Mr Hudson Release Date
Nominated for “Best Newcomer” at the 2007 UK Festival Awards, Mr Hudson is described as contemporary R&B/alternative pop. In reality, he is a multi-talented singer/songwriter from Birmingham with a huge following from both fans and fellow artists alike.
Signed to Kayne West’s G.O.O.D music label and through Mercury Records he releases his debut studio album, Straight No Chaser, in October. This is the first album released by Mr Hudson as a solo effort with his previous album, A Tale of Two Cities, being released under Mr Hudson and the Library.
Mr Hudson performs throughout the autumn all over the UK with a number of solo dates and as support on the Calvin Harris tour. Straight No Chaser is released on 5th October.
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Exilim EX-H10 camera from Casio
Combining cutting edge Japanese technology with stylish, ultra slim design, the Exilim EX-H10 from Casio is one of the first “Superzoom” cameras with prices starting from £229.
A 10x optical zoom allows users to get close to subjects without compromising on image quality with the result that the Exilim EX-H10 is superb for shooting in small spaces or for photographing large subjects. The ultra-wide 24 mm wide angle lens provides a wider field of view making the camera also suitable for landscape photography. With a CCD-shift image stabilisation mechanism, a high-definition movie function is initiated just by pressing a dedicated button and will record at a size of 1280×720 pixels.
An exceptionally clear LCD screen on the back of the Exilim EX-H10 allows the user to view pictures and videos easily. With an integrated Make-Up mode that recognises faces and adjusts focus and exposure accordingly, subjects can be beautified by a function that also softens facial shadows caused by sunlight and photographers can choose from twelve levels of skin beauty using different strengths of image processing. The results can then be viewed in the LCD MONITOR before shooting. With high speed image processing capability, images can also be cut and pasted on to various still shots or a digital camera image can be created where only the main subject in the photo is moving without the need of a PC.
Casio have also enabled reduced energy consumption by means of improved circuitry, optional controls and a battery life that allows users 11 consecutive hours of viewing or 1,000 shots on a single charge.
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The Flaming Lips
It’s now official – The Flaming Lips were named by Q Magazine as one of the 50 bands to see before you die.
A show from the Flaming Lips typically features weird and wonderful costumes, puppets, confetti, smoke and dazzling lights, video screens and best of all, human-sized plastic bubbles which will carry members of the band over your head.
Headlining at the Rock Ness Festival earlier this year, the alternative psychedelic rock band appeared with the Teletubbies but refused to be upstaged.
The Flaming Lips had their first hit single in 1993 with She Don’t Use Jelly and have been writing songs with weird and wonderful titles ever since including Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles and Yeah, I Know it’s a Drag…But Wastin’ Pigs is Still Radical.
They were signed by Warner Bros Records after impressing an agent by nearly burning down a venue with their pyrotechnic show and went on to have single successes in Europe and the UK, collecting three Grammy Awards and a nomination for a Brit Award in 2007.
Their breakthrough hit came in 1999 however with their album The Soft Bulletin. With its blend of psychedelic rock, harmonies and orchestration it sold 300,000 copies in the US and went gold. Flaming Lips have also featured on several TV shows including The Late Show with David Letterman and Beavis and Butthead. Back home in Oklahoma, they have become such a legend that they even have streets and alleys named after them in the centre of the town’s entertainment district.
The visual spectacle of a Flaming Lips performance has to be seen to be believed. Combined with Wayne Cozen’s vitality and amazing riffs, it’s a show to die for.
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Fordham Music Festival
The Fordham Music Festival 2009 is over now and the last tent has left the ground, but it’s time to get ready for 2010 because this event has to be the most fun you can have across three fairly innocuous fields, ever.
Firstly it’s a non profit making charity music festival with all proceeds going to a delegated charity and what’s more, for an extra tenner, you can bring your car onto the camping pitch next to your tent, whoopee!
