BLOG: THE FAMILY 28 December 2009

Goodbye The Family

Hello bishi world,

I hope you all had a great Xmas. Once I start to ignore that incessant festive aggression & those dictatorial consumer windows begging me to buy buy buy – I get well into it.

Getting pissed on more Prosecco than a stuffed pig while hollering to Bohemian Rhapsody – that was me on Christmas Day.

I loved driving up the hackney road, doing minor celebrity spotting. The Queenz of Noise, Princess Julia, Dee from Divine Incest & that bloke from The Horrors….were all caught scavenging for their Christmas Dinner….Not bad day’s spotting!

I’ve eaten so much, I feel like a giant toad. Maybe watching the original, ‘Clash of the Titans, has encouraged this feeling of something surreal on epic proportions.

Oh, to be a Ray Harryhausen toad, rrrrbbbbit!

Before Xmas eve, Channel 4 aired their last episode of ‘The Family.’ It’s an 8 episode series, following the lives of The Grewals; a Punjabi family all living near the flightpath of Heathrow.

Astonishingly, all 3 generations live under one roof. We are privy to some amazing events, spiced with some classic tv comedy.

There was a marriage, a birth, a near death & enough emotional drama to put Corrie to shame. The Production team must have been having kittens with all their good luck.

It’s been great to see a modern Indian family on the telly who have manged to smash any old cultural stereotypes. I believe, they have elevated all that is best about our culture to Its own level.

I’m not usually a fan of ‘reality tv.’

However, their warmth, the respect & the sense of all being in it together rebel against the continuous freak show that makes up most unscripted television.

And for that I salute you, the Grewals, new icons of Brit TV. In a country with Katie Price, Kerry Katona, the Daily Mail & Simon Cowell all shake their cash hungry fists, you stand as defenders of something true.

Long live The Grewals!

BLOG: NICK KNIGHT 100 PORTRAITS 19 December 2009

Dear People of Bishi World,

For 20 days, Nick Knight has photographed 100 Portraits of everyone from Lady Gaga to Sir Paul Smith via Kate Moss and Jonny Woo. All shoots were at Somerset House and could be viewed Live on www.showstudio.com.

Here are some live action screen grabs, of a very recent photo-shoot I had with the legendary British Photographer, Nick Knight.

All images courtesy of Rosy Nicholas who made that fabuloous silver ruff!

This is the second time I have had the pivilege of shooting with Nick Knight.

The first photoshoot has been turned into a life size video from the i-D Tsunami benefit in 2005 and features in the Showstudio Fashion Revolution exhibition at Somerset House.

I was styled by the uber-stylist Francseca Burns and sang a traditional Bulgarian Folk Song on the ukulele.

The film mixes live out takes from the other shoots which star people as diverse as Naomi Campbell to Namalee Bollee of SuperSuper Magazine.

Both shoots have been an all round dream come true. Not many times can you say that, eh?
Happy Holidays!
B
xx

BLOG: LIVE GIGS 14 December 2009

Hello People of Bishi World;

The national obsession with the Karaoke TV left me totally flummoxed. I had, point blank, refused to be drawn in to some media frenzy. I vowed not be a slave to Cowell’s empire and am soooo glad the debarcle is over.

Instead, I spent time watching some of the most unique live acts around in the world today.

I was very lucky to bump into The Grizzly’s in Clerkenwell, with classical wunderkind Nico Muhly. The tickets to their LSO show were like gold dust, so it was great to be sneaked in, the place of Beth Orton. {Sorry Beth!} The gig was all four part Harmony Perfection with some Early Disney-esque lavish arrangements courtesy of Mr. Muhly.

Think The Beach Boys meets George Bruns & Benjamin Britten. Sound likely or am I confusing you?

They were supported by the fantastic St. Vincent. Her show tune/prog/indie inspired debut album, ‘Actor,’ is one of the most original records I’ve heard in years. The definitively rich and often grungey textures were as effectively arranged on loop stations and guitar fx. Often alone onstage, she absolutely captivated the room.

U Srinivas played recently as the Sadler’s Well’ as part of the Svapnagata Festvial, curated by Nitin Sawhney and Akrahm Khan. He’s an Icon of Carnatic Music, the first to make the Electric Mandolin a Classical instrument.. A child prodigy, he has worked with the likes of John McLaughlin and Michale Nyman.

Alec Empire returned to the London for a knock out show with Nic Endo comprising of ATR hits and new solo material. My friends were dancing the Charleston {it works surprisingly well with those hardcore beats} and didn’t stop all night. I moshed so hard once at an ATR gig, I ended up in bed for three days! Alec seemed really happy when I told him this!

The experimental drawing club, ‘Heavy Pencil,’ served as a backdrop for the superb Simon Bookish and his band of saxophonists. There were tables everywhere of live illustrators with webcams beaming their creations all around the ICA Auditorium. As Bookish performed from his recent album, ‘Everything/Everything’ the illustrators would interpret his lyrics in real time. I’ve seen nothing quite like it and the event was as unique as the music.

Enjoy the videos….Thanks for all your support for my new video!
Bishi
x