EP_ic:...

There have been quite a few new developments in the Ashleigh Ash camp! I've been making some real positive steps with management duo Lucid Tiger and documentary director Mark Goldie is happily observing as the plot continues to thicken!

I've worked with a lot of producers over the last two years, most notably Proximas, Jonathon Hockley, JK Jr, Composure, Red Skull, Romariyah Records and 43 and Wizard! These guys are all amazing talents and I've learned a lot from working with their energy. It has come to light though, that my eclectic production sound translates to one streamlined sound live - Rock'n'Soul! And Ashleigh Ashley is all about that Rock'n'Soul! So when it came to making a decision about how I go about recording my EP it was difficult, but it seemed only natural to take it to the band!

A great reference to the kind of 'sound' I'm wanting to create!

I took the band: Joel Keys, Kieran Bass, Tobias Drums and Gibbi Guitar out for lunch at TGI's last Friday to see if they were up for making this happen with me! I was well nervous...and nearly late lol, but once we were seated and munching on our first round of Jack Daniels wings my heart-rate had returned to normal! Seeing them all with out their instruments in tow was kind of like seeing the Ninja Mutant Turtles without their shells lol!

I've never done this before but I've got big dreams for this EP and I hoped my enthusiasm was infectious as we discussed plans for rehearsing, recording and shooting vids for it! Part of me was/is always conscious of the fact that these boys all have lives and dreams of their own and asking them to commit their time on my minuscule budget is quite a big deal! A second portion of Jack Daniels wings was DEF in order *gulp* lol!

Now for the crunch, which felt strangely like proposing to a long-term love: Joel, Keir, Gibbs, Tobias....will you partake-th of this adventure with me....?

WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!! :D

Live-r Than Ever...Finalae

It is with great pleasure and a little trepidation that I present to you the last video from my Live-r Than Ever Trilogy!!

We've caught some acoustic rays on the rooftops of Queen of Hoxton whilst Giving Up; then ducked into it's under belly for a sultry Glory Box performance - claws and all lol! And now its time to turn it up a notch with a rocking rendition of Metal Man complete with behind the scene snippets from the day! Enjoy!!

MASSIVE thanx to all parties involved in making it happen!!
The Band: Joel Ison-Keys, Kieran Dougall-Bass, Gibbi Bettini-Guitar, Steven Raman-Drums. Camera 1: Zee from Braver Darker Productions and Jonathon Hockley on Camera 2! Sound: Jason Robinson! Make up: Prisca Hofer! My mother dear Millicent Ashley for co-designing my Metal Man costume and helping me get dressed on the day lol! Amber Lincoln for taking photos! Special thanks to Tomo Kembery and Dan Spinney @ Queen of Hoxton for making the venue possible - as well as Jack McLoughlin @ Neil Raja Studios and Pat @ Gee Productions for editing these bad boys together! :D

Please comment, share, critisize and generally opinionise...at will :P
On to the NEXT lol!

@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 2: PROUD...

The next 'Camden Night' to remember came when Ashleigh Ashley did Proud Galleries on the 31st May!! Ok...so you know I've got this hit-list of venues that I REALLY want to play? - well Proud Galleries was one of them! As an internationally renowned music venue, and a place where everyone from Katy B - to Mark Ronson has played before making the big time, it's a must have on any artist musical CV!

I got a call from a young lady called Secretta from UPRISE while shopping for a job in town (thanx Greg ;). This charity organisation has stirred somewhat of a revolution with their cool brand of anti-racist fesitival!! I'm sure we've all attended local fete's for this cause when we were younger, but these guys do it bigger and better with their Finsbury Park festival of 2010 attracting thousands of people! When Secretta asked if I'd be up for performing at their next fund-raiser gig, dedicated to Gil Scott-Heron, I JUMPED at the chance!!

I was sooo excited to play PROUD that I made a new Metal Man chest piece especially for the occasion (above)! And as for the boys (JoelKeys, KieranBass, GibbiGuitar, TobiasDrums), well I had 4 little surprises up my sleeve for them, courtesy of FLY53 :D!

It was a manic soundcheck...but once we were finally free to chill me and the boys went for a good old pub dinner at the local Wetherspoons. It was nice to be able to chill with them outside a music setting...it really made me appreciate them all the more, and was a perfect opportunity to tell them how grateful I am for their massive support over the last 6months especially! It also gave them the opportunity to give me a reassuring kick up the ass lol - we didn't have time to rehearse for this gig either and with a new song in the set I was quaking in my hi-tops lol! Oh well...show must go ON!! And what a show it was:

GibbiGuitar and TobiasDrums fooling around.

JoelKeys getting some AA lurrrve lol

KieranBass looking all majestic n shniiz lol!

I had a craazy night! Massive shout out to my boys Cynikal and Random Impulse who also blessed the mic on the night! Thanx to Paul and Secretta from Uprise and to all that came down to support - Jukebox and Braver Darker especially hehe!!

And Jonathon Hockley...you're a G for taking all these amazing pictures (for more pics see HERE)

@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

QOH 2: Glory Box in the Basement lool...

Part 1 of my Live-r Than Ever project has been making the rounds...and I'm sooo grateful for all the lurrrrvve/support thats come back! It seems I'm not the only one who has a few vices to be Giving Up hehe! Inevitably, Part 2 is complete and here are a few behind the scenes snaps from the Glory Box perfomance.
This is my favourite Portishead song of ALL time, but like all their tracks it's a real mood setter with a haunting energy thats irresistably seductive!! The boys slung on their smart threads while I...well lets just say this is a song I could really get my ClaWs into :P I hope it puts you in the mood to share ...



Thanx to everyone who helped out!!!
@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

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