Posts from — February 2010
Exclusive interview: MEET THE FABULOUS GABBY YOUNG FROM ‘GABBY YOUNG & OTHER ANIMALS’!
Gabby Young – Photographed by Leonora Saunders.
I am oh-so-excited to have one of London’s hottest singer/songwriter and showgirls
here at SMV, the incredibly super-mega-fabulous and uber-cool Gabby Young from the band: Gabby Young and other Animals.
Described as: ’something to behold’; ‘an art-school dervish of jazzy excitement’,
‘a bewitching redhead with a mammoth vocal range with the power to melt marble’,
Classically trained Gabby picked up a broad musical taste along the way, which
includes rock, pop, folk, jazz, funk and experimental music. With her pitch-perfect
falsetto vocals, comes a fully fledged band that includes a trombone, a trumpet and
a banjo!
And the music? Well, some say it’s something of a: Jazzy intro and a soulful trill, with
a Moulin Rouge edge, kind of like a story-telling wallow and an A Capella choral section
reminiscent of a Dickens adaptation. A-ha!
With Tracks moving through circus fanfares, to the Egyptian and then onto
the traditional hurdy-gurdy triumphant gestures of Eastern Europe, it’s quite
a challenge to pin down the band’s musical style, a true sign that there is only
one: Gabby Young and Other Animals.
Gabby Young & Other Animals – Snakebite.
I can’t tell you enough how much I love this video… and the cherry on top?
Gabby -like us – adores vintage fashion and is known for performing dressed
in the most fabulous and eerie make up and outfits.
Gabby Young – Photographed by Saul.
We ♥ Gabby Young and Other Animals!
Don’t miss their upcoming gig in London at THE BLOOMSBURY this Thursday 04 March. Click here for ticket info and here for other UK dates.
-Where are you from originally and how did Gabby Young and Other Animals come together?
I’m from Wiltshire, South West England. I grew up surrounded by fields, horses and not much else… until I discovered the piano in the sitting room made a rather lovely noise then my whole life became about music! The other animals were all hidden in branches and street corners around the UK but I caught 7 of them that were rather good at their instruments and formed a band and luckily a lovely dysfunctional family!
-How did the band’s name came up?
I have been through many names – The Gabby Young Collective, Gabby Young has new friends, even Gabby Young has a band but they never stuck… it wasn’t until I went back to my parent’s house and saw a copy of ‘My Family and Other Animals’ that was a childhood favourite of mine that I finally found a band name that I liked and I think it suits us!
-Tell us about the inspiration and influences behind your new album: “We are all in this together”?
What really influences me to write is a compulsion- it’s a feeling that I can’t escape I just have to give in and write a song. It’s indescribable, mainly in the pit of my stomach there is a yearning to produce something and then I sit down with my guitar or at the piano, press record on my Dictaphone and begin to sing. Most of the songs in the album came to me randomly, fully formed in my head- I just had to find a way to get them down on paper/ record.
Gabby Young & Other Animals – “We are ll in this together”
-Where do your main musical influences come from?
I was trained as an Opera singer- I wanted to be Maria Callas but I was never content with sticking with the notes on the page so I turned to jazz. Ella Fitzgerald taught me to scat, Louis Prima taught me to keep music playful and honest and Cab Calloway taught me to push boundaries and allow everyone to join in. It wasn’t until I discovered Jeff Buckley –because a friend said ‘I sounded like him’ that I wanted to write my own songs and realised quite how far the voice could go- beyond genres, eras and styles – just soar! I now have a very eclectic taste and a huge collection of female artists- my current favourites being Joni Mitchell, Imogen Heap and Feist.
Gabby Young – Photographed by Leonora Saunders.
-Who do you admire as a composer?
I still can’t get over the musical prodigy’s of classical music- Mozart started composing at 5 years old and Beethoven and Chopin at 7 – that blows me away. But then I hear Elbow, Radiohead and Sigur Ros and to me their compositions are extraordinary – so many layers, unique sounds and beautiful, interesting lyrics/voices. I’m in awe of film composers like Danny Elfman and Nina Rota who bring films to a whole other level and I’m also a huge fan of Bob Dylan and folk singers, especially when it’s all stripped down and simple.
