Interview-ness...

Just thought I'd share this with ya'll...apparently the things that make me cringe are more likely to entertain you lot lol...so check this interview out - ourtesy of Notsigned.tv It was one of 3 interviews that night *phew*, after an acoustic performance at Zoo Bar, Leicester Square :D

Sorry again to Gibbi Guitar and Lucid Tiger for keeping you guys waiting - I only popped down to say bye to a few friends and ended up 'missing' for like 20mins lool! Massive thanx to Trevor Indie....and keep an eye out for Notsigned.tv! They've got their ear to the underground and I hope to get a chance to work with them again sometime soon!

@sh.x

The Comedy Run Around:...

I've played many gigs in the last 2 years! I've played to full houses in Shoreditch and Camden, apathetic punters in Hoxton and, an energetic crowd in O2 Islington and near empty rooms in New Cross and Central London! The truth is you never quite know what to expect when you agree to stand up on stage and bare your soul!
My last gig at The Comedy in town was equally surprising lol! The night was a little dis-organised with soundcheck running uber late...and on top of that the venue drum kit didn't have a SNARE!! This means nothing to most...but all you drummers out there must be feeling it for my drummer Steve who went on the play the gig without one (after much deliberation lol!). Check out some of the pics - courtesy of GEE Productions Miroslav Jesenky!


The look on my face says it all! lol

It can never always be a GLAMOROUS gig :( . There will always be one or two events that leave you feeling deflated...leave you questioning 'Why the hell am I doing this'! It's a thankless task, and it's very rare when you're starting out that you can get a return on all your efforts. I was soooooo close to walking out on this one (in full diva style lol) but with a little word from manager Raph and the massive support of band memebers: GibbiGuitar, KieranBass, JonathanKeys and SteveDrums - as well as from those who came down to show love I finished the gig! It was definitely a release to belt my way through my set lol...worked up a nice thirst for a massive glass Rose lool!



Black peoples time my ass...look who finally showed up too lool! My cousin Lucinda.
I sure hope the next couple of appearances work out better than this one...but I'm glad to of added an extra layer to my thinkening skin lol...Sing you soooooon!
@sh.x

Gig-geddy Gig-geddy part 1...

Hmm...I'm still wondering if I should've called the next couple of posts 'Camden Nights'...? since it covers the last couple of gigs I've played in Camden Town and I'm not sure everyone will grasp the comic reference in the current title lol?! Anyway...yes Ashleigh Ash has been doing her thang with the boys, JoelKeys, GibbiGuitar, KieranBass and TobiasDrums and it's been amazing!

Our first stop was Lockside Lounge at the end of March - and these guys put on a MeaN party lool!! Imagine the serenity of sipping rose by Camden canal on a Sunday eve, then add live music from house band The Coalition, a BBQ and a bar packed with colourful characters! The result is a jam to remember :D. I was rocking some new Fly53, and they were sure to show their support by blogging about the show...see their write up and pics HERE!

Due to the success of the first gig Duane Flames (the host of UK Unsigned, and accomplished rapper/producer) invited the band and I back for a another installment! We have to jump forward in time a little bit...it's the 15th May and we were about to do Lockside for a second time! The vibe was equally magical, but I was a little nervous about the fact that the band and I didn't have time to rehearse! :o

There were a few special guests in the audience this time too...Lucid Tiger were there to see me perform for the first time...as were a couple of girlies I went to school with! Costume wise I kept it simple this time with a little black number, accesorised with one of Bwoy Wonder's lego creations (http://www.lyrics4lyrics.com) and my rouged McQueen hi-tops! Feeling comfortable on stage is half the battle...and it turned out un-rehearsed as we were I really let my hair down and the performance went down a treat :D

(Thanx to GEEproductions for the photos...video footage coming soooon!)

Thanx for believing in me Mr Flames...and of course nuff lurrrve to the band and everyone who came down to support!

