Wesley Freeman-Smith

Gaze is Ghost - 05.04.13Images and film courtesy of Wesley...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:02:58 -0400

Gaze is Ghost - 05.04.13

Images and film courtesy of Wesley Freeman-Smith.

The first in a series of intimate live sessions…

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Kettle of FishUnder the guise of FLACK Cambridge‘s Film Unit,...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:36:45 -0400

Kettle of Fish

Under the guise of FLACK Cambridge‘s Film Unit, the following has been uploaded as one of it’s…

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Phillip Cornett - 15.03.13Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor. The...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:14:34 -0400

Phillip Cornett - 15.03.13

Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor.

The following was produced by sound artist Philip Cornett during…

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Annie Dressner - East TwentiesOriginally printed by Slate the...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:22:49 -0400

Annie Dressner - East Twenties

Originally printed by Slate the Disco.

Cambridge-NY songwriter Annie Dressner delivers a new EP…

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Love Cambridge ArtsImages courtesy of Sarah Allbrook. The Love...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:30:50 -0400

Love Cambridge Arts

Images courtesy of Sarah Allbrook.

The Love Cambridge Arts show was a fundraiser hosted by the Camb…

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Coco Lico (Northern Loon’s Ghostbuster Remix)Image...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:53:56 -0400

Coco Lico (Northern Loon’s Ghostbuster Remix)

Image courtesy of Wesley Freeman-Smith.

Ambient / sound collage artist Northern Loonhas just…

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Boo Hewerdine & Brooks Williams - RentStunning video shot by...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 07:35:45 -0400

Boo Hewerdine & Brooks Williams - Rent

Stunning video shot by top local photographer Neil Plumb, aka Profilepictures. Not only is the tune…

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Clorinde - 15.03.13Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor. The...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:33:17 -0400

Clorinde - 15.03.13

Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor.

The following marks the final part in a series of live recordings…

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Sunwølf - 15.03.13Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor. The...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:18:07 -0400

Sunwølf - 15.03.13

Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor.

The following marks part two in a series of live recordings from…

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Photos: Gaze is GhostImages courtesy of Wesley...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 07:36:32 -0400

Photos: Gaze is Ghost

Images courtesy of Wesley Freeman-Smith.

Photography taken during a recent video shoot with Laura…

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Hollow Mountain - 15.03.13Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor. The...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:04:58 -0400

Hollow Mountain - 15.03.13

Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor.

The following marks part one in a series of live recordings from…

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SHINDIG - Hollow Mountain // Clorinde // SunwolfImages courtesy...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 17:46:33 -0400

SHINDIG - Hollow Mountain // Clorinde // Sunwolf

Images courtesy of Samuel Taylor.

March’s SHINDIGpresents a bouquet of experimental, drone and…

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Glenn Hutchinson - 28.02.13Glenn Hutchinson opening up...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:54:16 -0400

Glenn Hutchinson - 28.02.13

Glenn Hutchinson opening up February’s SHINDIGevent, held at CB1 Cafe. The evening was intended to…

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The Actualising Tendency - FLACK Magazine

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:00:54 -0500

Words & Artwork: Wesley Freeman-Smith, originally published via [no definition] LGBTplus.

Written for the Christmas term edition of LGBT mag [no definiton], the following is a personal take on why I value FLACK Magazine & the work they/we do. It’s pretty biased, I’ll be honest, but it’s also pretty true. At least from my perspective. There is a really strong resonance for me between the ethos of the magazine and the philosophy behind Person-Centered Therapy; for me, it represents that philosophy in action. Which is a fairly nice place to land, career-wise. The whole enterprise gives a lot of weight to the ideal of creativity being a force that can change people’s lives - that can facilitate them changing their own lives. In terms of writing, it’s not quite as eloquent as I remember it, but the sentiment is fairly clear…

Hello! This is me waving a friendly hello from FLACK Magazine, a local Cambridge project dedicated to giving voice and a platform to those outside of the usual channels – specifically, people who’ve been homeless, sofa-surfing, and generally in transition from chaos to order. We’re a charity, a social enterprise, and for those of us involved, sometimes an unhealthy addiction. So when I was approached to contribute something to No Direction, I thought: Why not indulge and write a sneaky, sincere plug?

For those of you with boring jobs, you’re going to hate me. After years of retail, menial, and other travesties that needs must, I’ve finally landed a job which I’m proud of. In charge of marketing and sales, my job’s to represent all that happens at FLACK to the world out there… all the craziness and creativity and small victories. The experience of being homeless, of being below what society considers worth it’s time, is an extraordinarily destructive position. Self-esteem is eroded, and it’s hard to climb your way out of the cycle. Many end up way beyond the pale, off the radar.

Two words in a nutshell sum up why what we’re doing is unique; one is TRUST, and the other is CREATIVITY. Simply put, when you pick up one of our magazines, everything you see is contributed by someone who’s been homeless – all the artwork, articles, poetry, everything. When we work with people, it’s not from a position of “Prove yourself. Prove you’re looking for work, willing to sort yourself out, not going to steal.” It’s more, “What can you do? What makes YOU feel good?” At FLACK, all the progress that is tentatively exacted through draconian rule in other agencies is here built through trusting relationships. We rely on the individual’s innate creativity and passion to be their motivating force. In humanistic psychology, this force is called the Actualising Tendency – the belief that people are inherently motivated towards bettering themselves, given the right conditions to flourish.

