WIN A "GREATEST HITS" CD!

03-12-2008 17:53 # add your comment


The first "Greatest Hits" CD, launched on the 13th November features 10 exciting bands from London including newcomers Stricken City, Kasms, S.C.U.M. and Micron63 as well as established acts such as Part Chimp, Comanechi and Vincent Vincent (and the Villains - R.I.P).

Full band line-up: Vincent Vincent, Stricken City, Comanechi, S.C.U.M., Twisted Charm, Part Chimp, Kasms, Micron 63, New black light machine and Dear Thief.




To get a copy of the cd just email your name and address to competitions@swear-london.com

We have 100 cds to give away through the website!!

GREATEST HITS FEATURED ONLINE AND IN THE PRESS

24-11-2008 13:01 # add your comment

   
      

       Dazed Digital (Dazed & Confused)
       Read it here




      

      Vice Photo Blog
      See it here



      
      

      Photographer Gabriel Green's blog
      See it here 


     
      

      Sportswear International
      Read it here




      

      Neo 2 magazine blog 
      Read it here




      

      We Are the Market blog
      Read it here




       
       
       Fashion Indie blog
       Read it here



 
        

        Asos insider
        Read it here




        

        Selectism blog
        Read it here




        

        Urban Junkies blog
        Read it here




        

        Style canteen blog
        Read it here




         

         Loop blog Germany
         Read it here



    
        Also read about the Greatest hits from these websites:

          Carnaby official website here
          Menswear Health website here

         

Greatest Hits party images

19-11-2008 16:07 # 6 comments - add your comment
































Thanks to all our friends, bands and press who attended a great night of independent spirit!!


Rock on!!

And see you next time...

***

all images Gabriel Green (except the 'bar menu'), check his blog here

Greatest Hits Q & A: Dear Thief

17-11-2008 18:02 # 1 comments - add your comment

Dear Thief, that’s an intriguing name choice for a band. What inspired the name and how did you all form?

We met through mutual friends and family quite a while ago and have become the best of friends through playing together. The band name was stolen from a poem by Brian Patten. We have had the opportunity to admit our crime to the author when we went to hear him read a few years ago, and luckily he took it as a compliment in the way we had intended.

 
What is the sound of Dear Thief and what are your influences?

The sound is what happens when me, Tim and Yusuf play bass, drums and guitar. We introduce each other to the music that we're listening to and bring in different influences. Stuff that has influenced the way we sound most of all includes Captain Beefheart, John Coltrane, The Fall, Pixies and Chris Leo.

 
You’ve recently started your own club night at Kings Cross called Gung Ho, how is that going and what can we expect from the bi-monthly night?

Gung Ho is brilliant! The idea is to put on music we like, make the venue into something special, and to create an enjoyable evening for all. It's been going really well so far and we're busy planning events for 2009. The next night is our Christmas special 'Gung Ho Ho Ho', which is on Saturday the 20th of December at the Cross King's in Kings Cross. The line up includes Please, Spin Spin the Dogs and Dear Thief. It will be hosted by Ruby Wright and her musical saw and our resident DJ, Tony Broomhead.

 
You were shot by rock photographer Mattia Zoppellaro for the Greatest Hits campaign - did you enjoy doing theshoot?

Mattia's a great photographer. It was lovely to meet him and the shoot was good fun.

 
The S***R Greatest Hits launch kicked off with a top secret gig, with Dear Thief in the line up – how did it go?

We were pleased to have been invited to play at the S***R Greatest Hits launch. The 'top secret' gig at the Soho Revue bar went really well and the after show party went down a treat!

 
What’s happening for Dear Thief in 2009, any exciting plans on the horizon?

We've promised ourselves that we will finally release our first album in 2009. There's also some talk about touring in Europe which would certainly be very exciting.


Thanks to Emma Bennett for the interview. Questions by Anu Broadhurst. 

www.myspace.com/dearthief

 

Greatest Hits Q & A: Mattia Zoppellaro

13-11-2008 10:38 # 3 comments - add your comment
How did you know you were going to cut it as a photographer and when did it all start?
When I was a teenager I wanted to become a movie director. I was working on the set of an italian movie. I  was 19 and  the least important member of the crew, so I got the weirdest jobs…from  driving actors around to find weed for the director. While we were filming in the south of Italy we were dealing with a lot of really lively and noisy kids, running around the set. When the first assistant asked me to take care of the problem  I thought I could keep them busy by shooting them with my (recently bought) second hand camera. I had so much fun…I really loved the candid approach of the medium, especially as opposed as the “rationalisations” of movie-making.. .and I thought I might as well keep on doing it.

When did you come to London and which was your first real job as a photographer?
I came to London in 2003. I got a job commission from an italian magazine (Gulliver). They wanted me to photograph people in the underground trains with the same approach I used in my “Under Milano” project…it basically consists in shooting the flash of my camera towards a person, but without taking the picture, so to draw the attention of the subject, and then taking the picture of his/her surprised/angry/scared reaction. The problem was that in london people are tendentially much more aggressive than Milan, so I ended up with a black eye, and a broken camera...

