RoofHop 1.2 - Cheating...

ROOFHOP No.2 is Officially LIVE people hehe! Shot on the roof of The Macbeth in Shoreditch this video sees me and my screen lover - (singer/songwriter Jay Auburn) - argue it out Jeremy Kyle musical stylee hehe! Who's been Cheating on who I wonder...will love prevail??   Dramatics over it was actually a really fun job...as you'll probably tell by us kooking out at the end of the video lol!

     

 The original track was produced by amazing duo 43 and The Wizard! Check out the EXTENDED studio version here...

   

It was mad hot that day, so I couldn't even rock my Choolips Storm Jacket :( But look out for it in following posts!  Gaga eat your heart out lool!  For info on the crew, the "Roofhop Series" and to see the very first Roofhop - BROWSE HERE!   If you've liked what you've seen so far you'll piss your pants for the next installment. Even nature is on our side.... hahahaaaa

 @sh.x

RoofHop 1.1 - Getaway...

So "Getaway" has gone live - 1 of 3 Roofhop video's I'll be sharing with you guys over the next couple of weeks! Welcome to The Bussey Building, a HUGE building in Peckham let out for various commercial and community uses (ie. CLF Art Cafe). From workshop to ware-space BB is topped by one of the best panoramic views in South East London...

 "Getaway" was penned to the instrumental playing us in on the intro - a format you'll see over all the Roofhop videos. It was produced by mad talent Manikz from Auckland (NZ) who saw me on that Must Be the Music madness when it was broadcast over there :o RANDOM. We all know that music brings people together...even those on opposite sides of the world in this case lol! If you like the stripped version and you want to check out the studio recording - you can download it here:
 

BB was the second roof of that beautiful day! I'd like to say a massive thanx to the team of course (more about them in the next post), Choolips for another amazing outfit and Mickey Smith my location contact who took the time out that random Tuesday to let us have some fun!
Enjoy this one...Roofhop No.2 will be along soon enough where I'll be joined by a very special guest :D

 @sh.x

Lyrix Oraganix @ UprisE...

After working with Uprise earlier this year at Proud Galleries gig I was really excited to be asked to get involved with a festival they were organising in Dalston!

This one day event saw over 3,000 visitors and they enjoyed a multitude of music, arts and educational activities completely free!. And, as is the UpRise ethos, there was no need to parade who is perceived to be what, just a day of celebrating the human and the community as Home.

One of my fave performances of the day came from Miss Baby Sol and of course the beautifully spoken Femi Martin.  And this is the footage from my performance with Lyrix Organix on the Dalston Rooftop Garden stage - rather windy but the sun had time to shine!!  My boy Gibbi Bettini  on guitar (check out his new website!) AND a special guest hehe...bring on the Beatfox (@2.09).

Massive thanx to Choolips for my amazing jacket...and to Uprise til next time!
Peace and Progress ;)

@sh.x

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

Wired @ Shoreditch House:...

Although many might find it strange for me to call myself a 'new girl', my near 2year presence on the music scene is but a drop in the ocean by industry standards! Though of course I'm working towards a title that carries a bit more weight I quite like being a 'newbie' lol! I love the fact that I can still be inspired by voices on the underground scene, I'm still not bored of trekking to the ends of the Metropolitan Line to get a studio fix, and there are still magical untapped music events for me to discover :D! I attended one such event on the 13th June:


WIRED is a music showcase that's been right under my nose all this time in a venue MADE for all things trendy, luxurious, and entertaining - Shoreditch House - and in a room aptly named the Biscuit Tin! On the first Monday of every month organiser Kate Bond and host Duke make a real charasmatic pair bringing you some of London's finest independent talent!

Kate Bond

This chica had a beautiful soulful voice and boy could she hit them high notes. But what struck me was how intimate it felt to hear her...excellent sound, the lounge chairs adding that homely touch, and enough people to start a mosh pit lol...it was a really hot way of being serenaded!