One of our resident artists, Julian Raphael, describes being homeless as losing all currency. Not just monetary, but social too. You fall into a black hole where there’s no return; you’re a bum, worth zero. FLACK is not about problems – it’s about potential. Leave the story you’re lost in at the door and think about creating something positive for yourself. Write an article, make a decent cup of tea, do something cathartic with our film unit. Just have a chat, even. So long as it’s helping you escape whatever cycle you’re trapped in.

Basically, what I’m saying is I love my job. And you should too. All the inspiring things that happen here aren’t always visible, and if this ramble helps you see what I mean it’s done its job. If you’re not convinced, why not come join us for our 1pm Wednesday lunch? It’s open to everyone… We’re located on the corner of Sturton & New Street, City Life House. Come say hello!

Hello...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:31:53 -0500

…Just to let you know, I may be migrating to this website here. If anyone’s interested.

http://marmaladepanic.wordpress.com/

Moving from writing a personal blog to hosting something that’s more of a collective effort. The exact nature of this is yet to be determined, but once the small details are worked out it should be pretty good.

For now, there’s a twitter page you can follow if interested. I’m hoping it’ll be an engine to promote and give voice to a host of creative individuals, depending on who wants to be involved and what the criteria ends up being.

Cheers…

SHINDIG - Rue Royale // Subzar // Retrospective Soundtrack Players - 26.01.13

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:01:00 -0500

Yes! 2013 is upon us! We survived the fake apocalypse, didn’t sink into a food/drink induced coma over the festive season, and sadly, now appear to be all back at work. But don’t despair. Coming right up before you know it is the first SHINDIG event of the year.

Centring itself firmly within the rich and colourful universe that is Mill Road, this month’s outing means you’ll have to find a parking space near St Philips Church (here be a map). Why go all that way, you ask?

3 acts of diverse heritage, all held together by the luminous thread that is narrative. Retrospective Soundtrack Players have themselves a cartel on being one of the world’s only “punk/rock/folk/pop concept band”, writing soundtracks to old books and films. Composed of members of the late-great Dawn Chrous, and full of the kind of self-referential wit that makes bands like Okkervil River so literate in their lyrics.

Subzar are a local phenomenon, a four-piece instrumental outfit soundtracking stories of a much more psychological nature; their recent EP ‘I Am Not Yet Here’ reflecting the protagonist’s internal process of self-discovery. Rue Royale are somewhat less local; a touring Anglo-American folk-pop duo, whose album ‘A Guide to an Escape’ seems to be doing rather well. Check out a video below…

Anything more? Well, certainly… Visuals? Check. Catering by local independent businesses? Check. And other-medium-type-stuff? YES. Door is open to local authors, poets, and other fancy wordsmiths to share their art with you all. Currently on the roster is local doer-of-all-things good Fay Roberts (Hammer & Tongue, Allographic, Small Word Press), author J.S. Watts (Cats and Other Myths, A Darker Moon), and recently self-published lovely lady Emily Scialom, whose long coming masterpiece The Religion of Self-Enlightenment hit the streets of Cambridge running just this month.

It’ll be a somewhat literary affair, that’s for sure. But with songs about Cool Hand Luke in there too. Come along and see what all the fuss is about.

26^th January, 8pm, St Philips Church, Mill Road – more info // tickets.

Live Review: Liars + The Haxan Cloak, 15/10/12

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:00:58 -0500

Words: Wesley Freeman-Smith, orginally printed via Slate the Disco.

Beginning with the primal boom of a bass drum and slow, undulating waves of drone, the one man show that is The Haxan Cloak opened the evening with a bracing and cinematic experiment in sonic terror. Behind him, loops of barren black and white landscapes, creatures of ambiguous origin and psychic children played, as noise and beats are layered on top of each other to create a soundscape more akin to horror movie soundtrack than traditional set.

Bursts of strobe fired straight at the audience, disorientating and provoking anxiety on an almost physiological level, all the while accelerating imperceptibly as the music gathered in intensity. If you can imagine Eraserhead: The Musical, chances are you wouldn’t be far off. Silhouettes of audience members were burnt onto the retina, and as the intensity grows one starts to imagine shapes behind the wall of white light, the brain groping for hints of a narrative or purpose. While it’s not the sort of thing you’d be advised to take an epileptic to, the whole thing was incredibly accomplished and perfectly paced, achieving it’s goal of unnerving an audience eager for innovation. It’s the kind of performance you couldn’t forget in a hurry even if you tried, but chances are if you’re a fan of experimental music you wouldn’t want to. As a support act, he set the bar high for any band that might follow – though you’d be forgiven for craving something kinder on the fight-or-flight responses afterward.