Who was the first musician you shot and when? and the last?
The first musician I shot was my dear friend Click?, I made him jump until he was literally out of breath, and then I shot him..the last were The Hours, I shot them in Damien Hirst’s studio (he is producing their record), where I could play with his wonderful dead toys... in the end I put them in one of his massive formaldehyde tanks!

Do you prefer shooting musicians (and you shot a lot) or nice women (hummm...you shot Alexa Chung recently)?
I don’t have a preference, if the person has a style I dig it! 

Who was the hardest job you had so far?
Probably Pete Doherty was the toughest, not because the man is a difficult person (as a matter of fact he is the nicest possible guy...) but because I had to tag along for three days to get 5 minutes with him. That was back in 2005, when his romance with Kate Moss had started, there was such a big fuss around him, and it was extremely difficult to grab him, since he was either partying, sleeping or on stage…

What kind of music you listen to? did it change throughout the years?
I listen to any kind of music except reggae…I hate it!

How did you get involved with S***R?
Jorge from S***R contacted me.

Why did you agree to do this project?
I always love shooting new rock musicians, since they don’t have a defined image, and you can play with it with more freedom, without being burdened by cliches.

If you had to choose who to photograph, who would that be?
My dream-subjects are: Abel Ferrara, Silvio Berlusconi , Kim Gordon and Giorgia Gasparetto.

Can you talk us through your immediate future? whats geared for 2009?
in 2009 I’ll be shooting a couple of projects: the Buenos Aires favelas’ architecture and the italian nazi-skinheads (especially in Rome). With my pictures I don’t want to express a moral or a political point of view, my aim is always to try to shoot stylish people in a stylish way.




Mattia doing what he does best, here shooting Nathan from 
Twisted Charm.
Yes Vincent... he is the tallest photograher I know as well.

The "Greatest Hits" exhibition is here!

12-11-2008 15:18 # add your comment



The window banner currently at Number22, announcing the exhibition this Thursday, 
13th November from 6h30.

Greatest Hits Q & A: Stricken City

10-11-2008 10:31 # add your comment

Where did you all meet and what is Stricken City all about?
Me and Rebekah met in a Maths class 10 years ago and we started writing songs together 5 years ago. Kit Godfrey joined as our drummer 2 years ago, we liked him because he was a drummer called Kit and that amused us. Mike joined a few months back; his first gig was in the back of a black taxi cab. Stricken City is a pop band.
 
You’re a relatively new band on the indie block, yet have created a quite a stir since your debut single, out earlier this year. With the Greatest Hits collaboration and your new single out this month, it’s been a busy year for the band…
It has, and we’ve just finished our first little tour. We’ve been gradually building to this point over the last two years and it’s nice that people are finally taking notice. We hope next year will be a lot busier though.

The Greatest Hits campaign has a heavy emphasis on raw, rock ‘n’ roll imagery and it’s great that Rebekah Raa could be part of it. What made you decide to do the shoot with S***R?
Rebekah loves flat man shoes and had been looking for some shiny grey ones for a while. 

Stricken City is on the line up of the S***R Greatest Hits gig this month, what have you got in store for the party?
Melodies and odd dance moves.

The Greatest Hits collection is all about signature S***R styles, the classics redefined with shoes inspired by rock ‘n’ roll greats. Who are your musical icons and influences?
David Byrne, Ari Up, Leisure Wear, Postcard Records, ‘My So Called Life’ and Cliff Richard musicals.
 
What do you have on the cards for 2009? We’re looking forward to hearing more from you in the New Year?
Another 7” around spring time, an album around summer time and a lot of touring.


Here is another image of Stricken City shot by Mattia Zoppellaro for the Greatest Hits campaign.

Greatest Hits Q & A: Vincent Vincent

07-11-2008 18:30 # add your comment
How did you get your start in music and how would you describe your sound?
I made my own start in Music. I made a terrible recording of three of my songs on to a cassette Dictaphone and took copies of it to all the low rent, bottom of the ladder live music venues in London I could think of. To my surprise a couple of them offered me a gig! I think the first one was at the Verge in Kentish Town which doesn't exist anymore. It's hard to describe my sound because I don't think I have one. At least I haven't tried to focus on a particular sound.