-What inspires you?
I am inspired by many things – some days, all things. Waking up to birdsong, that man smiling to himself on the tube, watching a fire crackle, knitting a scarf for a friend, love, hate, death, life and rifling through my vinyl collection…
-If you were able to reincarnate, who would you come back as and why?
Oooh… I think I would want to see things from a totally different perspective, maybe from up high?! Being a bird and able to fly would be lovely- prefably in a warm climate!!
Gabby Young – Photographed by Saul.
-If you could invite 3 people to dinner (no matter from what age) who would
they be and where would you take them?
I would have to cook something special for a candlelit dinner in my garden (in summer) with:
Stephen Fry – he could interest me with facts and tales for hours and seems so loving and warm.
Billy Connolly – to keep us all on the floor laughing
And…
You, Nonita – would you like to come?!!
Nonita: Who me? Fabulous!!! I am wearing my top hat! ps. Do I get to keep the Scottish man? 
-If you were a work of art, which one would you be and why?
Wow, I have never thought of this- how about a Toulouse-Lautrec? Hung in the Louvre in Paris- I would get to see/ meet a lot of people… actually maybe too many it would be exhausting! Aha… I would be a Miss Kiki Salon artist’s silk scarf because then I can be worn and go on adventures. I never can sit still!!
“La Goulue” by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Now let’s talk style, I love your style, you have a style blog too, who is your style icon?
Thankyou. BJORK; she is otherworldly and inspiring in everyway!! – I also love Audrey Hepburn but don’t we all?! I love personal style – people that aren’t afraid to think outside the box like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen (RIP 
) i am inspired by theatrical costume, the Belle Epoque style, victorian dolls houses and antique clocks!
-Favourite designers?
Oops I just answered that… but I am a huge supporter of up and coming designers- especially Beautiful Soul who upcycles vintage kimonos into really edgy garments and Ziad Ghanem for his drama and courage and of course my own couture clothing line, Salon Gabrielle – that I am launching on 4th March at my big gig in London. I will be working closely with Miss Kiki Salon to collaborate with many wonderful designers to create bespoke pieces. The first garment that I will be wearing for my show is a collaboration with a talented designer, Sofia Kalaitzidi and the artists- Kundalini Arts.
-Favourite fashion era and why?
Victorian… high necked collars, lace, trains, bustles and dramatic puffed sleeves- I love it. I also love the 40s- especially for hair and makeup. And- it’s not an era but anything to do with the circus excites me. I like clothes to have a history, a story so any era before this one is a bonus!
-If you were only allowed to wear one piece of clothing from your wardrobe which one would it be?
My beautiful bespoke dress that was made for me and sent from Ireland by my favourite Etsy retailers- Bonzie. It came complete with fascinator and corsage, the beads were hand sewn on and the netting was dyed specially to give it a vintage feel.
-What are you secretly addicted to or can’t live without?
Etsy and Ebay! I am definitely addicted to the internet- twitter has its moments
of sucking up hours but it’s so much fun!!
-Which are your favourite must have beauty products?
I have just discovered MAC makeup, which I avoided before because of the cost but now I can see why it is more expensive- it’s amazing! Especially the eyeliner brush to perfect my 50s style flicks!! Oh and red hairdye!!
-Who/What makes you laugh out loud?
My dog- Hobbes. He can be a right little rascal sometimes but not a day goes by that he doesn’t make me laugh like a lunatic!
-If you were a city which one would you be and why?
NEW YORK BABY! I will move there one day!! To me its like London, which I also love- everything is available but with this wonderful creative feel to it – everyone seems passionate about what they do and I’d like to be a part of that world where anything is possible.
-What was your childhood dream?
To be a singer!!
-Best movie?
Just the one?! Ok off the top of my head… Amelie!
-Best read?
The Goddess Guide by Gisele Scanlon – its my bible!
-Best place to hang out in London?
Blacks- a private members club in soho with open fires and big comfy chairs in every room!
-Which are your favourite SMV pieces?
In the vintage section – definitely the Gatsby Fringe Dress
And the new – the PEEPS Shoulder Spats
Ooh… don’t tempt me!!
