Created for Ballad Of… by iamanoctopus

For more of his work go to www.iamanoctopus.co.uk

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Created for Ballad Of…by iamanoctopus <3 Check out more of his work at www.iamanoctopus.co.uk

We found her & we fell in Love. Once you start reading Belle’s Blog, believe us, you will be on it every day to delve into her latest post.

This is her contribution for Ballad Of…When we read it we could almost taste cigerettes & Gin

‘To drag down smoke from a Camel blue after being bitten, torn and almost beaten - all in the name of passion is a bit like eating pie after struggling to lose a lot of weight. Fucking Fantastic. Although he hates the smell of course, as it sits in his sheets he says. That they smell of semen does not appear to disturb him one bit, which I think is a thousand times worse, but it comes out of him and not me so I guess that is why he finds it disturbing. Yes the newly in love stage where all I did was magic seems to be blown away here in his bed where the sound of his sighs echoes with each new cigarette I place between my red lips. Why do I chain-smoke I wonder quietly, one might be just like heaven but the remaining ten provides no pleasure..

Maybe I want to provoke the boy I love because I am, despite all declarations of love I made for him oh so tired of his puppy eyes and actually enjoy the fact that he now becomes irritated. This is my problem.

After spending several days being sweet and almost theatrically in love I’ve already gotten sick of it. I long for chaos.

But all the chaos I get from him are sights and angry eyes looking away like he’s trying to make a statement without words (and than the violent sex of course, which is the only kind I can handle but still, not enough) and I can already feel how it begins to tear me down, boredom. So I get up from bed and the sheets that make me sick and put on a white Agent Provocateur slip, pour myself a gin and tonic, light a cigarette and walk into the library where all of my records are. He may think that I wear that for him, but he doesn’t know me well enough to make that call. You see, lovers, there are in my opinion two kinds of woman out there. The Victoria’s secret kind of woman and then my kind, the Agent Provocateur woman and my team do not dress up for men. We dress up for ourselves. And in my case, for the records I listen to.

My father always told me that me most beautiful and interesting woman always listened to Rolling Stones when he was young, and I can not imagine VS women being Keith Richards fans. Impossible. With that said, I think no further explanation must be made to why I dress up in the kind of garments meant to seduce men to listen to Paint it black. It is almost like tribute, since I would never go to a consert I have to do this at home. That I would be slightly uncomfortable wearing a slip to a concert is another factor, but honestly – I just wanna be alone with my music and in my lonesomeness I want to look as though I am about to seduce someone, anyone. Maybe even Mick Jagger.’

Follow her at http://bellearmed.blogspot.com/

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Just looking at Emma’s beach shots make us want to get out our summer florals and flip flops for some long awaited sunshine.

Check out her work at www.emmagibney.co.uk

…and just look at Daphne Guiness’ Nina Ricci shoes..! Ohhhhh!

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Introducing Marie, the girl who tamed the tiger. We fell for her Beautifully soft self portraits and deep dark words which bare her thoughts, loves and secrets

We had a party and The Duloks came round to play. One of our operatives, Natalie Cox, witnessed the event, and stopped for a chat. Here’s what happened…

At the party to celebrate The Ballad of Tommy Lane I accosted 2/3 of The Duloks in the dressing room (get well soon sickly Mira Dulok). Away from the sea of fake mustache-wearing, tequila-drinking party goers, we had a quick cheat about the band, geography and phone box based anecdotes. Recently awarded 8/10 by NME for their LP Children Of the Sea, The Duloks have been off around Germany an all sorts but are happy to be back as this venue (Bardens’ Boudoir) where the current line up met. After getting through keyboard players like nobodies business, the band have recently celebrated their one year anniversary with Abi, who has just plated a set as her solo act Abi Makes Music: one girl and her keyboard/ mac accompaniment. The crowd is privy to her highly amusing third person anecdotal songs such as ‘this is the story of the day my shoe got eat by a fox’. Brilliant for their amusement value and as songs in their own right, the keyboard and synth accompaniment are endearingly catchy. Not one to hind behind her technology, Abi gives a live performance to make her band-mates proud.

The August tour of Germany was Abi’s first venture out of England, the first memory that springs to mind? ‘I saw a Man in a phone box with an orange; he was there for about an hour, it was the best experience of my life’. They also bumped into a guy from the motherland who introduced himself by whispering Bognor Regis into Abi’s ear and attempting to buy one of their badges for 43p. England represent. Mar ponders the idea of playing the Butlins Bognor Regis and writing some songs there: fingers cross a Duloks: Live in Bognor EP will emerge one day. Any other bizarre German tour stories? ‘There is the time the woman in the laundrette attempted to mop up what she thought was her own blood but is was actually something dried on to the floor, she put her jumper-come-mop back on and disappeared into the night’. Nice.

So I ask them where else they’d like to tour if they could choose?

‘Japan and China’ says Mar, as in every band she’s ever been in she’s been told Japan would love them. ‘I guess they just really love their music’. Iceland is another contender, which, I learn, is warmer than Greenland. Pretty hot on their geography these Duloks and as Abi informs me, she won the Year 8 Geography Prize.

The Duloks are above.

One of the best things about this band is the fun. As well as gigs like ours they also do comedy nights (you heard me). Confusion arises over which member of The Labour Party materialised the night Abi recently performed… ‘Mow Mowlam? or the Miliband guy? He’s hot stuff’ but it turns out it was Alastair McKenzie, who is quickly shunned for not actually wielding much political power anymore. Aside from her comedy Abi is also a dab hand at art (just check out the latest Duloks merch for her illustrations). But there is still more the come from The Duloks - their Fire EP, the second part of their four elements themed release, is out soon. ‘There will also be a joint 7″ with You Say Party, We Say Die’. It seems it’s all systems go for this East London band, who we hope will retain their American Jock stage attire for gigs to come. Ballad Of wish them very good luck indeed.

Find out more: www.myspace.com/theduloks

Recommended tracks: Children Of The Sea, Octapus In Love

New year, new stuff to listen to. We have our next installment of great songs of the free variety.

This issue comes straight from the hearts of those at Big Scary Monsters Records with a neat little track ‘Smash’ from Shoes and Socks Off.

Download Smash here

And here he is:

And here is some more info about him:

We’re a fan of (actually very practical) woolie hats and beards. According to BSM ‘Nothing about his life is neat and tidy.’ His music is ‘a collection of seized moments and casual living’ inspiring his 3 albums to date.. all released withint the space of 12 months. It’s good to be busy.

His third offering ‘Where the Skyline is Fortified with Windows and Doors’ is delicate acoustic guitar, banjo and a backing band made up of memebers from Blakfish, Palehorse and more.

‘Gone are the spazzy dance moves, in comes the thoughtful reflection and honesty. There’s no such thing as imperfection when perfection was never the goal’ - BSM. Good point.

Look at these Alexander McQueen beauties. Oh how we envy the life of a fashion assistant!

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