When did you first get involved with S***R?
I got involved with S***R years ago when I bought a pair of shoes from the store that used to be in Covent Garden. They were a pair of furry red pony leather winkle pickers and I thought they were the coolest pair of shoes I had ever seen. There was nowhere else in London or even the UK producing shoes as crazy as that. They were like two fuzzy red tongues sticking out the bottom of my legs, and I loved them. A couple years later after a gig in Berlin sponsored by S***R, My manager got in touch with Jorge to see if we might be able to blag any free swear shoes and amazingly he agreed! The rest as they say is history

The Greatest Hits campaign was photographed by music photographer Mattia Zoppellaro who contributes to the likes of NME, Rolling Stone and Mojo. You’ve worked with Mattia previously, how was it working with him again?
Mattia is the best Photographer I know... and also the tallest! The live shots he's done for us over the years have been incredible and it's always good working with him
 
S***R has developed a unique affinity with the indie music scene and its followers, why do you think the label has been so successful at tapping into its subconscious?
I think the answer is simple, they make interesting cool and unusual shoes that are unique to the swear brand; they are affordable and not a rip off like so much other clothing retail; and they vary so much between styles that there's something for every individual.
 
The Greatest Hits special edition CD features the track 'BEAST' from Vincent Vincent and the Villains’ album Gospel Bombs, why did you decide on that track for the CD?
I think it’s the most unusual and interesting song on my album so I thought it would be fitting.
 
In September Vincent Vincent and the Villains played their last ever show, with a host of friends including The Brute Chorus and Captain Black, on the line up. What does the future hold for you now as a solo artist?
Poverty, but happiness also x
 


Here are some images of Vincent Vincent shot by Mattia Zoppellaro for the Greatest Hits campaign.


 


   

Introducing the new "Greatest hits" AW08 collection at Number 22

07-11-2008 15:23 # add your comment

OUR WINDOW AT NUMBER 22 FROM 31 OCT - 7 NOVEMBER.


The Greatest Hits collection is a range of unisex footwear. It includes our best seller pieces from
the DEAN, GRANT and JIMMY groups of styles.

It is available in a selection of stores worldwide including important destination stores such as Oak
and Opening Ceremony NY, American Rag LA, Harvey Nichols HK, IT HK, D-Mop, Shine, Start, 
Poste and Harvey Nichols in London, Purple Milan, Gerard Loft Florence, Bon Marche Paris, Cloudnine
Bangkok, Day & Night St Petersburgh, Eighty Six Montreal, Olympia Stuttgart, Ultraviolet Amsterdam,
among many others.

Greatest Hits exhibition + cd launch next 13th November!

07-11-2008 14:26 # add your comment



THURSDAY, 13 NOVEMBER

AT NUMBER 22
22 CARNABY STREET, LONDON W1

6H30 - 7H - EXHIBITION + CD LAUNCH
7H30 - MIDNIGHT - GIG WITH 3 LIVE BANDS AND 3 DJ SETS AT A SECRET LOCATION IN NEARBY SOHO.


This is a RSVP event so get in touch with us for your invitation:

Daniela @ SIX - 0207 7340467 / daniela@sixlondon.com
Jeni @ SPIN publicity - 0207 2535083 / jeni@spin-publicity.com



CLICK IN THE "GREATEST HITS" CATEGORY ON THE LEFT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT.

The Greatest Hits CD Volume I

07-11-2008 13:32 # add your comment


The "Greatest Hits" CD Volume I will be launched on the 13th November at the Number22 store in Carnaby street. 

The CD features 10 exciting bands from London including newcomers Stricken City, Kasms, S.C.U.M. and Comanechi as well as established acts such as Part Chimp and Vincent Vincent (and the Villains - R.I.P).

Bands featured are: Vincent Vincent, Stricken City, Comanechi, S.C.U.M., Twisted Charm, Part Chimp, Kasms, Micron 63, New black light machine and Dear Thief.

A selection of Greatest Hits ads in VICE magazine (June-November)

07-11-2008 12:58 # add your comment

Rachel from Kasms by Mattia Zoppellaro as seen in Vice November Issue our now!





Tom from S.C.U.M. by Mattia Zoppellaro as seen in Vice Photoalbum, August 2008.





Vincent Vincent by Mattia Zoppellaro as seen in Vice Festival guide June 2008.




Nathan from Twisted Charm by Mattia Zoppellaro as seen in Vice October 2008.





Rebekah from Stricken City by Mattia Zoppellaro as seen in Vice France July 2008.





Jon from Part Chimp by Mattia Zoppellaro as seen in Vice September 2008.

Videos of some Greatest Hits designs for AW08

06-09-2008 01:33 # 4 comments - add your comment

More videos to be added shortly...





The JIMMY12 in BLACK available from the store, also in some other AW08 colourways.






The GRANT19 in GREY patent leather now sadly sold out but available from the store in
new AW08 colourways.

Greatest Hits launch party "save-the-date" out!

27-08-2008 20:04 # 2 comments - add your comment


This is the "save-the-date" for the launch of the Greatest hits project. We will let you know when our PR
girls tell us to do so.

Its going to be a collection presentation + exhibition + party + secret gig!

And its going to be in November.

First half of November.

on a thursday.

Greatest Hits - Introducing the project

30-05-2008 17:42 # 4 comments - add your comment