@sh.x

Ashleigh Ashley Flavoured: -

Right, so I've given you a little snap-shot of November, but I think it's about time we got to the nitty gritty! As you've probably guessed from the title, in this post we're going to cover the when Ashleigh Ashley met FLAVOUR MAGAZINE. Looking back through my emails I realised it had been over a year since I first tried to make contact with Flavour. But it was a lucky encounter at RAWW rehearsals (Brixton based soul/jazz band), that finally led to me being officially introduced! This encounter was with a chrasmatic young man named Mr Midas - Dancehall MC, face of Boom TV - and close friend of Flavour...he made the introductions. I'd heard good things about Flavour Live as a must perform/must see live music event and with artists like Loick Essien and Scorcher having graced the stage at previous shows, I was thrilled find out that I had a slot at CARGO for Flavour Live, Nov 2010!!

So, gig secured the obvious dilema became WhaT to WeaR lol. If I was going to do Cargo I had to make an effort right!? Well I took a trip down to Felicities ... and with the fashion season shifting from Winter to Spring/Summer 2011 the show room was full of new and wonderful creations :D Check out these EPIC trousers by Lall London...a personal favorite of mine this guy has an amazing eye for texture!


And these space age accessories are courtesy of another fab designer, Jacob Kimmie. As beautiful as they look they were a bit of a stylists nightmare to attach (oh and don't watch the hair lol):

And check out these beautiful shosies! From budding shoe designer Dionne Gooding (I went to school with her younger sister). I had a look at several of her designs and though I didn't get the chance to rock them this time,I cant wait to test drive these hot wings hehe: Well, other than a minor wardrobe mal-function during my end of night interview, the night went swimingly...the band really delivered the icing on the performance. Check out some of the pictures taken by DJ Chef and Jr.JK! And check out my end of night interview with DJ Longers...talking Swag hehe:






Thank you FLAVOUR MAGAZINE!! And massive thanx to the BAND and Felicities for helping to make this night possible!!
@sh.x
P.S. Happy Birthday to ME hehe

FLASH Nov-Dec 2010:

Its been an intense 6 weeks people!
3 gigs, 4 rehearsals and a funeral, 2 new costume designs, (1 week on the poverty line lol), 2 new songs and a freestyle, 1 top secret photoshoot, and a handful of new friendships :)...
On top of that I've somehow blown up my laptop charger and have resorted to typing out this post on my BB lol!
(Thumb cramps to ensue :D)

It was touch and go for a second there I must admit! Being busy is never a bad thing, but working your way through a long-ass to do list makes it hard to remember how much FUN this journey should be! Now that I've had time to sit and reflect I feel confident to say that these last few weeks have been the pinnacle of my year in music!!

With all the pictures and video's still trickling in from various sources the time line is still a little sketchy but all should become clear in my next two blog posts:
Ashleigh Ashley FLAVOUR-ed and Angel Nights :D!!

@.x

A Date with Felicities - Lets JAMM!`

In my last post Asheigh Ashley meets Fly53 I touched on the importance of 'PARTYING HARD' and I guess this is just another example of how you never quite know who you're going to meet while out and about at parties / events!
I'd encountered the owner of Felicities a couple of times on the circuit but it wasn't until we both attended an interview day @ The Hoxton Factory that we really had a chance to talk! The day was hosted by renegade interviewer TOMO for a docu-film project!


(Meet Antonio, one of the many Weird and Wonderful interviewee's from the day. You'd be surprised how many places you'll have seen this guy!!) See my interview HERE!

So Felicities is a fashion PR company! Er...excuse my ignorance but what the hell does that mean?? Owner Alice L did excuse my ignorance thank god, and went on to explain to TOMO the inner workings of Fashion PR! Using Felicities Alice endeavors (successfully I might add) to get her designers work into magazines like Vogue, Elle & iD. She does an amazing job overseeing these budding designer-lets as they make the journey from creating their first collections...to selling them to the world! Later, during the course of our conversations Alice said that she could see me rocking one of her designers creations...'spikey leggins'...that very phrase had me sold lol!!


(Alice being interviewed by Tomo)

Alice invited me down to Felicities showroom in Shoreditch to check out these legendary leggins! I figured I'd save the opportunity for a real GOOD night...so when I was confirmed to do a 30min set @ BRIXTON JAMM I couldn't wait to call Alice and set up a meet - Mum in tow lol!