Lasting over three days, the line-up is an eclectically intriguing mix of ska, reggae, rock, folk, jazz – in fact, you name it, it’s there. Most of the bands that play there always want to come back again because they have such a great time, so in 2010 expect The Beat and Bad Manners for starters. Incidentally, if you need persuading regarding ska music, prepare to have a change of heart. In 2009, the “fat bastard” himself, aka Busta Blood Vessel had the entire audience jumping up and down like madmen in a maelstrom of euphoric skanking – this basically means moving your arms and legs in a rhythmic pumping action – before swaying hypnotically, as one, to the mesmerising country dance trance music of Alabama 3. Also expect some impressive new bands, this year saw the alt-rock band, the Ruin hit the stage to perform a breathtaking set of epic proportions.
Full of bohemian types ranging from Goths to punks and New Age hippies, plus middle-aged cardigan wearers, children, Father Christmas and young people the atmosphere is overwhelmingly friendly with a black-out sense of camaraderie developing around the chemical toilets.
Food is top notch – Eggs Benedict and Florentine for breakfast – with pizzas baked in a wood burning stove, goat stew and lattes and cappuccinos in abundance. The music takes place across three stages, cunningly overlapped and after events in the main arena are over there’s dancing till 6am. Fortunately the dance tent is a long way from the camping so disturbance for party poopers is minimal. Get your tickets for next year’s Fordham as soon as they are available – it’s a blast – and it’s not all from the past either.
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Will Young
Mention Will Young and most people remember his win in the first ever Pop Idol in 2002 when he famously beat Simon Cowell’s favourite, Gareth Gates, with 53.1 per cent of the vote.
But seven years on, Pop Idol and Will Young seem a long way apart. The former politics student has proved his mettle, not only as a stayer in the charts and in the music industry but in the hearts of his legions of fans. And he’s reached a new maturity and confidence in his performance too.
After making his debut with the fastest selling debut single in chart history, in Westlife’s Evergreen and Anything is Possible by Chris Braide and Cathy Dennis, Will Young has since been nominated for a total of ten BRIT Awards. With an array of glamorous appearances, including duets with the soul singer James Brown, headlining at the Proms in the Park and performing in the Concert for Diana behind him, he is living the dream, personified in his videos which have variously portrayed him as a fighter pilot and a Blue Peter presenter. Yet in spite of his success, he still retains an endearing vulnerability which informs his lyrics and vocals and fills his albums with insightful material.
Will Young concerts are all about the songs and the pure quality of Will’s voice with its soothing and silky tones. It’s not for nothing that he is often likened to George Michael. Whether it’s in the beautiful lilt of Leave Right Now or latest single Grace, with its superb backing of singers, Will’s audience, who typically range in age from 10 years to 60, is always entranced. His fourth album, Let It Go, has been described as his strongest to date with rich contemporary arrangements “but sweeter, more intimate and tender than ever before.”
Throughout the concert Will keeps the audience doubly entertained with humorous interjections and stories in between songs, the only predictable thing about the evening is that at the end everyone’s going to be standing up, singing their hearts out.
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Dyson DC24 All Floors
He’s done it again – James Dyson, the man who single-handedly revolutionised vacuuming has created one of the most practical and labour saving machines on the market.
The Dyson DC2 All Floors has a patented ball steering system which means it can be easily manoeuvred around furniture and into awkward spaces. Once full, its Root Cyclone technology dispenses with fiddly and time consuming bags and allows you to get rid of the dust straight from the easy to empty container.
Basically, the Root Cyclone and Core Separator technology means that dirt is spun out of the air flow straight into the see through polycarbonate bin, unlike conventional machines which have bags that often clog up with dust with a resultant loss of suction. The Dyson DC24 is ultra lightweight at only 5.4 kg which means you can easily carry it up stairs and enables you to negotiate all the tight corners with the ease of Jenson Button. The handle collapses to create more storage space. In addition to its unique Root Cyclone Technology the All Floors incorporates a motorised brush bar that can be turned on and off at a touch of a red button, effective in removing stubborn dirt and pet hair from carpets. The tool end converts successfully into a brush tool for dusting.