Thank you so much Gabby and finally, please choose the song of the day…
I chose to introduce my favourite band – ‘Revere’ with song The Escape Artist- that I happen to guest on too!!
To know more about Gabby Young and Other Animals visit their website, don’t forget to check out Gabby’s style blog, Gabby’s couture clothing label ‘Salon Gabrielle’ and get yourself a copy of the fabulous “We are all in this together”.
Online at:
Cargo
Amazon.com (USA)
Amazon.co.uk (UK)
CD Universe
In stores at:
HMV (Selected stores internationally – please ask your local store for them to be stocked too!!)
FNAC (France)
Download digital MP3s at:
itunes
emusic
amazon.com (USA)
amazon.co.uk (GB)
napster
7digital
orange music store
Or if like me, you love, love, love Gabby Young & Other Animals then ‘Become an animal’ and get an album and much more! Here is how:
XO
Nona
February 27, 2010 4 Comments
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard.
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
The Ballad of Reading Gaol poem by Oscar Wilde.
Images by Ruven Afanador.
I am busy with the lovely task of cleaning my desktop files… I wish I’d stop being
so bloody messy! I mean seriously: Folder called “to be sorted out” inside a folder
called “I must tidy this up” inside a folder called “Needs a little sort out” inside a folder
called “To tidy up”, inside a folder called “Nona this is growing too much” inside a folder
called “laters”… and inside a zillion files, poems, writing, random pictures, all inside even
MORE freakin folders with names that maybe once used to make sense to me
but now…??
Is everyone else like this or is it just me? The good thing is, I am unearthing
the most interesting stuff that I even forgot I had, such as this ‘thing’ which
I wrote a while ago just messing around.
Never like Oscar Wilde’s of course but hey! You gotta start somewhere.
see?
you did it again
you came out of nowhere
when I least expected you to
and showered me with your madness
with your passion
and your desire to love
and cherish a woman
to the extremes
of vacuum machine talk.
And here I am
on the other end
surprised
amused
smitten to a degree
and most strangely of all
without being able to fight
knowing for sure that
If you carry on like this
you will not only open my eyes
but you will own them
you will not just heal
my wounds by licking them
but you will leave your stamp on them
and you will not only be the last words that I say
before going to bed
but the first ones that I say early in the morning
when I wake up next to you
and I smile
just like I did today
feeling your strong arms all around me
whilst you are still asleep
holding onto me
just like a lion clutches onto
the left overs of his prey
after feasting on it
only to have some more when he
wakes up
never satisfied
always hungry again
and with the security that
he will never go without
because he
is the king.
“You never walk away from your prey after you have entrapped it, A wounded animal
is always a smarter and wiser one and harder to catch once you have sunk your teeth
into it!” – S. Malsbury
I was feeling inspired today, so I wrote a little short story. You can read it HERE.
Now here is the song of the day:
XO
Nona
February 24, 2010 2 Comments
WE LOVE BOOKS!
I just finished reading “The Diary of Anne Frank” for the second
time after having read it for the first time when I was 13. I love
Anne. So I got to thinking about books. Once you are done reading
a book, is that all there is to it?
Surely not.
Here are some funny ideas that I found on the internet
of what you can do with your unwanted books:
-Use a particularly heavy tome to prop open a sash window.
-Create a mini zoo filled with origami animals.
-Prop open books against each other to make a maze for hamsters.
-Nail books of various sizes to the walls and ceiling to make a decorative acoustic diffuser/absorber for a sound proofed home recording studio/vocal booth/podcast room/reading room.
- Create lots of paper aeroplanes and have a race in the office loser makes tea.
-Cut out the middle of the book and use it to store sweets, cigarettes, pliers to help prisoners escape.
- Be VERY organised and make origami Christmas decorations.
-Stack books to create table legs.
-Glue volumes together to make bookends.
- Make the pages into a Chinese Lantern.
- Join ReaditSwapit.
-Throw a book-swap party – good company, glass of wine, new book, who could ask for more?
– Use it as a photo album for all your holiday snaps.
- Get yourself a crafty boyfriend who can make you a bag out
of a recycled book, like this dude here:
-Stack books, spine-out, and use as a canvas.