My boy Shakka! UK's answer to John Ledgend...Wired soooo got it right having him in to entertain! Check out more of this guy here: SHAKKA

Duke - smashing a Prince cover!

Bring on the Brass!

I definitely recommend this night to all...though it is guestlist only so you might have to do your research to get in there! It was nice to see familar faces like Ayo @ We Plug Good Music and my dep keys player Jonathon lol, as well genius vocalist Steven Tart to mention a few! Good times in Shoreditchland lol!!

Not wanting to miss out on the another amazing night that night...I also snuck over to Style and Substance @ the Queen of Hox - hosted by my lovely ladies Sistova! I arrived just in time to catch the end of an amazing dance/spoken word performance...who says these nights can't be multi-platform ay!!

If you know of any other nights that AA and co. should check out...HOLLAAAA! HERE!

@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

QOH 1: Giving Up Acoustic (on a roof lol)

A couple of posts ago I was telling ya'll about a little project called Ashleigh Ashley Live-r Than Ever! It's been interesting juggling edit sessions with studio and the gigs I've had over the past few months but the times finally arrived to reveal the first (of 3) videos from my Queen of Hoxton Showdown lol! Here are some pictures to remind you:


Hope you enjoy the sentiment for the new year - here's an old Ashleigh Ashley favourite narrative:

GIVING UP - Rooftop Acoustic

Special thanks again to Gibbi for strumming for me! Tomo @ Random for bossing me around lol, Zee and Jon on camera, Jason. Sound, Amber. Photography my Mum for helping get dressed (even though I'm 24 now :D)!
Queen of Hoxton, Braver Darker...and of course Mr Jack for putting up with our edit marathons lol - Just one more to go my dear :D!!

@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 Taste of Ashleigh Ashley Live-r than EVER...

How many of you have seen my YouTube channel: TheAshleighAshley?? Other than my demo-shoot film and one crazy Stereo Addict all the recordings are from gigs I've done around London! For me, these videos are not only personal memento's from each event but also an important way for me to share my journey with you! I'm so grateful for all the positive feedback and encouragement I've recieved...but a lot of you have said how frustrating it is to watch these video's because of bad sound quality! The ineffieciency of in-camera mics mixed with crowd noise mean that you find it hard to get a real taste of Ashleigh Ashley :( This influenced me to get plotting *mwahahaa*...and hopefully my most recent project will put an end to all that ear ache! :D

THE CONCEPT:
Don't be fooled...this is not a music video! Drawing inspiration from operations like The Cordless Show and SBTV I wanted to put together an extra special set...raw...intimate and REAL! With a dash of our trusty Ashleigh Ashley eccentricity lol

LOCATION:
Queen of Hoxton (c/o Tomo @ Random Magazine)
This club in the heart of Shoreditch is one of my favorite London haunts! So you can imagine how amazing it was to have the place to ourselves for a whole day!
The Rooftop Garden


The Basement



STYLING:
I planned the first part of the shoot to take place acoustically on the roof, so I kept it simple to start off with. I had 2 more costume changes in mind so I had plenty of time to get real you know...ExpressivE lol:

(Ignore the look of angst on my face lol...no Ashleigh's were hurt in the making of this video lol)

The second out fit took a little more planning! I wore a little black dress from our favorite urban outfitters FLY 53 and I dressed it up with some home made accessories. See what FLY had to say about this here :
Shoulder Pads

Faux Nails (of sorts):



The final set was dedicated to Metal Man lol! I really let my hair down for this one. But there wasn't a circuit board in sight :o. My make up girl Prisca had her work cut out though because I handed her these pics as references:



The acoustic set will be hitting your screens first. And soon after you'll have some quality Ashleigh Ashley on the netwaves...singing out 2010 in style ;D
Massive thank you to everyone who helped out...I will name and shame you all in due course lol!!

Check out TheAshleighAshley youtube channel for the final VIDS.

@sh.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