I walked into the showroom with air of thrill and excitement!! It wasn't a massive space, but it had plenty of room to house Alice's team, a seating / changing area, and the 9 + designer collections on show! Comparatively, rummaging through each designers section was a MILLION times more satisfying than rummaging through the rails at TK Maxx...true stories!! My mum and I were in our element working our way through all the innovative textures & colours dripping from each rail!




(One of the pieces I tried on-top. Lall London tops, Alice Palmer shrug)

Among all of those lovely clothes I was drawn to x2 designers in particular: Alice Palmer (who created the infamous 'spikey leggins') and Lall London! I knew very little about them, but Alice had a really cool punk to her designs and wearing Lall made me feel like such a lady - perfect contrast! I later found out that both designers have made quite a name for themselves with attention from the odd celebrity, broadsheets and afore mentioned magazines. Look out for them both in London Fashion Week, Sept '10!

BRIXTON JAMM ARRIVES!

I'm out gassed about this gig so I won't go into detail, but I can confirm it was an epic success! Check out the pictory below:





(pics from sound check & me with my cuz just before I got on stage! Can you spot the Spikey tights?)

Live footage from the gig here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAshleighAshley#p/a





(The REAL THING!)
Check out live footage from the gig here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAshleighAshley#p/a

Massive thanx to Sammy @ Neil Raja Photography and Lairy Love for the photo's from the night! And all my love to the BAND: Ashley, Nathan, Hurriane & Jonathan

@sh.x

The Magic Microphone...

I don't want to bore you all with too many pictures of me with a microphone in my mouth lol...but it's safe to say that I've made the rounds to some of the best (and worst) live music nights in London! From the snug hub that is MAU MAU in Notting Hill, to the Caribbean soul of Troy Bar in Hoxton - even in the furthest reaches of South Woodford at an amazing venue called RS Lounge!

Here a few pics from my favourite places / events / nights I've played in recent past:

Queen of Hoxton_Feb '10:


Great shot taken by a member of the audience!


Mike.Drummerboi and me. Trying to figure out what to do with my hair?!


Mike.Drummerboi's beautiful girlfriend doing my hair



Joel.Keys with one of his many inspiring hats!


Me and the band on stage!

The Future of Fashion Event _March "10 :

This event was a celebration of fashion and art! Full of daring designers and oh, so sexy models! Innocent by-stander that I am, I found myself a little corner in the model's changing rooms to change in to my outfit for the night! The energy of the place was intense as everyone rushed around to add the finishing touches to each garment and making sure each six-pack was polished with a perfect sheen! :D


Shot of some of the models before the show


Me and the band


Me doing my green singing thing lol

Elixir Bar in Camden_April "10:

A lovely little night hosted by WePlugGoodMusic. These guys really have their ear to the ground for upcoming artist in the UK and abroad.




Me and band (minus drummerboi Steve)

Queen of Hoxton_190210...

Whoa...my first proper gig!! I have only fond memories of this night and the frantic lead up to it!! After someone (I forget who now) compared my style to a cross between Lady Gaga and Missy Elliot I designed a dress that I knew would work perfectly for Ashleigh Ashely's 1st appearance! It was my mum who brought this design to life - we discovered that we actually work quite well together without pulling each others hair out lol - so part of the 2weeks leading up to this gig I was back a forth fitting and amending the design until this little number was born:


Shoes - Torn Skull by Iron Fist.

I'd only had experience singing to backing track, or with the odd house band on the open mic circuit so working with musicians for the first time was definitely a massive challenge! Especially since we only met them 3weeks and 3rehearsals before the big night - GOD knows how we pulled it off lol...but we did! The night was a London Fashion week party hosted by Random Magazine @ the Queen of Hoxton, Shoreditch! And might I say the atmosphere was amazing!! I met Miss Bleu Mae and her band Fleur di Lis amongst other bands playing on the night:


Me and Bleu Mae, Fleur di Lis

Here are a couple of vids from the night..looking back on it it's...OH so RAW! :D