The Dyson DC24 has been approved by the British Allergy Foundation; one press of the button at the top of the cyclone empties the dust from the bottom, but make sure you’re standing over a bin first! A washable HEPA filter that filters particles as small as cigarette smoke, will last for a lifetime which substantially reduces running costs because there are no expensive bags to buy either.
The ultimate in hoovering machines, the Dyson DC24 All Floors combines intelligent design with funky good looks and has provided the benchmark for vacuum cleaners in the 21st century.
Nike Total T90 Ascente EPL
With football back on the screen again, the official Premier League football for 2009/10, the T90 Ascente is on the market for any would-be Rooneys and Torres to kick around the living room whilst watching TV.
No other football will be used on the pitch this season and the white and royal blue football has received unprecedented attention, being designed, engineered and put through its paces in wind tunnels and labs until manufacturers are satisfied that it beats any other on the planet for accuracy and velocity.
With a micro-textured surface equalizing airflow and a three-layered premium construction to maximise range and speed, its perfect 360 degree sweet spot is designed to give consistency and faultless performance. Made out of Polyester Support Fabric it’s stable and durable and is available in Size 5.
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Sony BDP S360
The BDP-S360 is an updated version of last year’s BDP-S350 and has some important additional features.
The slim and subtle design with a minimal array of controls means that the fascia is clutter free and clean cut and includes a cool, blue light. The fascia itself is a see-through flap that comes down when the tray opens with a panel behind displaying the time elapsed. Sony’s media bar interface makes it easy to navigate television menus, controls and settings.
Technical additions mean you can now watch Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080 and include BD Live compatibility, HDMI output and HD audio bitstreams with Deep Colour and x.v. Colour. Further video output options are provided by composite and component ports. A Quick Start Mode ensures that the player begins operation only six seconds from being switched on.
With enhanced audio formats from Dolby True HD and DTS HD, the player supports Master Audio bitstreams as well as regular Dolby Digital and DTS via HDMI and a surround sound is delivered with up to 7.1 channels of audio of the same quality as the studio recordings. If you don’t have HDMI inputs on your amp you can use the optical or coaxial digital audio outputs. An Ethernet connection is supplied to connect to the web and you’ll need a USB flash drive to store film downloads. With prices at under £200, the player is sure to win many fans.
Garmin nuvi 765t
The popular Sat Nav famed for the voice of “Australian Karen,” now features the latest maps with new motorway lane guidance graphics that will guide you into the right line of traffic and indicate the correct choice for approaching turns and exits.
Thanks to some realistic full screen lane graphics which show you exactly where your car should be positioned on the road, motorway confusion is now a thing of the past. The Garmin nuvi also helps motorists to navigate through a panoramic city to 3D tourist landmarks, using City Navigator’s Europe NT 2009 3D database. Geo-tagged images allow you to save photos from Google Panoramio and select a photo destination for directions to it when required. Routes can be planned to gauge the most fuel efficient with up-to-date maps. Bluetooth phone links enable hands-free calling and traffic alerts. Details about your exact location can be given on command and Garmin’s unique advanced driver safety system alerts you to safety cameras and speed limits.
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Boynq Vase Speaker
Well known for their pioneering and iconic design, Boynq’s Vase Speaker offers the ultimate in pink audio power. Demonstrating that speakers don’t always have to be black and utilitarian functional boxes, these are futuristic design statements that combine technical wizardry with a modern, shapely blueprint.
The Vase incorporates a speaker for your PC and mP3 player, powered by a USB port using the table surface as an Audio lens to create a surround sound experience for the user.
No AC Adaptor or software is required; you just plug in and play. Controls are easily adjusted and are incorporated in the bands in the stem of the vase which are turned to alter. The on/off switch is easily reached on the top of the unit which is lit by a subtle orange glow.
The Vase stands on cushioned feet which are slightly raised for optimal sound quality with the tweeter speaker positioned on the acoustic lens. The whole unit is magnetically shielded against mobile phone interference with a total output power of 3w RMS with an impedance of 40hm.
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