felt about the Diskery to which she answered; “It has a feel that you don’t get when you go to a mainstream shop. There are real gems that you stumble across and I like that each time you come in there is something off the wall that you weren’t expecting.” While she often comes to the shop with an artist or single in mind to finish her collection, she is forever finding new and yet old artists that she will buy and have recommended to her by the store workers and other friends. It was nice to see some younger people in the shop who still collect records, rather then imagining that it is only my parents and people of that age who do. And it was nice to learn that even if you know nothing about records and vintage music, the store keepers are always happy to help and set you up with a record player. I would deeply recommend to someone even remotely interested in music to visit this shop and others like it to see what gems they can find. On a side note, don’t forget to visit on Record Store Day held every year in April at select music and charity stores. The Diskery had a live band playing last year and it was “Colossal” last year in Jimmy’s words. Lovely shop, lovely people. I would deeply recommend. an article by Bethany Raistrick

an interview

What was the best reaction youve have to an article?

Well the best reception I got from an article was from The Spirits, which I said. There were a lot of people, especially fans, who got in touch and said they agreed, so I got to speak to some of the fan base, which was nice. But the ‘You Me at Six’ article was the hardest one to write, and the guy who runs the magazine said it was very good and he gave me a lot of praise for it.

Which historical artist would you want to meet and write about?

The one that first jumps to mind would be Freddy Mercury, because he was so unique and awesome. But I’d also like to interview Frank Sinatra because he came from a time where music was a lot different to what it is now, you didn’t write your own song and then sing it. He had to go into the studio with someone else’s song and then make it his own, so that would be quite interesting. Maybe one of those really experimental people who have massive tin drums and slam desks just to make noise, just want to see what was going through their heads at that time.

Who’s your favourite artist?

Hmm, me. I’m joking, I guess it’s me in the sense that I love writing the music, its enjoyable. But no, my favourite artist, the one with the most plays on my iTunes would be a band called ‘Scholars’ from back home.

with James riches Music journalist. Singer/Songwriter.

In your opinion, what was the

best article youve written and why?

It was about an album by a band called ‘Spirits’. The leader was in a band previously that did quite well called ‘Elliot Minor’. So they broke up and then he went on to form this new band, which was quite different. I had to balance and compare them to the old band and talk about their new style. I didn’t want to just be like ‘Ah, this is not Elliot Minor at all, God these are terrible’ but no they’re a brilliant band and I think I ended up with a really good balance. When I posted it online the band got back in touch and said thanks, so that was pretty cool as well.

Why do you write articles and what made you start?

Because I have an opinion and I like talking a lot and sharing my opinion. Of course, music is the thing I have an opinion on the most. Some people from the university who just left were setting up an online magazine and they liked one of my articles I wrote and wanted me. So yeah, I’ve been writing since June.

Who’s your inspiration?

I think I’m the kind of person who takes a tiny little bit from everything around me. So little things people do. My girlfriend, Charlotte, when she’s at home likes to sing a lot so that’s quite inspiring. Some of my flatmates when they do stupid stuff, that could be quite inspiring, or concerning, can go either way. A lot of people, but mostly it would be my dad, because he’s the kind of person who took an interest in everything I’ve done, or at least pretended.

What are your views on the

Birmingham music scene at the moment?

Around the city centre it’s mainly, kind of, clubs. The thing that stands out for me, is the fact that a lot of clubs are interested in putting on different genre of music nights. The Birmingham music scene I think is less artist orientated like London is, whereas, Birmingham have a lot of small things, like street performers who are always there. There’s this one guy who sets up a mic and lets people play, which I think is awesome.

Favourite Superhero and why?

Captain America, because initially I think everyone should live their lives as if they were a cross between Captain America and Spiderman anyway. Spiderman, if you’ve got the power to help someone, you help someone. Not for any reason other than the fact that you should. And then Captain America believes that everybody’s equal and deserves the same chance as everybody else. So that’s why I kind of like those two.

What was the last picture you took?

The last picture I took was of the washing up. My washing day was last night and I had a huge amount, and I didn’t know. But Luke had gone into the kitchen and saw that it was an utter mess so he stacked it all up really nicely because he knows how OCD I am. So all the plates were in one place and the cutlery in the box that it should’ve been in. So yeah, had I have seen it before I most probably would have flipped out and been like ‘I’m not doing this shit’. I took a picture to stick on the board and be like ‘This is how it should be done man’.

What’s your favourite word?

Well there’s a word that I made up which is a cross between whore and awesome, so its whoresome. But no, my favourite word is smashing. Or, ‘that’s a cracker’ but I don’t use cracker as much. Posh speech is just so much nicer to listen too than ‘you alright c**t’ etc. if someone comes up to you and goes ‘Oh how are you doing today’, I’m just like ‘oh wow, my ears’.

What would you save first if your flat were

burning down? I’m torn between my big proper computer, which I built myself, or, I have a picture frame which is a picture of Charlotte and Me at our leavers ball and I’ve got a letter in it which she wrote for me before I left for Uni last year. Why am I torn between these two? Of course I’d pick the picture.