- Leave them on a bus seat or a train seat, so that the next
person that comes along can read it.
I once found a copy of a novel next to my seat on the top of a double
decker bus in London and it made my journey, as I had nothing to read
that day. And yup, I left it in the same place once I finished reading it,
after inscribing the last page with: “People who read this book: Nona,
with the hope that whoever that finds it next and reads it, will continue
the chain and who knows, maybe I’ll find it again one day and it will have
lots and lost of names.
Needless to say, none of the crafties above apply to special books,
those are to be kept forever.
“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”
- Anne Frank.
If you haven’t read the book or watched the film, I highly
recommend that you do. You can watch the complete films
(there are 2 of them) on Youtube and find a copy of the
book in your local library (yes, one of those awesome places
that lend you books for free) 
xo
Nona
February 22, 2010 No Comments
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls
February 21, 2010 2 Comments
Fuck the dress!
February 19, 2010 2 Comments
IF…
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Poem by Rudyard Kipling
Images by Eugenio Recuenco
XO
Nona
February 18, 2010 2 Comments
Sorry are you talking Scottish now?
February 16, 2010 No Comments
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind
PLAY!
Stupid Cupid you’re a real mean guy
I’d like to clip your wings so you can’t fly
I’m in love and it’s a crying shame
And I know that you’re the one to blame
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
I can’t do my homework and I can’t think straight
I meet him every morning ’bout half past eight
I’m acting like a lovesick fool
You’ve even got me carrying his books to school
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You mixed me up for good right from the very start
Hey, go play Robin Hood with somebody else’s heart
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don’t feature what you’re putting down
Since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don’t feature what you’re putting down
Since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
Hey hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
XO
Nona
February 14, 2010 2 Comments
THE SHOW MUST GO ON…
I remember saving for months, to buy these fabulous pair of Alexander
McQueen black patent leather pumps with a stiletto heel that I had seen
on the runway.
They are the most powerful shoes I own and my most treasured and
beloved, as they were designed by a genius… my favourite designer
in the world.
In my dreams, one day I would wear them to one of his shows. Now,
everytime I look at them, I will remember him and I will continue trying
to see the world through his eyes.
I haven’t cried this much since my father died and yet still, it doesn’t
seem sufficient.
After many a tear, here is my little tribute to the great Lee McQueen.
All my life I have been interested in the unusual, the different
different places, unusual people, unusual objects and what is
wrong with that… After all, there can be only one Dalai Lama,
one Lawrence of Arabia, one… Alexander McQueen:
An Alexander McQueen show is always a dramatic affair, audiences
are just full of anticipation. From the beginning of his career, he has
set up, through fashion, to challenge and confront our perceptions.
A Lord of misrule. He is also a sensitive and creative genius, who has
given us some of the most romantic and feminnine clothes of the last
50 years.
Ever since his first London show, Alexander McQueen’s fashion vocabulary
has been remarkably consistent. One part of him loves the decadence of in-your-face
sexuality. Strong pagoda shoulders, latex, masculine tailoring, leather cut like lace,
harnesses and huge hair. The other is attracted to an almost 18th century concept
of feminine refinement and grace. Rose embroidery, lace mantillas, pale colours.
Both are about empowering women through beautiful garments.
A true creative genius, McQueen has a magnificent sense of drama. A cineast
in the tradition of the 40’s film noir directors in Hollywood, but above all, Alfred
Hitchcock, whose “The Birds” on The Man Who Knew Too Much, were often used
in McQueen’s collections and whose ice cool screen godesses such as Grace Kelly,
Kim Novak and Tippy Hedren are tipically re-invented, on Alexander McQueen’s
endlessly fascinating runways, where you must always expect… the unexpected.
“His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many
who didn’t.” - Alexandra Schulman, VOGUE.
We all love you Lee. Rest in peace.
We shall meet somewhere else… xx
XO
Nona
Images via Net-a-Porter.com
Main text via Alexander McQueen Retrospective by Net-a-Porter
February 11, 2010 1 Comment
DREAMS OF SPRING…
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
PLAY!
No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow…
Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men.
All images by Enrique Badulescu.
XO
Nona
February 10, 2010 No Comments