Taking the stage with all members behind a synthesizer, it’s clear that even LIARS – a band built on constant reinvention and sonic challenge – may have done a Radiohead this time. Behind them, a DVD of the band showed them pottering around their rehearsal space, their filmic counterparts periodically moving kit to uncover the Liars ‘L’ logo. Back on stage, each member is taking a piece of drum kit – a cymbal here, a snare there, and as they tour the vast catalogue of different sound worlds at their disposal we see the band alternate between almost EBM-like electronic material and distorted, art-punk guitar. After a stronglyWIXIW based opening, the middle section saw them delving more into the J&MC psych-noise of Liars, and spidery guitar lines of song-structured Sisterworld. The perfect place for LIARS seems to be when they’re as tribal as they are cerebral, and to their credit they pulled out some thunderous renditions of Drum’s Not Dead tracks tonight – all rhythm, noise and wooping.

Slipping and sliding through different configurations between songs left no room for banter, increasing the imperious, art rock barricade between band and fan. There was a sense of landing in an awkward middle ground between creating atmospheres and being direct in delivering the music – neither as bloody-minded in their goals as The Haxan Cloak, nor different enough in aesthetic to be a complete departure. As a consequence, much of tonight’s set felt a little too austere for me to connect with – which is a shame, as I’m hugely fond of their albums. Rave reviews elsewhere suggest this isn’t necessarily a trend, and the band have a regular knack of bringing their trademark darkness and intensity to the most unlikely of venues and audiences.

They managed that rare alchemy several times tonight; notably on closing duo ‘The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack’ and ‘Broken Witch’ – an introspective album closer followed by caustic opener. The peaceful resolution of ‘The Other Side…’ is shattered by the stop-start chaos that follows, Angus’s maniacal narrative & chants of “We are the army you see through the red haze of blood! Blood! Blood! Blood!” reminding everyone LIARS are a singular and inimitable unit – few on contemporaries and big on paving their own violently different path through music.

Gaze is Ghost - Plume

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 06:16:51 -0500

Those of you who remember back to November’s SHINDIG may recall the lovely pianist who came second, singing with Fay Roberts. Her mini-album, Plume, is now complete, released under the new pseudonym Gaze is Ghost. Have yourself a listen below.

<a href=”http://gazeisghost.bandcamp.com/album/plume” data-mce-href=”http://gazeisghost.bandcamp.com/album/plume”>Plume by Gaze is Ghost</a>

Photo: Profilepictures.

Photos: Love Cambridge Arts - Fay Roberts // Toby Peters // Diane Morrison

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:30:00 -0500

Photography: Sarah Allbrook

&lt;a href=”http://shallowrecords.co.uk/album/love-cambridge-arts-pt-1” data-mce-href=”http://shallowrecords.co.uk/album/love-cambridge-arts-pt-1”&gt;Love Cambridge Arts, pt.1 by Fay Roberts, Toby Peters &amp;amp; Diane Morrison&lt;/a&gt;

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<a href=”http://shallowrecords.co.uk/album/love-cambridge-arts-pt-2” data-mce-href=”http://shallowrecords.co.uk/album/love-cambridge-arts-pt-2”>Love Cambridge Arts, pt. 2 by Fay Roberts, Toby Peters &amp; Diane Morrison</a>

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Many thanks to everyone who made this happen, from Ruthie, Karl & Gemma at the Cambridge Art Salon, to anyone who enjoyed the performance, and finally to those who put in the hard work: Toby Peters, Diane Morrison and Fay Roberts. You’re all awesome. Recordings are free to listen to above; we hope you enjoy…

“I am not an observer, I will not sit back and watch, but...

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:00:59 -0500

“I am not an observer, I will not sit back and watch, but watching on TV screens it seems that’s all I’ve got. Between the Mother, Wife or Sexpot, Virgin, Bride or Whore. Five thousand years the same old tale and it’s making my wits sore. Cos I don’t sit and gaze out window panes for strangers to ride to town, stand around in Rom Com rainy streets with a white nightie dripping down and I don’t mop the Bad Mans sweaty brow, run to hold his gang fight wounds. And to be a stronger woman, I don’t need a fitted leather cat suit. I don’t shoot bad looks at every girl who’s prettier than me and I won’t blame the single girl he cheated with if my boyfriend cheats on me, Bassy diamonds aren’t my best friend and I hope to God they never will be and I don’t wash my car in high heeled shoes and a loose gold string bikini. Cos I am more than soap sud nipples perked through see-through t-shirt gowns and we are more than sleeping beauties, more than ‘10’ marked swimsuit gowns. We are Politics, we don’t just kiss bits of presidents gone bad and we are footballers and sports players not just kiss and tells and WAGS… So let’s take off our tops with buttoned blouses undo the burning bras, lie back and dream of Jimmy Choos on blood red hot rod cars! Let’s make like MTV in nightclubs, cat fighting over wasters, singing “don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?” to other womens’ dates there. Let’s take red pen and mark our weak spots before Heat Magazine can, paint our bodies ready for the plastic surgeons hand. Let’s lie back and dream of cleaning again as day break turns to night, as button hole by button hole we undo our freedom fights. Let’s lie flat on our backs, eyes staring to the sky, middle fingers up to all of those who died to give us rights.”

‘Observer’ by Hollie McNish, as part of the Walking With Women project.